Does coffee protect against hepatocellular carcinoma?

We analysed the relation between coffee consumption and hepatocellular carcinoma in two case-control studies conducted between 1984 and 1998 in Italy and Greece, including 834 cases and 1912 controls. Compared to non coffee drinkers, the multivariate odds ratio was 0.7 for drinkers of three or more cups per day

Maternal height and breast cancer risk: results from a study nested within the EPIC-Greece cohort

The positive association of adult height with breast cancer (BC) risk has been hypothesized to be partly accounted for by an association of this risk with maternal height (operating in utero to modify hormone effects). In a case–control study (271 BC patients and 791 controls) nested within the EPIC-Greece cohort, we applied mediation analysis to calculate the direct and indirect (through the woman’s own height) effect of maternal height on BC risk. Per 5 cm increase in maternal height and depending on its reference value: the indirect effect odds ratio ranges from 1.02 to 1.07; the direct effect odds ratio from 1.06 to 1.11; and the total (direct and indirect effects) from 1.08 to 1.19. The effect sizes consistently increased for higher reference categories of maternal height, but did not generally reach statistical significance, possibly due to the limited sample size

Proanthocyanidins and other flavonoids in relation to endometrial cancer risk: a case–control study in Italy

Background: Because of their antioxidant and antimutagenic properties, flavonoids may reduce cancer risk. Some flavonoids have antiestrogenic effects that can inhibit the growth and proliferation of endometrial cancer cells. Methods: In order to examine the relation between dietary flavonoids and endometrial cancer, we analysed data from an Italian case–control study including 454 incident, histologically confirmed endometrial cancers and 908 hospital-based controls. Information was collected through a validated food-frequency questionnaire. We applied data on food and beverage composition to estimate the intake of flavanols, flavanones, flavonols, anthocyanidins, flavones, isoflavones, and proanthocyanidins. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated from multiple logistic regression models conditioned on age and study centre and adjusted for major confounding factors. Results: Women in the highest quartile category of proanthocyanidins with ⩾3 mers vs the first three quartile categories had an OR for endometrial cancer of 0.66 (95% CI=0.48–0.89). For no other class of flavonoids, a significant overall association was found. There was a suggestion of an inverse association for flavanones and isoflavones among women with body mass index <25 kg m−2, and, for flavanones, among parous or non-users of hormone-replacement therapy women. Conclusion: High consumption of selected proanthocyanidins may reduce endometrial cancer risk

Vitamin Enhanced Waters and Polyphenol Rich Beverages Analyzed for Antioxidant Capacity and Antioxidants/Calorie

The purpose of this study was to analyze polyphenol rich beverages (vitamin enhanced waters (VEWs), fruit juices and berry juices) to determine free polyphenol concentrations and free polyphenols per Calorie based on a serving size. The Folin–Ciocalteu reagent was used in a colorimetric assay based on a catechin standard. Fruit and berry juices contained, on average, more than eight-times the concentration of free polyphenols when compared to VEWs. When Calories per serving were taken into consideration, fruit and berry juices contained more than twice the free polyphenols per Calorie

Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of cancer in the Swedish women’s lifestyle and health cohort

Objective To investigate whether intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with overall cancer incidence in a large prospective cohort of women in Sweden characterised by young age at enrolment (30–49 years) and relatively low intake of fruits and vegetables. Methods We followed prospectively 49,261 women, who completed a food frequency questionnaire in 1991–1992. A total of 2,347 incident invasive cancer cases were identified until December 2006. The occurrence of cancer was analysed by fitting Poisson regression models, estimating incidence rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results The median intake of fruits and vegetables was 204 g/day (10th; 90th percentile: 37; 564 g/day). Intake of fruits and vegetables was not statistically significantly associated with overall cancer incidence. When we compared women in the highest quintile of fruit and vegetable intake to women in the lowest quintile, the RR for overall cancer was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.88–1.16). Similar results were obtained when investigating the effect of intake of fruits and vegetables separately and when we stratified women by age at follow-up. Conclusion Fruit and vegetable intake was not associated with risk of total cancer in this prospective cohort of women in Sweden

Predictors of oropharyngeal cancer survival in Europe

Objectives: HPV16-positive oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) patients experience better outcomes compared to HPV16-negative patients. Currently, strategies for treatment de-escalation are based on HPV status, smoking history and disease stage. However, the appropriate cut-point for smoking and the role of other non-clinical factors in OPC survival remains uncertain. Materials and Methods: We examined factors associated with OPC outcome in 321 patients recruited in a large European multi-center study. Seropositivity for HPV16 E6 was used as a marker of HPV16 positive cancer. Hazard ratios (HR) and confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using Cox proportional models adjusted for potential confounders. Results: Overall 5-year survival following OPC diagnosis was 50%. HPV16-positive OPC cases were at significantly lower risk of death (aHR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.32–0.80). A significant effect on OPC survival was apparent for female sex (aHR 0.50: 95% CI: 0.29–0.85) and being underweight at diagnosis (aHR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.38–4.21). A 10 pack year smoking history was not associated with overall survival. Higher stage at diagnosis appeared as the only factor significantly associated with OPC recurrence (aHR: 4.88, 95% CI: 2.12–11.21). Conclusion: This study confirms that HPV16 status is an independent prognostic factor for OPC survival while female sex lowers risk of death and being underweight at diagnosis increases the risk of death. Smoking was not an independent predictor of OPC survival.</p

