In the September 20th issue of JAMA, Wolk and colleagues report on an epidemiological study of nearly 62,000 women forming part of the Swedish Mammography Cohort. This prospective study evaluated cancer incidence in patients filling out a dietary questionnaire at baseline (between 1987 and 1990) and subsequently in 1997.

After a mean follow-up of 15 years, consumption of fatty fish at least once a week was associated with a reduction in renal cancer incidence with a hazard ratio of 0.56 (95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.91) compared with women who did not eat fish. The hazard ratio was even lower (0.26) for those women reporting consistent fatty fish consumption at baseline and during follow-up. This association was not associated with the consumption of lean fish.

To date, known risk factors associated with the development of sporadic renal cancer include smoking, hypertension, and obesity. This is the first study suggesting that dietary modification with a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids may lower the risk of renal cell carcinoma.

Alicja Wolk, DMSc; Susanna C. Larsson, MSc; Jan-Erik Johansson, MD, PhD; Peter Ekman, MD, PhD

JAMA. 2006;296:1371-1376

Renal Cancer Section

Written by Ricardo Sånchez-Ortiz, MD, a Contributing Editor with UroToday.

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