Weight gain after 35 years of age is associated with increased breast cancer risk: findings from a large prospective cohort study

Adiposity affects lifetime estrogen exposure,which is a key factor in breast carcinogenesis.However,adiposity effects,often assessed as the body mass index(BMI),on pre-and post-menopausal breast cancer risk are paradoxical.Body weight gain may reflect body fat mass accumulation during adulthood better than the BMI,potentially representing age-related metabolic changes.

Frequent low dose alcohol intake increases gastric cancer risk: the Health Examinees-Gem (HEXA-G) study

Objective:Epidemiological studies indicate that alcohol increases gastric cancer(GC)risk,yet most studies have focused on heavy alcohol intake,leaving other factors understudied.A comprehensive investigation of the effects of the frequency and amount of alcohol intake may help elucidate the GC risk associated with drinking behavior.Methods:The Health Examinees-Gem(HEXA-G)study,a community-based large-scale prospective cohort study,enrolled Korean adults 40–69 years of age between the years 2004 and 2013.Incident GC cases were identified through linkage to Korea Central Cancer Registry data until December 31,2017.Self-reported questionnaires were used to survey alcohol consumption-related factors(duration,frequency,amount,and type of alcoholic beverages).The frequency and amount of alcohol consumption were combined to explore GC risk according to 4 drinking patterns:“infrequent-light”,“frequent-light”,“infrequent-heavy”,and“frequent-heavy”.We used Cox proportional hazard models to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios(HRs)and 95%confidence intervals(CIs),and investigate the relationship between alcohol intake and GC incidence.Results:A total of 128,218 participants were included in the analysis.During an average follow-up period of 8.6 years,462 men and 385 women were diagnosed with GC.In men,current drinkers showed a 31%greater risk of GC than non-drinkers(HR 1.31,95%CI 1.03–1.66),whereas no significant association was observed in women.In men,GC risk was associated with a higher frequency(P trend 0.02)and dose of ethanol intake in grams(P trend 0.03).In men,the“frequent-light”(≥5 times/week and<40 g ethanol/day)drinking pattern was associated with a 46%greater risk of GC(HR 1.46,95%CI 1.02–2.07)than the“infrequent-light”pattern(<5 times/week and<40 g ethanol/day).Conclusions:This study suggests that frequent intake of alcohol,even in low quantities per session,increases GC risk.Further research is warranted to evaluate the relationship between alcohol and GC in detail.

Colorectal cancer mortality in Hong Kong of China,Japan,South Korea,and Singapore

To clarify the trend in colorectal cancer mortality in Asian countries.We analyzed the colorectal cancer mortality in four Asian countries using the World Health Organization mortality database and the Korea National Statistics Office database.The annual age-standardized rates and truncated rated for the three age groups(30-49,50-69 and ≥ 70 years) for Hong Kong of China(1969-2009),Japan(1955-2009),South Korea(1985-2006),and Singapore(1966-2009) were estimated.A joinpoint regression model was used to detect significant trends in mortality rates.Colorectal cancer mortality in men started to decrease in 1992 in Japan followed by Singapore and Hong Kong of China in 1995.The mortality rates in women stared to decrease in 1980 in Singapore,followed by Hong Kong of China and Japan in 1996.In all countries and both genders,except for women in Singapore,the decrease in mortality began in the younger age groups.The colorectal cancer mortality in the four studied Asian countries has started to decrease,and the decrease occurred first in the younger age groups.

Role of TGF-β1 and its Receptors in Breast Carcinogenesis:Evaluation of Gene Expression Patterns and Clinical Implications

OBJECTIVE Transforming growth factor β1 （TGF-β1） is a multifunc- tional cytokine that may play an important role in tumor development and progression. METHODS We evaluated gene expression patterns of TGF-β1 and its receptors [transforming growth factor β type Ⅰ receptor （TβR- Ⅰ ） and transforming growth factor β type Ⅱ receptor （TβR- Ⅱ ）] in tumor tissue from patients with breast cancer or with benign breast diseases （BBD） and adjacent normal tissue from the patients with breast cancer. Included in the study were 527 breast cancer patients and 213 BBD patients who participated in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study. RESULTS The expression levels of the TGF-β1, TβR- Ⅰ and TβR-Ⅱ genes in breast tissue were quantified using real-time PCR. TIER- Ⅱ expression in cancer tissue was decreased by over 50% as compared to either adjacent normal tissue from the same patients or benign tumor tissue from BBD patients （p〈0.001）. TGF-β1 expression was lower by approximately 20% in cancer tissue compared to adjacent normal tissue （p=0.14） or to benign tumor tissue （p=0.002）. Although TβR-Ⅰ expression was also reduced in cancer tissue compared to adjacent normal tissue, or benign tumor tissue, the magnitude of the reduction was less apparent than that for TβR- Ⅱ. Compared to patients with the lowest tertile value for TβR- Ⅱ, patients with median tertile value for TβR- Ⅱ had more favorable overall survival （HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.27-0.85） and disease-free survival （HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.39-1.06）. No apparent associations, however, were observed between TGF-β1 or TβR- Ⅰ expression and overall or disease-free survival. CONCLUSION The results from this study support the hypothesis that a decreased level of TβR-Ⅱ gene expression, and thus reduced TGF-β1 sensitivity, is related to breast tumor progression.

Colors of vegetables and fruits and the risks of colorectal cancer

AIM To investigate the relationship between the colors of vegetables and fruits and the risk of colorectal cancer in Korea.METHODS A case-control study was conducted with 923 colorectal cancer patients and 1846 controls recruited from the National Cancer Center in Korea. We classified vegetables and fruits into four groups according to the color of their edible parts(e.g., green, orange/yellow, red/purple and white). Vegetable and fruit intake level was classified by sex-specific tertile of the control group. Logistic regression models were used for estimating the odds ratios(OR) and their 95% confidence intervals(CI).RESULTS High total intake of vegetables and fruits was strongly associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer in women(OR = 0.32, 95%CI: 0.21-0.48 for highest vs lowest tertile) and a similar inverse association was observed for men(OR = 0.60, 95%CI: 0.45-0.79). In the analysis of color groups, adjusted ORs(95%CI) comparing the highest to the lowest of the vegetables and fruits intake were 0.49(0.36-0.65) for green, and 0.47(0.35-0.63) for white vegetables and fruits in men. An inverse association was also found in women for green, red/purple and white vegetables and fruits. However, in men, orange/yellow vegetables and fruits(citrus fruits, carrot, pumpkin, peach, persimmon, ginger) intake was linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer(OR = 1.61, 95%CI: 1.22-2.12).CONCLUSION Vegetables and fruits intake from various color groups may protect against colorectal cancer.