The effects of supplementation with α-tocopherol and β-carotene on the incidence and mortality of carcinoma of the pancreas in a randomized, controlled trial

✍ Scribed by Matti T. Rautalahti; Jarmo R. K. Virtamo; Philip R. Taylor; Olli P. Heinonen; Demetrius Albanes; Jari K. Haukka; Brenda K. Edwards; Päivi A. Kärkkäinen; Rachael Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon; Jussi Huttunen

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 79 KB
• Volume: 86
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19990701)86:1<37::aid-cncr7>3.0.co;2-f

✦ Synopsis

BACKGROUND. Dietary components may be both causal and protective in cases of pancreatic carcinoma, but the preventive potential of single constituents has not been evaluated. The authors report the effects of ␣-tocopherol and ␤-carotene supplementations on the rates of incidence of and mortality from pancreatic carcinoma in a randomized, controlled trial.

METHODS.

The 29,133 participants in the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study were male smokers who were ages 50Ϫ69 years at the time they were randomized into 1 of the following 4 intervention groups: dl-␣tocopherol (AT; 50 mg/day), ␤-carotene (BC; 20 mg/day), both AT and BC, and placebo. The daily supplementation lasted for 5Ϫ8 years. Incident cancers were identified through the national Finnish Cancer Registry and death certificates of the Statistics Finland. Results were analyzed by supplementation with Cox regression models.

RESULTS.

Effects of both supplementations were statistically nonsignificant. The rate of incidence of pancreatic carcinoma was 25% lower for the men who received ␤-carotene supplements (n ϭ 38) compared with the rate for those who did not receive ␤-carotene (n ϭ 51) (95% CI, Ϫ51% to 14%). Supplementation with ␣-tocopherol (n ϭ 51) increased the rate of incidence by 34% (95% CI, Ϫ12% to 105%) compared with the rate for those who did not receive ␣-tocopherol. Mortality from pancreatic carcinoma during the follow-up, adjusted for stage and anatomic location of the tumor, was 19% (95% CI, Ϫ47% to 26%) lower among those who received ␤-carotene and 11% (95% CI, Ϫ28% to 72%) higher among those who received ␣-tocopherol as compared with those who did not receive supplementation.

CONCLUSIONS.

Supplementation with ␤-carotene or ␣-tocopherol does not have a statistically significant effect on the rate of incidence of pancreatic carcinoma or the rate of mortality caused by this disease. Cancer 1999;86:37-42.