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Chronic inflammation is one of the underlying risks associated with thyroid cancer. We ascertained the association between commonly measured serum biomarkers of inflammation and the risk of thyroid cancer in Swedish Apolipoprotein-related MORtality RISk (AMORIS) study. 226,212 subjects had baseline measurements of C-reactive protein, albumin and haptoglobin. Leukocytes were measured in a subgroup of 63,845 subjects. Associations between quartiles and dichotomized values of inflammatory markers and risk of thyroid cancer were analysed using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. 202 individuals were diagnosed with thyroid cancer during a mean follow-up of 19.6 years. There was a positive association between lower albumin levels and risk of developing thyroid cancer [Hazard Ratio for albumin ≤ 40 g/L: 1.50 (95% Confidence Interval = 1.04-2.16)]. When stratified by a metabolic score, we observed similar association for albumin with higher HR among those with metabolic score ≥ 1, as compared to those with metabolic score of 0 [HR 1.98 (95% CI = 1.11-3.54) vs 1.17 (95% CI = 0.72-1.89)] (P = 0.19). Apart from albumin, none of the serum markers of inflammation studied showed a link with the risk of developing thyroid cancer-suggesting that the role of inflammation may be more complicated and requires assessment of more specialised measurements of inflammation.

Background: The long-term trajectories of lipid and glucose levels in subjects who experience a major cardiovascular (CV) event at a young age has not been well studied. Our objective was to investigate lipid, lipoprotein, apolipoprotein (apo), and glucose levels in individuals experiencing a CV event before 50 years of age. Methods and findings: A first CV event [non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), coronary revascularisation, or CV related death] before age 50 was recorded in 2,939 (cumulative incidence 1.2% in males and 0.3% in females) of 361,353 individuals included in the prospective Swedish AMORIS (Apolipoprotein-related MOrtality RISk) study with health examinations 1985-1996 and follow-up through 2011. In a nested case-control analysis, cases with a CV event were matched to randomly selected controls. Population risk factor trajectories were calculated up to 20 years prior to an event. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and glucose levels were higher in cases than in controls as early as 20 years prior to the event with differences increasing over time. Low density lipoprotein, apoB, and the apoB/apoA-1 ratio were higher and increased over time, while HDL and apoA-1 were lower in cases compared to controls. The odds ratio was 2.5 (95% confidence interval 1.6-3.7) for TC >= 5 mmol/L and TG >= 1.7 mmol/L in cases versus controls. The adjusted population-attributable fractions including lipids, glucose, diabetes, smoking, hypertension, and obesity indicated that about 50% of CV events before age 50 may be associated with elevated lipid and glucose levels. Conclusions: Elevated TC, TG, LDL, apoB, and glucose levels and high apoB/apo A-1 ratio documented two decades before a CV event in subjects younger than 50 years may account for about half of CV events before age 50, which calls for early recognition and possibly treatment of modifiable CV risk factors in young individuals.

Previous literature indicates that pre-diagnostic diabetes and blood glucose levels are inversely related to glioma risk. To replicate these findings and determine whether they could be attributed to excess glucose consumption by the preclinical tumour, we used data from the Apolipoprotein MOrtality RISk (AMORIS) (n = 528,580) and the Metabolic syndrome and Cancer project (Me-Can) cohorts (n = 269,365). We identified individuals who were followed for a maximum of 15 years after their first blood glucose test until glioma diagnosis, death, emigration or the end of follow-up. Hazard ratios (HRs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and their interactions with time were estimated using Cox time-dependent regression. As expected, pre-diagnostic blood glucose levels were inversely related to glioma risk (AMORIS, P trend = 0.002; Me-Can, P trend = 0.04) and pre-diagnostic diabetes (AMORIS, HR = 0.30, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.53). During the year before diagnosis, blood glucose was inversely associated with glioma in the AMORIS (HR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.93) but not the Me-Can cohort (HR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.56). This AMORIS result is consistent with our hypothesis that excess glucose consumption by the preclinical tumour accounts for the inverse association between blood glucose and glioma. We discuss additional hypothetical mechanisms that may explain our paradoxical findings.

Purpose: To evaluate the association between commonly measured serum biomarkers of inflammation and penile and testicular cancer risk in the Swedish Apolipoprotein-related MORtality RISk (AMORIS) study. Materials and methods: A total of 205,717 subjects had baseline measurements of C-reactive protein, albumin, and haptoglobin. The association between quartiles and dichotomised values of inflammatory markers and penile and testicular cancer risk were analysed by using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. Results: A total of 125 men were diagnosed with testicular cancer and 50 with penile cancer during a mean follow-up of 20.3 years. No statistically significant trends were seen between serum inflammatory markers and risk of penile cancer, but higher albumin levels increased the risk of testicular cancer [HR for albumin (g/L): 1.10 (95% CI: 1.03-1.18)]. However, this trend was not observed when using medical cut-offs of albumin. Conclusions: In the present study, we did not find support for an association between commonly used markers of inflammation and risk of testicular or penile cancer. The role of inflammation may be more complicated and require assessment of more specialised measurements of inflammation in future studies.

