| Title: | Muscle strength and mass as predictors of pancreatic cancer: insights from the UK biobank |
| Journal: | BMC Cancer |
| Published: | 20 Aug 2025 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40836282/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-14766-w |
| URL: | https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12885-025-14766-w |
Publication 19715
WARNING: the interactive features of this website use CSS3, which your browser does not support. To use the full features of this website, please update your browser.
Abstract
BackgroundWhile sarcopenia is associated with adverse pancreatic cancer (PC) outcomes, prospective evidence linking muscle health to PC risk remains limited. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the associations of grip strength and muscle mass with incident PC risk in the UK Biobank cohort.MethodsAmong 363,693 UK Biobank participants, grip strength (kg) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)-derived muscle mass (weight-normalized) were measured. Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for age, sex, lifestyle factors, and metabolic syndrome components, assessed PC risk over a median 13.7-year follow-up.ResultsHigher muscle mass (HR = 0.86, 95% Confidential Interval [CI]:0.78-0.95) and grip strength (HR = 0.90, 95% CI:0.83-0.98) demonstrated linear inverse associations with PC risk showing sex-specific divergence: muscle mass reduction conferred stronger protection in men (HR = 0.84, 95% CI:0.74-0.96), whereas grip strength showed greater impact in women (HR = 0.84, 95% CI:0.74-0.96). Subgroup analyses revealed that improved grip strength reduced PC risk in diabetics (HR = 0.89, 95% CI:0.80-0.99), while obese individuals benefited from both enhanced grip strength (HR = 0.95, 95% CI:0.90-0.99) and muscle mass (HR = 0.88, 95% CI:0.82-0.94). Population-attributable fraction estimates suggest 5-12% of PC cases could be prevented through muscle health interventions.ConclusionThese findings highlight an association between improved physical capability and reduced PC risk, supporting the adoption of sex-specific preventive strategies - prioritizing muscle mass augmentation in men and grip strength enhancement in women, particularly in high-risk metabolic subgroups. By characterizing sarcopenia as an independent risk factor, this study underscores the imperative to integrate muscle preservation into pancreatic cancer prevention paradigms.</p>
16 Keywords
- Aged
- Biological Specimen Banks
- Female
- Hand Strength
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Muscle Strength
- Muscle, Skeletal
- Pancreatic Neoplasms
- Proportional Hazards Models
- Prospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Sarcopenia
- UK Biobank
- United Kingdom
8 Authors
- Xin Liu
- Hui Song
- Chao Li
- Xiao Hu
- Chang Li
- Guo-tao Lu
- Hongfei Xiang
- Qian Yu
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 69476 | The genetic architecture and enviromental risk factors of pancreatitis. |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health