Association of albuminuria and cancer mortality.

BACKGROUND: The objective was to evaluate the association of albuminuria with cancer mortalities in adults ages 50 and older.
METHODS: A total of 6,112 adults ages 50 years and above without a history of cancer at baseline in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-1994) were included in the analysis. Albuminuria was measured with urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) in mg/mmol. Cancer mortality was obtained from the NHANES III-linked follow-up database (up to December 31, 2006). Cox-regression models were used to examine the associations of interest.
RESULTS: Albuminuria was present in 705 men (17.5%) and 592 women (14.3%). During an average follow-up of 149 months, 613 subjects died of cancers including 184 lung cancers, 65 colorectal cancers, 55 prostate cancers, and 309 other cancers. There was an increased mortality risk associated with logarithmically transformed UACR for all-cancer [relative risk (RR), 1.20; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-1.36], lung cancer (RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.05-1.43), and prostate cancer mortality (RR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.01-1.95) in men. No associations between UACR and cancer were apparent in women.
CONCLUSIONS: The analysis shows that albuminuria is associated with an increased risk of cancer death, specifically for all-cause, lung, and prostate cancers in men ages 50 and above. IMPACT: Further studies are needed to explore the relationship between albuminuria and specific cancers. Understanding the biological link between albuminuria and cancer will be critical for determining whether albuminuria represents an early marker or a potential therapeutic target. ©2010 AACR.