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.

Development of a measurement tool to assess public awareness of cancer.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: We aimed to develop and validate a measurement tool to assess cancer awareness in the general population: the cancer awareness measure (CAM).METHODS: Items assessing awareness of cancer warning signs, risk factors, incidence, screening programmes and attitudes towards help seeking were extracted from the literature or generated by expert groups. To determine reliability, the CAM was administered to a university participant panel (n = 148), with a sub-sample (n = 94) completing it again 2 weeks later. To establish construct validity, CAM scores of cancer experts (n = 12) were compared with those of non-medical academics (n = 21). Finally, university students (n = 49) were randomly assigned to read either a cancer information leaflet or a leaflet with control information before completing the measure, to ensure the CAM was sensitive to change.RESULTS: Cognitive interviewing indicated that the CAM was being interpreted as intended. Internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.81) were high. Scores for cancer experts were significantly higher than those for non-medical academics (t(31) 6.8, P < 0.001). CAM scores were higher among students who received an intervention leaflet than the control leaflet (t(47) 4.8, P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS: These studies show the psychometric properties of the CAM and support its validity as a measure of cancer awareness in the general population. British Journal of Cancer (2009) 101, S13-S17. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6605385 www.bjcancer.com (C) 2009 Cancer Research UK

Diet and risk of gastric cancer. A population-based case-control study in Sweden.

Abstract: A case-control study to evaluate risk factors of gastric cancer was carried out in areas with contrasting incidence rates in Sweden. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 338 of 456 eligible histologically confirmed gastric-cancer cases and 669 of 880 eligible control subjects, sampled from population registers and frequency-matched by age and gender. We focused on 2 periods, adolescence and 20 years prior to interview. The association of gastric-cancer risk with dietary habits during adolescence were similar to that found for the period 20 years before interview; high consumption of wholemeal bread, fruit and vegetables was associated with reduced gastric-cancer risk. In addition, cheese, fish and tea had a protective effect during adolescence. Increased gastric-cancer risk was related to whole-milk consumption, but this association decreased substantially in a multivariate analysis including vegetables. There was a positive relationship between gastric-cancer risk and the age at which the interviewees started using refrigerators. This population-based study confirmed the protective effect of a high consumption of vegetables and fruit in the development of gastric cancer, but failed to find any association between intake of meat, sausage, cold cuts, liver, salt, coffee, the habit of frying, smoking or grilling foods, and risk of gastric cancer.

Trends in mortality from suicide, 1965-99.

Abstract: Objective: To analyse trends in mortality from suicide over the period 1965–99. Method: Data were derived from the WHO database, including data for 47 countries. Results: In the European Union (EU), all age suicide mortality peaked at 16.1/100 000 in men in 1980–84, and declined thereafter to 14.4/100 000 in 1995–98. In females, the fall was 29% to reach 4.6/100 000. A similar pattern of trends was observed in several eastern European countries. In contrast, mortality from suicide rose substantially in the Russian Federation, from 37.7/100 000 in males in 1985–89 to 58.3/100 000 in 1995–98 (+55%), and to 9.5/100 000 (+12%) in females. In the USA and most other American countries providing data, no consistent pattern was evident for males, but falls were observed in females. Steady declines were registered for Japan, starting from the highest suicide rates worldwide in the late 1950s. Suicide rates were upwards in Ireland, Italy, Spain, the UK, Cuba, Australia and New Zealand. Substantial rises were observed in a few countries (Ireland, Cuba, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand) for young males. Conclusion: In spite of mixed trends, suicide remains a significant public health problem worldwide.

Validation of a multidimensional evaluation scale for use in elderly cancer patients.

Abstract: BACKGROUND Although aging is one of the most important risk factors for cancer, elderly patients tend to be excluded from cancer clinical trials, only on the basis of chronologic age. Performance Status (PS) has been used widely to select adult patients for entry into clinical trials, but it does not include a comprehensive evaluation of various age-related factors in the elderly. This study was designed to assess the reliability and validity of a multidimensional geriatric assessment protocol for elderly patients with cancer. METHODS Thirty consecutive elderly patients (;ce 65 years), diagnosed with hematologic neoplasia or solid tumors and undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, were given a specifically structured multidimensional questionnaire (MACE) three times during one week by two different physicians. MACE was intended to collect information on demographics, socioeconomic status, cognitive status, depression, physical performance, disability, and tumor characteristics. In parallel with MACE, information was collected by means of the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). RESULTS Both for inter-rater and test-retest reliability, the values of the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were generally higher than 0.7. Disability, cognitive status, depressive symptoms, and the number of days spent in bed sick in the last two weeks were markedly correlated with the global, physical, and social SIP score. Disability alone explained 70% of the variance in the SIP global score, 83% of the variance in the SIP physical score, and 45% of the variance in the SIP psychosocial score. MACE proved to be applicable in a reasonable amount of time (around 30 minutes) for a medical oncology ward. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that this structured evaluation of functional status is feasible and reliable. MACE is therefore proposed as a clinical research tool to avoid arbitrary decisions on patient selection for enrollment in clinical trials, to favor uniform monitoring of treatment, and to allow a better comparison of results.Cancer 1996;77:395-401.