{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,7]],"date-time":"2026-06-07T01:45:25Z","timestamp":1780796725652,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,8]],"date-time":"2022-12-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1670457600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oncol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>As increasing experimental evidence suggests that iron metabolism play crucial roles in cancer and non-cancer conditions, there is a lack of data on serum soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), a promising marker representing unmet cellular iron demands, between cancer risk from epidemiological studies. Here, we aimed to evaluate the predictive value of sTfR and cancer prevalence.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Materials and methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>We analyzed on 5,480 adult participants from 2015 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Spearman correlation analysis was performed to investigate the correlations between sTfR and other characteristics. To identify the associations between sTfR and the prevalence of cancers, stratified multivariable logistic regression models, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also performed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>In tertile analyses, participants in the highest level of sTfR were significantly associated with increased prevalence of total cancers [odds ratio (OR) = 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.15-2.02] as compared with those at the lowest tertile. Each unit increment in ln-transformed sTfR concentration was shown to be associated with 39% increased risks of total cancers. Similar associations were found in males rather than females. Further subgroup and sensitivity analyses indicated that, in continuous and tertile analyses, sTfR was more closely associated with male- and female-specific cancers of prostate and testis (2.35: 1.03-5.40; 2.03: 1.00-4.09; respectively), and breast, cervix, ovary and uterus (1.92: 1.11-3.35; 1.66: 1.02-2.69; respectively).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>Our findings suggested that elevated level of sTfR was associated with the prevalence of cancers, especially in sex-specific cancers. In order to better determine them, further research in humans will be required.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2022.1039930","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,8]],"date-time":"2022-12-08T13:56:21Z","timestamp":1670507781000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Associations between serum soluble transferrin receptor and the prevalence of cancers"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Yuzhuo","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nianci","family":"Xue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wenyu","family":"Jia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xikang","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xuezhang","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hongliang","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bin","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ju","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Huaqin","family":"Tian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(20)32594-0","article-title":"Iron deficiency","volume":"397","author":"Pasricha","year":"2021","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ijc.31384","article-title":"Iron status in relation to cancer risk and mortality: Findings from a population-based prospective study","volume":"143","author":"Quintana Pacheco","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int J Cancer"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nrcardio.2015.109","article-title":"Iron deficiency and cardiovascular disease","volume":"12","author":"von Haehling","year":"2015","journal-title":"Nat Rev Cardiol"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nrc3495","article-title":"Iron and cancer: more ore to be mined","volume":"13","author":"Torti","year":"2013","journal-title":"Nat Rev Cancer"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1158\/0008-5472.CAN-14-0360","article-title":"High serum iron is associated with increased cancer risk","volume":"74","author":"Wen","year":"2014","journal-title":"Cancer Res"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ijc.2910560315","article-title":"Body iron stores and risk of cancer","volume":"56","author":"Knekt","year":"1994","journal-title":"Int J Cancer"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3945\/ajcn.115.129411","article-title":"Higher concentrations of serum iron and transferrin saturation but not serum ferritin are associated with cancer outcomes","volume":"104","author":"Chua","year":"2016","journal-title":"Am J Clin Nutr"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10552-013-0219-8","article-title":"Iron metabolism and risk of cancer in the Swedish AMORIS study","volume":"24","author":"Gaur","year":"2013","journal-title":"Cancer Causes Control"},{"key":"B9","article-title":"Iron, cholesterol, and the risk of cancer in an 18-year cohort","volume":"6","author":"Wells","year":"2005","journal-title":"Asian Pac J Cancer Prev"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/bjh.12311","article-title":"British Committee for standards in haematology. guideline for the laboratory diagnosis of functional iron