Background: Inflammation has been linked with development of some cancers. We investigated systemic inflammation in relation to colorectal cancer incidence and subsequent survival using common serum inflammatory markers Design: A cohort of men and women aged 20 years and older in greater Stockholm area with serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin measured between 1986 and 1999 were included (n-325 599). A subset of these had baseline measurements of haptoglobin and leukocytes. Multivariable Cox regression was performed to assess risk of colorectal cancer by levels of inflammatory markers, adjusting for potential confounders. Analyses were stratified by circulating glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides. Overall and CRC-specific death following diagnosis were assessed as secondary outcomes. Results: A total of 4764 individuals were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. A positive association between haptoglobin and colorectal cancer incidence was found (hazard ratio (HR): 1.17; 95% CI: 1.06-1.28). A positive association was also observed with leukocytes (HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.03-1.42). No evidence of association was noted between CRP and colorectal cancer risk. Higher risks of all-cause death were seen with haptoglobin and leukocytes levels. Higher haptoglobin levels were linked with an increased risk of colorectal cancer death (HR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.01-1.41). Conclusions: Prediagnostic systemic inflammation may impact colorectal cancer incidence and survival; therefore, prompting investigations linking inflammatory pathways preceding colorectal cancer with disease severity and progression.

To investigate the association between serum calcium and risk of breast cancer using a large cohort and a systematic review with meta-analysis. From the Swedish Apolipoprotein Mortality Risk (AMORIS) Study we included 229,674 women who had baseline measurements of serum total calcium and albumin. Multivariable Cox regression was used to assess the association between total and albumin-corrected calcium and breast cancer risk. For the systematic review, an electronic search of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was performed to identify other prospective cohorts assessing the relationship between serum calcium and breast cancer risk. We pooled the results of our AMORIS cohort with other eligible studies in a meta-analysis using a random effects model. I-2 test was used to assess heterogeneity. In the AMORIS study, 10,863 women were diagnosed with breast cancer (mean follow-up: 19 years). We found an inverse association between total serum calcium and breast cancer when comparing the fourth quartile to the first quartile (HR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.88-0.99, p value for trend 0.04) and similar results using albumin-corrected calcium. In the systematic review, we identified another two prospective cohorts evaluating pre-diagnostic serum total calcium and breast cancer. Combining these studies and our findings in AMORIS in a meta-analysis showed a protective effect of serum calcium against breast cancer, with a summary RR of 0.80 (95% CI: 0.66-0.97). No substantial heterogeneity was observed. Our findings in AMORIS and the meta-analysis support an inverse association between serum calcium and breast cancer risk, which warrants mechanistic investigations.

Lifestyle-related risk factors such as hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia have been associated with several cancers. However, studies exploring their link with prostate cancer (PCa) clinicopathological characteristics are sparse and inconclusive. Here, we investigated the associations between serum metabolic markers and PCa clinicopathological characteristics. The study comprised 14,294 men from the Swedish Apolipoprotein MOrtality RISk (AMORIS) cohort who were diagnosed with PCa between 1996 and 2011. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to investigate the relation between glucose, triglycerides and total cholesterol and PCa risk categories, PSA, Gleason score, and T-stage. Mean age at time of PCa diagnosis was 69 years. Men with glucose levels >6.9 mmol/L tend to have PSA<4 mu g/L, while those with glucose levels of 5.6-6.9 mmol/L had a greater odds of PSA>20 mu g/L compared to PSA 4.0-9.9 mu g/L. Hypertriglyceridemia was also positively associated with PSA>20 mu g/L. Hyperglycemic men had a greater odds of intermediate-and high-grade PCa and advanced stage or metastatic PCa. Similarly, hypertriglyceridemia was positively associated with high-grade PCa. There was also a trend toward an increased odds of intermediate risk localized PCa and advanced stage PCa among men with hypertriglyceridemia. Total cholesterol did not have any statistically significant association with any of the outcomes studied. Our findings suggest that high serum levels of glucose and triglycerides may influence PCa aggressiveness and severity. Further investigation on the role of markers of glucose and lipid metabolism in influencing PCa aggressiveness and severity is needed as this may help define important targets for intervention.

