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.

Source of dietary fibre and diverticular disease incidence: a prospective study of UK women

Abstract: Background Previous prospective studies have found the incidence of intestinal diverticular disease decreased with increasing intakes of dietary fibre, but associations by the fibre source are less well characterised. We assessed these associations in a large UK prospective study of middle-aged women. Methods and findings During 6 (SD 1) years followup of 690 075 women without known diverticular disease who had not changed their diet in the last 5 years, 17 325 were admitted to hospital or died with diverticular disease. Dietary fibre intake was assessed using a validated 40-item food questionnaire and remeasured 1 year later in 4265 randomly-selected women. Mean total dietary fibre intake at baseline was 13.8 (SD 5.0) g/day, of which 42% came from cereals, 22% from fruits, 19% from vegetables (not potatoes) and 15% from potatoes. The relative risk (95% CI) for diverticular disease per 5 g/day fibre intake was 0.86 (0.84 to 0.88). There was significant heterogeneity by the four main sources of fibre (p<0.0001), with relative risks, adjusted for each of the other sources of dietary fibre of 0.84 (0.81 to 0.88) per 5 g/day for cereal, 0.81 (0.77 to 0.86) per 5 g/day for fruit, 1.03 (0.93 to 1.14) per 5 g/day for vegetable and 1.04 (1.02 to 1.07) per 1 g/day for potato fibre. Conclusions A higher intake of dietary fibre is associated with a reduced risk of diverticular disease. The associations with diverticular disease appear to vary by fibre source, and the reasons for this variation are unclear.

Breast-feeding and childhood-onset type 1 diabetes: A pooled analysis of individual participant data from 43 observational studies

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To investigate if there is a reduced risk of type 1 diabetes in children breastfed or exclusively breastfed by performing a pooled analysis with adjustment for recognized confounders. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Relevant studies were identified from literature searches using MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EMBASE. Authors of relevant studies were asked to provide individual participant data or conduct prespecified analyses. Meta-analysis techniques were used to combine odds ratios (ORs) and investigate heterogeneity between studies. RESULTS Data were available from 43 studies including 9,874 patients with type 1 diabetes. Overall, there was a reduction in the risk of diabetes after exclusive breast-feeding for >2 weeks (20 studies; OR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.64–0.88), the association after exclusive breast-feeding for >3 months was weaker (30 studies; OR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.75–1.00), and no association was observed after (nonexclusive) breast-feeding for >2 weeks (28 studies; OR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.81–1.07) or >3 months (29 studies; OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.78–1.00). These associations were all subject to marked heterogeneity (I 2 = 58, 76, 54, and 68%, respectively). In studies with lower risk of bias, the reduced risk after exclusive breast-feeding for >2 weeks remained (12 studies; OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.75–0.99), and heterogeneity was reduced (I 2 = 0%). Adjustments for potential confounders altered these estimates very little. CONCLUSION The pooled analysis suggests weak protective associations between exclusive breast-feeding and type 1 diabetes risk. However, these findings are difficult to interpret because of the marked variation in effect and possible biases (particularly recall bias) inherent in the included studies.

Coffee, tea, tobacco, and cancer of the large bowel.

Abstract: The impact of tobacco use and coffee and tea intake on the risk of colorectal cancer is unclear. Previous research has suggested that coffee may be protective against these cancers, and investigation regarding tea or cigarette smoking has yielded inconsistent results. To clarify these issues, we evaluated coffee and tea intake and tobacco smoking as risk factors for cancer of the colon and rectum in a population-based case-control study from Stockholm, Sweden. Cases were ascertained from the regional cancer registry, and controls identified through population registers. Subjects completed a questionnaire requesting information regarding foods and beverages consumed, exercise, tobacco use, and personal characteristics. Logistic regression modelling was used to compute odds ratios. A total of 352 cases of colon cancer, 217 cases of rectal cancer, and 512 controls took part. High coffee intake was negatively associated with the risk of colon cancer: the odds ratio for those drinking 6 or more cups per day was 0.55 (95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.96) compared to those drinking one or fewer. There was no association with rectal cancer. For tea, the associations were the opposite: there was no association with colon cancer risk, but the odds ratio for rectal cancer was 0.56 (95% confidence interval, 0.34-0.90) for those drinking 2 or more cups per day compared with those drinking none. Smokers of 11 or more cigarettes per day had a 20 to 30% reduction in the risk of colon and rectal cancer, but these findings were consistent with chance. There was no association of long-term cigarette smoking with risk.

Breast cancer mortality rates are levelling off or beginning to decline in many western countries: analysis of time trends, age-cohort and age-period models of breast cancer mortality in 20 countries.

Abstract: Age-standardised mortality rates for breast cancer were examined for 20 countries in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand from 1950 to 1992 and age-birth cohort and age-period of death models were fitted to the data. Breast cancer mortality rates generally increased in the earlier decades, but more recently rates have levelled off or begun to decline in most countries. Only in 4 of the 20 countries studied, Belgium, Hungary, Poland and Spain, was there no evidence of a decline or leveling off or mortality in recent birth cohorts or in recent years. In the other countries the decline in mortality appeared to be in part due to birth cohort effects and in part due to period effects. The birth cohort effects were suggestive of a decline in breast cancer rates among women born after about 1920 and were evident in many countries especially Canada, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom and the United States. The decline in mortality in women born after 1920 appeared to be in part related to a reduction in childlessness and a reduction in age at first birth in those generations. As well as the birth cohort effects, there was some evidence of a recent overall decline in mortality rates in several countries, e.g. Austria, FRG, Greece and the UK, and this may be due to an increase in survival resulting from improved management and treatment of women with breast cancer.