Prostate Cancer Incidence Rates in Africa

African American men have among the highest prostate cancer incidence rates in the world yet rates among their African counterparts are unclear. In this paper, we compared reported rates among black men of Sub-Saharan African descent using data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program for 1973–2007. Although population-based data in Africa are quite limited, the available data from IARC showed that rates among blacks were highest in the East (10.7–38.1 per 100,000 man-years, age-adjusted world standard) and lowest in the West (4.7–19.8). These rates were considerably lower than those of 80.0–195.3 observed among African Americans. Rates in Africa increased over time (1987–2002) and have been comparable to those for distant stage in African Americans. These patterns are likely due to differences between African and African American men in medical care access, screening, registry quality, genetic diversity, and Westernization. Incidence rates in Africa will likely continue to rise with improving economies and increasing Westernization, warranting the need for more high-quality population-based registration to monitor cancer incidence in Africa

Chronic typhoid infection and the risk of biliary tract cancer and stones in Shanghai, China

Previous studies have shown a positive association between chronic typhoid carriage and biliary cancers. We compared serum Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi antibody titers between biliary tract cancer cases, biliary stone cases without evidence of cancer, and healthy subjects in a large population-based case-control study in Shanghai, China

Urinary cadmium and estimated dietary cadmium in the Women\u27s Health Initiative

Cadmium, a heavy metal dispersed in the environment as a result of industrial and agricultural applications, has been implicated in several human diseases including renal disease, cancers, and compromised bone health. In the general population, the predominant sources of cadmium exposure are tobacco and diet. Urinary cadmium (uCd) reflects long-term exposure and has been frequently used to assess cadmium exposure in epidemiological studies; estimated dietary intake of cadmium (dCd) has also been used in several studies. The validity of dCd in comparison with uCd is unclear. This study aimed to compare dCd, estimated from food frequency questionnaires, to uCd measured in spot urine samples from 1,002 participants of the Women\u27s Health Initiative. Using linear regression, we found that dCd was not statistically significantly associated with uCd (beta=0.006, P-value=0.14). When stratified by smoking status, dCd was not significantly associated with uCd both in never smokers (beta=0.006, P-value=0.09) and in ever smokers (beta=0.003, P-value=0.67). Our results suggest that because of the lack of association between estimated dCd and measured uCd, dietary estimation of cadmium exposure should be used with caution in epidemiologic studies

Association of prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution with adverse birth outcomes and effect modification by socioeconomic factors

BackgroundMaternal exposure to air pollution has been associated with birth outcomes; however, few studies examined biologically critical exposure windows shorter than trimesters or potential effect modifiers.ObjectivesTo examine associations of prenatal fine particulate matter (PM2.5), by trimester and in biologically critical windows, with birth outcomes and assess potential effect modifiers.MethodsThis study used two pregnancy cohorts (CANDLE and TIDES; N = 2099) in the ECHO PATHWAYS Consortium. PM2.5 was estimated at the maternal residence using a fine-scale spatiotemporal model, averaged over pregnancy, trimesters, and critical windows (0-2 weeks, 10-12 weeks, and last month of pregnancy). Outcomes were preterm birth (PTB, <37 completed weeks of gestation), small-for-gestational-age (SGA), and continuous birthweight. We fit multivariable adjusted linear regression models for birthweight and Poisson regression models (relative risk, RR) for PTB and SGA. Effect modification by socioeconomic factors (maternal education, household income, neighborhood deprivation) and infant sex were examined using interaction terms.ResultsOverall, 9% of births were PTB, 10.4% were SGA, and mean term birthweight was 3268 g (SD = 558.6). There was no association of PM2.5 concentration with PTB or SGA. Lower birthweight was associated with higher PM2.5 averaged over pregnancy (β -114.2, 95%CI -183.2, -45.3), during second (β -52.9, 95%CI -94.7, -11.2) and third (β -45.5, 95%CI -85.9, -5.0) trimesters, and the month prior to delivery (β -30.5, 95%CI -57.6, -3.3). Associations of PM2.5 with likelihood of SGA and lower birthweight were stronger among male infants (p-interaction ≤0.05) and in those with lower household income (p-interaction = 0.09).ConclusionsFindings from this multi city U.S. birth cohort study support previous reports of inverse associations of birthweight with higher PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy. Findings also suggest possible modification of this association by infant sex and household income

High Prevalence of Screen Detected Prostate Cancer in West Africans: Implications for Racial Disparity of Prostate Cancer

PURPOSE: To our knowledge the reasons for the high rates of prostate cancer in black American men are unknown. Genetic and lifestyle factors have been implicated. Better understanding of prostate cancer rates in West African men would help clarify why black American men have such high rates since the groups share genetic ancestry and yet have different lifestyles and screening practices. To estimate the prostate cancer burden in West African men we performed a population based screening study with biopsy confirmation in Ghana. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We randomly selected 1,037 healthy men 50 to 74 years old from Accra, Ghana for prostate cancer screening with prostate specific antigen testing and digital rectal examination. Men with a positive screen result (positive digital rectal examination or prostate specific antigen greater than 2.5 ng/ml) underwent transrectal ultrasound guided biopsies. RESULTS: Of the 1,037 men 154 (14.9%) had a positive digital rectal examination and 272 (26.2%) had prostate specific antigen greater than 2.5 ng/ml, including 166 with prostate specific antigen greater than 4.0 ng/ml. A total of 352 men (33.9%) had a positive screen by prostate specific antigen or digital rectal examination and 307 (87%) underwent biopsy. Of these men 73 were confirmed to have prostate cancer, yielding a 7.0% screen detected prostate cancer prevalence (65 patients), including 5.8% with prostate specific antigen greater than 4.0 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS: In this relatively unscreened population in Africa the screen detected prostate cancer prevalence is high, suggesting a possible role of genetics in prostate cancer etiology and the disparity in prostate cancer risk between black and white American men. Further studies are needed to confirm the high prostate cancer burden in African men and the role of genetics in prostate cancer etiology