American Association for Cancer Research
Publications

June 2008 CEBP Highlights

PDF Version for Printing pdf4.gif

Selected Articles from the June 1, 2008 Issue

The articles referenced in this Highlights section will be available online in HTML and PDF formats to all interested users at no charge until the next issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention is published. Click on the article title to view the complete article.

View the Table of Contents for the June 2008 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

Does Antibiotic Use Influence Lung Cancer Risk?

Zhang et al.

Page 1308

Antibiotic use has been associated with an increased risk of cancer in epidemiological studies. Zhang and colleagues evaluated the association between antibiotic use and the risk of primary lung cancer by conducting a prospective case-control study. Compared with subjects with no prescription of antibiotics prior to the index date, the crude Relative Risk (RR) of lung cancer was 2.52 (2.25–2.83) among those who received ten or more prescriptions. Additional data are required to clarify whether the higher risk of lung cancer among antibiotic users may be due to the increased frequency of infections in patients with subclinical cancer, or to potential shared causes between cancer and infection or inflammation. 
 

Endometrial Cancer Risk Not Associated with Breast Feeding

Xue et al.

Page 1316

Having been breast-fed has been investigated in relation to the risk of breast and other cancer sites, and conflicting results have been reported. The association between being breast-fed in infancy and the risk of endometrial cancer has not been explored. From 1976-2004, Xue and colleagues followed 74,757 cancer-free participants in the Nurses’ Health Study who had not undergone hysterectomy; a total of 708 women with incident endometrial cancer were included in this analysis. After adjusting for age, family history of endometrial cancer, birth weight, premature birth, and birth order, the incidence of endometrial cancer was not associated with ever having been breast-fed or duration of having been breast-fed. 

Folic-acid Use for Colorectal Cancer Prevention has Trade-offs

Luebeck et al.

Page 1360

Recent findings on giving folic acid (FA) to patients with a history of colorectal polyps raise concerns about the efficacy and safety of folate supplementation and the long-term health effects of folate fortification. To better understand the possible trade-offs between FA’s protective effects due to decreased mutation rates and possibly concomitant detrimental effects due to increased cell proliferation, Luebeck and colleagues used a biologically-based mathematical model of colorectal carcinogenesis. The authors concluded that changes in colorectal cancer risk in response to FA supplementation are likely a complex function of treatment inititation, duration, impact on cell proliferation, and mutations rates. Their model suggests that the effect on cancer risk when starting FA supplementation late in life is small, yet this exposure may be detrimental. 

BAGE (B melanoma antigens) are a family of genes located in the heterochromatic regions of several human chromosomes. Grunau and colleagues analyzed DNA methylation of the BAGE loci in fifty-four colon cancers and in neighboring histopathological normal tissue samples. Using a combined bisulfite restriction assay, the authors showed that BAGE loci were hypomethylated in 81% of carcinoma samples. Using assays based on these data, colon cancer could be diagnosed with 94% specificity, 83% sensitivity, and 89% accuracy. Based on the hypothesis that during neoplastic transformation hypomethylation occurs in juxtacentromeric CpG islands, the authors suggested that other genes located in the heterochromatic compartment may be involved in colon cancer.  

Perceived Risk of Breast Cancer Increases Use of Complementary Medicine

Myers et al.

Page 1527

Myers and colleagues examined the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by women with varying levels of familial and perceived risk of breast cancer with the goal of preventing breast cancer. Half (49.5%) of the women reported using at least one CAM modality with the intent of preventing breast cancer. The authors concluded that general health promoting behaviors, education, and optimism predict CAM use. Evidence-based guidance is needed for the public and health care providers on the potential and limitations of specific CAM use to impact cancer risk.

Top

Highlights

Highlights: CEBP

Highlights: Cancer Research

Highlights: CCR

Highlights: MCR

Highlights: MCT

AACR Journals

Cancer Research Home

Clinical Cancer Research Home

CEBP Home

Cancer Prevention Research Home

Molecular Cancer Research Home

Molecular Cancer Therapeutics Home

Cancer Reviews Online Home

Prevention Portal Home

©2001-2011 American Association for Cancer Research | 615 Chestnut St. 17th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Contact Us | Sitemap | Privacy Policy | AACR Foundation | AACR Jobs | CancerCareers.org