GDF15 and cancer: By one SD increase of the level of log GDF-15 there was in the total population a significant 36% (95%CI 15 to 62%, p<0.001) increase in cancer mortality and in the population without cancer disease at baseline an increase of 37% (95%CI 13 to 66%, p<0.001) in cancer mortality and 26% (95%CI 10 to 45%, p<0.001) in cancer morbidity and mortality (Table 7).