New Danish study below [1].
There are a number of studies that correlate height with PCa risk. The hypothesis is that prolonged exposure to growth factors during development increases risk. With greater growth we have more frequent cell division & greater chance of errors that go uncorrected.
Unlike height variation across the normal range, acromegaly is abnormal growth due to the pituitary gland secreting unusually high amounts of growth hormone [GH] [2].
"A nationwide cohort study (1978-2010) including 529 acromegaly cases was performed."
"The cohort study identified 81 cases of cancer after exclusion of cases diagnosed within the first year ..."
Standardized incidence ratios were 1.4 for colorectal cancer & also for prostate cancer.
"While overall mortality was increased in acromegaly {standardized incidence ratio = 1.3}, cancer-specific mortality was not."
-Patrick
[1] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/295...
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018 Mar 23. doi: 10.1210/jc.2017-02457. [Epub ahead of print]
Cancer Incidence in Patients with Acromegaly: A cohort study and meta-analysis of the literature.
Dal J1, Leisner MZ2, Hermansen K3, Farkas DK2, Bengtsen M1, Kistorp C4, Nielsen EH5, Andersen M6, Feldt-Rasmussen U7, Dekkers OM2,8, Sørensen HT2, Jørgensen JOL1.
Author information
1
Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
2
Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
3
Department of Medicine, Sydvestjysk Sygehus, Esbjerg, Denmark.
4
Department of Internal Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark.
5
Department of Endocrinology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
6
Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
7
Department of Endocrinology, National University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
8
Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Metabolism, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Abstract
CONTEXT:
Acromegaly has been associated with increased risk of cancer morbidity and mortality, but research findings remain conflicting and population-based data are scarce. We therefore examined whether patients with acromegaly are at higher risk of cancer.
DESIGN:
A nationwide cohort study (1978-2010) including 529 acromegaly cases was performed. Incident cancer diagnoses and mortality were compared to national rates estimating standardized incidence ratios (SIRs). A meta-analysis of cancer SIRs from 23 studies (including the present one) was performed.
RESULTS:
The cohort study identified 81 cases of cancer after exclusion of cases diagnosed within the first year (SIR 1.1 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.9-1.4]). SIRs were 1.4 [95% CI: 0.7-2.6] for colorectal cancer, 1.1 [95% CI: 0.5-2.1] for breast cancer, and 1.4 [95% CI: 0.6-2.6] for prostate cancer. While overall mortality was increased in acromegaly (SIR 1.3 [95% CI: 1.1-1.6]), cancer-specific mortality was not. The meta-analysis yielded a SIR of overall cancer of 1.5 [95% CI: 1.2-1.8]. SIRs were elevated for colorectal cancer: 2.6 [95% CI: 1.7-4.0], thyroid cancer: 9.2 [95% CI: 4.2-19.9], breast cancer: 1.6 [1.1-2.3], gastric cancer: 2.0 [95% CI: 1.4-2.9], and urinary tract cancer: 1.5 [95% CI: 1.0-2.3]). In general, cancer SIR was higher in single-center studies and in studies with < 10 cancer cases.
CONCLUSIONS:
Cancer incidence rates were slightly increased in acromegaly patients in our study and this was supported by the meta-analysis of 23 studies, although it also suggested the presence of selection bias in some earlier studies.
PMID: 29590449 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2017-02457
