The association between body mass index and vulvar and vaginal cancer incidence: findings from a large Norwegian cohort study

Q: What was the study designed to examine regarding BMI and these cancers?

The study assessed whether body mass index (BMI) is associated with the incidence of vulvar and vaginal cancer in a large cohort of Norwegian women.

Q: How many participants and person-years were included in the analysis?

The dataset included 889,441 women aged 16–75 years at baseline, with follow-up totaling 30.1 million person-years.

Q: What did the results suggest about BMI and cancer risk?

Higher BMI was associated with increased risk of vulvar and vaginal cancers overall, with suggestive stronger associations for BMI in early adulthood and for early-onset vaginal cancer.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Valentina

Body mass index (BMI) has limited evidence regarding its relationship with vulvar and vaginal cancer risk. A large Norwegian cohort study analyzed associations between BMI and incident vulvar and vaginal cancers, using multivariable Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The analysis included 889,441 Norwegian women aged 16–75 at baseline from 1963–1975, followed for 30.1 million person-years. Results evaluated BMI categories and per-5 kg/m² increments, reporting subtype-specific and early-adulthood or early-onset effects, with implications for further mechanistic research.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Methods

Cancer Causes & Control (2025) 36:191–198 [https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-024-01930-z](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-024-01930-z) The association between body mass index and vulvar and vaginal cancer incidence: findings from a large Norwegian cohort study Dagfinn Aune1,2,3 · Marie Nordsletten4 · Tor Åge Myklebust5,6 · Trude Eid Robsahm1 · Bjørn Steen Skålhegg7 · Tom Mala4,8 · SherazYaqub4,8 · Usman Saeed4 Received: 29 July 2024 / Accepted: 14 October 2024 / Published online: 27 October 2024 © The Author(s) 2024 Abstract Background There is limited evidence of potential associations between body mass index (BMI) and risk of vulvar and vaginal cancer. We explored these associations in a large cohort of Norwegian women. Methods The analytical dataset included 889,441 women aged 16–75 years at baseline in 1963–1975. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between BMI and vulvar and vaginal cancer incidence. Results During 30.1 million person-years of follow-up, 1748 incident vulvar and 408 incident vaginal cancer cases occurred. The HRs (95% CIs) for vulvar cancer for a BMI of 15- < 18 .5, 18.5- < 25, 25- < 30, 30- < 35, ≥ 35 were 0.62 (0 .38–1.01), 1.00 (reference), 1.23 (1 . 10–1.40), 1.43 (1 .23–1.66) and 1.72 (1 .35–2.20, ptrend < 0 .001), and per 5 kg/m2 increment was 1.20 (1.13–1.26). The corresponding HRs (95% CIs) for vaginal cancer were 1.05 (0.52–2.15), 1.00, 0.89 (0.71–1.12), 0.95 (0 .68–1.34), and 2.01 (1 .29–3. 13, ptrend < 0 .001), respectively, and per 5 kg/m2 was 1.11 (0 .99–1.25) . The HR (95% CI) per 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI at ages 16–29 was 1.28 (1 .07–1.54, n = 250 cases) for vulvar and 1.53 (1 .11–2. 11, n = 66 cases) for vaginal cancers. The HR (95% CI) per 5 kg/m2 for early-onset (< 50 years age at diagnosis) vulvar cancer was 0.92 (0 .66–1.28, n = 87 cases) and 1.70 (1.05–2.76, n = 21 cases) for vaginal cancer. Conclusion These results further support the associations between higher BMI and increased risk of vulvar and vaginal cancers, with suggestive stronger associations between BMI in early adulthood for both cancers and for early-onset vaginal cancer. Further studies are needed to elucidate these findings and investigate the underlying mechanisms. Keywords Body mass index · Vulvar cancer · Vaginal cancer · Cohort Introduction Vulvar and vaginal cancers are rare with an overall incidence rate globally of 0.9 cases per 100,000 person-years and 0.4 cases per 100,000 person-years, respectively, and a total of * Dagfinn Aune[d.aune@imperial.ac.uk](d.aune@imperial.ac.uk) 1 Department of Research, Cancer Registry of Norway, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway 2 Department of Nutrition, Oslo New University College, Oslo, Norway 3 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, White City Campus, 90 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK 4 Department of Gastrointestinal and Paediatric Surgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway 45,000 and 18,000 cases occurred globally in 2020 [1] . Risk factors include human papilloma virus (HPV) infection [2, 3], sexual habits [2–4], various pre-cancerous lesions [3, 5], genital warts [2–4, 6–8], vulvar lichen sclerosis [3], conditions associated with immunosuppression such as HIV [3], 5 Department of Registration, Cancer Registry of Norway, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway 6 Department of Research and Innovation, Møre and Romsdal Hospital Trust, Ålesund, Norway 7 Division for Molecular Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway 8 Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway systemic lupus erythematosus [9] and organ transplantation [3, 10, 11], diethylstilbestrol use [12], alcoholism [13] and smoking [2, 4, 14] . Excess weight is a risk factor for 12 cancers according to the World Cancer Research Fund [15], however, limited d

FAQs

What was the study designed to examine regarding BMI and these cancers?

The study assessed whether body mass index (BMI) is associated with the incidence of vulvar and vaginal cancer in a large cohort of Norwegian women.

How many participants and person-years were included in the analysis?

The dataset included 889,441 women aged 16–75 years at baseline, with follow-up totaling 30.1 million person-years.

What did the results suggest about BMI and cancer risk?

Higher BMI was associated with increased risk of vulvar and vaginal cancers overall, with suggestive stronger associations for BMI in early adulthood and for early-onset vaginal cancer.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Valentina