Cancer Epidemiology Unit

About: Cancer Epidemiology Unit is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 669 authors who have published 1725 publications receiving 93979 citations.

Hormones and diet: low insulin-like growth factor-I but normal bioavailable androgens in vegan men.

Abstract: Mean serum insulin-like growth factor-I was 9% lower in 233 vegan men than in 226 meat-eaters and 237 vegetarians (P = 0.002). Vegans had higher testosterone levels than vegetarians and meat-eaters, but this was offset by higher sex hormone binding globulin, and there were no differences between diet groups in free testosterone, androstanediol glucuronide or luteinizing hormone. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign

Diet and hip fracture risk: a case-control study. Study Group of the Multiple Risk Survey on Swedish Women for Eating Assessment.

Abstract: Michaelsson K (Department of Orthopaedics, Central Hospital, S-721 89 Vasteras, Sweden), Holmberg L, Mallmin H, Sorensen S, Wolk A, Bergstrom R, Ljunghall S and the Study Group of the Multiple Risk Survey on Swedish Women for Eating Assessment. Diet and hip fracture risk : A case-control study. International Journal of Epidemiology 1995 ; 24 : 771-782. Background. The role of diet as a risk factor for osteoporotic fractures is unclear. Earlier studies have yielded conflicting results. Methods. In two counties in central Sweden we investigated the association between dietary intake and the risk of proximal femoral fractures in a case-control study nested in a cohort. Women born in 1914-1948 were asked to fill out a food frequency questionnaire when invited to attend for mammographic screening between the years 1987 and 1990. More than 65 000 women completed the questionnaire. Those who had participated in the enquiry and subsequently sustained a first hip fracture were defined as cases. For every case, four individually matched controls, by age and county of residence, were selected from the cohort. A second questionnaire concerning confounding factors was mailed to controls and cases. In all, 247 cases and 893 controls could finally be included. Monthly intake of foods and daily intake of nutrients were calculated. Results. When highest quartile of intake was compared to lowest, intakes of iron (adjusted odds ratio [OR] of 3.3, 95% confidence interval [Cl] : 1.6-6.9), magnesium (adjusted OR = 2.7, 95% Cl : 1.3-6.0) and vitamin C (adjusted OR =1.9, 95% Cl : 1.2-3.1) were found to be independent risk factors for hip fracture. High calcium intake did not protect against hip fracture. Smoking, low physical activity in leisure time, low body mass index, earlier fracture of the distal forearm and diabetes were all risk factors while postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy protected against hip fracture. Discussion. This large study indicates new dietary risk factors for hip fracture. The association between high dietary intake of iron, magnesium and vitamin C and risk of hip fracture has not been reported previously. Further clinical and experimental studies are needed to confirm these findings and to investigate their mechanism of action.

Hormones and cancer in humans

Abstract: Hormones play a major role in the aetiology of several of the commonest cancers worldwide, including cancers of the endometrium, breast and ovary in women and cancer of the prostate in men. It is likely that the main mechanisms by which hormones affect cancer risk are by controlling the rate of cell division, the differentiation of cells and the number of susceptible cells. Hormones have very marked effects on cell division in the endometrium; oestrogens stimulate mitosis whereas progestins oppose this effect. The risk for endometrial cancer increases with late menopause, oestrogen replacement therapy and obesity, and decreases with parity and oral contraceptive use; thus risk increases in proportion to the duration of exposure to oestrogens unopposed by progestins, probably because unopposed oestrogens stimulate endometrial cell division. The effects of hormones on breast epithelial cell division in non-pregnant women are much less clear-cut than their effects on the endometrium, but both oestrogens and progestins appear to stimulate mitosis. Breast cancer risk increases with early menarche, late menopause and oestrogen replacement therapy, probably due to increased exposure of the breasts to oestrogen and/or progesterone. Early first pregnancy and multiparity reduce the risk for breast cancer, probably due to the hormonally-induced differentiation of breast cells and the corresponding reduction in the number of susceptible cells. Hormones do not have marked direct effects on the epithelial cells covering the ovaries, but hormones stimulate ovulation which is followed by cell division during repair of the epithelium. Risk for ovarian cancer increases with late menopause and decreases with parity and oral contraceptive use, suggesting that the lifetime number of ovulations may be a determinant of risk. For all three of these cancers risk changes within a few years of changes in exposure to sex hormones and some of the changes in risk persist for many years, indicating that hormones can affect both early and late stages of carcinogenesis. Understanding of the role of sex hormones in the aetiology of prostate cancer and of some rarer cancers is less complete.

Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Risk of Endometrial Carcinoma Among Postmenopausal Women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

Abstract: Estrogen-only menopausal hormone therapy (HT) increases the risk of endometrial cancer, but less is known about the association with other types of HT. Using Cox proportional hazards regression, the authors examined the association of various types of HT with the risk of endometrial cancer among 115,474 postmenopausal women recruited into the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition between 1992 and 2000. After a mean follow-up period of 9 years, 601 incident cases of endometrial cancer were identified. In comparison with never users of HT, risk of endometrial cancer was increased among current users of estrogen-only HT (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.52, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.77, 3.57), tibolone (HR = 2.96, 95% CI: 1.67, 5.26), and, to a lesser extent, estrogen-plus-progestin HT (HR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.83), although risks differed according to regimen and type of progestin constituent. The association of HT use with risk was stronger among women who were older, leaner, or had ever smoked cigarettes. The finding of a strong increased risk of endometrial cancer with estrogen-only HT and a weaker association with combined HT supports the hypothesis that progestins have an attenuating effect on endometrial cancer risk. The increased risk associated with tibolone use requires further investigation.