Cancer Epidemiology Unit

About: Cancer Epidemiology Unit is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 669 authors who have published 1725 publications receiving 93979 citations.

Variability of a peripheral dose among various linac geometries for second cancer risk assessment.

Abstract: Second cancer risk assessment for radiotherapy is controversial due to the large uncertainties of the dose–response relationship. This could be improved by a better assessment of the peripheral doses to healthy organs in future epidemiological studies. In this framework, we developed a simple Monte Carlo (MC) model of the Siemens Primus 6 MV linac for both open and wedged fields that we then validated with dose profiles measured in a water tank up to 30 cm from the central axis. The differences between the measured and calculated doses were comparable to other more complex MC models and never exceeded 50%. We then compared our simple MC model with the peripheral dose profiles of five different linacs with different collimation systems. We found that the peripheral dose between two linacs could differ up to a factor of 9 for small fields (5 × 5 cm2) and up to a factor of 10 for wedged fields. Considering that an uncertainty of 50% in dose estimation could be acceptable in the context of risk assessment, the MC model can be used as a generic model for large open fields (≥10 × 10 cm2) only. The uncertainties in peripheral doses should be considered in future epidemiological studies when designing the width of the dose bins to stratify the risk as a function of the dose.

Childhood leukaemia, nuclear sites, and population mixing

Abstract: The excess of childhood leukaemia (CL) in Seascale, near the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing site in rural NW England, suggested that an epidemic of an underlying infection, to which CL is a rare response, is promoted by marked population mixing (PM) in rural areas, in which the prevalence of susceptibles is higher than average. This hypothesis has been confirmed by 12 studies in non-radiation situations. Of the five established CL excesses near nuclear sites, four are associated with significant PM; in the fifth, the Krummel power station in Germany, the subject has not been thoroughly investigated.

Nutrient intake and ovarian cancer: an Italian case-control study.

Abstract: Objective: The role of selected macronutrients, cholesterol, and fatty acids in the etiology of epithelial ovarian cancer was analyzed using data from a case–control study carried out in five Italian areas between January 1992 and December 1999. Methods: Cases comprised 1031 women with incident, histologically confirmed epithelial ovarian cancer, admitted to the major teaching and general hospitals of the study areas. Controls comprised 2411 women admitted for acute, non-neoplastic conditions to the same network of hospitals. Information on dietary habits was elicited using a validated food-frequency questionnaire including 78 food groups and recipes. Odds ratios (OR) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed by subsequent quintiles of nutrient intake. Results: Direct associations with ovarian cancer emerged for starch intake (OR = 1.4 in the highest vs the lowest quintile of intake; 95% CI 1.1–1.8), while inverse associations emerged for monounsaturated (OR = 0.7; 95% CI 0.5–0.9), and polyunsaturated (OR = 0.7; 95% CI 0.5–0.9) fatty acids. Among fatty acids, oleic (OR = 0.7; 95% CI 0.5–0.9), linoleic (OR = 0.7; 95% CI 0.5–0.9), and linolenic (OR = 0.8; 95% CI 0.6–1.0) acids were inversely related to ovarian cancer. When, however, six macronutrients were included in the same model, only the adverse effect of high starch intake remained significant. Results were consistent in separate strata of menopausal status, parity, and energy intake. Conclusions: Starch was directly associated, and unsaturated fatty acids were inversely associated, with ovarian cancer risk.

Coffee drinking and bladder cancer in connecticut

Abstract: The association between coffee consumption and bladder cancer is investigated in a population-based case-control study carried out in Connecticut during 1978-1979. Measures of coffee consumption employed include total weekly cups, years of consumption, and more than seven cups per week, in addition to use frequencies of specific coffee types. After adjustment for age and cigarette smoking, a significant elevation in risk for consuming more than seven cups weekly was found for males (odds ratio = 1.5) but not for females (odds ratio = 1.0); there was also some evidence of a dose-response relationship in males. Among nonsmokers of both sexes combined, the odds ratio for more than seven cups per week was 1.9. Male smokers showed age- and smoking-adjusted odds ratios for coffee similar to those of male nonsmokers. Female smokers had a decreased risk for bladder cancer associated with increased coffee consumption which reflects the substantially lowered risk among older (65 years and over) smoking women who may constitute a selected resistant group; odds ratios among younger female smokers were close to 1.0. Males also showed elevated risks associated with consumption of regular (non-decaffeinated) and ground (noninstant) coffees. No relationship with duration of consumption was found.

Blood pressure and risk of cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

Abstract: Several studies have reported associations of hypertension with cancer, but not all results were conclusive. We examined the association of systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure with th ...