Abstract
Introduction
Even in the absence of a formal diagnosis, sleep problems (SP) are frequently indicative of an underlying sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea, which may be adversely associated with cancer risk and cancer outcomes.
Methods
We assessed the association of self-reported SP with incident cancer (N=4,997, excluding prevalent cancers) and cancer mortality (N=5849) among the participants of Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a population-based study of adults aged >=65 years recruited from 4 US communities. Participants reported SP (daytime sleepiness, observed apnea and snoring) yearly from 1989-1994; these self-reported symptoms have been validated against objective sleep measures assessed within a subset of CHS participants (n= 1240) who received a home polysomnography as part of the Sleep Heart Health Study. Cancer incidence was ascertained through linkage with state cancer registries through 2005; cancer specific death was adjudicated through 2015. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations of baseline SP with subsequent cancer incidence and cancer mortality, adjusting for baseline sociodemographics, lifestyle factors, and medical history.
Results
The mean age (SD) of the study population was 73 (6) years, 56% were female, and 84% were white. The prevalence of SP was 17% for daytime sleepiness, 8% for observed apnea, and 24% for snoring; 63% reported none of the 3 SP. Overall, 1,130 first incident cancers and 1,014 cancer deaths were identified over median follow-up of 12 and 13 years, respectively. Compared to participants who reported no SP, the risk of incident cancer was inversely associated with daytime sleepiness (HR 0.86 [95% CI 0.70-1.04]), observed apnea (HR 0.74 [0.56-1.00]), and snoring (HR 0.80 [0.68-0.95]). Cancer mortality HR (95% CI) estimates were 1.00 (0.82-1.21) for daytime sleepiness, 0.77 (0.57-1.04) for observed apnea, and 0.88 (0.74, 1.04) for snoring.
Conclusion
Symptoms indicating SP reported at baseline were not associated with increased cancer incidence or cancer mortality. Ongoing analyses are focused on the impact of longitudinal SP (time dependent, cumulative average) to ensure an adequate latency period is incorporated into our analysis of the association between SP and cancer risk and mortality.
Support
NIHT32CA09488017
1006 Sleep Problems and Risk of Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS)
