8q24 risk alleles in West African and Caribbean men.

BACKGROUND: Multiple genetic studies have confirmed associations of 8q24 variants with susceptibility to prostate cancer (CaP). However, the magnitude of risk conferred in men living in West Africa is unknown. METHODS: Here we determine the prevalence of 8q24 risk alleles and test for association with CaP risk alleles in West African (WA) descent populations from rural Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Caribbean island of Jamaica. Ten 8q24 SNPs were genotyped in histologically confirmed CaP cases (n = 308) and clinically evaluated controls (n = 469). In addition, unrelated individuals from Sierra Leone (n = 380) were genotyped for comparison of allele frequency comparisons. RESULTS: SNPs rs6983561, rs7008482, and rs16901979 were significantly associated with CaP risk in WAs (P < 0.03). No associations with CaP were observed in our Caribbean samples. Risk alleles for rs6983267, rs7008482, and rs7000448 were highly prevalent (>84%) in West Africa. We also reveal that the A-risk allele for the 'African-specific' SNP bd11934905 was not observed in 1,886 chromosomes from three WA ethnic groups suggesting that this allele may not be common across West Africa, but is geographically restricted to specific ethnic group(s). CONCLUSIONS: We provide evidence of association of 8q24 SNPs with prostate cancer risk in men from Nigeria and Cameroon. Our study is the first to reveal genetic risk due to 8q24 variants (in particular, region 2) with CaP within two WA countries. Most importantly, in light of the disparate burden of CaP in African-Americans, our findings support the need for larger genetic studies in WA descent populations to validate and discern function of susceptibility loci in the 8q24 region.

Associations of whole-blood fatty acids and dietary intakes with prostate cancer in Jamaica.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of whole-blood fatty acids and reported intakes of fats with risk of prostate cancer (PCa). DESIGN: Case-control study of 209 men 40-80 years old with newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed prostate cancer and 226 cancer-free men attending the same urology clinics. Whole-blood fatty acid composition (mol%) was measured by gas chromatography and diet assessed by food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: High whole-blood oleic acid composition (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1: OR, 0.37; CI, 0.14-0.0.98) and moderate palmitic acid proportions (tertile 2: OR, 0.29; CI, 0.12-0.70) (tertile 3: OR, 0.53; CI, 0.19-1.54) were inversely related to risk of PCa, whereas men with high linolenic acid proportions were at increased likelihood of PCa (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1: OR, 2.06; 1.29-3.27). Blood myristic, stearic and palmitoleic acids were not associated with PCa. Higher intakes of dietary MUFA were inversely related to prostate cancer (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1: OR, 0.39; CI 0.16-0.92). The principal source of dietary MUFA was avocado intake. Dietary intakes of other fats were not associated with PCa. CONCLUSIONS: Whole-blood and dietary MUFA reduced the risk of prostate cancer. The association may be related to avocado intakes. High blood linolenic acid was directly related to prostate cancer. These associations warrant further investigation.

Body size and risk of prostate cancer in Jamaican men.

We investigated the associations between body size and risk of prostate cancer in a hospital-based case-control study in Jamaica. Height, weight, waist, and hip circumference were measured at enrollment, and data collected on medical and lifestyle factors for newly diagnosed cases (n = 243) and controls (n = 275). Compared with men in the normal range of waist-hip ratio (WHR), men with WHR > or =0.95 were at greater risk of total prostate cancer (OR,1.72; CI, 1.01-3.00) and high-grade cancer (OR, 2.02; CI, 1.03-3.96). With additional control for BMI, the association with WHR remained significant for total prostate cancer (OR, 1.90; CI, 1.01-3.53) and high-grade disease (OR, 2.94; CI, 1.34-6.38). There was no association between waist circumference and cancer without control for BMI but after controlling for BMI, waist circumference >90 cm (OR, 2.45; CI, 1.01-5.94) and >102 cm (OR, 5.57; CI, 1.43-18.63) showed a dose-response relationship with high-grade disease. Height and BMI were not associated with risk of prostate cancer. Abdominal obesity may be associated with risk of high-grade prostate cancer. Risk may be greater in those with higher abdominal obesity relative to overall size. The results further highlight the importance of investigating relationships by characteristics of the tumor.

The epidemiology of prostate cancer in Jamaica

PURPOSE: Before this study, the highest reported incidence of prostate cancer in the world was thought to be among United States black men. The age adjusted rates in 1992 for United States black and white men were 249 and 182/100,000 respectively. The epidemiology of prostate cancer in Jamaica, a country of 2.5 million people of primarily African descent, was studied and compared with that of white and black Americans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 1,121 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed from 1989 to 1994. Sources of information included the Jamaican Cancer Registry, government pathology laboratory, hospital and clinic records, and physician office records. Incidence rates were computed using data from the 1991 Jamaican census. Age adjustments were made using the 1970 United States standard population. RESULTS: The average age adjusted incidence of prostate cancer in Kingston, Jamaica was 304/100,000 men. Median patient age at diagnosis was 72 years. More than 80 percent of the cases were pathologically confirmed. Of the patients 30 percent presented with acute urinary retention, 16 percent presented with bone metastases, 15 percent had gross hematuria at the time of diagnosis and an abnormal rectal examination suspicious for cancer was noted in 42 percent. Prostate specific antigen was measured in only 7 percent of cases in 1989 but in 48 percent of cases by 1994. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that Jamaican men in Kingston have a high incidence of prostate cancer, much higher than even black Americans during a similar period. Furthermore, the cancers are more significant clinically with greater morbidity in Jamaica than in the United States(AU)