Background In 1988, a cardiovascular prevention program which combined an individual and a population-based strategy was launched within primary health-care in Sollentuna, a municipality in Stockholm County. The aim of this study was to investigate time trends in the incidence of and mortality from acute myocardial infarction and all-cause mortality in Sollentuna compared with the rest of Stockholm County during a period of two decades following the implementation of a cardiovascular prevention program. Materials and Methods The average population in Sollentuna was 56,589 (49% men) and in Stockholm County (Sollentuna included) 1,795,504 (49% men) during the study period of 1987-2010. Cases of hospitalized acute myocardial infarction and death were obtained for the population of Sollentuna and the rest of Stockholm County using national registries of hospital discharges and deaths. Acute myocardial infarction incidence and mortality were estimated using the average population of Sollentuna and Stockholm in 1987-2010. Results During the observation period, the incidence of acute myocardial infarction decreased more in Sollentuna compared with the rest of Stockholm County in women (-22% vs. -7%; for difference in slope <0.05). There was a trend towards a greater decline in Sollentuna compared to the rest of Stockholm County in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (in men), acute myocardial mortality, and all-cause mortality but the differences were not significant. Conclusion During a period of steep decline in acute myocardial infarction incidence and mortality in Stockholm County the municipality of Sollentuna showed a stronger trend in women possibly compatible with favorable influence of a cardiovascular prevention program.

With exception of cholesterol and total fat intake, associations between lipid biomarkers and kidney cancer have not often been researched. We aimed to assess possible links between lipid profiles and kidney cancer risk in a large prospective cohort study, while also taking into account glucose levels and BMI. A cohort based on 542,924 persons with baseline information on glucose, triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC) and creatinine was selected from the Swedish Apolipoprotein Mortality Risk study. A subgroup of 85,621 also had baseline measurements of HDL, LDL, apolipoprotein A-I and apoB. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze associations between quartiles and dichotomized values of these lipid components and kidney cancer risk. During a mean follow-up of 13 years, 958 persons developed kidney cancer. TGs were the only lipid component for which a statistically significant association was found with kidney cancer risk when using both quartiles and a clinical cutoff (hazard ratio: 1.25 (95% CI: 0.99-1.60), 1.29 (1.01-1.66) and 1.66 (1.30-2.13) for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quartile, compared to the 1st, with p-value for trend: <0.001). The association remained after exclusion of the 95% percentile of TG. Quartiles of glucose were also positively associated with kidney cancer risk, whereas quartiles of TC were negatively associated with kidney cancer risk. This detailed analysis of lipid components only showed a consistent relation between TG levels and kidney cancer risk. Further mechanistic studies are required to assess links between lipid abnormalities and kidney cancer.

BACKGROUND: While the association between obesity and endometrial cancer (EC) is well established, the underlying mechanisms require further study. We assessed possible links between lipid profiles and EC risk, while also taking into account BMI, parity, and menopausal status at baseline. METHODS: Using the information available from the Swedish Apolipoprotein MOrtality RISk (AMORIS) study we created a cohort of 225,432 women with baseline values for glucose, triglycerides (TG), and total cholesterol (TC). Two subgroups of 31,792 and 26,317 had, in addition, baseline measurements of HDL, LDL, apolipoprotein A-I and apoB and BMI, respectively. We used Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models to analyze quartiles and dichotomized values of these lipid components for a link to EC risk. RESULTS: During mean follow-up of 12 years (SD: 4.15), 1,144 persons developed endometrial cancer. A statistically significant association was found between TG and EC risk when using both quartiles and a clinical cut-off (Hazard Ratio (HR): 1.10 (95%CI: 0.88-1.37), 1.34 (1.09-1.63), and 1.57 (1.28-1.92)) for the 2(nd), 3(rd), and 4(th) quartile, compared to the 1(st), with P-value for trend: <0.001). The association remained after exclusion of the first three years of follow-up. Also total cholesterol and TG/HDL ratio were positively associated with EC risk, but no link was found for the other lipid components studied. CONCLUSION: This detailed analysis of lipid components showed a consistent relation between TG levels and EC risk. Future research should continue to analyze the metabolic pathway and its relation to EC risk, as a pathway to further understand the relation of obesity and disease.

