PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Obesity associated with prostate cancer risk in African-American men

2015-04-16
(Press-News.org) Obesity was associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer in African American men and that risk grew by nearly four times as body-mass index (BMI) increased, according to an article published online by JAMA Oncology.

African American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer of any racial or ethnic group in the United States, as well as the highest rates of aggressive disease and prostate cancer death. These elevated risks likely arise from both social and biologic factors. The associations of obesity with prostate cancer risk are complex.

Wendy E. Barrington, Ph.D., of the University of Washington School of Nursing and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, and coauthors compared the associations of obesity with prostate cancer risk between African American and non-Hispanic white men. The authors used data from 3,398 African American and 22,673 non-Hispanic white men who had participated in the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention (SELECT) Trial (2001-2011). Outcomes for the present analysis were total, low-grade (Gleason score less than 7) and high-grade (Gleason score greater than or equal to 7) prostate cancer incidence.

During a median follow-up of 5.6 years, 1,723 men developed prostate cancer (270 total cases among African American men and 1,453 total cases among non-Hispanic white men). Overall, the study found a 58 percent increased risk for prostate cancer among African American men compared with non-Hispanic white men.

Obesity was not associated with risk for prostate cancer overall among non-Hispanic white men but there was a significant association between obesity and the risk for total (both low and high grade) prostate cancer in African American men. For example, being African American increased the risk for prostate cancer across BMI categories, jumping from 28 percent among African American men with a BMI less than 25 to 103 percent among African American men with a BMI of at least 35, according to the results.

For low-grade cancer, obesity was inversely associated with prostate cancer risk among non-Hispanic white men; those with a BMI of at least 35 had a 20 percent reduced risk compared with those non-Hispanic white men with a BMI less than 25. However, obesity was positively associated with the risk of high-grade prostate cancer among non-Hispanic white men.

Among African American men, obesity was positively associated with risks for both low- and high-grade prostate cancer, according to the study results.

The authors note the reasons underlying their findings are unknown but they speculate that one explanation may be that the biological effects of obesity differ in African American and non-Hispanic white men.

"This study reinforces the importance of obesity prevention and treatment among African American men, for whom the health benefits may be comparatively large. Although obesity is linked to poor health outcomes in all populations, clinicians might consider the unique contribution of obesity prevention and treatment to the health of their AA [African American] patients. Such targeted efforts may contribute to reductions in prostate cancer disparities," the article concludes.

Editor's Note: Targeted Reduction in BMI is Worthwhile Risk Reduction Strategy

In a related editor's note, Charles R. Thomas Jr., M.D., a deputy editor of JAMA Oncology, writes: "There appears to be a four times greater risk of developing prostate cancer in African American men as the BMI increases (28 percent for BMI < 25 vs. 103 percent for BMI ? 35). Furthermore, the risk of developing high-grade disease (defined as a Gleason score ? 7) was associated with higher BMI in all patients, although the risk was higher in African American men compared with non-Hispanic white men (hazard ratio, 1.81 percent). Despite the limitations inherent in the methodology utilized for the analysis and the inability to define a clear mechanism behind the association between BMI and risk, the findings do provide a further rationale for weight reduction and a target BMI for clinicians to aim for in care of African American men."

INFORMATION:

(JAMA Oncol. Published online April 16, 2015. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2015.0513. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: SELECT was funded in part by Public Health Service grants from the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Media Advisory: To contact corresponding author Wendy E. Barrington, Ph.D., call Kristen Woodward at 206-667-5095 or email kwoodwar@fredhutch.org. To contact Editor's note author Charles R. Thomas, Jr., M.D., call 312-464-5262 or email mediarelations@jamanetwork.org.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Revised guidelines on reducing risk, treatment options for thromboembolic disease in pregnancy

2015-04-16
Advice on preventing and treating venous thromboembolism (VTE) during pregnancy, birth and following delivery is outlined in two new revised guidelines published today (13 April) by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and launched at the RCOG World Congress in Brisbane, Australia. VTE refers to the formation of a clot within veins. This can occur anywhere in the venous system, but the predominant sites are in the vessels of the leg (giving rise to deep vein thrombosis (DVT)) and in the lungs (resulting in a pulmonary embolism (PE)). The Green-top ...

Rare monkey photographed in Congo's newest national park, Ntokou-Pikounda

Rare monkey photographed  in Congos newest national park, Ntokou-Pikounda
2015-04-16
Two primatologists working in the forests of the Republic of Congo have returned from the field with a noteworthy prize: the first-ever photograph of the Bouvier's red colobus monkey, a rare primate not seen for more than half a century and suspected to be extinct by some, according to WCS (the Wildlife Conservation Society). The elusive primate was recently photographed by independent researchers Lieven Devreese and Gaël Elie Gnondo Gobolo within Ntokou-Pikounda National Park, a 4,572-square-kilometer (1,765-square-mile) protected area created on advice from WCS ...

