Potential risk factors for incident glioblastoma multiforme: the Honolulu Heart Program and Honolulu-Asia Aging Study

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common adult primary malignant brain tumor. Ninety percent of adult GBM patients die within 24 months after diagnosis. The etiology of GBM is unknown. The Honolulu Heart Program (HHP) and Honolulu-Asia Aging Study (HAAS) are prospective, cohort studies of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease based on 8,006 Japanese–American men followed since 1965. The Japan Hawaii Cancer Study provides data on incident cancer cases in the HHP/HAAS cohort. We used data from these studies to obtain epidemiologic information about GBM. GBM cases were identified by searching the 1965–1998 databases using International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) codes. Nine histologically confirmed GBM cases, 58–80 years old, were identified. The incidence rate was 6.2/100,000 person–years. Records of each case were reviewed. Selected variables from the first three examinations (1965–1968; 1968–1970; 1971–1974) were used to identify potential candidate GBM risk factors. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model showed sugar intake and occupational exposure to carbon tetrachloride were independently and significantly associated with development of GBM.