Women who have severe sleep apnea could be at a greater risk of developing cancer, reveals a new study. The findings of the study are published in the European Respiratory Journal.
No causal relationship is demonstrated, but the link between nocturnal hypoxia in women and higher cancer risk is still clear.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea should be suspected in overweight middle aged adults who snore loudly and which can cause interruption of breathing for 10 seconds or more and this results in reduced blood o
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‘Women with obstructive sleep apnea are two to three times more likely to be at risk for a cancer diagnosis.
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"It's reasonable to assume that sleep apnea is a risk factor for cancer, or that both conditions have common risk factors, such as overweight. On the other hand, it is less likely that cancer leads to sleep apnea," notes Ludger Grote, Adjunct Professor and chief physician in sleep medicine, and the last author of the current study.
The research is based on analyses of registry data, collected in the European database ESADA, on a total of some 20,000 adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). About 2 percent of them also had a cancer diagnosis.
![Women and Cancer]( "Women and Cancer")
Cancer is one of the frequently talked about and most feared disease that falls under the genre of lifestyle diseases that have evolved, rather rapidly, in the past two decades.
As expected, advanced age was associated with elevated cancer risk, but adjusting the data for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and alcohol consumption nevertheless showed a possible link between intermittent hypoxia at night and higher cancer prevalence. The connection applied mainly to women and was weaker in men.
"Our results indicate a cancer risk that's elevated two- to three-fold among women with pronounced sleep apnea. It's impossible to say for sure what causes underlie the association between sleep apnea and cancer, but the indication means we need to study it in more depth," Grote says.
Ludger Grote is Adjunct Professor of Pulmonary Medicine, specializing in sleep medicine, at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg. He is also a senior consultant and head of medicine at the Department of Sleep Medicine at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
"The condition of sleep apnea is well known to the general public and associated with snoring, daytime fatigue, and elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, especially in men. Our research paves the way for a new view that sleep apnea may possibly be connected with increased cancer risk, especially in women," Grote says.
Previous studies have shown that, more often than others, people with sleep apnea have a cancer diagnosis in their medical history. Research in this area is expanding, while the gender aspects have hardly been explored.
"Above all, the focus has been on the connection with one form of cancer: malignant melanoma. Cancer of the breast or womb may now become a new area. There may be a combined effect of female sex hormones and stress activation, induced by nocturnal hypoxia in sleep apnea, that can trigger cancer development or a weakening of the body's immune system."
Source: Eurekalert
Women and Cancer
Cancer is one of the frequently talked about and most feared disease that falls under the genre of lifestyle diseases that have evolved, rather rapidly, in the past two decades.
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As expected, advanced age was associated with elevated cancer risk, but adjusting the data for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and alcohol consumption nevertheless showed a possible link between intermittent hypoxia at night and higher cancer prevalence. The connection applied mainly to women and was weaker in men.
"Our results indicate a cancer risk that's elevated two- to three-fold among women with pronounced sleep apnea. It's impossible to say for sure what causes underlie the association between sleep apnea and cancer, but the indication means we need to study it in more depth," Grote says.
Ludger Grote is Adjunct Professor of Pulmonary Medicine, specializing in sleep medicine, at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg. He is also a senior consultant and head of medicine at the Department of Sleep Medicine at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
"The condition of sleep apnea is well known to the general public and associated with snoring, daytime fatigue, and elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, especially in men. Our research paves the way for a new view that sleep apnea may possibly be connected with increased cancer risk, especially in women," Grote says.
Previous studies have shown that, more often than others, people with sleep apnea have a cancer diagnosis in their medical history. Research in this area is expanding, while the gender aspects have hardly been explored.
"Above all, the focus has been on the connection with one form of cancer: malignant melanoma. Cancer of the breast or womb may now become a new area. There may be a combined effect of female sex hormones and stress activation, induced by nocturnal hypoxia in sleep apnea, that can trigger cancer development or a weakening of the body's immune system."
Source: Eurekalert
Sleep Apnea Linked With Higher Levels Of Inflammation
Inflammation, thought of as a symptom of sleep apnea could precede the disorder and potentially open the door for novel ways of treating sleep apnea.
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 Implantable Device to Treat Central Sleep ApneaAn implantable device called the Remedē system is the new treatment option for patients with central sleep apnea. | Advertisement
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