Purpose

Exposure to racial insults among youth in Jujuy, Argentina, was examined as a factor associated with smoking behavior.

Methods

Youth sampled from eighth-grade classes in 27 randomly selected middle schools completed annual surveys in the ninth and tenth grades. Demographics, race/ethnicity (Indigenous/Amazonian, Indigenous/Andean, Indigenous unspecified group, Mixed European-Indigenous, European), cigarette smoking, and other attitudinal and behavioral factors were measured. Exposure to racial insults, measured in the ninth grade, was modeled to predict cigarette smoking in the previous 30 days (defined as current) in the tenth grade conditional on ninth grade smoking.

Results

Of the 3,122 respondents, 35.5% reported exposure to racial insults and 33.8% were current smokers. Factors associated with racial insults were being male, indigenous language spoken at home, ever and current smoking, smoking in a ceremonial context, exposure to second-hand smoke at home, number of friends who smoke, having low expectations for the future, low identification with conforming role models, high identification with defiant role models, and depressive symptoms. Reported exposure to racial insults increased the risk of current smoking in the 10th grade among Indigenous Amazonian respondents (OR = 3.8; 95% CI 1.4–10.4) and among the Indigenous-unspecified group (OR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.1–2.8), but not among European or Indigenous Andean youth.

Conclusions

Exposure to racial insults is commonplace among youth in Jujuy. Evidence of a longitudinal effect of ninth-grade racial insults on tenth-grade smoking rates provides support for an association of racial insults with smoking behavior.

Purpose

Previous studies have reported that lung cancer risk may either be decreased, increased or unaffected by prior use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT).

Methods

To examine this issue further, we examined relationships among 118,008 women, ages 50–71 years who were recruited during 1995–1996 for the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study and in whom 2,097 incident lung carcinomas were identified during follow-up through 2006. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models estimated relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) associated with various measures of self-reported MHT use.

Results

We found no evidence that either estrogen therapy (ET)-only or estrogen plus progestin therapy (EPT) use was substantially related to subsequent lung cancer risk (respective RRs and 95% CIs for ever use = 0.97, 0.86–1.09 and 1.03, 0.90–1.17). There were no significant variations according to currency or duration of use of either formulation, nor was there evidence that risks varied within subgroups defined by cigarette smoking or body size. The absence of effect was seen for nearly all lung cancer subtypes, with the exception of an increased risk of undifferentiated/large cell cancers associated with long-term ET-only use (Ptrend=0.02), a relationship not observed among EPT users.

Conclusions

Our results failed to support any substantial alterations in lung cancer risk associated with use of either unopposed estrogen or estrogen plus progestin MHT, even when detailed exposure measures and other risk predictors were considered.

Purpose

To understand transnational tobacco companiesr’ (TTCs) practices in low and middle-income countries which serve to block tobacco-control policies and promote tobacco use.

Methods

Systematic review of published research on tobacco industry activities to promote tobacco use and oppose tobacco-control policies in low and middle-income countries.

Results

TTCs’ strategies used in low and middle-income countries followed four main themes—economic activity; marketing/promotion; political activity; and deceptive/manipulative activity. Economic activity, including foreign investment and smuggling, was used to enter new markets. Political activities included lobbying, offering voluntary self-regulatory codes, and mounting corporate social responsibility campaigns. Deceptive activities included manipulation of science and use of third-party allies to oppose smoke-free policies, delay other tobacco-control policies, and maintain support of policymakers and the public for a pro-tobacco industry policy environment. TTCs used tactics for marketing, advertising, and promoting their brands that were tailored to specific market environments. These activities included direct and indirect tactis, targeting particular populations, and introducing new tobacco products designed to limit marketing restrictions and taxes, maintain the social acceptability of tobacco use, and counter tobacco-control efforts.

Conclusions

TTCs have used similar strategies in high-income countries as these being described in low and middle-income countries. As required by FCTC Article 5.3, to counter tobacco industry pressures and to implement effective tobacco-control policies, governments and health professionals in low and middle-income countries should fully understand TTCs practices and counter them.

Objective

This study aimed to determine the most effective content of pictorial health warning labels (HWLs) and whether educational attainment moderates these effects.

