Dietary Nitrate and Nitrite Intake and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Survival

Abstract

Nitrate and nitrite are precursors in the formation of N-nitroso compounds. We recently found a 40% increased risk of NHL with higher dietary nitrite intake and significant increases in risk for follicular and T-cell lymphoma. It is possible that these compounds also affect NHL prognosis by enhancing cancer progression in addition to development by further impairing immune system function. To test the hypothesis that nitrate and nitrite intake affects NHL survival, we evaluated the association in study participants that have been followed post-disease diagnosis in a population-based case-control study among women in Connecticut. We did not observe a significant increasing trend of mortality for NHL overall or by subtype for nitrate or nitrite intake for deaths from NHL or death from any cause, although a borderline significant protective trend was observed for follicular lymphoma with increasing nitrate intake. We did not identify a difference in overall survival for nitrate (P = 0.39) or for nitrite (P = 0.66) or for NHL specific survival for nitrate (P = 0.96) or nitrite (P = 0.17). Thus, our null findings do not confer support for the possibility that dietary nitrate and nitrite intake impacts NHL survival by promoting immune unresponsiveness.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by Hull Argall and Anna Grant 22067A from the Yale Cancer Center, Grant CA62006 from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Intramural Research Program of the NCI, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Fogarty Training Grant 1D43TW008323-01 and 1D43TW007864-01 from the NIH. This publication was made possible by CTSA Grant UL1 RR024139 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the NIH, and NHL roadmap for medical research. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of NCRR. This research was approved by the DPH HIC. Certain data used in this study were obtained from the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The authors assume full responsibility for analyses and interpretation of these

data.

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