ArticlemedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences2026
Sedentary behaviour and cancer risk: a World Cancer Research Fund International Global Cancer Update Programme (CUP Global) systematic literature review and meta-analysis.
Article in medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
36 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
Background: High levels of sedentary behaviour are an emerging global public health concern, but its impact on cancer risk remains unclear. Methods: Within the Global Cancer Update Programme (CUP Global), we systematically searched the literature in PubMed and Embase until September 2024 for observational cohort studies on sedentary behaviour and adult cancer risk. Using dose-response meta-analyses, we investigated sedentary behaviour domains (total, occupational, recreational, transportation, and/or other) and dimensions (duration, frequency), and additionally pooled across domains. The quality of evidence was graded by the CUP Global Expert Panel (protocol registration: https://osf.io/7utbm/). Findings: We identified 62 publications from 27 cohorts comprising 162,902 incident cancer cases across 19 anatomical sites. There was evidence for a probable causal positive association between sedentary time (mixed definitions) and breast (RR Interpretation: Evidence supports that prolonged sedentary behaviour is probably a cause of breast and colon cancers, while limited suggestive evidence supports positive associations for several other exposure-cancer pairs, including lung and ovarian cancers. This evidence should lead to revised cancer prevention recommendations. Future research should focus on device-based exposure assessments, repeated measurements, exposure substitution models, inclusion of diverse populations and investigation of biological mechanisms. Funding: World Cancer Research Fund network of charities (American Institute for Cancer Research; World Cancer Research Fund; Wereld Kanker Onderzoek Fonds).
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.