Case-control study of diet and prostate cancer in China

Introduction: A higher incidence of prostate cancer is observed in the West ern world than in Asian countries. Although it is relatively rare in China, an increased incidence has been reported in recent years. Studies in highr isk populations have suggested that dietary fat may play a role in enhancin g the risk of developing prostate cancer. However, limited epidemiologic st udy has never examined the role of diet in low risk populations. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in 12 cities in China to evalua te the relationship between dietary factors and prostate cancer risk. We co nducted personal interviews with 133 histopathologically confirmed prostate cancer cases diagnosed between 1989 to 1992 and 265 neighborhood controls of similar age. Results: Cases were more likely than controls to consume food with high fat and from animal sources (p < 0.01). The daily fat intake and the percentag e of energy from fat were statistically significantly higher among cases th an among controls (p < 0.01), The adjusted odds ratio for total fat between lowest quartiles and highest quartiles was OR = 3.6 (95 percent C.I. 1.8-7 .2); for saturated fat, OR = 2.9 (95 percent C.I. 1.5-5.7); and for unsatur ated fat, OR = 3.3 (95 percent C.H. 1.7-6.3), Discussion: The data suggest that dietary fat, both saturated and unsaturat ed, are associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer in a low risk population.