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Open research questions in Cancer Risks and Factors

253 gap statements mined from Cancer Risks and Factors papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,196 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The study notes the challenge of limited prior research on maternal occupational exposures and medulloblastoma.

    Maternal occupational physical activity during pregnancy and childhood cancers in Denmark 1968–2013 · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited prior research exists on maternal occupational exposures and medulloblastoma. Evolving pathological classifications complicate comparisons with earlier studies. The study aims to address this research gap by investigating the association between maternal occupational physical activity and childhood cancer risks.

    Maternal occupational physical activity during pregnancy and childhood cancers in Denmark 1968–2013 · 2026 · DOI

  • Diabetes mellitus has been associated with worse outcomes in several malignancies, yet its impact on women with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains unclear.

    Diabetes Mellitus and Survival Outcomes in Women With Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Multicentre Population-Based Cohort Study From Saskatchewan · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited evidence exists on the combined effects of lifestyle factors on breast cancer (BC) risk, particularly in developing countries.

    Adherence to World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research cancer prevention recommendations and reduction in breast cancer risk: results of a large-scale case–control study in Morocco · 2026 · DOI

  • Although obesity is a known risk factor, the role of ethnic mixture, defined as self-reported combinations of racial or ethnic backgrounds, remains understudied.

    Ethnic Mixture and Body Mass Index as Modifiers of Breast Cancer Risk among Native Hawaiian Women: Insights from the Multiethnic Cohort · 2026 · DOI

  • Obesity is a known risk factor for breast cancer; however, its biological pathways remain to be fully understood.

    The Role of Adiposity and Lipid Biomarkers in Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk: A Causal Mediation Analysis Based on a Nationwide Cohort Study · 2026 · DOI

  • The independent and joint associations of waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), and smoking with bladder cancer risk in postmenopausal women remain unclear.

    Joint Associations of Abdominal Obesity, General Obesity, and Smoking with Bladder Cancer Risk Among Postmenopausal Women: A Nationwide Cohort Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Whether biological age acceleration mediates the effect of lifestyle factors on the risk of digestive system cancers remains unclear.

    The mediating role of biological age acceleration in the associations between lifestyle factors and incident digestive system cancers: A Prospective Cohort Study from the UK Biobank · 2026 · DOI

  • Consistent evidence supports a reduction in breast cancer risk with a high healthy lifestyle index (HLI) score; however, this relationship has not been well studied in multiethnic populations.

    Healthy Lifestyle Index and Breast Cancer Risk among Postmenopausal Women: The Multiethnic Cohort Study · 2025 · DOI

  • However, the impact of longitudinal changes in obesity and abdominal obesity on early-onset endometrial cancer remains insufficiently understood.

    Impact of Changes in Obesity and Abdominal Obesity on Endometrial Cancer Risk in Young Korean Women: A Nationwide Cohort Study · 2025 · DOI

  • IMPACT: Given that NAFLD is a modifiable condition, its early detection and management may be a potential strategy to reduce the burden of early-onset kidney cancer, warranting further investigation.

    Increased Risk of Early-Onset Kidney Cancer in Individuals Aged 20–39 with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study · 2025 · DOI

  • There is conflicting evidence regarding the association between sunlight exposure and the risk of breast cancer.

    Lifetime Sunlight Exposure and Risk of Breast Cancer: A Population-Based Incident Case–Control Study · 2025 · DOI

  • These findings highlight the importance of non-sunlight-related risk factors for skin cancer prevention and the need for further research into underlying mechanisms.

    Change in Metabolic Markers and the Risk of Skin Cancer: Results from the Lifelines Cohort Study in the Netherlands · 2025 · DOI

  • Although metabolic and anthropometric markers play a role in cancer development, the relationship between metabolic and anthropometric changes in skin cancer remains unclear.

    Change in Metabolic Markers and the Risk of Skin Cancer: Results from the Lifelines Cohort Study in the Netherlands · 2025 · DOI

  • However, their specific roles in the risk of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) remain unclear.

