Associations between dietary mycotoxins exposures and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in a European cohort.

Mycotoxins have been hypothesized to contribute to a diversity of adverse health effects in humans, even at low concentrations. Certain mycotoxins are established human carcinogens, whereas for others research suggests potential carcinogenic effects. The aim of this study was to determine the association between dietary exposure to mycotoxins and hepatobiliary cancers in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.

Body mass index at birth and early life and colorectal cancer: A two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis in European and East Asian genetic similarity populations.

Background: Varying obesogenic inherited predisposition in early to later life may differentially impact colorectal cancer (CRC) development. Previous Mendelian randomization (MR) studies, conducted in populations of European genetic similarity, have not observed any significant associations between early life body weight with CRC risk. However, it remains unclear whether body mass index (BMI) at different early lifetime points is causally related with CRC risk in both Europeans and East Asian populations.

Sex- and site-specific associations of circulating lipocalin 2 and incident colorectal cancer: Results from the EPIC cohort.

Experimental research has uncovered lipocalin 2 (LCN2) as a novel biomarker implicated in the modulation of intestinal inflammation, metabolic homeostasis, and colon carcinogenesis. However, evidence from human research has been scant. We, therefore, explored the association of pre-diagnostic circulating LCN2 concentrations with incident colorectal cancer (CRC) in a nested case-control study within the in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.

Genetically predicted gut bacteria, circulating bacteria-associated metabolites and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: a Mendelian randomisation study.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has high mortality and rising incidence rates. Recent data indicate that the gut microbiome and associated metabolites may play a role in the development of PDAC. To complement and inform observational studies, we investigated associations of genetically predicted abundances of individual gut bacteria and genetically predicted circulating concentrations of microbiome-associated metabolites with PDAC using Mendelian randomisation (MR).

Pre-diagnostic plasma advanced glycation end-products and soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products and mortality in colorectal cancer patients.

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), formed endogenously or obtained exogenously from diet, may contribute to chronic inflammation, intracellular signaling alterations, and pathogenesis of several chronic diseases including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the role of AGEs in CRC survival is less known. The associations of pre-diagnostic circulating AGEs and their soluble receptor (sRAGE) with CRC-specific and overall mortality were estimated using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression among 1369 CRC cases in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.

Inflammation and Gut Barrier Function-Related Genes and Colorectal Cancer Risk in Western European Populations.

Gut barrier dysfunction and related inflammation are known to be associated with the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). We investigated associations of 292 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 27 genes related to endotoxins/lipopolysaccharide (LPS) sensing and tolerance, mucin synthesis, inflammation, and Crohn's disease with colon and rectal cancer risks. Incident CRC cases (N=1,374; colon=871, rectum=503) were matched 1:1 to controls nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.

Dietary intake of dicarbonyl compounds and changes in body weight over time in a large cohort of European adults.

Dicarbonyl compounds are highly reactive precursors of advanced glycation end products (AGE), produced endogenously, present in certain foods and formed during food processing. AGE contribute to the development of adverse metabolic outcomes, but health effects of dietary dicarbonyls are largely unexplored. We investigated associations between three dietary dicarbonyl compounds, methylglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO) and 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), and body weight changes in European adults.

Pre-diagnostic circulating resistin concentrations and mortality among individuals with colorectal cancer: Results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study.

Resistin is a protein involved in inflammation and angiogenesis processes and may play a role in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, it remains unclear whether resistin is associated with increased mortality after CRC diagnosis. We examined pre-diagnostic serum resistin concentrations in relation to CRC-specific and all-cause mortality among 1343 incident CRC cases from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.

Prediagnostic selenium status, selenoprotein gene variants and association with breast cancer risk in a European cohort study.

Selenium (Se) may help prevent breast cancer (BC) development. Owing to limited observational evidence, we investigated whether prediagnostic Se status and/or variants in the selenoprotein genes are associated with BC risk in a large European cohort. Se status was assessed by plasma measures of Se and its major circulating proteins, selenoprotein P (SELENOP) and glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3), in matched BC case-control pairs (2208 for SELENOP; 1785 for GPX3 and Se) nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein and future Parkinson's disease risk: a European prospective cohort.

Introduction: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the outer membrane component of Gram-negative bacteria. LPS-binding protein (LBP) is an acute-phase reactant that mediates immune responses triggered by LPS and has been used as a blood marker for LPS. LBP has recently been indicated to be associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) in small-scale retrospective case-control studies.

Diet and lifestyle in relation to small intestinal cancer risk: findings from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Purpose: The incidence of small intestinal cancer (SIC) is increasing, however, its aetiology remains unclear due to a lack of data from large-scale prospective cohorts. We examined modifiable risk factors in relation to SIC overall and by histological subtype.

Methods: We analysed 450,107 participants enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.

The role of the gut microbiome in the development of hepatobiliary cancers.

Hepatobiliary cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma and cancers of the biliary tract, share high mortality and rising incidence rates. They may also share several risk factors related to unhealthy western-type dietary and lifestyle patterns as well as increasing body weights and rates of obesity. Recent data also suggest a role for the gut microbiome in the development of hepatobiliary cancer and other liver pathologies.

Prediagnostic serum calcium concentrations and risk of colorectal cancer development in 2 large European prospective cohorts.

Background: Higher dietary calcium consumption is associated with lower colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. However, little data are available on the association between circulating calcium concentrations and CRC risk.

Objectives: To explore the association between circulating calcium concentrations and CRC risk using data from 2 large European prospective cohort studies.

Dietary intake of total, heme and non-heme iron and the risk of colorectal cancer in a European prospective cohort study.

Background: Iron is an essential micronutrient with differing intake patterns and metabolism between men and women. Epidemiologic evidence on the association of dietary iron and its heme and non-heme components with colorectal cancer (CRC) development is inconclusive.

Methods: We examined baseline dietary questionnaire-assessed intakes of total, heme, and non-heme iron and CRC risk in the EPIC cohort.

Prediagnostic serum glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end products and mortality among colorectal cancer patients.

Glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end products (glycer-AGEs) could contribute to colorectal cancer development and progression due to their pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory properties. However, the association of glycer-AGEs with mortality after colorectal cancer diagnosis has not been previously investigated. Circulating glycer-AGEs were measured by competitive ELISA.

Pre-Diagnostic Circulating Resistin Concentrations Are Not Associated with Colorectal Cancer Risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study.

Resistin is a polypeptide implicated in inflammatory processes, and as such could be linked to colorectal carcinogenesis. In case-control studies, higher resistin levels have been found in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients compared to healthy individuals. However, evidence for the association between pre-diagnostic resistin and CRC risk is scarce.

Pan-cancer analysis of pre-diagnostic blood metabolite concentrations in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

Background: Epidemiological studies of associations between metabolites and cancer risk have typically focused on specific cancer types separately. Here, we designed a multivariate pan-cancer analysis to identify metabolites potentially associated with multiple cancer types, while also allowing the investigation of cancer type-specific associations.

Methods: We analysed targeted metabolomics data available for 5828 matched case-control pairs from cancer-specific case-control studies on breast, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder, kidney, localized and advanced prostate cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.