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Medical history, body size, and cigarette smoking in relation to fatal prostate cancer

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Abstract

Objectives

Prostate cancer has few known risk factors. As part of a population-based case–control study conducted in four health maintenance organizations, the authors examined the associations between fatal prostate cancer and several medical and behavioral characteristics.

Methods

Cases were 768 health plan members who died of prostate adenocarcinoma during the period 1997–2001. We randomly selected controls (929) from the health plan membership and matched them to cases on health plan, age, race, and pattern of health plan membership. We examined medical records to obtain information on potential risk factors during the 10 years before the date on which prostate cancer was first suspected; the same reference date was used for the matched controls.

Results

Anthropometric characteristics, as well as personal histories of benign prostatic hypertrophy, transurethral prostatectomy, cancer, diabetes, prostatitis, hypertension, and vasectomy were largely similar for cases and controls. Men who died from prostate cancer were more likely than controls to have been cigarette smokers according to the most recent smoking notation before the reference date (odds ratio 1.5, 95% confidence interval 1.1–2.0).

Conclusions

The observed increase in risk associated with recent cigarette smoking is consistent with the findings of several other studies. However, in contrast with some reports, we observed no connection between fatal prostate cancer and some prior health conditions or measures of body size.

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Acknowledgments

The authors extend gratitude to the following contributors to this work: Bradley Crane and Jeff Showell (KPNW) for data management and computer programming; Susan Salk (KPNC), Christine Neslund-Dudas (HFHS), and Julie Stern (KPSC), for coordination of medical record abstraction; and Lynn Bonney (KPNW) for assistance with data coding and analysis.

Funding: This research was supported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Purchase Order MLM000HCL84-2004-10249 and Task Order 0953-20.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, 3800 N Interstate Avenue, Portland, OR, USA

    Sheila Weinmann & Kathryn E. Richert-Boe

  2. Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Jean A. Shapiro

  3. Josephine Ford Cancer Center, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA

    Benjamin A. Rybicki

  4. Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente, Southern California Region, Pasadena, CA, USA

    Shelley M. Enger

  5. Department of Research, Kaiser Permanente, Northern California Region, Oakland, CA, USA

    Stephen K. Van Den Eeden

  6. School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Noel S. Weiss

Authors
  1. Sheila Weinmann
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  2. Jean A. Shapiro
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  3. Benjamin A. Rybicki
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  4. Shelley M. Enger
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  5. Stephen K. Van Den Eeden
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  6. Kathryn E. Richert-Boe
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  7. Noel S. Weiss
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sheila Weinmann.

Additional information

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Weinmann, S., Shapiro, J.A., Rybicki, B.A. et al. Medical history, body size, and cigarette smoking in relation to fatal prostate cancer. Cancer Causes Control 21, 117–125 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9441-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9441-9

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