The Incidence of Renal Cell Carcinoma Is Increased in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Background and Objective Many studies have indicated that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to the development of cancer. However, there have been few studies about the link between OSA and renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This study investigated the relationship between OSA and RCC by analyzing the data from the Korea National Health Insurance Service.Methods 198574 patients (≥ 20 years of age) newly diagnosed with OSA from 2007 to 2014 were included and 992870 control groups were selected through propensity score matching according to sex and age. The average follow-up period was 4.6 years. The primary outcome was newly diagnosed RCC. The hazard ratio for RCC in patients with OSA was compared to that in the control group.Results The incidence of RCC was significantly higher among patients with OSA than among controls (hazard ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.41–1.93).Conclusions OSA may be a potential risk factor for RCC.