Trace proteinuria as a risk factor for cancer death in a general population

Abstract Growing evidence has demonstrated an association between nondialysis chronic kidney disease and cancer incidence, although the association between trace proteinuria and cancer death remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between trace proteinuria and cancer death in a community-based population in Japan. This was a prospective cohort study of 377,202 adults who participated in the Japanese Specific Health Check and Guidance System from 2008 to 2011. Exposure was dipstick proteinuria categorized as − (negative), ± (trace), 1 + (mild), or ≥ 2 + (moderate to heavy). Outcome was cancer death based on information from the national database of death certificates. Adjusted Cox hazard regression model was used to evaluate the associations between trace proteinuria and cancer death. During median follow-up of 3.7 years, 3056 cancer deaths occurred, corresponding to overall cancer death rate of 21.7/10,000 person-years. In the fully adjusted model, risk of cancer death increased significantly in each successive category of proteinuria: hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval [95% CI]) for risk of cancer death was 1.16 (1.03–1.31), 1.47 (1.27–1.70), and 1.61 (1.33–1.96) for trace, mild, and moderate to heavy proteinuria, respectively. Sensitivity analyses revealed a similar association between trace proteinuria and cancer death, and participants with trace proteinuria had greater risk of mortality from hematological cancers (HR: 1.59 [95% CI: 1.09–2.31]). Both mild to heavy and trace proteinuria were significantly associated with risk of mortality from cancer in a general population.