deficiency","volume":"161","author":"Thomas","year":"2013","journal-title":"Br J Haematol"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(15)60865-0","article-title":"Iron deficiency anaemia","volume":"387","author":"Lopez","year":"2016","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2215\/CJN.01490506","article-title":"Assessing iron status: beyond serum ferritin and transferrin saturation","author":"Wish","year":"2006","journal-title":"Clin J Am Soc Nephrol"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1016\/s0009-8981(03)00005-6","article-title":"Soluble transferrin receptor for the evaluation of erythropoiesis and iron status","volume":"329","author":"Beguin","year":"2003","journal-title":"Clin Chim Acta"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1155\/2018\/9394060","article-title":"Limitations of serum ferritin in diagnosing iron deficiency in inflammatory conditions","volume":"2018","author":"Dignass","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int J Chronic Dis"},{"key":"B15","article-title":"Transferrin receptor 1 in cancer: a new sight for cancer therapy","volume":"8","author":"Shen","year":"2018","journal-title":"Am J Cancer Res"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bbrc.2016.02.023","article-title":"Transferrin receptor regulates pancreatic cancer growth by modulating mitochondrial respiration and ROS generation","volume":"471","author":"Jeong","year":"2016","journal-title":"Biochem Biophys Res Commun"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10549-015-3554-5","article-title":"Candidate early detection protein biomarkers for ER+\/PR+ invasive ductal breast carcinoma identified using pre-clinical plasma from the WHI observational study","volume":"153","author":"Buas","year":"2015","journal-title":"Breast Cancer Res Treat"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acsbiomaterials.9b01533","article-title":"Novel paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles based on human h chain ferritin for tumor-targeted delivery","volume":"5","author":"Li","year":"2019","journal-title":"ACS Biomater Sci Eng"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10654-021-00752-6","article-title":"Systemic inflammation markers and cancer incidence in the UK biobank","volume":"36","author":"N\u00f8st","year":"2021","journal-title":"Eur J Epidemiol"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e2018150","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2020.18150","article-title":"Trends in cardiovascular disease prevalence by income level in the united states","volume":"3","author":"Abdalla","year":"2020","journal-title":"JAMA Netw Open"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3892\/or.2019.7189","article-title":"Sulfasalazine\u2212induced ferroptosis in breast cancer cells is reduced by the inhibitory effect of estrogen receptor on the transferrin receptor","volume":"42","author":"Yu","year":"2019","journal-title":"Oncol Rep"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.abb.2022.109299","article-title":"ESR1 inhibits ionizing radiation-induced ferroptosis in breast cancer cells via the NEDD4L\/CD71 pathway","volume":"725","author":"Liu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Arch Biochem Biophys"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1349-7006.2008.01001.x","article-title":"Role of iron in carcinogenesis: cancer as a ferrotoxic disease","volume":"100","author":"Toyokuni","year":"2009","journal-title":"Cancer Sci"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.1158\/1055-9965.EPI-13-0733","article-title":"Iron and cancer risk\u2013a systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiological evidence","volume":"23","author":"Fonseca-Nunes","year":"2014","journal-title":"Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/01635580902803701","article-title":"A possible link between iron deficiency and gastrointestinal carcinogenesis","volume":"61","author":"Pr\u00e1","year":"2009","journal-title":"Nutr Cancer"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ijc.29669","article-title":"Body iron status and gastric cancer risk in the EURGAST study","volume":"137","author":"Fonseca-Nunes","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int J Cancer"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00109-022-02254-8","article-title":"Iron and iron-related proteins in alcohol consumers: cellular and clinical aspects","volume":"100","author":"Ferrao","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Mol Med (Berl)"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph16111996","article-title":"Active tobacco smoke exposure in utero and concentrations of hepcidin and selected iron parameters in newborns","volume":"16","author":"Che\u0142chowska","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Oncology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fonc.2022.1039930\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,8]],"date-time":"2022-12-08T13:56:24Z","timestamp":1670507784000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fonc.2022.1039930\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,8]]},"references-count":28,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fonc.2022.1039930"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fonc.2022.1039930","relation":{},"ISSN":["2234-943X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2234-943X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,8]]},"article-number":"1039930"}}