A Case-Control Study of Dietary Phytoestrogens and Testicular Cancer Risk

Abstract

A few dietary studies have found elevated testicular cancer risks for higher red meat, fat, and milk intakes and lower intakes of fruits, vegetables, and fiber. Because hormonal modulation by dietary intake of plant estrogens could affect risk of testicular cancer, we chose to explore the possible relationship between dietary phytoestrogens and testicular cancer. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study of 159 testicular cancer cases diagnosed between 1990 and 1996 and 136 adult friend-matched controls at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Amounts of phytoestrogenic compounds in foods were added to the National Cancer Institute's DietSys program and then grouped into prelignans, lignans, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, phytosterols, and coumestrol for statistical analysis, expressed per 1,000 kcal. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed, after adjustment for age, education, income, ethnicity, cryptorchidism, body mass index, baldness unrelated to therapy, severe acne in adolescence, early puberty, daily fiber and fat intake, and total daily calories, no discernable monotonic increased or decreased risk estimates across quartiles of phytoestrogen intake. A U-shaped pattern was observed for lignans and coumestrol. Further evaluation of this pattern by cubic spline parameterization did fit the data, but the data were also consistent with no effect. This hypothesis-generating study does not support the premise that dietary phytoestrogens increase or decrease testicular cancer risk in young men.

Dietary Phytoestrogen, Serum Enterolactone and Risk of Prostate Cancer: The Cancer Prostate Sweden Study (Sweden)

“…Similar to two smaller Swedish studies [26,27], we found the strongest inverse association with the second quartile of serum enterolactone. This J-shaped risk functionfound also in one study of testicular cancer [55] -is difficult to explain. It could be that high enterolactone levels cause alterations in hormone balance or other factors that influence both lignan metabolism and prostate cancer risk.…”

Epidemiology of testicular cancer: An overview

“…A recent study examined the relationship between dietary intake of phytoestrogens and testicular cancer but did not observe an association. 155 Other foods found to have an association with testicular cancer are meat, 85,144,147,156 low intake of fruits and vegetables 156 and low intake of dietary calcium.…”

Gene signatures of testicular seminoma with emphasis on expression of ets variant gene 4

“…Environmental factors and nutrition such as the increasing presence of oestrogenic compounds have been suggested to play a role [5]; however, epidemiological studies have shown contradictory results [6,7]. Besides those risk factors, reliable prognostic markers are not known.…”