Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

Auricular Acupuncture as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Combined with Sleep Disorders
Published on: August 18, 2023
Sleep-disordered breathing and cancer mortality: results from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study
F Javier Nieto1, Paul E Peppard, Terry Young
1Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 615 Walnut Street, WARF Building 707C, Madison, WI 53726, USA. fjnieto@wisc.edu
Rationale:
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) has been associated with total and cardiovascular mortality, but an association with cancer mortality has not been studied. Results from in vitro and animal studies suggest that intermittent hypoxia promotes cancer tumor growth.
Objectives:
The goal of the present study was to examine whether SDB is associated with cancer mortality in a community-based sample.
Methods:
We used 22-year mortality follow-up data from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort sample (n = 1,522). SDB was assessed at baseline with full polysomnography. SDB was categorized using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and the hypoxemia index (percent sleep time below 90% oxyhemoglobin saturation). The hazards of cancer mortality across levels of SDB severity were compared using crude and multivariate analyses.
Measurements And Main Results:
Adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and smoking, SDB was associated with total and cancer mortality in a dose-response fashion. Compared with normal subjects, the adjusted relative hazards of cancer mortality were 1.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-2.7) for mild SDB (AHI, 5-14.9), 2.0 (95% CI, 0.7-5.5) for moderate SDB (AHI, 15-29.9), and 4.8 (95% CI, 1.7-13.2) for severe SDB (AHI ≥ 30) (P-trend = 0.0052). For categories of increasing severity of the hypoxemia index, the corresponding relative hazards were 1.6 (95% CI, 0.6-4.4), 2.9 (95% CI, 0.9-9.8), and 8.6 (95% CI, 2.6-28.7).
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that baseline SDB is associated with increased cancer mortality in a community-based sample. Future studies that replicate our findings and look at the association between sleep apnea and survival after cancer diagnosis are needed.
More Related Videos
07:54Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) with Target Controlled Infusion (TCI) and Bispectral Analysis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Published on: December 6, 2016
06:23A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice
Published on: September 22, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Sleep Apnea
The condition is more prevalent among...
Other Pulmonary Disorders
Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
Sleep-Wake Cycles
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Psychoneuroimmunology: Diabetes and Cancer
Sleepwalking and Sleep Talking
Factors that increase the likelihood of sleepwalking include sleep deprivation and alcohol consumption. Contrary to common beliefs, it is safe...