Methods

Field experiments were conducted with 529 adult smokers and 530 young adults (258 nonsmokers; 271 smokers), wherein participants reported responses to different HWLs printed on cigarette packages. One experiment involved manipulating textual form (testimonial narrative vs didactic) and the other involved manipulating imagery type (diseased organs vs human suffering).

Results

Tests of mean ratings and rankings indicated that HWLs with didactic textual forms had equivalent or significantly higher credibility, relevance, and impact than HWLs with testimonial forms. Results from mixed-effects models confirmed these results. However, responses differed by participant educational attainment: didactic forms were consistently rated higher than testimonials among participants with higher education, whereas the difference between didactic and testimonial narrative forms was weaker or not statistically significant among participants with lower education. In the second experiment, with textual content held constant, greater credibility, relevance and impact was found for graphic imagery of diseased organs than imagery of human suffering.

Conclusions

Pictorial HWLs with didactic textual forms appear to work better than with testimonial narratives. Future research should determine which pictorial HWL content has the greatest real-world impact among consumers from disadvantaged groups, including assessment of how HWL content should change to maintain its impact as tobacco control environments strengthen and consumer awareness of smoking-related risks increases.

Objective

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL) are etiologically heterogeneous malignancies. In Egypt, we previously reported an association of increased NHL risk with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Our present aim is to assess the association between HCV infection and histological subtypes of NHL.

Methods

We conducted a case–control study at the National Cancer Institute of Cairo University. Cases with NHL (n = 486) were matched to controls (n = 786) who were orthopedic patients from the same referral regions. Participants provided a blood sample for HCV markers (anti-HCV, HCV RNA) and answered a questionnaire on possible risk factors. Case–control differences were assessed by odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals from logistic regression analysis.

Results

Cases with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (n = 146), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (n = 58), marginal zone lymphoma (n = 24), follicular lymphoma (n = 23), and mantle cell lymphoma (n = 16) were recruited. HCV RNA prevalence was 27% in controls and 26%–48% in the NHL subgroups: it was associated (p <0.001) with diffuse large B cell, marginal zone, and follicular lymphomas with odds ratios of 3.2, 4.4, and 3.3, respectively.

Conclusion

HCV is a risk factor for diffuse large B cell, marginal zone, and follicular lymphomas in Egypt.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key factor in angiogenesis and is important to carcinogenesis. Previous studies relating circulating levels of VEGF to breast cancer have been limited by small numbers of participants and lack of adjustment for confounders. We studied the association between serum VEGF and breast cancer in an unmatched case-control study of 407 pre- and postmenopausal women (N=203 cases, N=204 controls). Logistic regression was used to model breast cancer risk as a function of natural log transformed VEGF levels adjusted for age, Gail score, education, physical activity, history of breastfeeding, serum testosterone, and hormone therapy use. The majority of the population was postmenopausal (67.6%) and the average age was 56 years; age and menopausal status were similar among cases and controls. Geometric mean VEGF levels were non-significantly higher in cases (321.4 pg/mL) than controls (291.4 pg/mL; p=0.21). In a multivariable model the odds of breast cancer was 37% higher for women with VEGF levels ≥314.2 pg/mL compared to those with levels below 314.2 pg/mL, albeit not significantly (p=0.16). There was no interaction between VEGF and menopausal status (p=0.52). In this case-control study VEGF was not significantly associated with breast cancer risk in pre- and postmenopausal women.

Dietary intake of one-carbon nutrients (methyl donors) and germline variants in the one-carbon metabolism genes may influence global DNA methylation level and methylation in promoter CpG islands. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the one-carbon metabolism pathway and DNA methylation status in colorectal cancer. Utilizing 182 colorectal cancers cases in two prospective cohort studies, we determined the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) status on eight CIMP-specific promoters and measured LINE-1 methylation level that correlates well with genome-wide DNA methylation level. We genotyped 23 nonsynonymous SNPs in the one-carbon metabolism genes using buffy coat DNA. Most of the 23 SNPs in the one-carbon metabolism pathway were not significantly associated with CIMP-high status (≥6/8 methylated promoters). However, the MTHFR 429 Ala/Ala variant (rs1801131) and the TCN2 259 Arg/Arg variant (rs1801198) were associated with CIMP-high status (MTHFR 429 multivariate odds ratio (MV OR) = 7.56; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.32–43.3; p trend = 0.10; TCN2 259 Arg/Arg variant MV OR = 3.82; 95% CI, 1.02–14.4; p trend = 0.06). The one-carbon metabolism genotypes were not significantly associated with LINE-1 methylation, although there were modest differences in mean LINE-1 methylation levels between certain genotypes. Collectively, these exploratory data provide suggestive evidence for the association of MTHFR 429 Ala/Ala and TCN2 259 Arg/Arg and CIMP status in colorectal cancer.

