Highlights of This Issue

The prevalence of metabolically unhealthy phenotype in normal-weight adults is 30%, but few studies have explored the association between metabolic phenotype and colorectal cancer incidence in normal-weight individuals. Liang and colleagues used data from the Women's Health Initiative to study this association. Women with one or none of the four components (elevated triglycerides, low HDL-C, elevated blood pressure, and elevated fasting glucose) were classified as metabolically healthy. Among normal-weight women, those who were metabolically unhealthy had higher risks of colorectal cancer compared with those who were metabolically healthy.

Evidence suggests that long-term use of aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) protects against colorectal cancer (CRC). Park and colleagues tested whether the inverse associations between NSAID use and CRC is similarly observed across sexes and five racial/ethnic groups. Use of aspirin and other NSAIDs was associated with a lower incidence of CRC in men but not in women. Further, the findings suggest that the benefit of NSAIDs for CRC may be strongest for white men and generalizes to African American, Japanese, and Latino but not to Native Hawaiian men.

Percent breast density (PBD) is a strong risk factor for breast cancer that is influenced by several other factors. Alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer with an uncertain association with PBD. Ziembicki and colleagues present a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the association of alcohol consumption with PBD. Meta-analysis of 11 studies found a statistically significant difference in PBD when comparing the highest with the lowest alcohol consumption level, suggesting a positive association between alcohol intake and PBD.

Farris and colleagues examined the associations between postdiagnosis physical activity and change from prediagnosis physical activity with quality of life (QoL) in prostate cancer survivors. In this study, prostate cancer survivors were followed over seven years with interviews/questionnaires to capture QoL outcomes. Both total and recreational physical activities were positively associated with physical QoL. Men who met physical activity guidelines had significantly higher physical and mental QoL scores compared with those who did not meet guidelines. Further, those who adopted and met guidelines had increased QoL, while those who relapsed experienced decreased QoL.