A 9-year follow-up study of participants and nonparticipants in sigmoidoscopy screening: importance of self-selection.

BACKGROUND: Self-selection may compromise cost-effectiveness of screening programs. We hypothesized that nonparticipants have generally higher morbidity and mortality than participants. METHODS: A Swedish population-based random sample of 1,986 subjects ages 59 to 61 years was invited to sigmoidoscopy screening and followed up for 9 years by means of multiple record linkages to health and population registers. Gender-adjusted cancer incidence rate ratio (IRR) and overall and disease group-specific and mortality rate ratio (MRR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated for nonparticipants relative to participants. Cancer and mortality rates were also estimated relative to the age-matched, gender-matched, and calendar period-matched Swedish population using standardized incidence ratios and standardized mortality ratios. RESULTS: Thirty-nine percent participated. The incidence of colorectal cancer (IRR, 2.2; 95% CI, 0.8-5.9), other gastrointestinal cancer (IRR, 2.7; 95% CI, 0.6-12.8), lung cancer (IRR, 2.2; 95% CI, 0.8-5.9), and smoking-related cancer overall (IRR, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.7-2.5) tended to be increased among nonparticipants relative to participants. Standardized incidence ratios for most of the studied cancers tended to be >1.0 among nonparticipants and <1.0 among participants. Mortality from all causes (MRR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.7-3.4), neoplastic diseases (MRR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1-3.5), gastrointestinal cancer (MRR, 4.7; 95% CI, 1.1-20.7), and circulatory diseases (MRR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.2-4.2) was significantly higher among nonparticipants than among participants. Standardized mortality ratio for the studied outcomes tended to be increased among nonparticipants and was generally decreased among participants. CONCLUSION: Individuals who might benefit most from screening are overrepresented among nonparticipants. This self-selection may attenuate the cost-effectiveness of screening programs on a population level.     

Educational inequality in cancer mortality: a record linkage study of over 35 million Italians

Purpose

Large studies are needed to evaluate socioeconomic inequality for site-specific cancer mortality. We conducted a longitudinal census-based national study to quantify the relative inequality in cancer mortality among educational levels in Italy.

Methods

We linked the 2011 Italian census with the 2012 and 2013 death registries. Educational inequality in overall cancer and site-specific cancer mortality were evaluated by computing the mortality rate ratio (MRR).

Results

A total of 35,708,445 subjects aged 30–74 years and 147,981 cancer deaths were registered. Compared to the lowest level of education (none or primary school), the MRR for all cancers in the highest level (university) was 0.57 (95% CI 0.55; 0.58) in men and 0.84 (95% CI 0.81; 0.87) in women. Higher education was associated with reduced risk of mortality from lip, oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, colon and liver in both sexes. Higher education (university) was associated with decreased risk of lung cancer in men (MRR: 0.43, 95% CI 0.41; 0.46), but not in women (MRR: 1.00, 95% CI 0.92; 1.10). Highly educated women had a reduced risk of mortality from cervical cancer than lower educated women (MRR: 0.39, 95% CI 0.27; 0.56), but they had a similar risk for breast cancer (MRR: 1.01, 95% CI 0.94; 1.09).

Conclusions

Education is inversely associated with total cancer mortality, and the association was stronger in men. Different patterns and trends in tobacco smoking in men and women account for at least most of the gender differences.

     

Breast cancer statistics, 2017, racial disparity in mortality by state

In this article, the American Cancer Society provides an overview of female breast cancer statistics in the United States, including data on incidence, mortality, survival, and screening. Approximately 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 40,610 breast cancer deaths are expected to occur among US women in 2017. From 2005 to 2014, overall breast cancer incidence rates increased among Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7% per year), non‐Hispanic black (NHB) (0.4% per year), and Hispanic (0.3% per year) women but were stable in non‐Hispanic white (NHW) and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women. The increasing trends were driven by increases in hormone receptor‐positive breast cancer, which increased among all racial/ethnic groups, whereas rates of hormone receptor‐negative breast cancers decreased. From 1989 to 2015, breast cancer death rates decreased by 39%, which translates to 322,600 averted breast cancer deaths in the United States. During 2006 to 2015, death rates decreased in all racial/ethnic groups, including AI/ANs. However, NHB women continued to have higher breast cancer death rates than NHW women, with rates 39% higher (mortality rate ratio [MRR], 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35‐1.43) in NHB women in 2015, although the disparity has ceased to widen since 2011. By state, excess death rates in black women ranged from 20% in Nevada (MRR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.01‐1.42) to 66% in Louisiana (MRR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.54, 1.79). Notably, breast cancer death rates were not significantly different in NHB and NHW women in 7 states, perhaps reflecting an elimination of disparities and/or a lack of statistical power. Improving access to care for all populations could eliminate the racial disparity in breast cancer mortality and accelerate the reduction in deaths from this malignancy nationwide. CA Cancer J Clin 2017;67:439‐448. © 2017 American Cancer Society.     

Adherence to the AICR cancer prevention recommendations and subsequent morbidity and mortality in the Iowa Women's Health Study cohort.

In 1997, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) published 14 recommendations related to diet for individuals to reduce cancer incidence on a global basis; smoking was also discouraged. We operationalized these into nine recommendations that are particularly relevant to western populations in a cohort of 29,564 women ages 55 to 69 years at baseline in 1986 who had no history of cancer or heart disease. The cohort was followed through 1998 for cancer incidence (n = 4,379), cancer mortality (n = 1,434), cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality (n = 1,124), and total mortality (n = 3,398). The median number (range) of recommendations followed was 4 (0-8), and 33% of the cohort had ever smoked. Women who followed no or one recommendation compared with six to nine recommendations were at an increased risk of cancer incidence [relative risk (RR) 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-1.58] and cancer mortality (RR 1.43, 95% CI 1.11-1.85), but there was no association with CVD mortality (RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.78-1.43). We calculated the population attributable risk (PAR) to estimate the proportion of cancer incidence, cancer mortality, and CVD mortality that theoretically would have been avoidable if the entire cohort had never smoked, had followed six to nine recommendations, or had done both. The PARs for smoking were 11% (95% CI 10-13) for cancer incidence, 21% (95% CI 17-24) for cancer mortality, and 20% (95% CI 16-23) for CVD mortality. The PARs for not following six to nine recommendations were 22% (95% CI 12-30) for cancer incidence, 11% (95% CI -5 to 24) for cancer mortality, and 4% (95% CI -20 to 19) for CVD mortality. When smoking and the operationalized AICR recommendations were combined together, the PARs were 31% (95% CI 19-37) for cancer incidence, 30% (95% CI 15-40) for cancer mortality, and 22% (95% CI 4-36) for CVD mortality. These data suggest that the adherence to the AICR recommendations, independently and in conjunction with not smoking, is likely to have a substantial public health impact on reducing cancer incidence and, to a lesser degree, cancer mortality at the population level.     

Mortality in women given diethylstilbestrol during pregnancy

We used Cox regression analyses to assess mortality outcomes in a combined cohort of 7675 women who received diethylstilbestrol (DES) through clinical trial participation or prenatal care. In the combined cohort, the RR for DES in relation to all-cause mortality was 1.06 (95% CI = 0.98-1.16), and 1.11 (95% CI = 1.02-1.21) after adjusting for covariates and omitting breast cancer deaths. The RR was 1.07 (95% CI = 0.94-1.23) for overall cancer mortality, and remained similar after adjusting for covariates and omitting breast cancer deaths. The RR was 1.27 (95% CI = 0.96-1.69) for DES and breast cancer, and 1.38 (95% CI=1.03-1.85) after covariate adjustment. The RR was 1.82 in trial participants and 1.12 in the prenatal care cohort, but the DES-cohort interaction was not significant (P = 0.15). Diethylstilbestrol did not increase mortality from gynaecologic cancers. In summary, diethylstilbestrol was associated with a slight but significant increase in all-cause mortality, but was not significantly associated with overall cancer or gynaecological cancer mortality. The association with breast cancer mortality was more evident in trial participants, who received high DES doses.     

Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking and Associated Factors among Male Citizens in Tehran,Iran

Background: Cigarette smoking is as the leading cause of cancer mortality and other chronic diseases in males worldwide. The prevalence of cigarette smoking is different across and within countries by age, education level, occupation, and so on. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cigarette smoking and its relationship with individuals' demographic factors and BMI in adolescent men living in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: This study involved secondary analysis of the 'Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool-2' survey conducted in Tehran, Iran, among men aged 20, 2011-2012. Using a multistage sampling method, 45,990 men were included in the study. The cigarette smoking status, BMI and demographic factors measured through a self-administered questionnaire. Chi-square, t-test, and logistic regression model were used to examine the relationships between the independents variables and cigarette smoking behavior, using SPSS software version 21. Results: In the total of 45,990 men, the overall prevalence of cigarette smoking was 14.6% (CI 95%: 14.29- 14.94). Age (OR=0.96; CI 95%:0.94-0.98), house ownership (OR=0.68; CI 95%: 0.64-0.72), job status (OR=0.60; CI 95%: 0.46-0.86), marital status (OR=0.42; CI 95%: 0.39-0.47) and educational levels (OR=0.50; CI95%: 0.45-0.54) were associated with the prevalence of cigarette smoking. However, associations with BMI, family size, residency years, and district were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Given the relatively high prevalence of cigarette smoking in the study population, policy interventions are required to address this major public health issue, with a focus on the population demographic influences.     

Effect of organized mammography screening on breast cancer mortality: A population-based cohort study in Norway

We aimed to estimate the effect of organized mammography screening on incidence-based breast cancer mortality by comparing changes in mortality among women eligible for screening to concurrent changes in younger and older ineligible women. In a county-wise balanced, open-cohort study, we used birth cohorts (1896–1982) to construct three age groups in both the historical and screening period: women eligible for screening, and younger or older women ineligible for screening. We included women diagnosed with breast cancer who died within the same age-period group during 1987–2010 (n = 4,903). We estimated relative incidence-based mortality rate ratios (relative MRR) comparing temporal changes in eligible women to concurrent changes in ineligible women. Additionally, we conducted analyses comparing the change in eligible women to younger, ineligible women with either continued accrual and follow-up period (eligible women only) or continued follow-up period. All three age groups experienced a reduction in mortality, but the decrease among eligible women was about the same among ineligible women (relative MRR = 1.05, 95% CI: (0.94–1.18)). Varying the definition of follow-up yielded similar results. Mammography screening was not associated with a larger breast cancer mortality reduction in women eligible relative to ineligible women.     

Organochlorine insecticides DDT and chlordane in relation to survival following breast cancer

Organochlorine insecticides have been studied extensively in relation to breast cancer incidence, and results from two meta‐analyses have been null for late‐life residues, possibly due to measurement error. Whether these compounds influence survival remains to be fully explored. We examined associations between organochlorine insecticides [p,p′‐DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), its primary metabolite, p,p′‐DDE, and chlordane] assessed shortly after diagnosis and survival among women with breast cancer. A population‐based sample of women diagnosed with a first primary invasive or in situ breast cancer in 1996–1997 and with available organochlorine blood measures (n = 633) were followed for vital status through 2011. After follow‐up of 5 and 15 years, we identified 55 and 189 deaths, of which 36 and 74, respectively, were breast cancer‐related. Using Cox regression models, we estimated the multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for lipid‐adjusted organochlorine concentrations with all‐cause and breast cancer‐specific mortality. At 5 years after diagnosis, the highest tertile of DDT concentration was associated with all‐cause (HR = 2.19; 95% CI: 1.02, 4.67) and breast cancer‐specific (HR = 2.72; 95% CI: 1.04, 7.13) mortality. At 15 years, middle tertile concentrations of DDT (HR = 1.42; 95% CI 0.99, 2.06) and chlordane (HR = 1.42; 95% CI: 0.94, 2.12) were modestly associated with all‐cause and breast cancer‐specific mortality. Third tertile DDE concentrations were inversely associated with 15‐year all‐cause mortality (HR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.99). This is the first population‐based study in the United States to show that DDT may adversely impact survival following breast cancer diagnosis. Further studies are warranted given the high breast cancer burden and the ubiquity of these chemicals.     

Additional diagnostic value of the monocyte to red blood cell count ratio and the product of lymphocyte count and albumin concentration in lung cancer management

The present study aimed to evaluate the potential of the monocyte to red blood cell count ratio (MRR), the neutrophil to red blood cell count ratio (NRR), the lymphocyte to red blood cell count ratio (LRR) and the product of lymphocyte count and albumin concentration (LA) for the diagnosis of lung cancer. The cases of 216 patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer and 184 healthy volunteers were retrospectively analysed. The MRR and NRR were found to be higher in patients with lung cancer compared with those in healthy controls, while the LRR and LA were lower. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that of the four markers, the MRR and LA yielded a higher area under the curve (AUC) (MRR: AUC, 0.810; 95% CI, 0.768-0.847; and LA: AUC, 0.721; 95% CI, 0.674-0.764). The combination of MRR, LA, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA21-1) achieved the highest diagnostic value when compared with other single or combined markers (AUC, 0.882; 95% CI, 0.846-0.912; sensitivity, 81.9%; specificity, 81.0%). As the disease progressed, the MRR tended to increase, while LA exhibited a decreasing trend. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed an increase in the MRR, as well as in CEA and CYFRA21-1 concentrations, and a decrease in the LA, which could all be possible risk factors for lung cancer. Differences in the MRR and LA between patients with early stage (IA-IIIA) lung cancer and healthy controls were observed. Further analysis revealed that the MRR also exhibited the potential to detect early stage (IA-IIIA) lung cancer in the model. The present findings demonstrated that the MRR and LA may be used as auxiliary biomarkers for the diagnosis of lung cancer and could partly indicate disease progression.     

Comparative analysis of breast cancer mortality following mammography screening in Denmark and Norway

BackgroundDenmark and Norway are the best countries to study effects of mammography screening, because they are the only countries with stepwise introduction of nationwide mammography screening, enabling comparative effectiveness studies of high quality. Although Denmark and Norway are countries with similar populations and health care systems, reported reductions in breast cancer mortality (incidence-based) caused by screening differed vastly; 25% in Denmark versus 10% in Norway. This study explores reasons for this difference.Patients and MethodsWe compared two published studies from the Danish and Norwegian screening programs (Olsen et al., 2005; Kalager et al., 2010) investigating biennial mammography screening for women age 50–69 years. Four comparison groups of women were constructed (‘current’ and ‘historical screening groups’; ‘current’ and ‘historical nonscreening groups’) based on county of residence. We calculated incidence-based breast cancer mortality in the current versus the historical period for screening and nonscreening groups, using mortality rate ratios (MRR) in the two countries, accounting for concomitant changes in breast cancer mortality.ResultsIn the screening groups, similar reductions in breast cancer mortality were found when periods preceding and following start of screening were compared, in Denmark [25%; MRR 0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64% to 0.88%] and in Norway (28%; MRR 0.72; 95% CI 0.63% to 0.81%). However, mortality increased in Denmark in the current nonscreening group compared with the historical nonscreening group; for women >59 years, breast cancer mortality increased by 14% (MRR 1.14, 95% CI 1.07–1.22), whereas in Norway a 19% reduction was seen (MRR 0.81, 95% CI 0.72–0.92). This increase accounts for the different relative effect of screening in Denmark and Norway; 25% breast cancer mortality reduction in Denmark, 10% in Norway.ConclusionsThe seemingly larger effect of screening in Denmark may not be solely attributable to screening itself, but to increased breast cancer mortality in women older than 59 years not invited to screening.     

Aromatase inhibitor versus tamoxifen in postmenopausal woman with advanced breast cancer: a literature-based meta-analysis

Clinical trials have reported conflicting results as to whether Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) as first-line hormonal therapy improve outcome over tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer. We performed a meta-analysis comparing primary and secondary endpoints of AIs to tamoxifen as first-line hormonal therapy in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer. The event-based odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were derived, and a test of heterogeneity was applied. Six eligible trials (2560 patients) were selected from 488 studies that initially were identified. A significant difference in favoring AIs over tamoxifen was observed in overall response rate (ORR; OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.17-2.07; P = .002) and clinical benefit (CB; OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.24-2.33; P = .0009).Whereas the trend toward an improved overall survival (OS) rate was not significant (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 0.88-4.30; P = .10).Toxicities did not differ significantly except vaginal bleeding (OR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.16-0.56; P = .0002) and thromboembolic event (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.28-0.77; P = .003). AIs appeared to be effective and feasible compared with tamoxifen as first-line hormonal therapy in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer. Further prospective, randomized, controlled trials will be necessary.     

Postdiagnosis dietary factors,supplement use and breast cancer prognosis: Global Cancer Update Programme (CUP Global) systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Little is known about how diet might influence breast cancer prognosis. The current systematic reviews and meta-analyses summarise the evidence on postdiagnosis dietary factors and breast cancer outcomes from randomised controlled trials and longitudinal observational studies. PubMed and Embase were searched through 31st October 2021. Random-effects linear dose-response meta-analysis was conducted when at least three studies with sufficient information were available. The quality of the evidence was evaluated by an independent Expert Panel. We identified 108 publications. No meta-analysis was conducted for dietary patterns, vegetables, wholegrains, fish, meat, and supplements due to few studies, often with insufficient data. Meta-analysis was only possible for all-cause mortality with dairy, isoflavone, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, alcohol intake and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), and for breast cancer-specific mortality with fruit, dairy, carbohydrate, protein, dietary fat, fibre, alcohol intake and serum 25(OH)D. The results, with few exceptions, were generally null. There was limited-suggestive evidence that predefined dietary patterns may reduce the risk of all-cause and other causes of death; that isoflavone intake reduces the risk of all-cause mortality (relative risk (RR) per 2 mg/day: 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.92-1.02), breast cancer-specific mortality (RR for high vs low: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.64-1.07), and recurrence (RR for high vs low: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.61-0.92); that dietary fibre intake decreases all-cause mortality (RR per 10 g/day: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.80-0.94); and that serum 25(OH)D is inversely associated with all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality (RR per 10 nmol/L: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.89-0.97 and 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.99, respectively). The remaining associations were graded as limited-no conclusion.     

Brain cancer mortality and potential occupational exposure to lead: findings from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study, 1979-1989

We evaluated the association between potential occupational lead exposure and the risk of brain cancer mortality in the National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS), which is a prospective census-based cohort study of mortality among the noninstitutionalized United States population (1979-1989). The present study was limited to individuals for whom occupation and industry were available (n = 317,968). Estimates of probability and intensity of lead exposure were assigned using a job-exposure matrix (JEM). Risk estimates for the impact of lead on brain cancer mortality were computed using standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and proportional hazards and Poisson regression techniques, adjusting for the effects of age, gender and several other covariates. Brain cancer mortality rates were greater among individuals in jobs potentially involving lead exposure as compared to those unexposed (age- and gender-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.9-2.3) with indications of an exposure-response trend (probability: low HR = 0.7 (95% CI = 0.2-2.2), medium HR = 1.4 (95% CI = 0.8-2.5), high HR = 2.2 (95% CI = 1.2-4.0); intensity: low HR = 1.2 (95% CI = 0.7-2.1), medium/high HR = 1.9 (95% CI = 1.0-3.4)). Brain cancer risk was greatest among individuals with the highest levels of probability and intensity (HR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.3-4.2). These findings provide further support for an association between occupational lead exposure and brain cancer mortality, but need to be interpreted cautiously due to the consideration of brain cancer as one disease entity and the absence of biological measures of lead exposure.     

Extended Adjuvant Therapy With Aromatase Inhibitors for Early Breast Cancer: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

BackgroundAromatase inhibitors (AIs) are widely used for early breast cancer, whereas the efficacy and safety of extended AI adjuvant therapy compared with shorter AI therapy, observation, or placebo remains controversial. We conducted a quantitative meta-analysis to summarize available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding the efficacy and safety of extended AI therapy for early breast cancer.Materials and MethodsWe systematically searched PubMed, EmBase, and the Cochrane library to select studies published through March 2018. Studies designed as RCTs and that investigated overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS) for extended AI and shorter AI therapy, observation, or placebo were included. Hazard ratio (HR) and relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were employed to pool analysis according to data type.ResultsWe identified 7 RCTs that involved 16,926 patients with early breast cancer. The summary HRs indicated that extended treatment with AIs was not associated with OS (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.82-1.10; P = .488), whereas it could significantly improve DFS as compared with shorter AI therapy, observation, or placebo (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.66-0.86; P < .001). Treatment with extended AIs significantly reduced contralateral breast cancer recurrence (RR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.34-0.64; P < .001), whereas it has no significant effect on distant metastatic recurrence (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.64-1.00; P = .055), and locoregional recurrence (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.53-1.08; P = .127). There were no significant differences between treatment with extended AIs and control for grade 3 or more adverse events.ConclusionExtended AI therapy could significantly improve DFS, especially for contralateral breast cancer recurrence. There were no significant differences between treatment with AIs and control for OS, distant metastatic and locoregional recurrence, and serious adverse events.     

Healthy lifestyle and cancer survival: A multinational cohort study

Lifestyle factors after a cancer diagnosis could influence the survival of cancer 60 survivors. To examine the independent and joint associations of healthy lifestyle factors with mortality outcomes among cancer survivors, four prospective cohorts (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES], National Health Interview Survey [NHIS], UK Biobank [UKB] and Kailuan study) across three countries. A healthy lifestyle score (HLS) was defined based on five common lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol drinking, diet, physical activity and body mass index) that related to cancer survival. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) for the associations of individual lifestyle factors and HLS with all-cause and cancer mortality among cancer survivors. During the follow-up period of 37,095 cancer survivors, 8927 all-cause mortality events were accrued in four cohorts and 4449 cancer death events were documented in the UK and US cohorts. Never smoking (adjusted HR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.69–0.86), light alcohol consumption (adjusted HR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.82–0.90), adequate physical activity (adjusted HR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.85–0.94), a healthy diet (adjusted HR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.61–0.78) and optimal BMI (adjusted HR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.85–0.93) were significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. In the joint analyses of HLS, the HR of all-cause and cancer mortality for cancer survivors with a favorable HLS (4 and 5 healthy lifestyle factors) were 0.55 (95% CI 0.42–0.64) and 0.57 (95% CI 0.44–0.72), respectively. This multicohort study of cancer survivors from the United States, the United Kingdom and China found that greater adherence to a healthy lifestyle might be beneficial in improving cancer prognosis.     

Cancer mortality after kidney transplantation: A multicenter cohort study in Italy

Kidney transplant (KT) recipients are known to be at risk of developing several cancer types; however, cancer mortality in this population is underinvestigated. Our study aimed to assess the risk of cancer death among Italian KT recipients compared to the corresponding general population. A cohort study was conducted among 7373 individuals who underwent KT between 2003 and 2020 in 17 Italian centers. Date and cause of death were retrieved until 31 December 2020. Indirect standardization was used to estimate standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Cancer was the most common cause of death among the 7373 KT recipients, constituting 32.4% of all deaths. A 1.8-fold excess mortality (95% CI: 1.59-2.09) was observed for all cancers combined. Lymphomas (SMR = 6.17, 95% CI: 3.81-9.25), kidney cancer (SMR = 5.44, 95% CI: 2.97-8.88) and skin melanoma (SMR = 3.19, 95% CI: 1.03-6.98) showed the highest excess death risks. In addition, SMRs were increased about 1.6 to 3.0 times for cancers of lung, breast, bladder and other hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues. As compared to the general population, relative cancer mortality risk remained significantly elevated in all age groups though it decreased with increasing age. A linear temporal increase in SMR over time was documented for all cancers combined (P < .01). Our study documented significantly higher risks of cancer death in KT recipients than in the corresponding general population. Such results support further investigation into the prevention and early detection of cancer in KT recipients.     

A cohort study of cancer mortality among Biology Research Laboratory workers in The Netherlands

OBJECTIVE: To examine cancer mortality among persons employed in biology research institutes. METHOD: A historical cohort study was undertaken in the Netherlands. The cohort, comprising 7307 laboratory workers employed by the four participating institutes between 1960 and 1992, was followed for mortality from 1960 to 1995 (median follow-up time 16.5 years). Causes of death were obtained for 98% of all deaths. Cancer mortality in the cohort was compared with that in the general population by computation of the standardized mortality ratio (SMR). The Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare cancer mortality among laboratory workers with that in an internal reference population consisting of unexposed research personnel (n = 2,404). RESULTS: All-cause mortality among laboratory workers was significantly lower than that in the general population. Total cancer mortality and lung cancer mortality were also significantly decreased (SMR = 0.8; 95% confidence interval CI = 0.7-0.9 and SMR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.6-0.9), respectively. However, when compared to the internal reference population, laboratory workers had a slightly increased cancer mortality (relative risk (RR) = 1.3 95% CI = 0.9-1.9). Among men, a 2.5-fold (95% CI = 1.0-6.3) increase of lung cancer mortality was observed which could not be explained by differences in smoking habits. Lung cancer mortality increased with longer follow-up. Results with regard to a priori defined fields of research showed significantly increased cancer mortality (in particular from lung cancer) for men working in genetics (RR = 3.8), virology (RR = 4.1) and plant physiology (RR = 2.1). CONCLUSION: Laboratory workers have a favorable cancer mortality pattern as compared to the general population. However, this favorable pattern disappears when a comparison is made with a control group of unexposed research personnel. The excess lung cancer mortality among male laboratory workers was concentrated in certain fields of research, which warrants further research to identify specific exposures related to the increased risk.     

Lung cancer mortality reduction by LDCT screening—Results from the randomized German LUSI trial

In 2011, the U.S. National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST) reported a 20% reduction of lung cancer mortality after regular screening by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), as compared to X-ray screening. The introduction of lung cancer screening programs in Europe awaits confirmation of these first findings from European trials that started in parallel with the NLST. The German Lung cancer Screening Intervention (LUSI) is a randomized trial among 4,052 long-term smokers, 50–69 years of age, recruited from the general population, comparing five annual rounds of LDCT screening (screening arm; n = 2,029 participants) with a control arm (n = 2,023) followed by annual postal questionnaire inquiries. Data on lung cancer incidence and mortality and vital status were collected from hospitals or office-based physicians, cancer registries, population registers and health offices. Over an average observation time of 8.8 years after randomization, the hazard ratio for lung cancer mortality was 0.74 (95% CI: 0.46–1.19; p = 0.21) among men and women combined. Modeling by sex, however showed a statistically significant reduction in lung cancer mortality among women (HR = 0.31 [95% CI: 0.10–0.96], p = 0.04), but not among men (HR = 0.94 [95% CI: 0.54–1.61], p = 0.81) screened by LDCT (p_{heterogeneity} = 0.09). Findings from LUSI are in line with those from other trials, including NLST, that suggest a stronger reduction of lung cancer mortality after LDCT screening among women as compared to men. This heterogeneity could be the result of different relative counts of lung tumor subtypes occurring in men and women.     

Cancer risk after radiotherapy for breast cancer

Among women with breast cancer, we compared the relative and absolute rates of subsequent cancers in 1541 women treated with radiotherapy (RT) to 4570 women not so treated (NRT), using all registered in the Swiss Vaud Cancer Registry in the period between 1978 and 1998, and followed up to December 2002. Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were based on age- and calendar year-specific incidence rates in the Vaud general population. There were 11 lung cancers in RT (SIR = 1.40; 95% CI: 0.70-2.51) and 17 in NRT women (SIR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.44-1.22), 72 contralateral breast cancers in RT (SIR = 1.85; 95% CI: 1.45-2.33) and 150 in NRT women (SIR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.16-1.61), and 90 other neoplasms in RT (SIR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.10-1.68) and 224 in NRT women (SIR = 1.05; 95% CI: 0.91-1.19). Overall, there were 173 second neoplasms in RT women (SIR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.32-1.78) and 391 among NRT women (SIR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02-1.25). The estimates were significantly heterogeneous. After 15 years, 20% of RT cases vs 16% of NRT cases had developed a second neoplasm. The appreciable excess risk of subsequent neoplasms after RT for breast cancer must be weighed against the approximately 5% reduction of breast cancer mortality at 15 years after RT.     

N-Acetyltransferase 2 Gene Polymorphisms are Associated with Susceptibility to Cancer: a Meta-analysis

N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) is a polymorphic enzyme that plays an important role in the metabolism ofvarious potential carcinogens. In recent years, a number of studies have been carried out to investigate therelationship between the rs1799930 and rs1799931 polymorphism in NAT2 and cancer risk in multiple populationsfor different types of cancer. However, the results were not consistent. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysisto further explore the relationship between NAT2 polymorphism and the risk of cancer. A total of 21 studiesinvolving 15, 450 subjects for rs1799930 and 13, 011 subjects for rs1799931 were included in this meta-analysis.Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess strength of associations. Wealso evaluated the publication bias and performed a sensitivity analysis. Overall, our results showed an apparentsignificant association between the NAT2 rs1799930 polymorphism and cancer susceptibility in Asians (GAvs. GG: OR=1.22, 95% CI=1.03-1.45; dominant model: OR=1.22, 95% CI=1.03-1.43) and population-basedcontrols (GA vs. GG: OR=1.10, 95% CI=1.01-1.19; dominant model: OR=1.09, 95% CI=1.01-1.18). In contrast,a significant association was observed between the NAT2 rs1799931 G>A polymorphism and decreased cancersusceptibility in overall meta-analysis (AA vs. GG: OR=0.55, 95% CI=0.33-0.93; GA vs. GG: OR=1.00, 95%CI=0.88-1.14; dominant model: OR=0.97, 95% CI=0.86-1.10; recessive model: OR=0.56, 95% CI=0.34-0.94)and the Asian group (AA vs. GG: OR=0.50, 95% CI=0.26-0.94; recessive model, OR=0.50, 95% CI=0.27-0.94).We found that the NAT2 rs1799930 may be a risk factor, while the NAT2 rs1799931 polymorphism is associatedwith a decreased risk of cancer and is likely a protective factor against cancer development.