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Acromegaly linked to 33 per cent higher risk of prostate cancer

Men with acromegaly have a 33 per cent increased risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer and a 44 per cent increased risk of dying from that cancer, suggests research from Oxford University.

The study used national Hospital Episode Statistics linked to mortality data from 1999 to 2017 to examine the risk for prostate cancer and prostate cancer death in men aged ≥35 years diagnosed with acromegaly (n=2495) and hypogonadal-associated diseases (n=18,763): Klinefelter's syndrome (n=1992), testicular hypofunction (n=8086) and hypopituitarism (n=10,331).

Analysis showed that for men diagnosed with acromegaly, the HR for prostate cancer diagnosis was 1.33 (95% CI, 1.09-1.63; P=.005). The HR for prostate cancer death was 1.44 (95% CI, 0.92-2.26; P=.11).

Diagnosis with Klinefelter's syndrome was associated with a lower prostate cancer risk (HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37-0.91; P=.02) and hypopituitarism was associated with a reduction in prostate cancer death (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.42-0.79; P=.001).

As acromegaly is associated with high insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations and hypogonadal-associated diseases are associated with low testosterone concentrations, the authors say the results support the hypothesised roles of IGF-I and testosterone in prostate cancer development and/or progression.

The findings are published in the International Journal of Cancer.


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