BACKGROUND: Management of frailty is the cornerstone of geriatric medicine, but there remains a need to identify biomarkers that can predict early death, and thereby lead to effective clinical interventions. We aimed to study the combination of C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and HDL to predict mortality. METHODS: A total of 44,457 persons aged 50+ whose levels of CRP, albumin, GGT, and HDL were measured at baseline were selected from the Swedish Apolipoprotein MOrtality RISk (AMORIS) study. A mortality score, ranging from 0 to 4, was created by adding the number of markers with abnormal values according to the clinical cut-off (CRP > 10 mg/L, albumin < 35 mg/L, GGT > 36 kU/L, HDL < 1.04 mmol/L). Mortality was studied with multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: 2,245 persons died from cancer, 3,276 from circulatory disease, and 1,860 from other causes. There was a positive trend between mortality score and all-cause mortality as well as cancer and circulatory disease-specific death (e.g. HR for all-cause mortality: 1.39 (95%CI: 1.32-1.46), 2.04 (1.89-2.21), and 3.36 (2.87-3.93), for score=1, 2, and 3+, compared to score=0). Among cancer patients with no other co-morbidities (n=1,955), there was a positive trend between the score and mortality (HR: 1.24 (95%CI: 1.0.-1.49), 2.38 (95%CI: 1.76-3.22), and 5.47 (95%CI: 2.98-10.03) for score=1, 2, and 3+ compared to score=0). CONCLUSIONS: By combining biomarkers of different mechanisms contributing to patient frailty, we found a strong marker for mortality in persons aged 50+. Elevated risks among cancer patients with no other co-morbidities prior to biomarker assessment call for validation in other cohorts and testing of different combinations and cut-offs than those used here, in order to aid decision-making in treatment of older cancer patients.

Background. Metabolic syndrome has been linked to an increased cancer risk, but the role of dyslipidaemia in gastrointestinal malignancies is unclear. We aimed to assess the risk of oesophageal, stomach, colon, and rectal cancers using serum levels of lipid components. Methods. From the Swedish Apolipoprotein Mortality Risk (AMORIS) study, we selected 540,309 participants (> 20 years old) with baseline measurements of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and glucose of whom 84,774 had baseline LDL cholesterol (LDL), HDL cholesterol (HDL), apolipoprotein B (apoB), and apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess glucose and lipid components in relation to oesophageal, stomach, colon, and rectal cancer risk. Results. An increased risk of oesophageal cancer was observed in persons with high TG (e.g. HR: 2.29 (95% CI: 1.42-3.68) for the 4th quartile compared to the 1st) and low LDL, LDL/HDL ratio, TC/HDL ratio, log (TG/HDL), and apoB/apoA-I ratio. High glucose and TG were linked with an increased colon cancer risk, while high TC levels were associated with an increased rectal cancer risk. Conclusion. The persistent link between TC and rectal cancer risk as well as between TG and oesophageal and colon cancer risk in normoglycaemic individuals may imply their substantiality in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Apart from using gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) as a predictor of diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease, some evidence suggests GGT as an indicator of cancer risk. We aimed to study the association between GGT and cancer in a large Swedish cohort with 37,809 primary cancers. METHODS: In a cohort of 545,460 persons (aged >20 years) who had a measurement of GGT in the Apolipoprotein Mortality Risk (AMORIS) study, multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to investigate categories of GGT (<18, 18-36,36-72, ≥72 U/L) in relation to cancer risk. Stratified analyses were conducted by gender, levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (

OBJECTIVE: To study levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and leukocytes, as inflammatory markers, in the context of cancer risk. METHODS: From the Apolipoprotein MOrtality RISk (AMORIS) study, we selected 102,749 persons with one measurement and 9,273 persons with three repeated measurements of CRP and leukocytes. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to categories of CRP (<10, 10-15, 15-25, 25-50, >50 g/L) and quartiles of leukocytes. An inflammation-based predictive score (IPS) indicated whether someone had CRP levels of more than 10 mg/L combined with leukocytes of more than 10×10(9)/L. Reverse causality was assessed by excluding those with less than 3, 5, or 7 years of follow-up. To analyze repeated measurements of CRP and leukocytes, the repeated IPS (IPSr) was calculated by adding the IPS of each measurement. RESULTS: In the cohort with one measurement, there was a positive trend between CRP and risk of developing cancer, with the lowest category being the 0.99 (0.92-1.06), 1.28 (1.11-1.47), 1.27 (1.09-1.49), and 1.22 (1.01-1.48) for the second to fifth categories, respectively. This association disappeared when excluding those with follow-up of less than 3, 5, or 7 years. The association between leukocytes and cancer was slightly stronger. In the cohort with repeated measurements, the IPSr was strongly associated with cancer risk: 1.87 (1.33-2.63), 1.51 (0.56-4.06), and 4.46 (1.43-13.87) for IPSr=1, 2, and 3 compared with IPSr=0. The association remained after excluding those with follow-up of less than 1 year. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPACT: Our large, prospective cohort study adds evidence for a link between inflammatory markers and cancer risk by using repeated measurements and ascertaining reverse causality.