Body Size and Bladder Cancer Risk: A Pooled Analysis of Prospective Studies From the National Cancer Institute Cohort Consortium

N Nina Afshar S Stella Koutros M Molin Wang (Harvard T.H. Chan, Boston, Massachusetts, United States) P Piet A. van den Brandt A Alicja Wolk H Hans-Olov Adami A Agneta Åkesson M Matt J. Barnett K Kimberly A. Bertrand H Hui Cai F Florence Le Calvez-Kelm C Chu Chen M Mridul Datta A A. Heather Eliassen J Jo L. Freudenheim G Gretchen L. Gierach E Edward Giovannucci M Mayo Hirabayashi B Brian Z. Huang W Wen-Yi Huang V Victoria A. Kirsh W Woon-Puay Koh J James V. Lacey S Susanna C. Larsson L Linda M. Liao C Chaoran Ma M Maria Elena Martinez A Amy E. Millen S Steven C. Moore L Lorelei A. Mucci H Heather M. Munro M Marian L. Neuhouser (Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and School of Public Health, University of Washington) H Heather M. Ochs-Balcom J Julie R. Palmer S Song-Yi Park A Alpa V. Patel (Population Science American Cancer Society Atlanta Georgia USA) J Jessica L. Petrick E Elizabeth A. Platz M Mark A. Preston A Anna Prizment S Samantha Rees F Fulvio Ricceri K Kim Robien T Thomas E. Rohan S Sven Sandin N Norie Sawada E Eva S. Schernhammer M Marissa M. Shams-White M Martha J. Shrubsole X Xiao-Ou Shu R Rashmi Sinha G Guri Skeie R Rachael Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon M Mingyang Song (State Key Laboratory for Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China) C Caroline Y. Um K Kala Visvanathan M Mara Z. Vitolins S Sophia Wang (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California Los Angeles) E Eleanor L. Watts E Elisabete Weiderpass E Emily White W Walter C. Willett G Gong Yang J Jian-Min Yuan X Xuehong Zhang W Wei Zheng N Nathaniel Rothman B Brigid M. Lynch (Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia (H.T.D., N.J.S., T.I., C.J.B., D.W.D., N.O., B.M.L., E.J.H.).) D Debra T. Silverman S Stephanie A. Smith-Warner R Roger L. Milne

Abstract

PURPOSE Body size is an established risk factor for several cancers, but associations with bladder cancer risk remain unclear. METHODS We pooled data from 2,533,008 participants in 30 international cohort studies to assess associations of BMI, waist circumference, and height with bladder cancer risk. Multivariable Cox regression models, including smoking status, duration, and other confounders, were run separately by cohort and sex, and results combined by random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS Incident first primary bladder cancer was diagnosed in 15,259 males and 5,188 females. For males, overweight (BMI, 25.0-29.9 kg/m 2 ) and obesity (BMI, ≥30 kg/m 2 ) were associated with increased risk of bladder cancer, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.08 (95% CI, 1.04 to 1.12) and 1.16 (95% CI, 1.10 to 1.22), respectively, when compared with normal weight (BMI, 18.5-24.9 kg/m 2 ). The corresponding HR for females were 1.02 (95% CI, 0.95 to 1.09) and 1.04 (95% CI, 0.95 to 1.14), respectively. The HR per 5 kg/m 2 increment was 1.07 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.09) for males and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.97 to 1.04) for females. Higher waist circumference was also associated with increased risk of bladder cancer for males (HR per 10 cm increase 1.06 [95% CI, 1.03 to 1.08]) but not females (HR, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.97 to 1.04]). Results for height were largely consistent with those for BMI and waist circumference, with strong and consistent evidence for males, but not females. CONCLUSION Larger body size is associated with increased risk of bladder cancer for males, but not females. Public health interventions to prevent overweight and obesity, along with smoking cessation and reduced occupational exposure to bladder carcinogens, are likely to reduce bladder cancer incidence worldwide.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 44, Issue 15
Published May 20, 2026
Pages 1441-1456
ISSN 0732-183X
Publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Journal Info

Journal of Clinical Oncology

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

ISSN: 0732-183X Health Sciences

Authors (71)

N

Nina Afshar

S

Stella Koutros

M

Molin Wang

Harvard T.H. Chan, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

P

Piet A. van den Brandt

A

Alicja Wolk

H

Hans-Olov Adami

A

Agneta Åkesson

M

Matt J. Barnett

K

Kimberly A. Bertrand

H

Hui Cai

F

Florence Le Calvez-Kelm

C

Chu Chen

M

Mridul Datta

A

A. Heather Eliassen

J

Jo L. Freudenheim

G

Gretchen L. Gierach

E

Edward Giovannucci

M

Mayo Hirabayashi

B

Brian Z. Huang

W

Wen-Yi Huang

V

Victoria A. Kirsh

W

Woon-Puay Koh

J

James V. Lacey

S

Susanna C. Larsson

L

Linda M. Liao

C

Chaoran Ma

M

Maria Elena Martinez

A

Amy E. Millen

S

Steven C. Moore

L

Lorelei A. Mucci

H

Heather M. Munro

M

Marian L. Neuhouser

Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and School of Public Health, University of Washington

H

Heather M. Ochs-Balcom

J

Julie R. Palmer

S

Song-Yi Park

A

Alpa V. Patel

Population Science American Cancer Society Atlanta Georgia USA

J

Jessica L. Petrick

E

Elizabeth A. Platz

M

Mark A. Preston

A

Anna Prizment

S

Samantha Rees

F

Fulvio Ricceri

K

Kim Robien

T

Thomas E. Rohan

S

Sven Sandin

N

Norie Sawada

E

Eva S. Schernhammer

M

Marissa M. Shams-White

M

Martha J. Shrubsole

X

Xiao-Ou Shu

R

Rashmi Sinha

G

Guri Skeie

R

Rachael Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon

M

Mingyang Song

State Key Laboratory for Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China

C

Caroline Y. Um

K

Kala Visvanathan

M

Mara Z. Vitolins

S

Sophia Wang

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California Los Angeles

E

Eleanor L. Watts

E

Elisabete Weiderpass

E

Emily White

W

Walter C. Willett

G

Gong Yang

J

Jian-Min Yuan

X

Xuehong Zhang

W

Wei Zheng

N

Nathaniel Rothman

B

Brigid M. Lynch

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia (H.T.D., N.J.S., T.I., C.J.B., D.W.D., N.O., B.M.L., E.J.H.).

D

Debra T. Silverman

S

Stephanie A. Smith-Warner

R

Roger L. Milne