Objective

To determine whether consumption of whole-grain; rye bread, oatmeal, and whole-wheat bread, during different periods of life, is associated with risk of prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods

In 2002 to 2006, 2,268 men, aged 67-96 years, reported their dietary habits in the AGES-Reykjavik cohort study. Dietary habits were assessed for early-, mid- , and current life using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Through linkage to cancer- and mortality registers, we retrieved information on PCa diagnosis and mortality through 2009. We used regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) for PCa according to whole grain consumption, adjusted for possible confounding factors including fish-, fish liver oil-, meat-, and milk intake.

Results

Of the 2,268 men, 347 had or were diagnosed with PCa during follow-up, 63 with advanced disease (stage 3+ or died of PCa). Daily rye bread consumption in adolescence (vs. less than daily) was associated with a decreased risk of PCa diagnosis (OR = 0.76, 95% Confidence interval (CI): 0.59-0.98), and of advanced PCa (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.27-0.84). High intake of oatmeal in adolescence (≥5 vs. ≤4 times/ week) was not significantly associated with risk of PCa diagnosis (OR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.77-1.27) nor advanced PCa (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.37-1.20). Mid-, and late life consumption of rye bread, oatmeal, or whole-wheat bread was not associated with PCa risk.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that rye bread consumption in adolescence may be associated with reduced risk of PCa, particularly advanced disease.

Objectives of study

To test recent claims that cancer inequities are bound to increase as population health improves.

Methods

We analyzed 1960–2006 age-standardized US county cancer mortality data, total and site-specific (lung, prostate, colorectal, breast, cervix, stomach), stratified by county income quintile for the US total, black, and white populations.

Results

Between 1960 and 2006, US socioeconomic inequities in cancer mortality variously shrunk, widened, reversed, and stagnated, depending on time period and cancer site. For all cancers combined and most, but not all, sites, absolute, but not relative, socioeconomic gaps were greater for the black compared to white population. Compared to the yearly age-specific mortality rates among whites in the most affluent counties, the percent of excess cancer deaths among whites in the lower four county income quintiles first rose above 0 in 1990 and in 2006 equaled 5.4% (95% CI 4.8, 6.0); among blacks, it rose from 6.0% (95% CI 4.5, 7.4) in 1960 to 24.7% (95% CI 23.9, 25.5) in 1990 and remained at this level through 2006.

Conclusions

The hypothesis that cancer mortality inequities are bound to increase is refuted by long-term data on total and site-specific cancer mortality stratified by socioeconomic position and race/ethnicity.

Background

To evaluate racial variation in umbilical cord blood concentration of vitamin D and to explore its correlation with markers of the insulin-like growth factor axis (IGFs) and sex steroid hormones in white and black male neonates.

Methods

In 2004/2005 venous umbilical cord blood samples were collected from 75 black and 38 white male neonates, along with maternal and birth characteristics from two hospitals in Maryland, US. 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA), testosterone, estradiol and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) by immunoassay and IGF-1, IGF-2, and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) by ELISA. Crude and multivariable-adjusted geometric mean concentrations were computed.

Results

Mean 25(OH)D levels were lower in black than in white neonates (11.44; 95% CI 10.10–12.95 ng/mL vs. 18.24; 95% CI 15.32–21.72 ng/mL; p<0.0001). Black neonates were at higher risk of suboptimal vitamin D levels [25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL] than whites (84% vs. 63%). 25(OH)D concentrations varied by season in whites but not in blacks and were significantly inversely correlated with mother’s parity (number of live births) in blacks but not in whites. Mean concentration of 1,25(OH)2D did not differ by race. 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D did not correlate with IGFs, sex steroid hormones and SHBG.

Conclusions

Suboptimal vitamin D levels were prevalent especially in blacks and influenced by mother’s parity and by season. The observed vitamin D differences between black and white neonates warrant further evaluation of the etiology of the disparity in chronic diseases in adulthood.

