The role of sleep traits in prostate, endometrial, and epithelial ovarian cancers: An observational and Mendelian randomisation study

Christos V. Chalitsios & Emmanouil Bouras et al. · 2025-07-17

Sleep traits may influence cancer risk; however, their associations with prostate (PCa), endometrial (ECa), and epithelial ovarian (EOCa) cancer remain unclear. We conducted an observational analysis using the UK Biobank cohort and a two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis to investigate the association between six sleep traits-duration, chronotype, insomnia, daytime napping, daytime sleepiness, and snoring-with PCa, ECa, and EOCa risk. Cox proportional hazards models were used for the observational analysis, while the inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method was applied in MR, with multiple sensitivity analyses. A Bonferroni correction was applied to account for multiple testing. Among 8608 PCa, 1079 ECa, and 680 EOCa incident diagnoses (median follow-up: 6.9 years), snoring was associated with reduced EOCa risk (HR=0.78, 95 %CI: 0.62-0.98), while daytime sleepiness was associated with increased EOCa risk (HR=1.23, 95 %CI: 1.03-1.47). However, these associations were not confirmed in MR. MR suggested higher odds of PCa (OR Sleep traits were not associated with PCa, ECa, or EOCa risk; however, an evening chronotype may increase PCa risk. Further research is needed to verify this association and investigate potential underlying mechanisms.
Funding

NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre

NIHR203316

World Cancer Research Fund

1173411

Cancer Research UK

C18281/A29019