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Insomnia disorder and cancer mortality in South Korea: a secondary analysis of musculoskeletal disease cohort

  • Sleep Breathing Physiology and Disorders • Original Article
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Abstract

Purpose

The association between insomnia disorder and cancer-related mortality risk remains controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between insomnia disorder and cancer-related mortality.

Methods

Patients who were diagnosed with musculoskeletal disease (MSD) between 2010 and 2015 were included in this study as a secondary analysis of a patient cohort with MSD in South Korea. Cancer mortality was evaluated between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020, using multivariable Cox regression modeling. Patients with and without insomnia disorder constituted the ID and non-ID groups, respectively.

Results

The final analysis incorporated a total of 1,298,314 patients diagnosed with MSDs, of whom 11,714 (0.9%) died due to cancer. In the multivariable Cox regression model, the risk of total cancer-related mortality was 14% (hazard ratio [HR], 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–1.19; P < 0.001) higher in the ID group than in the non-ID group. Moreover, the ID group had a higher risk of mortality due to esophageal (HR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.08–1.96; P = 0.015), colorectal (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.05–1.36; P = 0.007), head and neck (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.01–1.94; P = 0.049), lung (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.08–1.27; P < 0.001), and female genital organ (HR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.77; P = 0.008) cancers; leukemia; and lymphoma (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.12–1.49; P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Insomnia disorder was associated with elevated overall cancer mortality in patients with MSDs, which was more evident for cancer mortality due to esophageal, colorectal, head and neck, lung, and female genital organ cancers; leukemia; and lymphoma.

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Data availability

Data will be available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

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Funding

No funding was received for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gumi-ro, 173, Beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, 13620, South Korea

    Tak Kyu Oh & In-Ae Song

  2. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea

    Tak Kyu Oh & In-Ae Song

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

    Hye Yoon Park

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  1. Tak Kyu Oh
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Contributions

In-Ae Song and Tak Kyu Oh helped with the study's design, conducted data analysis, and wrote the initial manuscript. Hye Yoon Park reviewed the manuscript closely and assisted with data collection. The manuscript was read and approved in its final form by all authors.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to In-Ae Song.

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Ethical approval

All procedures involving human participants in this study were conducted in adherence to the ethical guidelines set forth by the relevant national and institutional research committees (IRB: X-2105–685-901, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital). Additionally, the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and any subsequent amendments or comparable ethical standards were utilized.

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Oh, T.K., Park, H.Y. & Song, IA. Insomnia disorder and cancer mortality in South Korea: a secondary analysis of musculoskeletal disease cohort. Sleep Breath (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-024-03009-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-024-03009-0

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