Insulin-like growth factor levels in cord blood, birth weight and breast cancer risk

Breast cancer incidence and birth weight are higher among Caucasian than Asian women, and birth size has been positively associated with breast cancer risk. Pregnancy hormone levels, however, have been generally lower in Caucasian than Asian women. We studied components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system in cord blood from 92 singleton babies born in Boston, USA, and 110 born in Shanghai, China, in 1994–1995. Cord blood IGF-1 was significantly higher among Caucasian compared with Chinese babies (P<10−6). The opposite was noted for IGF-2 (P∼10−4). IGF-1 was significantly positively associated with birth weight and birth length in Boston, but not Shanghai. In contrast, stronger positive, though statistically non-significant, associations of IGF-2 with birth size were only evident in Shanghai. The associations of birth weight and birth length were positive and significant in taller women (for IGF-1 in Boston P∼0.003 and 0.03, respectively; for IGF-2 in Shanghai P∼0.05 and ∼0.04, respectively), among whom maternal anthropometry does not exercise strong constraints in foetal growth. The documentation of higher cord blood levels of IGF-1, a principal growth hormone that does not cross the placenta, among Caucasian than in Asian newborns is concordant with breast cancer incidence in these populations

The Association between Peptic Ulcer Disease and Gastric Cancer: Results from the Stomach Cancer Pooling (StoP) Project Consortium

Background. Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common type of cancer and the fourth most common cause of cancer-related mortality. Although the risk of GC and peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is known to be increased by H. pylori infection, evidence regarding the direct relationship between PUD and GC across ethnicities is inconclusive. Therefore, we investigated the association between PUD and GC in the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) consortium. Methods. History of peptic ulcer disease was collected using a structured questionnaire in 11 studies in the StoP consortium, including 4106 GC cases and 6922 controls. The two-stage individual-participant data meta-analysis approach was adopted to generate a priori. Unconditional logistic regression and Firth’s penalized maximum likelihood estimator were used to calculate study-specific odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between gastric ulcer (GU)/duodenal ulcer (DU) and risk of GC. Results. History of GU and DU was thoroughly reported and used in association analysis, respectively, by 487 cases (12.5%) and 276 controls (4.1%), and 253 cases (7.8%) and 318 controls (6.0%). We found that GU was associated with an increased risk of GC (OR = 3.04, 95% CI: 2.07–4.49). No association between DU and GC risk was observed (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.77–1.39). Conclusions. In the pooled analysis of 11 case–control studies in a large consortium (i.e., the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) consortium), we found a positive association between GU and risk of GC and no association between DU and GC risk. © 2022 by the authors.This work is supported by Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC), Project no. 21378 (Investigator Grant); Fondazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (FIRC); Italian League for the Fight Against Cancer (LILT); European Cancer Prevention (ECP) Organization; and UPMC Start-up Grant (to HNL). P Paragomi was supported by a cancer research training grant from NIH (grant # T32CA186873)

The Association between Peptic Ulcer Disease and Gastric Cancer: Results from the Stomach Cancer Pooling (StoP) Project Consortium

Background. Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common type of cancer and the fourth most common cause of cancer-related mortality. Although the risk of GC and peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is known to be increased by H. pylori infection, evidence regarding the direct relationship between PUD and GC across ethnicities is inconclusive. Therefore, we investigated the association between PUD and GC in the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) consortium. Methods. History of peptic ulcer disease was collected using a structured questionnaire in 11 studies in the StoP consortium, including 4106 GC cases and 6922 controls. The two-stage individual-participant data meta-analysis approach was adopted to generate a priori. Unconditional logistic regression and Firth’s penalized maximum likelihood estimator were used to calculate study-specific odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between gastric ulcer (GU)/duodenal ulcer (DU) and risk of GC. Results. History of GU and DU was thoroughly reported and used in association analysis, respectively, by 487 cases (12.5%) and 276 controls (4.1%), and 253 cases (7.8%) and 318 controls (6.0%). We found that GU was associated with an increased risk of GC (OR = 3.04, 95% CI: 2.07–4.49). No association between DU and GC risk was observed (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.77–1.39). Conclusions. In the pooled analysis of 11 case–control studies in a large consortium (i.e., the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) consortium), we found a positive association between GU and risk of GC and no association between DU and GC risk