MONDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to Agent Orange is associated with a higher risk of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence and shorter PSA doubling times in black veterans but not white veterans undergoing surgery for prostate cancer, according to a study presented this week at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif.
Sagar R. Shah, M.D., from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, and colleagues examined the role of Agent Orange exposure on prostate cancer outcomes in 1,653 veterans who underwent radical prostatectomy from 1990-2006. Of these, 199 (12 percent) reported exposure to Agent Orange.
The researchers found that black veterans exposed to Agent Orange had a significantly higher risk of PSA recurrence (hazard ratio 1.75) and a shorter PSA doubling time post-recurrence (9.1 versus 16 months). In contrast, there was no significant association between Agent Orange exposure and PSA recurrence or post-recurrence PSA doubling time in white veterans.
"Among black men, Agent Orange exposure was associated with increased risk of recurrence and shorter PSA doubling time at the time of recurrence," Shah and colleagues conclude. "This is in contrast to white men, where Agent Orange exposure was not significantly related to risk of recurrence or PSA doubling time."
Abstract
