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Background:Chronic inflammation and obesity may contribute to the genesis or progression of BPH and BPH-associated lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The influence of variants in genes related to these states on BPH has not been studied extensively. Thus, we evaluated the association of 17 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in immune response genes (IL1B, IL6, IL8, IL10, TNF, CRP, TLR4 and RNASEL) and genes involved in obesity, including insulin regulation (LEP, ADIPOQ, PPARG and TCF7L2), with BPH.Methods:BPH cases (N=568) and age-frequency matched controls (N=568) were selected from among adult male CLUE II cohort participants who responded in 2000 to a mailed questionnaire. BPH was defined as BPH surgery, use of BPH medications or symptomatic BPH (American Urological Association Symptom Index Score ⩾15). Controls were men who had not had BPH surgery, did not use BPH medications and whose symptom score was ⩽7. Age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression.Results:None of the candidate SNPs was statistically significantly associated with BPH. However, we could not rule out possible weak associations for CRP rs1205 (1082C>T), ADIPOQ rs1501299 (276C>A), PPARG rs1801282 (-49C>G) and TCF7L2 rs7903146 (47833T>C). After summing risk alleles, men with ⩾4 had an increased BPH risk compared with those with ⩽1 (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.10-2.89; Ptrend=0.006).Conclusions:SNPs in genes related to immune response and obesity, especially in combination, may be associated with BPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To examine self-reported menopausal-type symptoms among breast cancer patients on aromatase inhibitors (AIs) compared to women of the same age who had not been diagnosed with cancer, and to determine whether the percentage of breast cancer patients experiencing these symptoms changed over the first 6 months of AI treatment. Methods Data from a 6-month cohort study of 100 breast cancer patients initiating AI therapy and of 200 women of a similar age without a history of cancer were analyzed. At baseline (prior to the initiation of AI therapy among the breast cancer patients), 3 months, and 6 months, a comprehensive questionnaire was administered to participants that ascertained data on the experiencing of specific menopausal-type symptoms. Results The data showed statistically significant increases in the prevalence of certain symptoms from baseline to either follow-up point among the breast cancer patients; these symptoms included hot flushes, night sweats, pain during intercourse, hair loss, forgetfulness, depression, difficulty falling asleep, and interrupted sleep. Additionally, breast cancer patients were more likely than the women in the comparison group to report the new onset of many of these same symptoms during the follow-up time period. Conclusions Because bothersome symptoms and side-effects are a major reason for discontinuation and non-adherence to treatment, symptoms should be monitored and addressed by oncologists so that the breast cancer patient can maintain her quality of life and remain adherent to the treatment schedule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer risk for postmenopausal women is positively associated with circulating concentrations of oestrogens and androgens, but the determinants of these hormones are not well understood.Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of breast cancer risk factors and circulating hormone concentrations in more than 6000 postmenopausal women controls in 13 prospective studies.Results: Concentrations of all hormones were lower in older than younger women, with the largest difference for dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), whereas sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) was higher in the older women. Androgens were lower in women with bilateral ovariectomy than in naturally postmenopausal women, with the largest difference for free testosterone. All hormones were higher in obese than lean women, with the largest difference for free oestradiol, whereas SHBG was lower in obese women. Smokers of 15+ cigarettes per day had higher levels of all hormones than non-smokers, with the largest difference for testosterone. Drinkers of 20+ g alcohol per day had higher levels of all hormones, but lower SHBG, than non-drinkers, with the largest difference for DHEAS. Hormone concentrations were not strongly related to age at menarche, parity, age at first full-term pregnancy or family history of breast cancer.Conclusion: Sex hormone concentrations were strongly associated with several established or suspected risk factors for breast cancer, and may mediate the effects of these factors on breast cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Selenium and alpha-tocopherol, the major form of vitamin E in supplements, appear to have a protective effect against prostate cancer. However, little attention has been paid to the possible role of gamma-tocopherol, a major component of vitamin E in the U.S. diet and the second most common tocopherol in human serum. A nested case-control study was conducted to examine the associations of alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, and selenium with incident prostate cancer.Methods: In 1989, a total of 10,456 male residents of Washington County, MD, donated blood for a specimen bank. A total of 117 of 145 men who developed prostate cancer and 233 matched control subjects had toenail and plasma samples available for assays of selenium, alpha-tocopherol, and gamma-tocopherol. The association between the micronutrient concentrations and the development of prostate cancer was assessed by conditional logistic regression analysis. All statistical tests were two-sided.Results: The risk of prostate cancer declined, but not linearly, with increasing concentrations of alpha-tocopherol (odds ratio (highest versus lowest fifth) = 0.65; 95% confidence interval = 0.32--1.32; P(trend) =.28). For gamma-tocopherol, men in the highest fifth of the distribution had a fivefold reduction in the risk of developing prostate cancer than men in the lowest fifth (P:(trend) =.002). The association between selenium and prostate cancer risk was in the protective direction with individuals in the top four fifths of the distribution having a reduced risk of prostate cancer compared with individuals in the bottom fifth (P(trend) =.27). Statistically significant protective associations for high levels of selenium and alpha-tocopherol were observed only when gamma-tocopherol concentrations were high.Conclusions: The use of combined alpha- and gamma- tocopherol supplements should be considered in upcoming prostate cancer prevention trials, given the observed interaction between alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, and selenium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the association between prediagnostic plasma ascorbic acid concentrations and subsequent breast cancer risk in a nested case-control study.Methods: Female volunteer residents of Washington County, MD, donated 14,625 non-fasting blood samples in 1989. Incident breast cancer cases (n = 115) and controls (n = 115) were matched by age, menopausal status at donation, and date and hour of blood donation.Results: Median ascorbic acid concentrations were similar between cases and controls (1.44 mg/dl vs. 1.39 mg/dl. p = 0.78). There was no evidence for a dose-response relationship between higher plasma ascorbic acid concentrations and breast cancer risk [highest vs. lowest fifths: ORadjusted = 0.90, Ptrend = 0.98).Conclusions: Findings from this prospective study do not suggest a protective association between prediagnostic plasma ascorbic acid concentrations and breast cancer risk in the subsequent 5 years of follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used a nested case-control design on data from men in four prospective studies (from the UK, Maryland in the USA, and two from Finland) with available stored serum samples to determine whether there was an advantage in measuring both free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and total PSA as a potential screening test for prostate cancer. Of these men, 247 were verified through national vital statistics offices as having died of prostate cancer, or having developed the disease, and 953 men who did not develop prostate cancer (controls) were selected, matched to cases for age, study centre and sample storage duration. Fixing the false-positive rate at 1%, the prostate cancer detection rate (sensitivity) over the 3 years following serum collection (based on 14 cancers) increased from an estimated 95% using total PSA to 97% using free and bound PSA (that is, bound to α-antichymotrypsin which together with the free form is total PSA). Over a 6-year period (based on 41 cancers) a similar difference occurred (52% and 56% detection rates respectively). We conclude that there is no material advantage in adding free to total PSA in prostate cancer screening trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are encoded by a superfamily of genes and play a role in the detoxification of potential carcinogens. In a nested case-control study, we investigated associations between genetic variability in specific GST genes (GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1) and susceptibility to breast cancer.Methods: In 1989, a total of 32 898 individuals donated blood samples to a research specimen bank established in Washington County, MD. Genotypes of blood specimen DNA were determined for 110 of 115 women with incident cases of breast cancer diagnosed during the period from 1990 through 1995 and up to 113 of 115 control subjects. Associations between specific genotypes and the development of breast cancer were examined by use of logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Results: The GSTM1 homozygous null genotype was associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer (OR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.22-3.64), principally due to an association with postmenopausal breast cancer (OR = 2.50; 95% CI = 1.34-4.65). For GSTP1, the data were suggestive of a trend of increasing risk with higher numbers of codon 105 valine alleles (compared with isoleucine alleles); a 1.97-fold increased risk of breast cancer (95% CI = 0.77-5.02) was associated with valine/valine homozygosity. The risk of breast cancer associated with the GSTT1 homozygous null genotype was 1.50 (95 % CI = 0.76-2.95). The risk of breast cancer increased as the number of putative high-risk genotypes increased (P for trend <.001) (OR = 3.77; 95% CI = 1.10-12.88 for a combined genotype of GSTM1 null, GSTT1 null, and either GSTP1 valine heterozygosity or GSTP1 valine homozygosity).Conclusions: Our findings suggest that genetic variability in members of the GST gene family may be associated with an increased susceptibility to breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Because oxidative damage has been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, this study was designed to see if serum concentrations of alpha tocopherol, beta carotene, and retinol, substances believed to be involved in the prevention or repair of oxidative damage, might be lower among persons who develop rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus than among those who do not.Methods: For this prospective case-control study, persons with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus that developed two to 15 years after donating blood for a serum bank in 1974 were designated as cases. For each case, four controls were selected from the serum bank donors, matched for race, sex, and age. Stored serum samples from cases and controls were assayed for alpha tocopherol, beta carotene, and retinol.Results: Cases of both diseases had lower serum concentrations of alpha tocopherol, beta carotene, and retinol in 1974 than their matched controls. For rheumatoid arthritis, the difference for beta carotene (-29%) was statistically significant.Conclusions: These findings support those of a previous study that low antioxidant status is a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis. They suggest a similar association for systemic lupus erythematosus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on genetic testing for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes to reduce associated breast cancer risks. Details on mammography screening; How the use of replacement therapy did not eliminate the protective effect of oophorectomy; Effect of the use of hormone replacement therapy; Major problem with oophorectomy.