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Microarray-based Identification of Individual HERV Loci Expression: Application to Biomarker Discovery in Prostate Cancer
Published on: November 2, 2013
Anthropometrics and prostate cancer risk
Alyson J Littman1, Emily White, Alan R Kristal
1Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98101, USA. alittman@fhcrc.org
American Journal of Epidemiology
|March 31, 2007
Summary
Obesity may reduce the risk of nonaggressive prostate cancer, while being overweight increases aggressive prostate cancer risk. Height is linked to overall prostate cancer risk, highlighting the need to analyze risk factors by tumor characteristics.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Oncology
- Public Health
Background:
- Inconsistent findings exist regarding obesity and prostate cancer risk.
- Prostate cancer aggressiveness may be a key factor in these inconsistencies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI), height, and prostate cancer risk, differentiating by tumor aggressiveness.
- To examine the impact of BMI at different life stages on prostate cancer risk.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 34,754 men aged 50-76 years.
- Categorized participants by BMI (normal, overweight, obese) and height quartiles.
- Followed participants for aggressive and nonaggressive prostate cancer development.
Main Results:
- Obese men (BMI ≥30) had reduced risk of nonaggressive prostate cancer (HR=0.69).
- Overweight men (BMI 25-29.9) had increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer (HR=1.4).
- Higher BMI at age 18 increased aggressive prostate cancer risk; obesity at ages 30/45 reduced nonaggressive risk. Taller men had higher overall prostate cancer risk.
Conclusions:
- Obesity's effect on prostate cancer risk differs by cancer aggressiveness.
- BMI and height are significant factors in prostate cancer development.
- Future research should consider tumor characteristics when evaluating risk factors.
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