Objective

Studies on fruit, vegetable, fiber, and grain consumption and pancreatic cancer risk are inconclusive. We used a clinic-based case–control study specifically designed to address limitations of both cohort and case–control studies to examine the relationship.

Methods

Participants were excluded who reported changing their diet within 5 years prior to study entry. And 384 rapidly ascertained cases and 983 controls (frequency matched on age (±5 years), race, sex, and residence) completed epidemiologic surveys and 144-item food frequency questionnaires. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, smoking, body mass index, energy intake, and alcohol consumption.

Results

Comparing highest to lowest quintiles, we observed significant inverse associations (OR < 0.8) with significant trends (ptrend < 0.05) for citrus, melon, and berries, other fruits, dark green vegetables, deep yellow vegetables, tomato, other vegetables, dry bean and pea, insoluble fiber, soluble fiber, whole grains, and orange/grapefruit juice, and an increased association with non-whole grains. Results were similar after adjusting for diabetes or total sugar intake.

Conclusions

We provide evidence that lower consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber is associated with having pancreatic cancer. This may have a role in developing prevention strategies.

Objective

We examined the associations between cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, and thyroid cancer risk in a pooled analysis of five prospective studies.

Methods

Data from five prospective U.S. studies were standardized and then combined into one aggregate dataset (384,433 men and 361,664 women). Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for thyroid cancer were estimated from mutually-adjusted models of cigarette smoking and alcohol intake, which were additionally adjusted for age, sex, education, race, marital status, body mass index, and cohort.

Results

Over follow-up, 1,003 incident thyroid cancer cases (335 men and 668 women) were identified. Compared to never smokers, current smoking was associated with reduced risk of thyroid cancer (HR=0.68, 95% CI:0.55-0.85); this association was slightly stronger among non-drinkers (HR=0.46, 95% CI:0.29-0.74). No reduction in risk was observed for former, compared to never, smokers. Greater smoking intensity, duration, and pack-years were associated with further reductions in risk among former and current smokers. Alcohol intake was also inversely associated with thyroid cancer risk (≥7 drinks/week versus 0, HR=0.72, 95% CI:0.58-0.90, P-trend=0.002). Inverse associations with smoking and alcohol were more pronounced for papillary versus follicular tumors.

Conclusion

The results of this pooled analysis suggest that both cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption are associated with reduced risks of papillary thyroid cancer and, possibly, follicular thyroid cancer.

The daily administered dose of progestin in continuous-combined estrogen-progestin therapy is provided to counteract the proliferative effect of estrogen on the postmenopausal endometrium. However, there remains some uncertainty as to whether use of such a combined regimen, over the long-term, is associated with an altered risk of endometrial cancer. We pooled data from four population-based case-control studies of endometrial cancer in western Washington State. Cases, ages 45–74, were diagnosed between 1985 and 2005. Using logistic regression with adjustment for confounding factors, women who had exclusively used continuous-combined estrogen-progestin therapy (90 endometrial cancer cases, 227 controls) were compared to women who had never used any type of hormone therapy (774 cases, 1116 controls). Associations with duration and recency of use were evaluated overall and within strata defined by body mass index. Long-term use of continuous-combined estrogen-progestin therapy (≥10 years) was associated with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer (OR=0.37, 95% CI: 0.21–0.66). This association was most pronounced in women with a body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 (OR=0.19, 95% CI: 0.05–0.68). Associations did not differ according to recency of use. These results suggest that long duration of use of continuous-combined estrogen-progestin therapy is associated with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer risk.

Purpose

Case-control studies suggest increased sun exposure reduces non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk. Evidence from prospective cohort studies, however, is limited and inconsistent. We evaluated the association between ambient ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure and NHL in a nationwide cohort of women, the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS).

Methods

Between 1976 and 2006, we identified 1064 incident NHL cases among 115,482 women in the prospective NHS. Exposures assessed included average annual UV-B flux based on residence at various times during life, vitamin D intake, and predicted plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. We estimated incidence rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for risk of all NHL and histologic subtypes using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

NHL risk was increased for women residing in areas of high ambient UV radiation (UV-B flux >113 R-B count × 10−4) compared to those with lower exposure (<113), with positive linear trends at all time points. The multivariable-adjusted RR for high UV area at age 15 was 1.21 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.47; p-trend <0.01). There was no evidence of statistical heterogeneity by subtype, although power was limited for subtype analyses. We observed no association between vitamin D measures and risk of NHL overall or by subtype.

