Accumulating evidence suggest that Propionibacterium acnes may play a role in prostate carcinogenesis, but data are so far limited and inconclusive. The aim of this population‐based cohort study was therefore to test whether presence of acne vulgaris during late adolescence is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer later in life. We identified a large cohort of young men born in Sweden between 1952 and 1956, who underwent mandatory assessment for military conscription around the age of 18 (n = 243,187). Test information along with health data including medical diagnoses at time of conscription was available through the Swedish Military Conscription Register and the National Patient Register. The cohort was followed through linkages to the Swedish Cancer Register to identify the occurrence of prostate cancer until December 31, 2009. We used Cox regression to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between acne in adolescence and prostate cancer risk. A total of 1,633 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer during a median follow‐up of 36.7 years. A diagnosis of acne was associated with a statistically significant increased risk for prostate cancer (adjusted HR: 1.43 95%; CI: 1.06–1.92), particularly for advanced stage disease (HR: 2.37 95%; CI 1.19–4.73). A diagnosis of acne classified as severe conferred a sixfold increased risk of prostate cancer (HR: 5.70 95% CI 1.42–22.85). Data from this large prospective population‐based cohort add new evidence supporting a role of P. acnes infection in prostate cancer.

Background Chronic inflammation is thought to influence the risk of prostate cancer. The purpose of this population‐based case‐control study was to evaluate the association of 48 circulating inflammation markers with prostate cancer, to identify candidate markers for further investigation. Methods Serum samples collected from 235 prostate cancer patients and 198 population‐based controls recruited in Örebro County, Sweden, in 1989‐1991, were assessed using a multiplex bead‐based immunoassay to determine concentrations of 48 circulating inflammation markers. Logistic regression was first used to evaluate the association between individual markers (highest vs lowest concentration quartile) and prostate cancer in unadjusted and mutually adjusted models. Second, patients with inflammatory conditions, metastatic or advanced prostate cancer, were excluded to address the possible influence of systemic disease on inflammation markers. Results Individual analyses first identified 21 markers associated with prostate cancer (P < .05), which after mutual adjustment were reduced to seven markers. After the exclusion of men with conditions linked with systemic inflammation, associations between prostate cancer and deviant levels of C‐X3‐C motif chemokine ligand 1, platelet‐derived growth factor subunit B homodimer, interleukin 10, C‐C motif chemokine ligand (CCL) 21, and CCL11 remained statistically significant. Conclusions In this explorative study, we identified candidate inflammation markers of possible importance for prostate cancer pathophysiology, for further evaluation in prospective studies.

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Appendicitis before age 20 years has been observed to influence the risk of several inflammatory conditions, possibly through underlying immunological mechanisms. Inflammation has further been suggested to be involved in prostate cancer development. We therefore hypothesized that immunological characteristics signaled by appendicitis before late adolescence might influence the risk of later prostate cancer, and aimed to evaluate this association in a population-based study. We identified a large cohort of Swedish men who underwent assessment for military conscription around the age of 18 years ( = 242,573). Medical diagnoses at time of conscription were available through the Swedish Military Conscription Register. The Swedish Cancer Register was used to identify diagnoses of prostate cancer. Multivariable adjusted Cox regression analyses were used to estimate HR and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association between appendicitis and prostate cancer. During a median of 36.7 years of follow-up, 1,684 diagnoses of prostate cancer occurred. We found a statistically significant association between appendicitis and overall prostate cancer (adjusted HR 1.70; 95% CI, 1.08-2.67). The risk was notably increased for advanced (HR 4.42; 95% CI, 1.74-11.22) and lethal (HR 8.95; 95% CI, 2.98-26.91) prostate cancer. These results suggest that a diagnosis of appendicitis before adulthood potentially signals underlying immune characteristics and a pattern of inflammatory response relevant to prostate cancer risk. The study lends support to the proposed role of inflammation in prostate carcinogenesis, and adds another area of investigation potentially relevant to prostate cancer development. .