Cardiovascular

Associations of anthropometric indices with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among US adults with a self-reported history of cancer: a population-based cohort study.

Li Y, Liu P, et al. • BMC endocrine disorders • 2026

Cohort PubMed 42972319 DOI 10.1186/s12902-026-02652-w
TL;DR

Higher ABSI was associated with higher all-cause and CVD mortality among U.S. adults with a self-reported history of cancer, while continuous BRI and BMI were not independently associated with outcomes.

Key Findings

Results

Higher ABSI was independently associated with higher all-cause mortality among US adults with a self-reported history of cancer.

  • Analysis of 3,230 NHANES participants (2003-2018) using survey-weighted Cox models.
  • Each 1-SD higher ABSI: HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.11-1.38 for all-cause mortality.
  • 937 all-cause deaths occurred during a survey-weighted median potential follow-up of 7.9 years.
  • Models were adjusted for sociodemographic, behavioral, and cancer-related factors.
Results

Higher ABSI was strongly associated with CVD mortality.

  • Each 1-SD higher ABSI: HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.26-1.90.
  • 197 CVD deaths occurred during follow-up.
Results

ABSI was not significantly associated with cancer mortality.

  • Each 1-SD higher ABSI: HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.96-1.29.
  • 315 cancer deaths occurred during follow-up.
Results

Continuous BRI and BMI were not independently associated with the mortality outcomes in the primary models.

  • The abstract reports that continuous BRI and BMI were not independently associated with all-cause, cancer, or CVD mortality.
Results

Underweight BMI category was associated with higher all-cause mortality.

  • Underweight BMI: HR 2.44, 95% CI 1.46-4.08 for all-cause mortality.
Results

BMI showed a nonlinear association with all-cause mortality.

  • P for nonlinearity = 0.002.
  • Nonlinear analyses were performed as part of the study.
Results

The ABSI findings were robust across sensitivity analyses.

  • ABSI findings 'remained similar across sensitivity analyses'.
  • The authors state further studies are needed to confirm the associations.

What This Means

This study looked at about 3,200 US adults who reported having had cancer, using national health survey data collected from 2003 to 2018. Researchers tested whether different body measurements were linked to dying from any cause, from cancer, or from heart and blood vessel disease over roughly 8 years of follow-up. A measure called ABSI (a body shape index, which accounts for waist size relative to height and weight) stood out. People with higher ABSI had a higher risk of dying overall and of dying from cardiovascular disease, but the link with cancer death was not statistically clear. In contrast, BMI and another shape measure (body roundness index) were not independently tied to death risk when treated as continuous measures. Being underweight by BMI was linked to higher overall mortality, and the BMI relationship with death was not a straight line. This research suggests that where body fat is carried, not just total weight, may matter for survival after cancer, and that BMI alone may miss important information. Because this was an observational study relying on self-reported cancer history, it cannot show cause and effect, and the authors note that more studies are needed to confirm the results.

Have a question about this study?

Presence or severity of Hashimoto's thyroiditis does not influence basal calcitonin levels: observations from CROHT biobank.
Journal of endocrinological investigation • 2022

HT patients of all disease stages preserve Ct production as healthy individuals and there is no need for Ct measurements...
Approach to the Patient: Safety of Growth Hormone Replacement in Children and Adolescents.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism • 2022

rhGH therapy has been used for more than 3 decades and data are largely reassuring, yet we still have much to learn abou...
Extended Absorption of Liothyronine from Poly-Zinc-Liothyronine: Results from a Phase 1, Double-Blind, Randomized, and Controlled Study in Humans.
Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association • 2022

PZL possesses the necessary properties to achieve a much improved T3 pharmacokinetic profile, with ~30% lower Cmax that...
Lipoprotein subtypes after testosterone therapy in transmasculine adolescents.
Journal of clinical lipidology • 2022

Testosterone appears to be a major contributor to differences in lipoprotein profiles, a surrogate for cardiovascular di...
Long-term testosterone undecanoate treatment in the elderly testosterone deficient male: An observational cohort study.
Andrology • 2022

Long-acting testosterone undecanoate treatment in elderly testosterone-deficient patients required more frequent dose ad...
Society for Endocrinology guidelines for testosterone replacement therapy in male hypogonadism.
Clinical endocrinology • 2022

The Society for Endocrinology commissioned a multidisciplinary guideline to provide all care providers with a comprehens...

Citation

Li Y, Liu P, Zhu H, Zhao D, Zhao C, Ma X, et al.. (2026). Associations of anthropometric indices with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among US adults with a self-reported history of cancer: a population-based cohort study.. BMC endocrine disorders. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12902-026-02652-w