Table 2.
Total or site-specific cancer incidence and cancer mortality in the Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study*
| Vitamin C |
Vitamin E |
Beta carotene |
|||||||
| No. of case subjects |
No. of case subjects |
No. of case subjects |
|||||||
| Incidence or mortality | Active | Placebo | RR (95% CI)† | Active | Placebo | RR (95% CI)† | Active | Placebo | RR (95% CI)† |
| Total cancer | 329 | 295 | 1.11 (0.95 to 1.30) | 300 | 324 | 0.93 (0.79 to 1.09) | 311 | 313 | 1.00 (0.85 to 1.17) |
| Breast | 135 | 122 | 1.11 (0.87 to 1.41) | 127 | 130 | 0.98 (0.77 to 1.25) | 129 | 128 | 1.01 (0.79 to 1.30) |
| Lung | 48 | 26 | 1.84 (1.14 to 2.97) | 41 | 33 | 1.25 (0.79 to 1.97) | 41 | 33 | 1.26 (0.80 to 1.99) |
| Colorectum | 19 | 25 | 0.76 (0.42 to 1.38) | 17 | 27 | 0.63 (0.34 to 1.15) | 25 | 19 | 1.32 (0.73 to 2.39) |
| Pancreas | 14 | 6 | 2.32 (0.89 to 6.04) | 10 | 10 | 1.00 (0.41 to 2.39) | 11 | 9 | 1.24 (0.51 to 2.99) |
| Uterine | 23 | 27 | 0.85 (0.49 to 1.49) | 20 | 30 | 0.67 (0.38 to 1.18) | 28 | 22 | 1.27 (0.73 to 2.23) |
| Ovary | 10 | 12 | 0.84 (0.36 to 1.93) | 8 | 14 | 0.58 (0.24 to 1.37) | 12 | 10 | 1.20 (0.52 to 2.78) |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 16 | 16 | 0.99 (0.50 to 1.99) | 14 | 18 | 0.77 (0.39 to 1.56) | 10 | 22 | 0.46 (0.22 to 0.97) |
| Other cancers‡ | 36 | 29 | 1.24 (0.76 to 2.02) | 33 | 32 | 1.03 (0.64 to 1.68) | 29 | 36 | 0.81 (0.50 to 1.33) |
| Cancer death | 99 | 77 | 1.28 (0.95 to 1.73) | 82 | 94 | 0.87 (0.65 to 1.17) | 80 | 96 | 0.84 (0.62 to 1.13) |
*
Hazard ratios are presented as relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
†
RR is the rate in the treatment group compared with the rate in the placebo group for each agent.
‡
Included cancers of the thyroid, melanoma, leukemia, kidney, and bladder, with the number of cases ranging between 10 and 20.