Folatos y Melanoma

Cancer Epidemiology

Volume 55, August 2018, Pages 176-183

Intake of folate and other nutrients related to one-carbon metabolism and risk of cutaneous melanoma among US women and men

Author links open overlay panelAsharDhanaabHsiYenacTriciaLidMichelle D.HolmesadAbrar A.QureshidefEunyoungChodef

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canep.2018.06.006

Highlights

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Intake of nutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism were prospectively evaluated in relation to melanoma risk.

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Higher intake of folate from food only was associated with an increased risk of melanoma.

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No association was found between intake of other nutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism and melanoma risk.

Abstract

Background

Nutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism - folate, vitamins B6 and B12, methionine, choline, and betaine - have been inversely associated with multiple cancer sites and may be related to skin cancer. However, there is a lack of research on the association between intake of these nutrients and cutaneous melanoma risk. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between intake of one-carbon metabolism nutrients and cutaneous melanoma risk in two large prospective cohorts.

Methods

The cohorts included 75,311 white women and 48,523 white men. Nutrient intake was assessed repeatedly by food frequency questionnaires and self-reported supplement use. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and then pooled HRs using a random-effects model.

Results

Over 24–26 years of follow-up, we documented 1328 melanoma cases (648 men and 680 women). Higher intake of folate from food only, but not total folate, was associated with increased melanoma risk (pooled HR for top versus bottom quintile: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.13–1.64; P for trend = 0.001). The association was significant in men, but attenuated in women. Higher intake of vitamins B6 and B12, choline, betaine, and methionine were not associated with melanoma risk, although there was modest increasing trend of risk for vitamin B6 from food only (pooled HR for top versus bottom quintile: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.99–1.41; P for trend = 0.03).

Conclusions

We found some evidence that higher intake of folate from food only was associated with a modest increased risk of cutaneous melanoma. However, since other factors related to dietary folate intake may account for the observed association, our findings warrant further investigation.