Revealing the Causal Impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Cancer Risk: Insights from Mendelian randomization analysis.

BACKGROUND: Observational studies have suggested that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may have a potential carcinogenic role. However, the results of these studies were inconsistent and the underlying genetic mechanisms have yet to be fully understood.

METHODS: We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using large-scale genome-wide association studies summary statistics to explore the possible causal effect of OSA on the risk of 16 specific-site cancers in the European population.

RESULTS: The MR analysis revealed a significantly negative correlation between OSA and the susceptibility to prostate cancer (OR: 0.87, 95%CI 0.79-0.95, p = 0.002) and a causal increase in the vulnerability to pancreatic malignancies (OR: 2.02, 95%CI 1.1-3.7, p = 0.02). However, no causal effects of OSA on other specific-site cancers were found. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated no significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy, thus validating the robustness of the original results.

CONCLUSION: Our MR provided important insights into the causal associations between OSA and cancer risk, highlighting both protective and potentially harmful effects of OSA on different cancer types.