More individuals discussing end-of-life wishes with loved ones

2015-04-16
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Discussing end-of-life wishes with loved ones can be difficult, but new research from the University of Missouri shows more individuals are engaging in advance care planning. Advance care planning includes discussing end-of-life care preferences, providing written end-of-life care instructions and appointing a durable power of attorney for health care. "Advance care planning increases the likelihood that the care one receives at the end of her life is congruent with what she wants," said lead author Nidhi Khosla, an assistant professor of health sciences ...

An electronic micropump to deliver treatments deep within the brain

2015-04-16
This news release is available in French. Many potentially efficient drugs have been created to treat neurological disorders, but they cannot be used in practice. Typically, for a condition such as epilepsy, it is essential to act at exactly the right time and place in the brain. For this reason, the team of researchers led by Christophe Bernard at Inserm Unit 1106, "Institute of Systems Neuroscience" (INS), with the help of scientists at the École des Mines de Saint-Étienne and Linköping University (Sweden) have developed an organic electronic micropump ...

Red Journal's May issue focuses on the vital role of RT in modern lymphoma treatment

2015-04-16
Fairfax, Va., April 16, 2015--The "Radiation and the Modern Management of Lymphoma" issue (May 1, 2015) of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics (Red Journal), the official scientific journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), is focused on the integral role of radiation therapy in current lymphoma treatment. May 2015 marks 50 years since the first multidisciplinary lymphoma conference, "La Radiotherapie de la Maladie de Hodgkin," was held in Paris in 1965, which led to a more comprehensive understanding of the cancer's ...

Housework keeps older adults more physically and emotionally fit, CWRU researcher finds

2015-04-16
Older adults who keep a clean and orderly home--because of the exercise it takes to get the job done--tend to feel emotionally and physically better after tackling house chores, according to new findings by a Case Western Reserve University school of nursing researcher. "House cleaning kept them up and moving," said Kathy D. Wright, PhD, RN, CNS, a postdoctoral KL2 Scholar at the university's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. "A clean environment is therapeutic." Wright and a research team set out to test a theory called House's Conceptual Framework for Understanding ...

Socioeconomic factors affect odds of death after a lung cancer operation

2015-04-16
CHICAGO (April 16, 2015): People with limited education and low income have higher odds of death within 30 days after undergoing an operation for lung cancer than those who are more educated and financially better off, according to new research published as an article in press on the website of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons in advance of print publication later this year. "In order to get uniform superior outcomes for our patients, we need to identify the patients who are at risk for worse outcomes," said study co-author Felix G. Fernandez, MD, FACS, ...

Could maple syrup help cut use of antibiotics?

2015-04-16
A concentrated extract of maple syrup makes disease-causing bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics, according to laboratory experiments by researchers at McGill University. The findings, which will be published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, suggest that combining maple syrup extract with common antibiotics could increase the microbes' susceptibility, leading to lower antibiotic usage. Overuse of antibiotics fuels the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, which has become a major public-health concern worldwide. Prof. Nathalie Tufenkji's research ...

Detector at the South Pole explores the mysterious neutrinos

Detector at the South Pole explores the mysterious neutrinos
2015-04-16
Neutrinos are a type of particle that pass through just about everything in their path from even the most distant regions of the universe. The Earth is constantly bombarded by billions of neutrinos, which zip right through the entire globe, houses, animals, people - everything. Only very rarely do they react with matter, but the giant IceCube experiment at the South Pole can detect when there is a collision between neutrinos and atoms in the ice using a network of detectors. New research results from the Niels Bohr Institute among others have measured the neutrinos at the ...

GPM sees wind shear affecting remnants of Extra-tropical Cyclone Joalane

GPM sees wind shear affecting remnants of Extra-tropical Cyclone Joalane
2015-04-16
The GPM satellite showed the effects of wind shear and waning rainfall rates in Extra-tropical Cyclone Joalane as it was moving in a southeasterly direction through the Southern Indian Ocean. The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core observatory satellite had a last look at the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Joalane on April 14, 2015 at 1135 UTC (4:35 p.m. local time/7:35 a.m. EDT/U.S.). GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) instrument found very little rainfall around Joalane's center and light to moderate rainfall in bands on the outer edges of the rapidly weakening tropical ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

Healthy nutrition and physical lifestyle choices lower cancer mortality risk for survivors, new ACS study finds

[Press-News.org] Obesity associated with prostate cancer risk in African-American men