Endpoint

Prostate cancer incidence

Tumors or cancer of the prostate.

Definition from MeSH (D011471), National Library of Medicine, read 2026-09-23. NLM revises MeSH; this copy may not reflect its current record.

CAT:outcome/prostate-cancer-incidencereported in risk ratio7 findings from 6 compounds

Open in the graph

What moved it

How to read these marks

7 findings · 6 compounds · 2 null · by evidence strength

Compound	Direction	Findings	Strongest evidence
cyanocob(III)alamin	up	1	Evidence strength: moderate. Human evidence with one recorded weakness, or capped at moderate by its design or by unread numbers.
finasteride	down	1	Evidence strength: moderate. Human evidence with one recorded weakness, or capped at moderate by its design or by unread numbers.
α-tocopherol	no effect	1	Evidence strength: moderate. Human evidence with one recorded weakness, or capped at moderate by its design or by unread numbers.
lycopene	down 1 · no effect 1	2	Evidence strength: limited. Human evidence with several recorded weaknesses, or a design that tops out at limited.
glucosamine	up	1	Evidence strength: limited. Human evidence with several recorded weaknesses, or a design that tops out at limited.
spironolactone	down	1	Evidence strength: very limited. Human evidence with major recorded weaknesses, or non-human, uncontrolled or unverified evidence.

Reported to move it

5 findings

cyanocob(III)alamin — increases
ModerateEvidence strength: moderate. Human evidence with one recorded weakness, or capped at moderate by its design or by unread numbers.Finding
“Vitamin B(12) and (in cohort studies) folate were associated with increased prostate cancer risk.”
Quoted verbatim from Circulating folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine, vitamin B12 transport proteins, and risk of prostate cancer: a case-control study, systematic review, and meta-analysis..
Study

meta-analysis
Population

Men in a nested case-control study (ProtecT, 1,461 cases and 1,507 controls) pooled with published studies; exposure is circulating B12 concentration
Circulating folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine, vitamin B12 transport proteins, and risk of prostate cancer: a case-control study, systematic review, and meta-analysis.2010PMID:20501771Permalink
finasteride — decreases
ModerateEvidence strength: moderate. Human evidence with one recorded weakness, or capped at moderate by its design or by unread numbers.Finding
“These results suggest that finasteride significantly reduces the risk of prostate cancer.”
Quoted verbatim from Association of finasteride with prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis..
Study

meta-analysis
Population

Men with benign prostatic hyperplasia in eight finasteride versus placebo studies (pooled, random-effects)
Association of finasteride with prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.2020PMID:32282699Permalink
lycopene — decreases
LimitedEvidence strength: limited. Human evidence with several recorded weaknesses, or a design that tops out at limited.Finding
“Participants in the highest quartile of lycopene intake displayed a significant 54% lower risk of prostate cancer compared to the lowest quartile (HR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.23–0.95, p-trend = 0.035) in the fully adjusted model (Table 2, Fig. 1).”
Quoted verbatim from Lycopene intake and prostate cancer risk in men at high cardiovascular risk: a prospective cohort study..
Study

cohort
Population

Men aged 55-80 years at high cardiovascular risk from the PREDIMED trial; highest versus lowest quartile of cumulative dietary lycopene intake, fully adjusted model
Effect 0.46 hazard ratio, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.95
Lycopene intake and prostate cancer risk in men at high cardiovascular risk: a prospective cohort study.2025PMID:41214650Permalink
glucosamine — increases
LimitedEvidence strength: limited. Human evidence with several recorded weaknesses, or a design that tops out at limited.Finding
“During a median of 12.5 years follow-up, glucosamine use was significantly associated with an increased risk of overall cancer [HR, 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01-1.06], skin cancer (HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.07-1.15), and prostate cancer (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01-1.13), and with a reduced risk of lung cancer (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.79-0.97) after adjusting for potential confounders.”
Quoted verbatim from Regular Glucosamine Use May Have Different Roles in the Risk of Site-Specific Cancers: Findings from a Large Prospective Cohort..
Study

cohort
Population

UK Biobank adults free of cancer at baseline, regular glucosamine users versus non-users
Effect 1.07 hazard ratio, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.13
Regular Glucosamine Use May Have Different Roles in the Risk of Site-Specific Cancers: Findings from a Large Prospective Cohort.2023PMID:36716122Permalink
spironolactone — decreases
Very limitedEvidence strength: very limited. Human evidence with major recorded weaknesses, or non-human, uncontrolled or unverified evidence.Finding
“There was an association between spironolactone use and decreased risk of prostate cancer (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.68-0.90; certainty of evidence very low).”
Quoted verbatim from Association of Spironolactone Use With Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis..
Study

meta-analysis
Population

Men and women aged 18 years and older ever exposed to spironolactone, pooled from seven observational studies
Effect 0.79 risk ratio, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.9
Association of Spironolactone Use With Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.2022PMID:35138351Permalink

Measured, no effect detected

2 findings

α-tocopherol — no detected effect on
ModerateEvidence strength: moderate. Human evidence with one recorded weakness, or capped at moderate by its design or by unread numbers.FindingNull result
“The association between dietary (RR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.92-1.02) and supplemental (RR = 0.99; 95% CI = 0.94-1.04) vitamin E intake on prostate cancer risk was non-significant.”
Quoted verbatim from Vitamin E Intake and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Meta-Analysis..
Study

meta-analysis
Population

Pooled observational and interventional studies of dietary and supplemental vitamin E intake and prostate cancer risk
Vitamin E Intake and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.2022PMID:36615673Permalink
lycopene — no detected effect on
InsufficientEvidence strength: insufficient. Mechanistic inference, no evidence found, or evidence weakened below very limited.FindingNull result
“There were no associations of lycopene with prostate cancer risk.”
Quoted verbatim from Serum lycopene concentration and prostate cancer risk: results from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial..
Study

case-control
Population

Men in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (nested case-control, biopsy-determined prostate cancer, 1,683 cases and 1,751 controls); serum lycopene as exposure, all Gleason grades
Serum lycopene concentration and prostate cancer risk: results from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial.2011PMID:21335507Permalink

How it is measured

Incident histologically confirmed prostate cancer diagnoses over the follow-up the source states.

Measured, not recorded

Subject: prostate cancer incidence
Measurements: 2 measurements
Recorded as a finding: No

Show what was measured

prostate cancer incidence
decreases
with an overall combined OR for the finasteride and placebo groups of 0.70 [0.51, 0.96]
PMID:32282699 · one of two readings recorded this
prostate cancer incidence
increases, n = 450207
glucosamine use was significantly associated with an increased risk of overall cancer [HR, 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01-1.06], skin cancer (HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.07-1.15), and prostate cancer (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01-1.13), and with a reduced risk of lung cancer (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.79-0.97)
PMID:36716122 · one of two readings recorded this

Sources cited

7 papers

Subject: prostate cancer incidence
Findings: 7
Papers: 7

Compound

Direction

Findings

Strongest evidence

down

no effect

down 1 · no effect 1

down

Measured, not recorded

Subject

prostate cancer incidence

Measurements

2 measurements

Recorded as a finding

Show what was measured

prostate cancer incidence
decreases
with an overall combined OR for the finasteride and placebo groups of 0.70 [0.51, 0.96]
PMID:32282699 · one of two readings recorded this
prostate cancer incidence
increases, n = 450207
glucosamine use was significantly associated with an increased risk of overall cancer [HR, 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01-1.06], skin cancer (HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.07-1.15), and prostate cancer (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01-1.13), and with a reduced risk of lung cancer (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.79-0.97)
PMID:36716122 · one of two readings recorded this