Serum transforming growth factor- beta 1 and risk of pancreatic cancer in three prospective cohort studies

• Published in: Cancer causes & control 2014-09, Vol.25 (9), p.1083-1091
• Main Authors: Jacobs, Eric J, Newton, Christina C, Silverman, Debra T, Nogueira, Leticia M, Albanes, Demetrius, Maennisto, Satu, Pollak, Michael, Stolzenberg-Solomon, Rachael Z
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0957-5243; 1573-7225
• DOI: 10.1007/s10552-014-0409-z

Purpose: Clinically evident chronic pancreatitis is a strong risk factor for pancreatic cancer. A small Japanese cohort study previously reported that pre-diagnostic serum transforming growth factor- beta 1 (TGF- beta 1) concentration, a potential marker of subclinical pancreatic inflammation, was associated with higher risk of pancreatic cancer. We further explored this association in a larger prospective study. Methods: Serum TGF- beta 1 concentrations were measured in pre-diagnostic samples from 729 pancreatic cancer cases and 907 matched controls from a cohort of Finnish male smokers (the Alpa-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene (ATBC) Cancer Prevention Study) and two cohorts of US men and women, the Cancer Prevention Study-II and the Prostate Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Results: Overall, serum TGF- beta 1 concentration was not associated with a clear increase in pancreatic cancer risk (OR 1.36, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.98-1.88 for highest vs. lowest quintile, p trend = 0.20). However, this association differed significantly by follow-up time (p = 0.02). Serum TGF- beta 1 concentration was not associated with risk during the first 10 years of follow-up, but was associated with higher risk during follow-up after 10 years (OR 2.13, 95 % CI 1.23-3.68 for highest vs. lowest quintile, p trend = 0.001). During follow-up after 10 years, serum TGF- beta 1 was associated with higher risk only in the ATBC cohort, although most subjects were from ATBC during this time period and statistical evidence for heterogeneity across cohorts was limited (p = 0.14). Conclusions: These results suggest that high serum TGF- beta 1 may be associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer although a long follow-up period may be needed to observe this association.