Are serum hormones associated with the risk of prostate cancer? Prospective results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study

Objectives. To determine whether prediagnostic serum hormones are predictive of prostate cancer risk in a sample of men 40 to 70 years old at baseline. Methods. Seventeen serum hormones, including androgens, estrogens, and adrenal and pituitary hormones, were measured at baseline (1987 to 1989) and used to predict incident prostate cancer by follow-up (1995 to 1997) using data from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, a prospective, population-based random sample. Results. Seventy men (4%) of 1576 were diagnosed with prostate cancer between the baseline and follow-up periods (approximately 8 years). None of the hormones were associated with prostate cancer risk except for androstanediol glucuronide (AAG), which exhibited a nonlinear, inverse relationship with prostate cancer ( P