Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Pancreatic Cancer Mortality in Men

Although pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States, little is known about the pathogenesis of this carcinoma. PURPOSE: Since diabetes is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer risk, and physical activity mediates diabetes risk, we examined the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and pancreatic cancer risk in men from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. METHODS: We followed 26,773 men, ages 30 to 87 years, who had a preventive medical evaluation between 1970 and 1994. RESULTS: There were 28 pancreatic cancer deaths during an average of 10 years of follow-up (266,932 man-years). After adjustment for age and examination year, there was a direct inverse association between cardiorespiratory fitness levels and pancreatic cancer mortality (P < 0.01 for trend). This association remained but was attenuated after further adjustment for cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, and diabetes mellitus (P < 0.02 for trend). High-fit men had 73%, and moderate-fit men had 35% lower risk of pancreatic cancer mortality when compared with low-fit men, respectively. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that moderate and high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with lower risk of pancreatic cancer mortality in men. Supported by NIH grants AG06945