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The effects of supplementation with α‐tocopherol and β‐carotene on the incidence and mortality of carcinoma of the pancreas in a randomized, controlled trial
Author(s) -
Rautalahti Matti T.,
Virtamo Jarmo R. K.,
Taylor Philip R.,
Hein Olli P.,
Albanes Demetrius,
Haukka Jari K.,
Edwards Brenda K.,
Kärkkäinen Päivi A.,
StolzenbergSolomon Rachael Z.,
Huttunen Jussi
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19990701)86:1<37::aid-cncr7>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , tocopherol , gastroenterology , pancreatic cancer , randomized controlled trial , carotene , vitamin e , carcinoma , cancer , cancer prevention , pancreas , surgery , antioxidant , biochemistry , physics , chemistry , organic chemistry , optics
BACKGROUND Dietary components may be both causal and protective in cases of pancreatic carcinoma, but the preventive potential of single constituents has not been evaluated. The authors report the effects of α‐tocopherol and β‐carotene supplementations on the rates of incidence of and mortality from pancreatic carcinoma in a randomized, controlled trial. METHODS The 29,133 participants in the Alpha‐Tocopherol Beta‐Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study were male smokers who were ages 50−69 years at the time they were randomized into 1 of the following 4 intervention groups: dl‐α‐tocopherol (AT; 50 mg/day), β‐carotene (BC; 20 mg/day), both AT and BC, and placebo. The daily supplementation lasted for 5−8 years. Incident cancers were identified through the national Finnish Cancer Registry and death certificates of the Statistics Finland. Results were analyzed by supplementation with Cox regression models. RESULTS Effects of both supplementations were statistically nonsignificant. The rate of incidence of pancreatic carcinoma was 25% lower for the men who received β‐carotene supplements (n = 38) compared with the rate for those who did not receive β‐carotene (n = 51) (95% CI, −51% to 14%). Supplementation with α‐tocopherol (n = 51) increased the rate of incidence by 34% (95% CI, −12% to 105%) compared with the rate for those who did not receive α‐tocopherol. Mortality from pancreatic carcinoma during the follow‐up, adjusted for stage and anatomic location of the tumor, was 19% (95% CI, −47% to 26%) lower among those who received β‐carotene and 11% (95% CI, −28% to 72%) higher among those who received α‐tocopherol as compared with those who did not receive supplementation. CONCLUSIONS Supplementation with β‐carotene or α‐tocopherol does not have a statistically significant effect on the rate of incidence of pancreatic carcinoma or the rate of mortality caused by this disease. Cancer 1999;86:37–42. © 1999 American Cancer Society.