Meat and haem iron intake in relation to glioma in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study

Chinese Dietary Indices and Glioma: New Insights of a Case-Control Study in the Chinese Population

Identifying modifiable factors in primary prevention strategies is a typical goal of glioma epidemiology. Among many glioma risk factors, diet was always considered as one. Most of the relevant studies thus far were concentrated on the West. It was crucial to investigate the connection between the Chinese diet and gliomas given the stark variations between western and eastern diets. A food frequency questionnaire including 114 items was used to investigate the food intake of the study subjects. The Chinese Dietary Quality Index (CDQI), the Chinese Dietary Balance Index (CDBI), the Dietary Antioxidant Index (DAI), the Dietary Inflammation Index (DII), and the Chinese Healthy Eating Index (CHEI) were calculated based on the data provided by the food frequency questionnaire to evaluate dietary quality, dietary balance, dietary antioxidants, dietary inflammation and adherence to the Chinese dietary guidelines in 506 glioma patients and 506 controls, respectively. After adjusting covariates, CHEI (OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.88-0.93) and DAI (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.54-0.70) were correlated to a reduced glioma risk, and CDBI-based undernutrition (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.06-1.12) and overnutrition (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.20) and DII (OR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.81-2.68) were correlated to an elevated glioma risk. Moreover, restrictive cubic spline analysis showed that there were significant nonlinear dose-response relationships between CHEI, CDBI, DAI, DII, and glioma. Therefore, adhering to the Chinese dietary guidelines was connected with a lower glioma risk, and undernutrition and overnutrition in the Chinese diet were associated with an increased risk of glioma.

Signaling pathways in brain tumors and therapeutic interventions

Brain tumors, although rare, contribute to distinct mortality and morbidity at all ages. Although there are few therapeutic options for brain tumors, enhanced biological understanding and unexampled innovations in targeted therapies and immunotherapies have considerably improved patients' prognoses. Nonetheless, the reduced response rates and unavoidable drug resistance of currently available treatment approaches have become a barrier to further improvement in brain tumor (glioma, meningioma, CNS germ cell tumors, and CNS lymphoma) treatment. Previous literature data revealed that several different signaling pathways are dysregulated in brain tumor. Importantly, a better understanding of targeting signaling pathways that influences malignant behavior of brain tumor cells might open the way for the development of novel targeted therapies. Thus, there is an urgent need for a more comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis of these brain tumors, which might result in greater progress in therapeutic approaches. This paper began with a brief description of the epidemiology, incidence, risk factors, as well as survival of brain tumors. Next, the major signaling pathways underlying these brain tumors' pathogenesis and current progress in therapies, including clinical trials, targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and system therapies, have been systemically reviewed and discussed. Finally, future perspective and challenges of development of novel therapeutic strategies in brain tumor were emphasized.

Association between dietary minerals and glioma: A case-control study based on Chinese population

Background

As one of the essential nutrients for the human body, minerals participate in various physiological activities of the body and are closely related to many cancers. However, the population study on glioma is not sufficient.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between five dietary minerals and glioma.

Methods

A total of 506 adult patients with glioma and 506 healthy controls were matched 1:1 according to age (±5 years) and sex. The food intake of the subjects in the past year was collected through the food frequency questionnaire, and the intakes of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper in the diet were calculated. The logistic regression model was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for dietary minerals to gliomas.

Results

After adjusting for confounders, higher intakes of calcium (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.57-0.74), magnesium (OR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.11-0.29), iron (OR = 0.04, 95% CI: 0.02-0.11), zinc (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.54-0.73), and copper (OR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.13-0.39) were associated with a significantly decreased risk of glioma. Similar results were observed in gliomas of different pathological types and pathological grades. The restriction cubic spline function suggested significant linear dose-response relationships between intakes of five minerals and the risk of glioma. When the dietary minerals exceeded a particular intake, the risk of glioma stabilized.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that higher dietary intakes of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper are associated with a decreased risk of glioma. However, the results of this study require further exploration of potential mechanisms in the future better to elucidate the effects of mineral intake on gliomas.

Dietary Factors and Risk of Glioma in Adults: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Background

Gliomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors in adults. Inappropriate dietary habits are thought to be a risk factor for most human cancer, and glioma is no exception. However, the effect of dietary factors on glioma is not clear.

Objective

This review aims to quantitatively evaluate the association between various dietary intakes and glioma using a meta-analysis.

Methods

We searched articles on PubMed, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science, and EMBASE from their inception until October 11, 2021. According to heterogeneity, the fixed-effects or random-effects model was selected to obtain the relative risk (RR) of merger. Based on the methods described by Greenland and Longnecker, we explored the dose-response relationship between dietary intakes and the risk of glioma. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias were also used.

