Prostate cancer mortality from

In 1998, a study was published on prostate cancer, the most prevalent cancer among men. Prostate cancer represents a large and growing health problem in the United States and other western countries [142]. In this large, 59-country study, Hebert et al. [142] tried to identify predictive measures for prostate cancer mortality. They concluded by staling that the results from this study are consistent with previous information and support the hypothesis that grains, cereals, and nuts are protective against prostate cancer [142]. 

Smoking has not been associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, but smokers with prostate cancer have an increased mortality resulting from the disease when compared... 

A study of cancer mortality among 1359 workers involved in the production of acetic acid and acetic anhydride found that mortality from all causes decreased but mortality ftom prostate cancer was significantly increased, based on six deaths. Measurements of acetic acid levels were not made for most of the study period, but recent monitoring found exposures ranging between 0.1 and 1.2 ppm. ... 

Two types of epidemiological relationships have been found in two different populations. Both relationships were inverse to selenium bioavailability and paralleled the results from animal studies. In one type of study, selenium bioavailability has been inversely related to human cancer mortality in American cities and states (14-15). Schrauzer et.al. correlated the age-adjusted mortality from cancer at 17 major body sites with the apparent dietary selenium intakes estimated from food consumption data in 27 countries (16). Significant inverse correlations were observed for cancers of the large intestine, rectum, prostate, breast, ovary, lung, and leukemia. In addition, weaker inverse associations were found for cancers of the pancreas, skin, and bladder. 

The results of that experiment stimulated us to look for data on dietary fat in relation to breast cancer in human populations, and we found that mortality from breast cancer in different countries showed a strong positive correlation with the level of fat in the diet (8). This correlation was noted at about the same time by Lea (9) and Wynder (10). Mortality from cancer at other sites, such as the prostate, colon, rectum, ovary and pancreas is also positively correlated with dietary fat, but there is little correlation with cancer at other sites, such as esophagus and stomach, and a negative correlation with liver cancer (] ) ... 

This technology of death was not lost and though we have no individual gas chambers, millions around the world today die of air pollution as the entire atmosphere is being turned into lethal gas. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills 3 million people annually, three times the number "who die in automobile accidents." A study published in 2000 (Lancet) demonstrated that air pollution was "responsible for more than 40,000 deaths annually" in France, Austria and Switzerland. In the U.S., "air pollution claims 70,000 lives annually." This exceeds 10 times the number of traffic fatalities and equals the annual mortality "from breast and prostate cancer combined." Air pollutants are known to produce arterial constriction and reduce... 

Chronic occupation-related exposure is associated with significant excess mortality from cancer of the respiratory system and of the prostate. Depending on the segment of the population considered, the respiratory cancer risk for coke oven workers was as high as 4.5 times the risk for nonoven workers. To evaluate a biologically effective exposure dose in human biomonitoring studies, DNA carcinogen adduct analysis is frequently used. 

Smoking has not been associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, but smokers with prostate cancer have an increased mortality resulting from the disease when compared with nonsmokers with prostate cancer (relative risk 1.5 to 2). In addition, in a prospective cohort analysis, alcohol consumption was not associated with the development of prostate cancer. 

In Japan mortality from cancer of the prostate is lower than in Western countries. A number of other groups and nationahties also have a low risk of developing this type of cancer, e.g. Seventh Day Adventists who eat a lot of pulses (peas, beans, lentils) had plasma levels of testosterone and 17 j -oestradiol which were significantly lower than those who did not consume diets rich in these compounds as well as having a significantly decreased incidence of prostate cancer. Hawaiians of Japanese ancestry who eat rice and tofu (a soybean product) also have a lower risk of developing this cancer. 

Mortality data are frequently used in cohort studies as opposed to incidence data because of the relative ease of obtaining information on deaths. In particular, the advent of the National Death Index has made mortality data more readily available. While all states maintain registries of incident cancer cases, many of the registries are relatively new and data quality can vary from state to state. Investigators conducting follow-up studies are required to comply with each state s requirements for use of the data. For cancers such as pancreatic cancer where survival is poor, mortality data is an excellent surrogate for the risk of the disease. For other cancers where the survival is much better, such as testicular cancer, mortality is a poor estimator of incidence. Table 15.5 describes the 5-year survival for several selected cancer sites for the period 1996-2004. As evident from the table, there is a considerable difference in survival rates for cancer of different sites. The 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer was only 5.1% compared to a survival rate of 98.9% for prostate cancer (SEER 2008). 

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