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.

Menopausal hormone therapy and central nervous system tumor risk: large UK prospective study and meta-analysis.

Abstract: Female sex hormones are thought to affect women’s risk of developing central nervous system (CNS) tumors. Some have reported an increased risk in users of menopausal hormone therapy (HT) but evidence is limited. In the UK General Practice Research Database we compared prospectively collected information on HT prescriptions in women aged 50–79 years with CNS tumors diagnosed in 1987–2011 with that in matched controls (four per case). Relative risks (RRs) in relation to prescribed HT were calculated overall and by CNS tumor subtype. Statistical tests are two-sided. For all CNS tumors (n 53,500), glioma (n 5689), meningioma (n 51,197), acoustic neuroma (n 5439), and pituitary tumors (n 5273) adjusted RRs for women prescribed HT versus not were, respectively, 1.21 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 51.10–1.32, p <0.0001), 1.14 (0.93– 1.40, p 50.2), 1.30 (1.11–1.51, p 50.001), 1.37 (1.06–1.75, p 50.01), and 1.35 (0.99–1.85, p 50.06). There was no significant difference in risk by tumor subtype (pheterogeneity 50.6). A meta-analysis was conducted, combining our results with those from other published studies with prospectively collected exposure information. The meta-analyses yielded significantly increased risks for all CNS tumors, glioma and meningioma in users of estrogen-only [1.35 (1.22–1.49), 1.23 (1.06–1.42) and 1.31 (1.20–1.43), respectively] but not estrogen-progestin HT [1.09 (0.99–1.19), 0.92 (0.78–1.08) and 1.05 (0.95–1.16), respectively]; these differences were statistically significant (p <0.005 for each tumor type). There was no significant difference between glioma and meningioma risk in users of estrogen-only HT. The totality of the available evidence suggests an increased risk of all CNS tumors (and of glioma and meningioma separately) in users of estrogen-only HT. Absolute excess risk (2 per 10,000 users over 5 years) is small. Use of some types of hormone therapy (HT) for the menopause has been associated with an increased risk of cancers of the breast, ovary, and endometrium and decreased risk of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. 1,2 Some, but not all, have reported an increase in the risk of certain central nervous system (CNS) tumors in HT users. 3–13 Evidence is limited by the lack of systematic reporting of findings for all CNS tumors combined, as well as by different tumor subtypes and by specific HT preparations. The findings for all CNS tumors combined are of public health relevance. Reliable assessment of the association between HT use and CNS tumors requires careful control of potential sources of appreciable bias, such as from selective participation or recall of HT use within studies. Differential reporting of HT use in studies where information was recorded retrospectively, i.e., after women had been diagnosed with CNS tumors, is an important source of such bias. To study the association between use of different types of HT and the risk of CNS tumors we used prospectively recorded prescribing information for HT in a case-control study nested within the population-based UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD). We studied all CNS tumors combined and separately tumors specified as glioma, meningioma, acoustic neuroma and pituitary tumors. We also conducted a meta-analysis combining our findings with those from other published studies with prospectively collected information on HT use.

Validation of the Oxford WebQ Online 24-Hour Dietary Questionnaire Using Biomarkers.

Abstract: Oxford WebQ is an online dietary questionnaire covering 24 hours, appropriate for repeated administration in large-scale prospective studies including UK Biobank and the Million Women Study. We compared performance of the Oxford WebQ and a traditional interviewer-administered multi-pass 24-hour recall against biomarkers for protein, potassium and total sugar intake, and total energy expenditure estimated by accelerometry. 160 participants were recruited between 2014 and 2016 in London, UK, and measured at 3 non-consecutive time-points. The measurement error model simultaneously compared all 3 methods. Attenuation factors for protein, potassium, sugars and total energy intake estimated by the mean of 2 Oxford WebQs were 0.37, 0.42, 0.45, and 0.31 respectively, with performance improving incrementally for the mean of more measures. Correlation between the mean of 2 Oxford WebQs and estimated true intakes, reflecting attenuation when intake is categorised or ranked, was 0.47, 0.39, 0.40, and 0.38 respectively, also improving with repeated administration. These were similar to the more administratively burdensome interviewer-based recall. Using objective biomarkers as the standard, Oxford WebQ performs well across key nutrients in comparison with more administratively burdensome interviewer-based 24-hour recalls. Attenuation improves when the average is taken over repeated administration, reducing measurement error bias in assessment of diet-disease associations.

A cross-sectional analysis of the associations between adult height, BMI and serum concentrations of IGF-I and IGFBP-1 -2 and -3 in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

Abstract: Background: Height and BMI are risk factors for several types of cancer and may be related to circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), a peptide associated with increased cancer risk.Aim: To assess the associations between height, BMI and serum concentrations of IGF-I and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-1, -2 and -3.Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 1142 men and 3589 women aged 32–77 years from the multi-centre study, the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).Results: In men, there was a positive association between height and IGF-I; each 10 cm increment in height was associated with an increase in IGF-I concentrations of 4.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3–7.5%, p for trend = 0.005), but this association was not statistically significant for women (0.9%, 95% CI: − 0.7 to 2.6%, p for trend = 0.264). In both men and women, the association between IGF-I and BMI was non-linear and those with a BMI of 26–27 kg/m2 had the highest...