1
|
Kouam L, Nicolau B, Rousseau MC, Richard H, Corsenac P, Parent ME. 2D:4D digit ratio as a potential marker for prostate cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol 2024; 92:102635. [PMID: 39084032 DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2024.102635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 07/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is thought to reflect prenatal exposure to sex steroids. We investigated the relationship between 2D:4D and odds of prostate cancer. METHOD Data were collected in PROtEuS, a population-based case-control study conducted in Montréal, Canada (2005-2012), including 1931 incident prostate cancer cases aged < 76 years and 1994 population controls. In-person interviews elicited information on potential risk factors. Digit lengths were measured by interviewers applying a standard protocol. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS The OR of prostate cancer for a standard deviation increase in 2D:4D was 0.91 (95 % CI: 0.85-0.98). For less and more aggressive cancers, ORs were 0.93 (95 % CI: 0.87-1.00) and 0.85 (95 % CI: 0.77-0.93), respectively. There was an interaction with ancestry (p=0.04), whereas the OR among men of African descent was 1.23 (95 % CI: 0.96-1.57, based on 128 cases). CONCLUSION Findings suggest an inverse association between 2D:4D and odds of overall prostate cancer, more pronounced for aggressive cancers. This supports the notion that high levels of testosterone in utero, estimated by a low 2D:4D ratio, are associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer. Contrastingly, a high digit ratio was associated with greater cancer odds among participants of African descent. Upon replication, 2D:4D could prove to be an easily measured marker of prostate cancer risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Kouam
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Belinda Nicolau
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Marie-Claude Rousseau
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, QC, Canada; Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Hugues Richard
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Philippe Corsenac
- Département des sciences infirmières, Santé des populations, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, QC, Canada
| | - Marie-Elise Parent
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, QC, Canada; Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|