Taller people have a greater risk of cancer because they are bigger and so have more cells in their bodies in which dangerous mutations can occur, new research has suggested.

A number of studies have previously found a link between a lofty stature and a greater risk of developing some form of cancer, with research suggesting that for every 10cm of height within the typical range for humans, the risk increases by about 10%. A similar link has also been found in dogs, with bigger breeds having a greater risk of such diseases.

Scientists have put forward a number of different explanations for this, including that certain growth hormones could play a role in both height and cancer, or that environmental factors such as childhood nutrition or illness could be a factor.

“One of the major hypotheses was that something was happening early in life that was making your cells more susceptible to cancer and, sort of incidentally, causing you to be tall,” said Leonard Nunney, professor of biology at the University of California Riverside.

Taller people more likely to get cancer, say researchers

 

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The results reveal that his predictions are in tune with the real-life observations, giving a 13% increased risk for women for every additional 10cm in height compared with 12% from observations, and an 11% predicted increase in men for every 10cm taller compared with 9% seen in real life.

Overall, an increased risk with height was seen for 18 out of 23 cancers considered. Nunney says some cancers may have shown no link because the effect of height was masked by other drivers such as HPV

infection for cervical cancer.

Nunney said a slight boost in the rate of cell division, as a result of higher levels of IGF-1, might have a stronger effect on these cells than it does in other tissues, possibly because melanoma might need a larger set of mutations to develop than other cancers.

Taller women more likely to develop cancer

 

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That said, Bennett said there was no obvious reason melanoma should have a particularly strong link to height.

Georgina Hill, from Cancer Research UK, said individuals should not be concerned about their stature. “A number of studies over the years have shown that taller people seem to have a slightly higher risk of cancer,” she said. “But the increased risk is small and there’s plenty you can do to reduce the risk of developing cancer, such as not smoking and keeping a healthy weight.”