ABSTRACT
The present study determined the relationship of male circumcision (MC) prevalence with prostatic carcinoma mortality rate in the 85 countries globally for which data on each were available. MC prevalence in different countries were obtained from a WHO report and allocated to WHO categories of 81%-100%, 20%-80%, and 0%-19%. Prostatic carcinoma mortality data were from Globoscan, gross national income per capita as well as male life expectancy were from a World Bank report, and percentages of Jews and Muslims by country were from the Pew Research Institute and the North American Jewish Data Bank. Negative binomial regression was used to estimate prostatic carcinoma mortality rate ratios. Compared to countries with 81%-100% MC prevalence, prostatic carcinoma mortality rate was higher in those with MC prevalence of 0%-19% (adjusted OR [adjOR] =1.82; 95% CI 1.14, 2.91) and 20%-80% (adjOR = 1.80; 95% CI, 1.16, 2.78). Higher Muslim percentage (adjOR = 0.92 [95% CI 0.87, 0.98] for each 10% increase) and longer life expectancy (adjOR = 0.82 [95% CI 0.72, 0.93] for each 5 additional years) were associated with lower prostatic carcinoma mortality. Higher gross national income per capita (adjOR = 1.10 [95% CI 1.01, 1.20] for double this parameter) correlated with higher mortality. Compared with American countries, prostatic carcinoma mortality rate was similar in Eastern Mediterranean countries (adjOR = 1.02; 95% CI 0.58, 1.76), but was lower in European (adjOR = 0.60; 95% CI 0.50, 0.74) and Western Pacific countries (adjOR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.37, 0.78). Thus, prostate cancer mortality is significantly lower in countries in which MC prevalence exceeds 80%.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>WWOX and FHIT are two candidate tumor suppressor genes located in active fragile sites, the damage of which has been associated with the development of breast cancer. The association of the expression of these genes and the development of breast cancer has not been fully explored. We evaluated mRNA and protein expression of WWOX and FHIT in breast tissue with normal histological appearances, atypical ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ, and invasive cancer to see if a progressive decline in expression was present.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to evaluate the specimens for mRNA and protein expression, including 28 specimens with normal tissue, 28 specimens with atypical ductal hyperplasia, 33 specimens with ductal carcinoma in situ, and 51 specimens with invasive ductal carcinoma.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with in situ and invasive cancer specimens, both normal and atypical hyperplasia specimens had greater rates of detectable mRNA (WWOX rate ratio = 2.95, 95% CI 1.24 - 7.08; FHIT rate ratio = 4.58, 95% CI 1.82 - 11.81) and Western blotting detectable protein (WWOX rate ratio = 4.12, 95% CI 1.63 - 10.73; FHIT rate ratio = 3.76, 95% CI 1.44 - 10.06). For both proteins, differences between normal and atypical hyperplasia specimens and between in situ and invasive carcinoma specimens were explainable by chance (P > 0.05 for each analysis). Within each histological category, differences among fractions of specimens showed that FHIT and WWOX mRNA and protein expression were explainable by chance (P > 0.05 for each analysis).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Expression of FHIT and WWOX decreases along with breast tissue progress from a normal histological appearance to atypical ductal hyperplasia, in situ cancer, and the final invasive cancer.</p>
