STOCKHOLM—Watch out long-legged Scandinavians—a large study shows taller people may have an increased risk of developing cancer than their shorter peers.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and University of Stockholm examined 5.5 million Swedish men and women and found a correlation between height and cancer. For every 10 centimeters (4 inches) of height, a woman’s risk of developing cancer increased by 18% and a man’s by 11%, the study showed.

Taller...