Conclusions

Our findings do not support the hypothesis of a protective effect of UV radiation exposure on NHL risk. We found no association between vitamin D and NHL risk.

Objective

Given the large racial differences in prostate cancer risk, further investigation of diet and prostate cancer is warranted among high-risk groups. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between type of meat intake and prostate cancer risk among African-American men.

Methods

In the large, prospective NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, we analyzed baseline (1995–1996) data from African-American participants, ages 50–71 years. Incident prostate cancer cases (n=1,089) were identified through 2006. Dietary and risk factor data were ascertained by questionnaires administered at baseline. Cox models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) within intake quantiles.

Results

Neither white nor processed meat intake was associated with prostate cancer, regardless of meat cooking method. Red meats cooked at high temperatures were associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer (HR=1.18, 95%CI=1.00–1.38 and HR=1.22, 95%CI=1.03–1.44, for the upper two intake tertiles). Intake of the heterocyclic amine (HCA), 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f] quinoxaline (DiMeIQx) was positively associated with prostate cancer (HR=1.30; 95% CI= 1.05–1.61, P=0.02). No associations were observed for intake of other HCAs.

Conclusion

Red meats cooked at high temperatures were positively associated with prostate cancer risk among African-American men. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings.

Objective

Previous studies have not examined potential interactions between meat intake and characteristics of the local environment on the risk of mortality. This study examined the impact of area socioeconomic deprivation on the association between meat intake and all-cause and cause-specific mortality after accounting for individual-level risk factors.

Methods

In the prospective NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, we analyzed data from adults, ages 50–71 years at baseline (1995–1996). Individual-level dietary intake and health risk information was linked to the demographic and socioeconomic context of participants’ local environment based on census tract data. Deaths (n=33,831) were identified through December 2005. Multilevel Cox models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for quintiles of area deprivation scores.

Results

Associations of red and processed meats with mortality were consistent across deprivation quintiles. Men residing in least-deprived neighborhoods had a stronger protective effect for white meat consumption. No differences by deprivation index were observed for women.

Conclusion

Red and processed meat intake increases mortality risk regardless of level of deprivation within a given neighborhood suggesting biological mechanisms rather than neighborhood contextual factors may underlie these meat-mortality associations. The effect of white meat intake on cancer mortality was modified by area deprivation among men.

Objective

Previous studies evaluating whether risk factors for gastric cancer are also associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) have shown inconsistent results. We prospectively examined the association of atrophic gastritis, a pre-malignant condition for gastric cancer and long-term sequelae common to many exposure factors, and the risk of incident CRC.

Methods

A total of 20,928 Finnish male smokers, aged 50–69, who were participants in the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (ATBC) had serum pepsinogen I (SPGI) levels measured. Participants with low SPGI levels (<25 µg/l) (n=1,665) were invited for gastroscopy. Of these, 1,059 (63.6%) participants underwent gastroscopy and atrophic gastritis was histologically confirmed in 1,006 (95.0%) participants. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to evaluate the risk of incident CRC.

Results

During a mean follow-up of 11.3 years (236,258 person-years), 425 incident CRC were diagnosed. The incidence rates were 1.82, 1.48, and 1.82 per 1,000 person-years of follow-up for participants with normal SPGI (≥25 µg/l), low SPGI, and histologically-confirmed atrophic gastritis, respectively. Compared to subjects with normal SPGI, there was no increased risk of CRC among subjects with low SPGI (Adjusted Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.71; 95%CI: 0.47–1.05) and among those with histologically-confirmed atrophic gastritis (Adjusted HR = 0.86; 95%CI: 0.55–1.34).

Conclusions

Atrophic gastritis is not associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer among male smokers.

Objective

To investigate the relation of physical activity to head and neck cancer.

Methods

We prospectively examined the association between physical activity and head and neck cancer in 487,732 men and women who, at baseline in 1995–1996, were 50–71 years old and free of cancer and emphysema. Follow-up occurred through December 31, 2003.

