links for 2009-08-09

By MaverickNY on August 9, 2009

Artificial Sweeteners and the Risk of Gastric, Pancreatic, and Endometrial Cancers in Italy — Bosetti et al. 18 (8): 2235 — Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention

The present study adds further evidence on the absence of an adverse effect of low-calorie sweetener (including aspartame) consumption on the risk of common neoplams in the Italian population. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(8):2235–8)

(tags: pancreatic cancer neoplasms artificial sweeteners aspartame)
Risk of Pancreatic Cancer Linked to Variation in Gene that Determines Blood Type, August 2, 2009News Release – National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. It is difficult to detect, and in many people it is not diagnosed until after the disease has spread to other parts of the body. Less than five percent of Americans with pancreatic cancer survive five years past diagnosis. Risk factors include smoking, diabetes, race, and a family history of the disease.

(tags: pancreatic cancer GWAS risk factors)
Genome-wide association study identifies variants in the : ABO: locus associated with susceptibility to pancreatic cancer : Abstract : Nature Genetics

We identified an association between a locus on 9q34 and pancreatic cancer marked by the SNP rs505922 (combined P = 5.37 10-8; multiplicative per-allele odds ratio 1.20; 95% confidence interval 1.12–1.28). This SNP maps to the first intron of the ABO blood group gene. Our results are consistent with earlier epidemiologic evidence suggesting that people with blood group O may have a lower risk of pancreatic cancer than those with groups A or B.

(tags: pancreatic cancer GWAS SNPs blood group epidemiology)