title: Diagnostic radiation procedures and risk of prostate cancer.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Nottingham Medical School, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Myles
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lophatananon
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dimitropoulou
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Easton
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Key
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pocock
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dearnaley
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guy
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gehr-Swain
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eeles
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muir
mesh_terms: 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