Poly (AT) polymorphism in the XPC gene and smoking enhance the risk of prostate cancer in a low-risk Chinese population

We investigated two polymorphisms of xeroderma pigmentosum complementary group C (XPC) in 202 subjects with prostate cancer (PCa) and 221 healthy controls in a Chinese Han population. Genotyping was performed using a polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. Our results indicated that smoking is associated with an increased risk for PCa (odds ratio [OR]: 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-2.22). Subjects carrying the XPC-PAT+/+ genotype exhibited a significantly increased risk for PCa (OR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.12-3.99). The combined subjects with either the PAT+/+ or PAT+/- genotype also exhibited a 1.54-fold increased risk associated with PCa (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.04-2.26). Moreover, smokers with PAT+/- or PAT+/+ had a higher risk for PCa (OR: 1.98; 95% CI: 1.08-3.64; P = 0.026 and OR: 3.56; 95% CI: 1.45-8.76; P = 0.004, respectively) compared with never smokers with the PAT-/- genotype. Analyses of the XPC Lys939Gln polymorphism did not show an association with PCa risk. Our findings support the hypothesis that XPC-PAT polymorphisms may contribute to the risk of developing PCa. More important, an elevated risk of PCa associated with a gene-environment (smoking) interaction was determined in a Chinese population.

Bladder cancer and smoking. Part 4: efficacy of health promotion

This is the last of a four-part series on bladder cancer and smoking. Part 1 presented an overview of bladder cancer and the role of smoking in its development (Anderson and Naish, 2008a), part 2 discussed diagnosis and management of bladder cancer (Anderson and Naish, 2008b) and part 3 examined perceptions and beliefs related to smoking and health (Anderson and Naish, 2008c). Part 4 examines evidence for the efficacy of health promotional measures in helping people to stop smoking. It aims to provide an insight into whether health education and health promotion increase awareness of the impact of smoking on health and wellbeing, and whether a person's subsequent behaviour changes enough for them to stop smoking. Finally, it discusses the role of the healthcare professional in helping people to achieve this objective.