Results

During follow-up, 1,249 participants developed head and neck cancer, of which 42.0%, 18.9%, and 32.5% were located in the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx, respectively. In analyses adjusted for age and gender, the relative risks (RR) of head and neck cancer for increasing frequency of physical activity (0, < 1, 1–2, 3–4, and ≥ 5 times per week) were 1.0 (reference), 0.76, 0.66, 0.57, and 0.62 (95%-CI=0.52–0.74), respectively (p for trend<0.001). After multivariate adjustment including smoking, the relation was attenuated and became statistically non-significant (RR comparing extreme physical activity categories=0.89, 95%-CI=0.74–1.06; p for trend=0.272). In analyses of head and neck cancer subtypes, the corresponding RRs for cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx were 0.98 (95%-CI=0.75–1.29), 0.70 (95%-CI=0.45–1.08), and 0.82 (95%-CI=0.59–1.13), respectively.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that physical activity is unlikely to play an important role in the prevention of head and neck cancer.

Purpose

To investigate whether the relationships between established risk factors and breast cancer risk differ between three ethnic groups in New Zealand, namely Māori, Pacific, and non-Māori/non-Pacific women.

Methods

The study is a multi-ethnic, age-, and ethnicity-matched population-based case–control study of breast cancer in women. Women with a primary, invasive breast cancer registered on the New Zealand Cancer Registry between 1 April 2005 and 30 April 2006, and Māori or Pacific women diagnosed to 30 April 2007 were eligible. Control women were identified from the New Zealand Electoral Roll, stratified by ethnicity, then frequency matched on age to the cases. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) between exposures and breast cancer risk in three ethnic groups separately. Likelihood ratio tests were used to test for modification of the effects by ethnicity. Post-stratification weighting of the controls was used to account for differential non-response by deprivation category.

Results

The study comprised 1,799 cases (302 Māori, 70 Pacific, 1,427 non-Māori/non-Pacific) and 2,543 controls (746 Māori, 194 Pacific, 1,603 non-Māori/non-Pacific), based on self-identified ethnicity. Māori women were more likely to have ER and PR positive breast cancer compared to other ethnicities. There were marked differences in exposure prevalence between ethnicities and some differing patterns of risk factors for breast cancer between the three main ethnic groups. Of interest was the strong relationship between number of children and lower breast cancer risk in Pacific women (OR for 4 or more vs. 1 child OR 0.13, 95 % CI 0.05–0.35) and a higher risk of breast cancer associated with smoking (OR 1.76, 95 % CI 1.25–2.48) and binge drinking (5 or more vs. 1–2 drinks per occasion, OR 1.55, 95 % CI 1.07–2.26) in Māori women. Some of the documented results were attenuated following post-stratification weighting.

Conclusions

The findings of this study need to be interpreted with caution, given the possibility of selection bias due to low response rates among some groups of women. Reducing the burden of breast cancer in New Zealand is likely to require different approaches for different ethnic groups.

Background

Studies suggest a decreased risk of high-grade prostate cancer in men with lower circulating total cholesterol, and that statins may protect against aggressive disease. Confirmation in additional populations and examination of associations for lipoprotein subfractions are needed.

Methods

We examined prostate cancer risk and serum total and HDL cholesterol in the ATBC Study cohort (n=29,093). Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the relative risk of total (n=2,041), non –aggressive (n=829), aggressive (n=461), advanced (n=412), and high-grade (n=231) prostate cancer by categories of total and HDL cholesterol.

Results

After excluding the first 10 years of follow-up, men with higher serum total cholesterol were at increased risk of overall (≥240 vs. <200 mg/dL: HR=1.22, 95% CI 1.03-1.44, p-trend=0.01) and advanced (≥240 vs. <200 mg/dL: HR=1.85, 95% CI 1.13–3.03, p-trend=0.05) prostate cancer. Higher HDL cholesterol was suggestively associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer regardless of stage or grade.

Conclusions

In this population of smokers, high serum total cholesterol was associated with higher risk of advanced prostate cancer, and high HDL cholesterol suggestively reduced the risk of prostate cancer overall. These results support previous studies and, indirectly, support the hypothesis that statins may reduce the risk of advanced prostate cancer by lowering cholesterol.

