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Physical activity in adolescence and testicular germ cell cancer risk

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Abstract

Objective

Several, but not all, studies have observed increased risks of testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) associated with bicycling and other recreational activities. To further examine whether physical activity (PA) in adolescence is associated with TGCC risk, the authors conducted a case–control study in western Washington State.

Methods

Cases (n = 391) were men diagnosed with TGCC, who were identified through a population-based cancer registry. Controls (n = 1,023) were men identified from the general population in western Washington State by using random digit telephone dialing. Participants were queried about various specific PA in grades 7–12 including bicycling, horseback riding, competitive sports, physical education class, as well as moderate, vigorous, and sedentary activities in general.

Results

In multivariate analyses, bicycling, vigorous-intensity activities, and sedentary activities were not associated with TGCC risk, while horseback riding and wrestling were associated with decreased risks, and moderate-intensity activities, soccer, basketball, and intermediate duration of competitive activities were associated with increased risks.

Conclusions

The lack of internal consistency of the findings within the current study and of findings among prior studies suggests that PA contributes little, if any, to the risk of TGCC.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

CI:

Confidence interval

OR:

Odds ratio

PA:

Physical activity

RDD:

Random digit dialing

TGCC:

Testicular germ cell cancer

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Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported in part by the Office of Research and Development Cooperative Studies Program, Department of Veterans Affairs. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center, Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA

    Alyson J. Littman

  2. Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Alyson J. Littman, Noel S. Weiss, Jacqueline R. Starr & Stephen M. Schwartz

  3. Department of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    Alyson J. Littman, David R. Doody, Noel S. Weiss & Stephen M. Schwartz

  4. Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Mary L. Biggs

  5. Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Jacqueline R. Starr

Authors
  1. Alyson J. Littman
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  2. David R. Doody
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  3. Mary L. Biggs
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Correspondence to Alyson J. Littman.

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Littman, A.J., Doody, D.R., Biggs, M.L. et al. Physical activity in adolescence and testicular germ cell cancer risk. Cancer Causes Control 20, 1281–1290 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9347-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9347-6

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