Abstract 4203: A prospective study of birth weight and prostate cancer risk: extended analysis in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study
Authors: Liu Qinran , Zhang Yiwen , Vaselkiv Jane B. , Mucci Lorelei A. , Giovannucci Edward L. , Platz Elizabeth A. , Sutcliffe Siobhan 
Published: April 2023

Introduction: Birth weight, a potential marker of the in utero hormonal and growth factor milieu, has been associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer (PCa) in some, but not all, previous studies. It was also associated with a non-significantly greater risk of advanced stage PCa (relative risk [RR] = 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.61-3.05 for ≥10 lbs compared to 7.0-8.4 lbs, p-trend = 0.087) in our previous analysis in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). However, these suggestive findings were based on a relatively small number of advanced stage cases and short follow-up. We have now updated our previous analysis of birthweight and PCa risk in the HPFS with an additional 14 years of follow-up.

Method: Birth weight was assessed by self-report on the 1994 follow-up questionnaire using pre-specified categories. PCa diagnoses were ascertained on each biennial follow-up questionnaire and confirmed by medical record review. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the association between birth weight and PCa risk through 2016.

Result: Of the 17,949 eligible men who reported their birth weight in 1994, 3,167 were subsequently diagnosed with PCa. With the exception of a suggestive positive trend between increasing birth weight and high-grade PCa (RRadj per pound: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.98-1.16; p-trend=0.15), no associations were observed between birth weight and risk of total, organ-confined, low-grade, advanced stage, lethal, or fatal PCa.

Conclusion: Overall, no association was observed between birth weight and PCa risk and mortality in this large prospective cohort study of US male health professionals.

Table 1. Associations between self-reported birth weight and prostate cancer in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, 1994-2016 Birth weight (lbs) &lt;5.5(&lt;2,495 g) 5.5-6.9(2,495-3,174 g) 7.0-8.4(3,175-3,855 g) 8.5-9.9(3,856-4,535 g) ≥10.0(≥4,536 g) Per 1 lb (454g) increase Total prostate cancer Cases/person-years 125/17,019 518/80,053 1,931/297,495 396/60,445 197/22,993 HRa (95% CI) 0.98 (0.81-1.18) 0.86 (0.78-0.95) 1.00 0.85 (0.76-0.95) 0.98 (0.84-1.13) 1.01 (0.96-1.05) High-grade prostate cancer (Score 4+3 and higher) Cases/person-years 23/17,117 119/80,434 453/299,015 105/60,741 52/23,148 HRa (95% CI) 0.76 (0.50-1.16) 0.83 (0.68-1.03) 1.00 0.93 (0.75-1.16) 1.03 (0.76-1.39) 1.06 (0.98-1.16) Advanced stage prostate cancer (T3b+) at diagnosis Cases/person-years 4/17,135 29/80,516 109/299,370 25/60,811 12/23,195 HRa (95% CI) 0.53 (0.19-1.46) 0.91 (0.60-1.40) 1.00 0.98 (0.62-1.54) 1.02 (0.54-1.92) 1.08 (0.91-1.29) Lethal prostate cancer Cases/person-years 11/17,127 70/80,491 225/299,247 51/60,791 27/23,178 HRa (95% CI) 0.81 (0.43-1.50) 1.15 (0.86-1.52) 1.00 1.07 (0.78-1.47) 1.01 (0.66-1.54) 1.00 (0.89-1.13) Fatal prostate cancer Cases/person-years 10/17,551 59/82,316 197/307,363 43/62,246 23/23,996 HRa (95% CI) 0.88 (0.45-1.67) 1.17 (0.86-1.60) 1.00 1.11 (0.78-1.56) 1.03 (0.65-1.63) 1.00 (0.87-1.14) RR=relative risk; CI = confidence interval a Adjusted for age, calendar time, race, smoking status, family history of prostate cancer (yes or no), PSA testing in &gt;50% of previous cycles (yes or no), physical activity, diabetes, diet (tomato sauce intake, coffee, and energy intake), alcohol intake, multivitamin use, vitamin E supplement use, and aspirin use.

Citation Format: Qinran Liu, Yiwen Zhang, Jane B. Vaselkiv, Lorelei A. Mucci, Edward L. Giovannucci, Elizabeth A. Platz, Siobhan Sutcliffe. A prospective study of birth weight and prostate cancer risk: extended analysis in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4203.