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Serum cholesterol and cancer in the hypertension detection and follow‐up program
Author(s) -
Morris Dexter L.,
Borhani Nemat O.,
Fitzsimons Edward,
Hardy Robert J.,
Hawkins C. Morton,
Kraus Jess F.,
Labarthe Darwin R.,
Mastbaum Leonard
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19831101)52:9<1754::aid-cncr2820520933>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - medicine , confounding , cancer , incidence (geometry) , quartile , cholesterol , population , serum cholesterol , cancer incidence , oncology , endocrinology , environmental health , confidence interval , physics , optics
The relation between serum cholesterol and cancer incidence was investigated in the population of the Hypertension Detection and Follow‐up Program. During the 5 years of follow‐up, 286 new cancer cases were documented among the 10,940 participants. Overall, age‐adjusted cancer incidence rates, computed by baseline serum cholesterol quartlies, showed a small, but statistically significant, inverse relation between serum cholesterol and cancer incidence. No evidence suggested that the observed relationship was primarily due to confounding by other cancer risk factors, association of low serum cholesterol with incipient but undiagnosed cancer, or problems of competing risks. However, the relationship is weak and a causal interpretation of these immediate results cannot be argued persuasively. Examinations of specific cancer sites and factors related to serum cholesterol are suggested as important lines of research toward clarification of the complex relationships observed.