Background

Vitamin E may protect against prostate cancer, possibly only in smokers and, we hypothesize, through altered sex steroid hormones. A controlled trial in smokers showed that sex hormone levels were inversely associated with baseline serum α-tocopherol and decreased in response to vitamin E supplementation. The vitamin E-hormone relation is understudied in non-smokers.

Methods

Serum sex steroid hormones and α-tocopherol were measured for 1,457 men in NHANES III. Multivariable-adjusted geometric mean hormone concentrations by α-tocopherol quintile were estimated.

Results

We observed lower mean testosterone, estradiol, and SHBG concentrations with increasing serum α-tocopherol (Q1=5.5 and Q5=4.6 ng/mL, p-trend=0.0007; Q1=37.8 and Q5=33.1 pg/mL, p-trend=0.02; Q1=38.8 and Q5=30.6 pg/mL, p-trend=0.05, respectively). Interactions between serum α-tocopherol and exposure to cigarette smoke for total testosterone, total estradiol, and SHBG were found with the inverse relation observed only among smokers.

Conclusions

Results from this nationally representative, cross-sectional study indicate an inverse association between serum α-tocopherol and circulating testosterone, estradiol, and SHBG, but only in men who smoked. Our findings support vitamin E selectively influencing sex hormones in smokers, and afford possible mechanisms through which vitamin E may impact prostate cancer risk.

Objective

To examine the association of baseline and lifetime ethanol intake with cancer of the pancreas in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Methods

Included in this analysis were 478,400 subjects, of whom detailed information on the intake of alcoholic beverages at baseline and over lifetime was collected between 1992 and 2000. During a median follow-up time of 8.9 years, 555 non-endocrine pancreatic cancer cases were observed. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association of ethanol intake at recruitment and average lifetime ethanol intake and pancreatic cancer adjusting for smoking, height, weight, and history of diabetes.

Results

Overall, neither ethanol intake at recruitment [relative risk (RR) = 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69–1.27 comparing 30+ g/d vs. 0.1–4.9 g/d] nor average lifetime ethanol intake (RR=0.95, 95% CI 0.65–1.39) were associated with pancreatic cancer risk. High lifetime ethanol intake from spirits/liquor at recruitment tended to be associated with a higher risk (RR=1.40, 95% CI 0.93–2.10 comparing 10+ g/d vs. 0.1–4.9 g/d), but no associations were observed for wine and beer consumption.

Conclusion

These results suggest no association of alcohol consumption with the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Objective

To assess the association between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of cancer among male smokers.

Methods

The study consisted of 27,111 male smokers, aged 50–69 years, without history of cancer. They were participants of the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study in Finland. The men completed a validated dietary questionnaire and a questionnaire on general background characteristics (including smoking habits) at baseline. Incident cases of cancer were identified through the national Finnish Cancer Registry.

Results

During an average 10.2 year follow-up 1703 lung cancers, 799 prostate cancers, 365 urothelial cancers, 316 colorectal cancers, 224 stomach cancers, 192 pancreatic cancers, 184 renal cell cancers, and 175 lymphomas were diagnosed. Dietary acrylamide intake was positively associated with the risk of lung cancer; relative risk (RR) in the highest vs. the lowest quintile in the multivariate-adjusted model was 1.18 ((95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.38, p for trend 0.11). Other cancers were not associated with acrylamide intake.

Conclusions

High acrylamide intake is associated with increased risk of lung cancer but not with other cancers in male smokers.

Exceptionally high incidence rates of thyroid cancer have been reported in New Caledonia, particularly in Melanesian women. To clarify the reasons of this elevated incidence, we conducted a countrywide population-based case-control study in the multiethnic population of Caledonian women. The study included 293 cases of thyroid cancer and 354 population controls. Based on a food frequency questionnaire, we investigated the role in thyroid cancer of food items rich in iodine – such as seafood – and of vegetables containing goitrogens – such as cruciferous vegetables. A measure of total daily iodine intake based on a food composition table was also used. Our findings provided little support for an association between thyroid cancer and consumption of fish and seafood. We found that high consumption of cruciferous vegetables was associated with thyroid cancer among women with low iodine intake (OR=1.86; 95% CI: 1.01–3.43 for iodine intake < 96 μg/day). The high consumption of cruciferous vegetables among Melanesian women, a group with mild iodine deficiency, may contribute to explain the exceptionally high incidence of thyroid cancer in this group.