Androgens stimulate prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo. However, evidence from epidemiologic studies of an association between circulating levels of androgens and prostate cancer risk has been inconsistent. We investigated the association of serum levels of testosterone, the principal androgen in circulation, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) with risk in a case-control study nested in cohorts in Finland, Norway and Sweden of 708 men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer after blood collection and among 2,242 men who were not. In conditional logistic regression analyses, modest but significant decreases in risk were seen for increasing levels of total testosterone down to odds ratio for top vs. bottom quintile of 0.80 (95% CI ؍ 0.59 -1.06; p trend ؍ 0.05); for SHBG, the corresponding odds ratio was 0.76 (95% CI ؍ 0.57-1.01; p trend ؍ 0.07). For free testosterone, calculated from total testosterone and SHBG, a bell-shaped risk pattern was seen with a decrease in odds ratio for top vs. bottom quintile of 0.82 (95% CI ؍ 0.60 -1.14; p trend ؍ 0.44). No support was found for the hypothesis that high levels of circulating androgens within a physiologic range stimulate development and growth of prostate cancer.
Sera from 43 persons who developed thyroid cancer on an average 4.8 years after blood sampling were compared with sera from controls. Three controls per case matched for sex, age, place of residence and year of blood sampling, with regard to serum selenium and serum copper. Cases were significantly lower in serum selenium than controls, and the estimated odds ratio of thyroid cancer increased from 1 for levels greater than or equal to 1.65 mumol/l, to 6.1 for levels 1.26-1.64 mumol/l, to 7.7 for levels less than or equal to 1.25 mumol/l. When time from blood sampling to diagnosis of the case was considered, it could be shown that the protective effect of high serum selenium concentrations was restricted to the last (less than 7) years prior to the diagnosis of thyroid cancer. The serum selenium concentration of cases tended to decrease relative to controls the shorter time was from blood sampling to the diagnosis. There was no difference between cases and controls with regard to serum copper.
Summary This survival study includes 20 breast cancer patients diagnosed during pregnancy and 15 patients diagnosed during the lactation period. The survival rate of these patients is compared with that of ordinary breast cancer patients taking stage of the disease, age and calendar-year at diagnosis into account. The pregnancy group showed a significantly. poorer prognosis compared with the control groups. Only 3 out of 20 survived more than 4 years. The tendency of a worse prognosis for the lactation group than for the control group was, however, not significant.Breast cancer patients diagnosed during pregnancy and lactation represent a special group. Therapeutic attitudes have changed from regarding these patients as incurable (Haagensen, 1956), to the more optimistic approach demonstrated by Peters (1968) Histological grading was carried out on all cases and for one control per case matched on stage, calendar time and age. In two cases the material was unsuitable and hence the matching controls were not graded. Two or three specimens were taken from each primary tumour. Slides stained with haematoxylin and eosin were graded according to WHO definitions (Scharff & Torloni, 1968).The WHO grading is based on the following factors: Tubule formation, hyperchromatism, mitosis and irregularity of size, shape and staining of nuclei. A number system is used, from I to 3 for each factor according to the extent of the changes. These numbers are then added together, a total of 3-5 indicating low malignancy (grade I), [6][7] In the pregnancy group the median diagnosis delay was 2.5 months (95% CI: 1, 4.5) and in the lactating group 6 months (95% CI: 2.5, 12). The majority of women in the lactating group gave the time of the first symptom as the time of delivery. Figure 1 shows survival in per cent by time (months) after diagnosis in the pregnancy group and the two control groups. More than 60% of the pregnant breast cancer patients died within 2 years from diagnosis and only 3 out of 20 were alive 4 years after diagnosis. The survival rate is significantly lower than in the control group 1, (P<0.05).The similarity in survival rate between control groups lp and IIp shows that anxiety about overmatching was unnecessary. Figure I demonstrates that pregnancy is a strong prognostic Br.
Malignant salivary gland tumors are rare, constitute a heterogeneous group and are often difficult to diagnose histologically. This is borne out by the fact that in the present study 43.2% of 118 salivary gland tumors originally diagnosed as mucoepidermoid, acinic cell and adenoid cystic carcinomas had their original diagnosis altered upon reclassification. Patients with confirmed adenoid cystic carcinomas had a much worse prognosis than those with mucoepidermoid and acinic cell carcinomas. DNA flow cytometry showed that very few of the above mentioned three types of malignant neoplasms revealed aneuploid DNA stemlines, indicating that this is not a relevant prognostic tumor marker within the groups. However, several of the tumors that had their diagnosis changed, mostly to undifferentiated adeno- or squamous cell carcinomas, showed aneuploid DNA stemlines. The survival time of patients with aneuploid tumors was considerably reduced compared to those with diploid tumors. Among confirmed acinic cell, mucoepidermoid and adenoid cystic carcinomas the S-phase fraction was a significant prognostic factor, as it was among all tumors examined. This indicates that DNA aneuploidy and S-phase fractions are potential prognostic factors for malignant salivary gland tumors, and that DNA flow cytometry may assist the characterization of such tumors.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.