Acne and prostate cancer risk

Rahman, Aneela

Acne and prostate cancer risk

Monday, 18 August 2014

Exhibit hall (Dena'ina Center)

Aneela A Rahman, PhD , Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan

Artitaya Lophatananon, PhD , Institute of Population Health, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, Manchester, England

Sarah S Brown, PhD , Warwick University, Coventry, CV4 7AL, Coventry, England

Terry Parker, PhD , University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England

Douglas Easton, PhD , Cambridge, Cambridge, England

ZSofia Kote-Jarai, PhD , The Institute of Cancer Research, Surrey, England

Rosalind A Eeles, PhD , The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, SM2 5PT, UK, London, England

Kenneth Muir, PhD , Institute of Population Health, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, Manchester, England

INTRODUCTION:

It has been hypothesized that androgens have an important role in the aetiology of both acne and prostate diseases, although the exact mechanism is yet to be established. Acne could be a marker of excess male hormones. This study aims to assess the association between self-reported acne and prostate cancer risk.

METHODS:

Data of 1963 prostate cancer cases and 2078 population-based controls from the UK Gene-Environment Interactions in Prostate Cancer study was analysed. A Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the exposure histories. Subjects were asked to record a history of acne “when they were young” (to try to elicit their history of acne in their teenage years), in their 20s and 30s. The effects of acne at these time points were investigated. Unconditional logistic regression adjusted for age, family history of prostate cancer and ethnicity was used to generate odds ratios and 95% C.Is.

RESULTS:

Subjects with no history of acne were used as the reference category. Presence of acne when they were young was associated with prostate cancer risk (OR 1.20, 95% C.I. 1.04-1.40, p value < 0.05). However subjects who reported having had acne during their 20s & 30s were not at risk. No effect was observed in those who had acne when they were young through to 20s and 30s (OR 1.07, 95% C.I. 0.82-1.39 and OR 1.35, 95% C.I. 0.94-1.93 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:

The findings suggest modest association between acne at young age and prostate cancer risk.