Abstract
IntroductionPrevious studies regarding the relationship between acne and prostate cancer risk have reported inconsistent results. We performed the present meta-analysis of observational studies to summarize the evidence on this association.MethodsA comprehensive literature search up to March 2018 was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. Summary odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated with a random effects model. The Q statistic and the I2 index were used to evaluate the heterogeneity across the studies.ResultsEight studies were ultimately included in this meta-analysis. In the overall analysis, no significant association was found between acne and prostate cancer risk (OR = 1.08, 95% CI 0.93–1.25). A significant heterogeneity was observed across studies (P = 0.006, I2 = 64.5%). In the subgroup analysis by study design, a significant association was observed in the cohort studies (OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.19–1.93) but not in the case-control studies (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.86–1.12).ConclusionsIn summary, this meta-analysis did not find an association between acne in adolescence and prostate cancer risk. However, because there was some heterogeneity in the overall analysis and a significant association was observed in the meta-analysis of the cohort studies, further well-designed large prospective studies are warranted to confirm our results.
Highlights
Previous studies regarding the relationship between acne and prostate cancer risk have reported inconsistent results
No significant association was found between acne and prostate cancer risk (OR = 1.08, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 0.93–1.25)
In the subgroup analysis by study design, a significant association was observed in the cohort studies (OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.19–1.93) but not in the case-control studies (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.86–1.12)
Summary
A comprehensive literature search up to March 2018 was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. Summary odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated with a random effects model. The Q statistic and the I2 index were used to evaluate the heterogeneity across the studies. A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases up to March 2018 with the following search keywords: (acne or propionibacterium) and (prostatic neoplasms or prostatic cancer or prostate neoplasms or prostate cancer). The ORs and their 95% CIs were used as the study outcome to assess the strength of the relationship between acne and prostate cancer risk. A meta-regression and Galbraith plot analysis [17] were used to explore the possible sources of heterogeneity if any
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