Results

This study reviewed 33 articles, including 3,606,015 controls and 8,831 patients with glioma. This study included 12 food groups. Compared with the lowest intakes, the highest intakes of tea (RR = 0.82, 95%CI:0.71–0.93), total vegetables (RR = 0.84, 95%CI: 0.70–1.00), green vegetables (RR = 0.80, 95%CI: 0.66–0.98), and orange vegetables (RR = 0.79, 95%CI: 0.66–0.96) significantly reduced the risk of glioma, while the highest intakes of grains (RR = 1.39, 95%CI: 1.16–1.66), processed meats (RR = 1.19, 95%CI: 1.00–1.42), and processed fish (RR = 1.37, 95%CI: 1.03–1.84) significantly increased the risk of glioma. The results of subgroup and sensitivity analyses remained unchanged. In the dose-response relationship, only tea was statistically significant. Taking an extra cup of tea every day reduced the risk of glioma by 4%.

Conclusions

Our analysis suggests that the intakes of tea, total vegetables, green vegetables, and orange vegetables may reduce the risk of glioma, while the intakes of grains, processed meats, and processed fish may increase the risk of glioma. Therefore, the effect of dietary factors on glioma should not be ignored.

Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, CRD42022296658.

Consumption of red meat and processed meat and cancer incidence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies

Red meat and processed meat consumption has been hypothesized to increase risk of cancer, but the evidence is inconsistent. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies to summarize the evidence of associations between consumption of red meat (unprocessed), processed meat, and total red and processed meat with the incidence of various cancer types. We searched in MEDLINE and EMBASE databases through December 2020. Using a random-effect meta-analysis, we calculated the pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the highest versus the lowest category of red meat, processed meat, and total red and processed meat consumption in relation to incidence of various cancers. We identified 148 published articles. Red meat consumption was significantly associated with greater risk of breast cancer (RR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.03-1.15), endometrial cancer (RR = 1.25; 95% CI = 1.01-1.56), colorectal cancer (RR = 1.10; 95% CI = 1.03-1.17), colon cancer (RR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.09-1.25), rectal cancer (RR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.01-1.46), lung cancer (RR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.09-1.44), and hepatocellular carcinoma (RR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.01-1.46). Processed meat consumption was significantly associated with a 6% greater breast cancer risk, an 18% greater colorectal cancer risk, a 21% greater colon cancer risk, a 22% greater rectal cancer risk, and a 12% greater lung cancer risk. Total red and processed meat consumption was significantly associated with greater risk of colorectal cancer (RR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.08-1.26), colon cancer (RR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.09-1.34), rectal cancer (RR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.09-1.45), lung cancer (RR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.09-1.33), and renal cell cancer (RR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.04-1.37). This comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis study showed that high red meat intake was positively associated with risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, lung cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma, and high processed meat intake was positively associated with risk of breast, colorectal, colon, rectal, and lung cancers. Higher risk of colorectal, colon, rectal, lung, and renal cell cancers were also observed with high total red and processed meat consumption.

The Influence of Nutritional and Lifestyle Factors on Glioma Incidence

Cancers are the first main cause of premature death in developed countries. Since brain tumors, especially gliomas, are the most lethal type of cancers, risk factors for their prevalence are still being discussed. Nearly 30–50% of all cancers could be prevented by proper nutritional habits and other lifestyle factors, but their influence on the tumors of the central nervous system has not been explained completely and still requires further studies. That is why we attempted to review the available research in this field, with a special focus on the factors with the proven protective activity observed in other cancers. Adequate vegetables and antioxidants (such as vitamins C and A) provided with a diet could have a protective effect, while other factors have shown no correlation with the incidence of glioma. However, further studies are necessary to determine whether fish, coffee, and tea consumption may prevent glioma. Maintaining proper body weight and undertaking a sufficient level of daily physical activity also seem to be important. Excessive body mass index (BMI) and higher attained height have increased the risk of glioma. In order to link more accurately the chosen factors to the prevalence of gliomas, it seems necessary to conduct large cohort, prospective, controlled studies in different world regions.

Meat intake and risk of gastric cancer in the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) project

The consumption of processed meat has been associated with noncardia gastric cancer, but evidence regarding a possible role of red meat is more limited. Our study aims to quantify the association between meat consumption, namely white, red and processed meat, and the risk of gastric cancer, through individual participant data meta-analysis of studies participating in the "Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project". Data from 22 studies, including 11,443 cases and 28,029 controls, were used. Study-specific odds ratios (ORs) were pooled through a two-stage approach based on random-effects models. An exposure-response relationship was modeled, using one and two-order fractional polynomials, to evaluate the possible nonlinear association between meat intake and gastric cancer. An increased risk of gastric cancer was observed for the consumption of all types of meat (highest vs. lowest tertile), which was statistically significant for red (OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.00-1.53), processed (OR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.06-1.43) and total meat (OR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.09-1.55). Exposure-response analyses showed an increasing risk of gastric cancer with increasing consumption of both processed and red meat, with the highest OR being observed for an intake of 150 g/day of red meat (OR: 1.85; 95% CI: 1.56-2.20). This work provides robust evidence on the relation between the consumption of different types of meat and gastric cancer. Adherence to dietary recommendations to reduce meat consumption may contribute to a reduction in the burden of gastric cancer.

