Height And Risk Of Prostate Cancer In The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, And Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial

Main Category: Prostate / Prostate Cancer
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;  Urology / Nephrology
Article Date: 16 Aug 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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UroToday.com - The correlation between obesity and risk of prostate cancer (CaP) to include the progression of CaP has been an area of significant investigation. Greater height has also been proposed to be a risk factor for CaP, due to increased levels of bioavailable insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) or androgens, or genetic predisposition. This relationship is supported in some but not all studies. In the online edition of the British Journal of Cancer, Dr. Ahn and colleagues used the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial to explore this association.

The PLCO screening trial is a multi-center study including data on 75,000 men aged 55-74 recruited between 1993 and 2001. They were randomized to receive either annual CaP screening or standard care. A risk factor questionnaire was completed at baseline and this included height and weight. Histologically confirmed cases of CaP were included in the analysis.

Data indicated that taller men were more likely to be Caucasian or African American, to have a positive family history of CaP, to smoke, and to consume more total energy than shorter men. The frequency of CaP screening did not vary by height. During 170,882 person-years of follow-up of 34,268 men, 2,144 men were diagnosed with CaP. Of these, 1,202 (57%) were classified as non-aggressive and 912 (43%) were considered aggressive. In multivariable analysis, height was not associated with the risk of CaP overall, nor was it associated with non-aggressive CaP. A trend for aggressive CaP tended to be greater in taller men, with risk increasing in a dose-response manner (Gleason score 7 or greater, stage III or greater). In men younger than 65 years, a strong positive association with aggressive disease was found in men greater than 190cm in height compared to men 170cm or shorter. This pattern was not observed in men older than 65 years.

Ahn J, Moore SC, Albanes D, Huang WY, Leitzmann MF, Hayes RB; Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial Project Team
Br J Cancer. 2009 Aug 4;101(3):522-5
10.1038/sj.bjc.6605159

Written by UroToday.com Contributing Editor Christopher P. Evans, MD, FACS

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