title: Basal growth hormone concentrations in blood and the risk for prostate cancer: a case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship between basal serum growth hormone (GH) levels and prostate cancer risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a population-based case-control study; cases included 68 men, aged 45-85 years, diagnosed with incident, primary, histologically confirmed, and clinically apparent (stage B and higher) prostate cancer. Controls included 240 men, frequency matched on age and residential area. Age, race, BMI, waist circumference, history of enlarged prostate, education, and current smoking status, were all considered as possible confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a statistically significant trend of decreasing prostate cancer risk across increasing GH quintiles, in both crude (OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.12-0.83, P for trend 0.01) and adjusted models (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.12-1.05, P for trend 0.03), in the highest compared to the lowest quintile, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower basal levels of GH in serum are associated with increased prostate cancer risk. The inverse association may be explained by the negative feedback loop generated by IGF-1 produced by the tumor on GH secretion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fuhrman
authors.forename: Maddalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barba
authors.forename: Holger J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Schünemann
authors.forename: Thelma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hurd
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Quattrin
authors.forename: Ruben
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cartagena
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carruba
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone