In a new study, researchers found that obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) may increase cancer risk in women.
They found that women with this sleep disorder are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than men with the condition.
The research was conducted by a team from Aristotle University.
In OSA, the airways close completely or partially many times during sleep. It can reduce the levels of oxygen in the blood.
Common symptoms of the condition include snoring, disrupted sleep and feeling excessively tired.
Previous research has shown that low blood oxygen levels during the night and disrupted sleep may contribute to many types of cancer.
In the study, the team examined more than 19,000 people in the European Sleep Apnoea Database (ESADA).
They found that people who were diagnosed with cancer were likely to be over 50 years of age and less overweight.
The most common type of cancer among women was breast cancer, and prostate cancer was the most prevalent among men.
Moreover, people who experience more closures of the airways during sleep and whose blood oxygen saturation levels drop below 90% more frequently (both are symptoms of OSA) are more likely to have cancer compared with people without OSA.
The cancer risk was higher among women participants with OSA than men with the condition.
The study provides new evidence on the possible link between OSA such as low blood oxygen levels and the risk of developing cancer.
The team suggests that OSA could be a predictor of cancer in women
Doctors need to more careful when evaluating their female patients for possible OSA.
Future work needs to evaluate the number of cancer diagnoses and cancer deaths in people with OSA and to look at how OSA treatment may affect cancer outcomes.
The lead author of the study is Athanasia Pataka, Assistant Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Aristotle University.
The study is published in the European Respiratory Journal.
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