review of literature on clinical pancreatology - The Pancreapedia

conducted a cohort analysis <strong>of</strong> prediagnostic vitamin E intake (4 tocopherols, 4 tocotrienols),serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations, and pancreatic cancer in the Alpha-Tocopherol,Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study <strong>of</strong> male Finnish smokers aged 50-69 yearsat baseline. During follow-up from 1985 to 2004 (maximum: 19 years; median: 16 yeras), 318incident cases were diagnosed among cohort participants with complete serum samples(n=29,092); 306 cases had complete dietary data (n=27,111). Higher alpha-tocopherolconcentrations were associated with signifikant lower pancreatic cancer risk.Polyunsaturated fat, a putative prooxidant nutrient, modified the association such that theinverse alpha-tocopherol association was most pronounced in subjects with a highpolyunsaturated fat intake. No associations were observed for dietary tocopherols andtocotrienols. The results support the hypothesis that higher alpha-tocopherol concentrationsmay play a protective role in pancreatic carcinogenesis in male smokers [350].Nitrate in drinking waterA matched case-control and nitrate ecology study was used to investigate the associationbetween mortality attributed to pancreatic cancer and nitrate exposure from Taiwan's drinkingwater. All pancreatic cancer deaths <strong>of</strong> Taiwan residents from 2000 through 2006 wereobtained from the Bureau <strong>of</strong> Vital Statistics <strong>of</strong> the Taiwan Provincial Department <strong>of</strong> Health.Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair-matched to the cases by gender, year<strong>of</strong> birth, and year <strong>of</strong> death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set <strong>of</strong>possible controls for each case. Data on nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3 -N) levels <strong>of</strong> drinking waterthroughout Taiwan were collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation. The municipality<strong>of</strong> residence for cancer cases and controls was assumed to be the source <strong>of</strong> the subject'snitrate exposure via drinking water. The adjusted odds ratios and confidence limits forpancreatic cancer death for those with high nitrate levels in their drinking water, as comparedto the lowest tertile, were 1.03 (0.9-1.18) and 1.1 (0.96-1.27), respectively. The results <strong>of</strong> thepresent study show that there was no statistically significant association between the levels<strong>of</strong> nitrate in drinking water and increased risk <strong>of</strong> death from pancreatic cancer [351].PerfluorooctanoatePerfluorooctanoate and perfluorooctanesulfonate are used in many industrial products andhave been widely detected in human blood. Both chemicals are associated with tumordevelopment in animal studies, but data on carcinogenic potential in humans are sparse. Itwas investigated the association between plasma levels <strong>of</strong> perfluorooctanoate andperfluorooctanesulfonate and cancer risk within a prospective Danish cohort <strong>of</strong> participantswith no previous cancer diagnosis at enrollment. From enrollment, between 1993 and 1997,and through, 2006, it was identified 713 participants with prostate cancer, 332 with bladdercancer, 128 with pancreatic cancer, and 67 with liver cancer in the entire cohort and it wasselected a comparison subcohort <strong>of</strong> 772. Plasma concentrations <strong>of</strong> perfluorooctanoate andperfluorooctanesulfonate were measured in each participant by use <strong>of</strong> high-pressure liquidchromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. It was found no clear differences inincidence rate ratios for these cancers in relation to plasma concentrations <strong>of</strong>perfluorooctanoate or perfluorooctanesulfonate. A 30-40 percent increase in risk estimatesfor prostate cancer was observed for the three upper quartiles <strong>of</strong> perfluorooctanesulfonateconcentration compared with the lowest quartile. Plasma concentrations <strong>of</strong>perfluorooctanoate and perfluorooctanesulfonate in the general Danish population appearnot to be associated with risk <strong>of</strong> prostate, bladder, pancreatic, or liver cancer [352].PsoriasisIt was examined overall and specific cancer risks among Swedish subjects who had beenhospitalised one or more times for psoriasis. A database was created by identifying such