    Associations between Waist Circumference, Body Mass Index, HDL Cholesterol Level, and Risk of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia · 2025 · DOI

  • We found few associations between IGF1-related SNPs and familial breast cancer, even if variants at the STAT5A locus warrant further investigation.

    Body Mass Index, IGF1-Related Polymorphisms, and Risk of Familial Breast Cancer in Women with No BRCA1 or BRCA2 Pathogenic Variant · 2025 · DOI

  • Negative emotions are common in women with benign breast disease (BBD) and may influence breast cancer risk, but the relationship between these emotions, cancer development, and mitigating factors remains unclear.

    Negative Emotions and Breast Cancer Risk for Women with Benign Breast Disease: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study in China · 2025 · DOI

  • Future research is needed to confirm these findings and investigate mechanisms underlying the associations of walking pace with these cancers.

    Association of Self-Reported Walking Pace With Cancer Incidence and Mortality: The Women’s Health Accelerometry Collaboration · 2025 · DOI

  • The role of hypertension independent of other components of metabolic syndrome in the etiology of endometrial cancer remains unclear.

    Hypertension and Risk of Endometrial Cancer: A Pooled Analysis in the Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer Consortium (E2C2) · 2024 · DOI

  • IMPACT: Additional studies of central adiposity and YOBC subtype risk, especially incorporating pregnancy history, are warranted.

    Adiposity throughout Adulthood and Risk of Young-Onset Breast Cancer Tumor Subtypes in the Young Women’s Health History Study · 2024 · DOI

  • The role of adult adiposity in young-onset breast cancer (YOBC) subtype risk is not well understood.

    Adiposity throughout Adulthood and Risk of Young-Onset Breast Cancer Tumor Subtypes in the Young Women’s Health History Study · 2024 · DOI

  • However, little is known about associations of breast cancer risk factors, such as anthropometric measures, with the expression of stem cell markers in noncancerous breast tissue.

    Associations of Early-Life and Adult Anthropometric Measures with the Expression of Stem Cell Markers CD44, CD24, and ALDH1A1 in Women with Benign Breast Biopsies · 2024 · DOI

  • Previous research investigating sedentary behavior and breast cancer risk has shown mixed results.

    Sedentary Time and Breast Cancer Risk in the Sister Study Cohort · 2025 · DOI

  • Regular physical inactivity may increase ovarian cancer risk, but few studies have investigated whether this association is similar among Black and White women.

    Regular Physical Inactivity and Ovarian Cancer Risk in the Ovarian Cancer in Women of African Ancestry Consortium · 2025 · DOI

  • These findings emphasize the importance of obesity prevention and smoking cessation in reducing risk in this underrecognized population.

    Joint Associations of Abdominal Obesity, General Obesity, and Smoking with Bladder Cancer Risk Among Postmenopausal Women: A Nationwide Cohort Study · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Cancer Risks and Factors

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) Diabetes mellitus has been associated with worse outcomes in several malignancies, yet its impact on women with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains unclear (“Diabetes Mellitus and Survival Outcomes in Women With Early-Stage…”, 2026); (2) Although obesity is a known risk factor, the role of ethnic mixture, defined as self-reported combinations of racial or ethnic backgrounds, remains understudied (“Ethnic Mixture and Body Mass Index as Modifiers of Breast Cancer Risk among…”, 2026); (3) Obesity is a known risk factor for breast cancer; however, its biological pathways remain to be fully understood (“The Role of Adiposity and Lipid Biomarkers in Postmenopausal Breast Cancer…”, 2026); (4) The independent and joint associations of waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), and smoking with bladder cancer risk in postmenopausal women remain unclear (“Joint Associations of Abdominal Obesity, General Obesity, and Smoking with…”, 2026); (5) Whether biological age acceleration mediates the effect of lifestyle factors on the risk of digestive system cancers remains unclear (“The mediating role of biological age acceleration in the associations between…”, 2026). 253 gap statements have been mined from Cancer Risks and Factors papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,196 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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