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Dietary Fiber Not Associated With Decreased Risk of Colorectal CancerHigh dietary fiber intake is not associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, according to a new meta-analysis.
Previous studies have led to the hypothesis that dietary fiber reduces the risk of colorectal cancer, but inconsistent findings have left scientists searching for a definitive answer. Yikyung Park, Sc.D., previously at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues performed a meta-analysis of 725,628 people from 13 cohort studies to examine the association between dietary fiber intake and colorectal cancer. The studies included 6–20 years of follow-up data on their participants.
Park and colleagues found no association between a high dietary fiber intake and a reduced risk of colorectal cancer. They continue to recommend a high intake of dietary fiber because of the association between dietary fiber intake and a reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes.
In an editorial, John A. Baron, M.D., of Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, N.H., suggests the study's findings may indicate that short-term high dietary fiber intake may not decrease risk of colorectal cancer and notes that the study does not examine the effect of long-term high dietary fiber intake on colorectal cancer.
The study was published in the December 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Risk of Second Cancer Higher After Breast Cancer
Women previously treated for breast cancer are 25% more likely to develop a second cancer elsewhere in the body compared with the general population, according to a new study.
Previous studies have indicated that, after treatment for breast cancer, women may have a 20%–30% increased risk of a second cancer other than breast cancer, especially after an extended period. Researchers have suggested that the increased risk of second cancers may come from genetic or environmental factors, or it may have to do with earlier treatment with chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Lene Mellemkjær, Ph.D., of the Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues performed a meta-analysis of 525,527 breast cancer patients from 13 registries in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Singapore looking for second primary cancers between the years 1943 and 2000. In addition to the overall 35% increase in risk of second, nonbreast cancers, the researchers found varying increased risks of several cancers, dependent on the area of the body. High-risk areas included the thorax, arms, bone marrow, and the ovaries.
"The overall impression from this very large study is that a breast cancer diagnosis has an effect on subsequent cancer risk in general, since so many cancer sites were seen to occur in excess of what was expected," the authors write.
The study was published online December 8 by the International Journal of Cancer.
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