Risk factors for childhood and adult primary brain tumors

Primary brain tumors account for ~1% of new cancer cases and ~2% of cancer deaths in the United States; however, they are the most commonly occurring solid tumors in children. These tumors are very heterogeneous and can be broadly classified into malignant and benign (or non-malignant), and specific histologies vary in frequency by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Epidemiological studies have explored numerous potential risk factors, and thus far the only validated associations for brain tumors are ionizing radiation (which increases risk in both adults and children) and history of allergies (which decreases risk in adults). Studies of genetic risk factors have identified 32 germline variants associated with increased risk for these tumors in adults (25 in glioma, 2 in meningioma, 3 in pituitary adenoma, and 2 in primary CNS lymphoma), and further studies are currently under way for other histologic subtypes, as well as for various childhood brain tumors. While identifying risk factors for these tumors is difficult due to their rarity, many existing datasets can be leveraged for future discoveries in multi-institutional collaborations. Many institutions are continuing to develop large clinical databases including pre-diagnostic risk factor data, and developments in molecular characterization of tumor subtypes continue to allow for investigation of more refined phenotypes. Key Point 1. Brain tumors are a heterogeneous group of tumors that vary significantly in incidence by age, sex, and race/ethnicity.2. The only well-validated risk factors for brain tumors are ionizing radiation (which increases risk in adults and children) and history of allergies (which decreases risk).3. Genome-wide association studies have identified 32 histology-specific inherited genetic variants associated with increased risk of these tumors.

Reeves G, Floud S, Balkwill A, Bradbury K, Liao LM, Freedman ND, Beral V, Sweetland S. Diet and risk of glioma: combined analysis of 3 large prospective studies in the UK and USA

BACKGROUND

Available evidence on diet and glioma risk comes mainly from studies with retrospective collection of dietary data. To minimize possible differential dietary recall between those with and without glioma, we present findings from 3 large prospective studies.

METHODS

Participants included 692 176 from the UK Million Women Study, 470 780 from the US National Institutes of Health-AARP study, and 99 148 from the US Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Cox regression yielded study-specific adjusted relative risks for glioma in relation to 15 food groups, 14 nutrients, and 3 dietary patterns, which were combined, weighted by inverse variances of the relative risks. Separate analyses by <5 and ≥5 years follow-up assessed potential biases related to changes of diet before glioma diagnosis.

RESULTS

The 1 262 104 participants (mean age, 60.6 y [SD 5.5] at baseline) were followed for 15.4 million person-years (mean 12.2 y/participant), during which 2313 incident gliomas occurred, at mean age 68.2 (SD 6.4). Overall, there was weak evidence for increased glioma risks associated with increasing intakes of total fruit, citrus fruit, and fiber and healthy dietary patterns, but these associations were generally null after excluding the first 5 years of follow-up. There was little evidence for heterogeneity of results by study or by sex.

CONCLUSIONS

The largest prospective evidence to date suggests little, if any, association between major food groups, nutrients, or common healthy dietary patterns and glioma incidence. With the statistical power of this study and the comprehensive nature of the investigation here, it seems unlikely we have overlooked major effects of diet on risk of glioma that would be of public health concern.

The Association Between Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) and Glioma and Evaluation of Nutrient Intakes of These Patients: A Case-Control Study

INTRODUCTION

Glioma is the most common adult brain tumors. Dietary factors may play a role in the etiology of glioma. The Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) provides a general overview for the nutrient content of a food or a diet. This study aimed to investigate the association between INQ and glioma and nutrient intakes.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This study was included 128 patients and 256 controls. Dietary intakes of the subjects were evaluated by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and FFQ-derived dietary data were used to calculate INQ scores. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

Cases had higher intake of total fat, saturated fatty acid (SFA), meats, hydrogenated oils and controls had higher intake of monounsaturated fatty acid, polyunsaturated fatty acid, calcium, dairy, fruits, and nuts. Only the INQ of vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, and fiber are higher in controls. An inverse association was observed between glioma and INQ of calcium, vitamin E, vitamin C, and fiber.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study propose a healthy diet such as high intake of vitamins C and E, calcium, fiber, food groups like fruits and vegetables, and low-fat milk and nuts; and low consumption of total fat, SFA, and red meat may be protective against glioma.