Vitamin C and vitamin E supplement use and bladder cancer mortality in a large cohort of US men and women

Abstract

Some epidemiologic studies suggest that use of vitamin C or vitamin E supplements, both potent antioxidants, may reduce the risk of bladder cancer. The authors examined the association between use of individual vitamin C and vitamin E supplements and bladder cancer mortality among 991,522 US adults in the Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) cohort. CPS-II participants completed a self-administered questionnaire at enrollment in 1982 and were followed regarding mortality through 1998. During follow-up, 1,289 bladder cancer deaths occurred (962 in men and 327 in women). Rate ratios were adjusted for age, sex, cigarette smoking, education, and consumption of citrus fruits and vegetables. Regular vitamin C supplement use (≥15 times per month) was not associated with bladder cancer mortality, regardless of duration (rate ratio (RR) = 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.68, 1.20 for <10 years' use; RR = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.91, 1.72 for ≥10 years' use). Regular vitamin E supplement use for ≥10 years was associated with a reduced risk of bladder cancer mortality (RR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.96), but regular use of shorter duration was not (RR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.77, 1.40). Results support the hypothesis that long-duration vitamin E supplement use may reduce the risk of bladder cancer mortality.