Diagnostic radiation procedures and risk of prostate cancer.
Exposure to ionising radiation is an established risk factor for many cancers. We conducted a case-control study to investigate whether exposure to low dose ionisation radiation from diagnostic x-ray procedures could be established as a risk factor for prostate cancer. In all 431 young-onset prostate cancer cases and 409 controls frequency matched by age were included. Exposures to barium meal, barium enema, hip x-rays, leg x-rays and intravenous pyelogram (IVP) were considered. Exposures to barium enema (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-4.20) and hip x-rays (adjusted OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.42-3.49) at least 5 years before diagnosis were significantly associated with increased prostate cancer. For those with a family history of cancer, exposures to hip x-rays dating 10 or 20 years before diagnosis were associated with a significantly increased risk of prostate cancer: adjusted OR 5.01, 95% CI 1.64-15.31 and adjusted OR 14.23, 95% CI 1.83-110.74, respectively. Our findings show that exposure of the prostate gland to diagnostic radiological procedures may be associated with increased cancer risk. This effect seems to be modified by a positive family history of cancer suggesting that genetic factors may play a role in this risk association.
Myles
P
P
Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Nottingham Medical School, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
Evans
S
S
Lophatananon
A
A
Dimitropoulou
P
P
Easton
D
D
Key
T
T
Pocock
R
R
Dearnaley
D
D
Guy
M
M
Edwards
S
S
O'Brien
L
L
Gehr-Swain
B
B
Hall
A
A
Wilkinson
R
R
Eeles
R
R
Muir
K
K
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D011859:Radiography / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014567:Urography / Q000009:adverse effects