• Jari A Laukkanen, Timo H Mäkikallio, Hassan Khan, Tanjaniina Laukkanen, Jussi Kauhanen, and Setor K Kunutsor.
• Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland; Central Finland Health Care District Hospital District, Jyväskylä, Finland.
• Eur. J. Cancer. 2019 Nov 1; 121: 184-191.

IntroductionEvidence suggests that heat therapy can be used to prevent and treat cancer; anecdotal reports suggest passive heat therapies may increase cancer risk. Finnish sauna bathing has been linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases, but its association with cancer risk is unknown. We aimed to assess the prospective association between frequency of sauna bathing and the risk of all-cause and site-specific cancers using the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease prospective cohort.MethodsBaseline sauna bathing habits were assessed in 2173 men aged 42-61 years with no history of cancer. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for cancer were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models. We corrected for within-person variability in sauna bathing habits using data from repeat assessments taken 11 years apart.ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 24.3 years, 588 (27.1%) all-cause cancer cases were recorded. The age-adjusted regression dilution ratio of sauna bathing frequency was 0.69 (0.62-0.76). In multivariable-adjusted analyses, the HRs (95% CIs) of all-cause cancer were 0.92 (0.76-1.11) and 0.92 (0.66-1.27) for men who had 2-3 and ≥4 sauna sessions per week, respectively, compared with men who had ≤1 sauna session per week. The non-significant findings were consistent for prostate, gastrointestinal and lung cancers on multivariate adjustment.ConclusionFrequent Finnish sauna bathing is not associated with the risk of cancer in a middle-aged male Caucasian population. Further studies are required to confirm or refute these findings, particularly in women and other age groups.Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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