13 research outputs found
Serum androgens and prostate cancer among 643 cases and 643 controls in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
We examined the hypothesis that serum concentrations of circulating
androgens and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) are associated with
risk for prostate cancer in a case-control study nested in the European
Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).
Concentrations of androstenedione, testosterone, androstanediol
glucuronide and SHBG were measured in serum samples for 643 prostate
cancer cases and 643 matched control participants, and concentrations of
free testosterone were calculated. Conditional logistic regression
models were used to calculate odds ratios for risk of prostate cancer in
relation to the serum concentration of each hormone. After adjustment
for potential confounders, there was no significant association with
overall risk for prostate cancer for serum total or free testosterone
concentrations (highest versus the lowest thirds: OR, 1.02; 95 % CI,
0.73-1.41 and OR, 1.07, 95 % CL 0.741.55, respectively) or for other
androgens or SHBG. Subgroup analyses showed significant heterogeneity
for androstenedione by cancer stage, with a significant inverse
association of androstenedione concentration and risk for advanced
prostate cancer. There were also weak positive associations between free
testosterone concentration and risk for total prostate cancer among
younger men and risk for high-grade disease. In summary, in this large
nested case-control study, concentrations of circulating androgens or
SHBG were not strongly associated with risk for total prostate cancer.
However, our findings are compatible with a positive association of free
testosterone with risk in younger men and possible heterogeneity in the
association with androstenedione concentration by stage of disease;
these findings warrant further investigation. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc