scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Author

Kurt Straif

Bio: Kurt Straif is an academic researcher from International Agency for Research on Cancer. The author has contributed to research in topics: Lung cancer & Population. The author has an hindex of 73, co-authored 235 publications receiving 38670 citations.
Topics: Lung cancer, Population, Cancer, Medicine, Odds ratio


Papers
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Mohsen Naghavi1, Haidong Wang1, Rafael Lozano1, Adrian Davis2  +728 moreInstitutions (294)
TL;DR: In the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 (GBD 2013) as discussed by the authors, the authors used the GBD 2010 methods with some refinements to improve accuracy applied to an updated database of vital registration, survey, and census data.

5,792 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor study 2013 (GBD 2013) as discussed by the authors provides a timely opportunity to update the comparative risk assessment with new data for exposure, relative risks, and evidence on the appropriate counterfactual risk distribution.

5,668 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the carcinogenicity of the biological agents classifi ed as "carcinogenic to humans" (Group 1) and to identify additional tumour sites and mechanisms of carcinogenesis (tables 1 and 2).
Abstract: In February, 2009, 36 scientists from 16 countries met at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to reassess the carcinogenicity of the biological agents classifi ed as “carcinogenic to humans” (Group 1) and to identify additional tumour sites and mechanisms of carcinogenesis (tables 1 and 2). These assessments will be published as part B of Volume 100 of the IARC Monographs. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infect, res pectively, over 300 million and 170 million people worldwide, mainly in Asia and Africa. Chronic infection with these viruses is known to cause hepatocellular carcinoma. Suffi cient evidence is available to conclude that chronic infection with HCV can also cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma, especially B-cell lymphoma. In an inter vention study, patients with HCV infection and splenic lymphoma who were given the antiviral agent, interferon, showed regression of the lymphoma. Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infects almost everyone and causes several types of cancer, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma, one of the most common cancers in southeastern Asia, and Burkitt’s lymphoma in children in Africa. New evidence points to a role for EBV in 5–10% of gastric carcinomas worldwide. EBV-positive gastric carcinoma develops early in life and has distinct histopathology, therefore it might belong to a separate clinical entity. In this subset of gastric tumours, presence of the viral genome in a monoclonal form and expression of EBV-transforming proteins are strong evidence for the involvement of EBV. Data from 22 cohort studies and 80 case–control studies show an association between Kaposi’s sarcoma herpes virus (KSHV) and Kaposi’s sarcoma, with relative risks higher than 10. Most studies are of transplant recipients and people infected with HIV-1. In both patients who are and are not infected with HIV-1, risk of Kaposi’s sarcoma increases relative to increasing titre of antibodies directed against KSHV, which are markers of the viral load. Evidence is suffi cient to show that KSHV causes primary eff usion lymphoma, a rare subgroup of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Mechanistic data support an oncogenic role for KSHV in Kaposi’s sarcoma and in primary eff usion lymphoma—in individuals who are immunocompromised and in those apparently immunocompetent. KSHV is also associated with multicentric Castleman’s disease. Individuals who are infected with HIV-1 have a high risk of cancer. HIV-1 infection, mainly through immunosuppression, leads to increased replication of oncogenic viruses such as EBV and KSHV. Although antiretroviral therapy lowers the risk of many cancers associated with HIV-1, risks remain high. Cervical cancer is caused by types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that belong to a few phylogenetically related “high-risk” species (alpha-5, 6, 7, 9, 11) of the mucosotropic alpha genus. The types found most frequently in cervical cancer (HPV-16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45, 52, 58) and four types less constantly found (HPV-39, 51, 56, 59) were classifi ed in

2,349 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The International Agency for Research on Cancer convened a workshop on the relationship between body fatness and cancer, from which an IARC handbook on the topic will appear.
Abstract: The International Agency for Research on Cancer convened a workshop on the relationship between body fatness and cancer, from which an IARC handbook on the topic will appear. An executive summary of the evidence is presented.

1,858 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor study 2013 (GBD 2013) as mentioned in this paper provides a timely opportunity to update the comparative risk assessment with new data for exposure, relative risks, and evidence on the appropriate counterfactual risk distribution.

1,656 citations


Cited by
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A substantial proportion of the worldwide burden of cancer could be prevented through the application of existing cancer control knowledge and by implementing programs for tobacco control, vaccination, and early detection and treatment, as well as public health campaigns promoting physical activity and a healthier dietary intake.
Abstract: The global burden of cancer continues to increase largely because of the aging and growth of the world population alongside an increasing adoption of cancer-causing behaviors, particularly smoking, in economically developing countries. Based on the GLOBOCAN 2008 estimates, about 12.7 million cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths are estimated to have occurred in 2008; of these, 56% of the cases and 64% of the deaths occurred in the economically developing world. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among females, accounting for 23% of the total cancer cases and 14% of the cancer deaths. Lung cancer is the leading cancer site in males, comprising 17% of the total new cancer cases and 23% of the total cancer deaths. Breast cancer is now also the leading cause of cancer death among females in economically developing countries, a shift from the previous decade during which the most common cause of cancer death was cervical cancer. Further, the mortality burden for lung cancer among females in developing countries is as high as the burden for cervical cancer, with each accounting for 11% of the total female cancer deaths. Although overall cancer incidence rates in the developing world are half those seen in the developed world in both sexes, the overall cancer mortality rates are generally similar. Cancer survival tends to be poorer in developing countries, most likely because of a combination of a late stage at diagnosis and limited access to timely and standard treatment. A substantial proportion of the worldwide burden of cancer could be prevented through the application of existing cancer control knowledge and by implementing programs for tobacco control, vaccination (for liver and cervical cancers), and early detection and treatment, as well as public health campaigns promoting physical activity and a healthier dietary intake. Clinicians, public health professionals, and policy makers can play an active role in accelerating the application of such interventions globally.

52,293 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A substantial portion of cancer cases and deaths could be prevented by broadly applying effective prevention measures, such as tobacco control, vaccination, and the use of early detection tests.
Abstract: Cancer constitutes an enormous burden on society in more and less economically developed countries alike. The occurrence of cancer is increasing because of the growth and aging of the population, as well as an increasing prevalence of established risk factors such as smoking, overweight, physical inactivity, and changing reproductive patterns associated with urbanization and economic development. Based on GLOBOCAN estimates, about 14.1 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million deaths occurred in 2012 worldwide. Over the years, the burden has shifted to less developed countries, which currently account for about 57% of cases and 65% of cancer deaths worldwide. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among males in both more and less developed countries, and has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death among females in more developed countries; breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among females in less developed countries. Other leading causes of cancer death in more developed countries include colorectal cancer among males and females and prostate cancer among males. In less developed countries, liver and stomach cancer among males and cervical cancer among females are also leading causes of cancer death. Although incidence rates for all cancers combined are nearly twice as high in more developed than in less developed countries in both males and females, mortality rates are only 8% to 15% higher in more developed countries. This disparity reflects regional differences in the mix of cancers, which is affected by risk factors and detection practices, and/or the availability of treatment. Risk factors associated with the leading causes of cancer death include tobacco use (lung, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancer), overweight/obesity and physical inactivity (breast and colorectal cancer), and infection (liver, stomach, and cervical cancer). A substantial portion of cancer cases and deaths could be prevented by broadly applying effective prevention measures, such as tobacco control, vaccination, and the use of early detection tests.

23,203 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This timely monograph is a distillation of knowledge of hepatitis B, C and D, based on a review of 1000 studies by a small group of scientists, and it is concluded that hepatitis D virus cannot be classified as a human carcinogen.
Abstract: Viral hepatitis in all its forms is a major public health problem throughout the world, affecting several hundreds of millions of people. Viral hepatitis is a cause of considerable morbidity and mortality both from acute infection and chronic sequelae which include, in the case of hepatitis B, C and D, chronic active hepatitis and cirrhosis. Hepatocellular carcinoma, which is one of the 10 commonest cancers worldwide, is closely associated with hepatitis B and, at least in some regions of the world, with hepatitis C virus. This timely monograph is a distillation of knowledge of hepatitis B, C and D, based on a review of 1000 studies by a small group of scientists. (It is interesting to note in passing that some 5000 papers on viral hepatitis are published annually in the world literature.) The epidemiological, clinical and experimental data on the association between infection with hepatitis B virus and primary liver cancer in humans are reviewed in a readable and succinct format. The available information on hepatitis C and progression to chronic infection is also evaluated and it is concluded (perhaps a little prematurely) that hepatitis C virus is carcinogenic. However, it is concluded that hepatitis D virus, an unusual virus with a number of similarities to certain plant viral satellites and viroids, cannot be classified as a human carcinogen. There are some minor criticisms: there are few illustrations and some complex tabulations (for example, Table 6) and no subject index. A cumulative cross index to IARC Monographs is of little value and occupies nearly 30 pages. This small volume is a useful addition to the overwhelming literature on viral hepatitis, and the presentation is similar to the excellent World Health Organisation Technical Reports series on the subject published in the past. It is strongly recommended as a readable up-to-date summary of a complex subject; and at a cost of 65 Sw.fr (approximately £34) is excellent value. A J ZUCKERMAN

11,533 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) provides a comprehensive assessment of prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 328 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016.

10,401 citations