International Agency for Research on Cancer

About: International Agency for Research on Cancer is a government organization based out in Lyon, France. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 2989 authors who have published 9010 publications receiving 929752 citations. The organization is also known as: IARC.

Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology using mendelian randomisation (STROBE-MR): explanation and elaboration

Abstract: Mendelian randomisation (MR) studies allow a better understanding of the causal effects of modifiable exposures on health outcomes, but the published evidence is often hampered by inadequate reporting. Reporting guidelines help authors effectively communicate all critical information about what was done and what was found. STROBE-MR (strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology using mendelian randomisation) assists authors in reporting their MR research clearly and transparently. Adopting STROBE-MR should help readers, reviewers, and journal editors evaluate the quality of published MR studies. This article explains the 20 items of the STROBE-MR checklist, along with their meaning and rationale, using terms defined in a glossary. Examples of transparent reporting are used for each item to illustrate best practices.

Investigation of the fine structure of European populations with applications to disease association studies

Abstract: An investigation into fine-scale European population structure was carried out using high-density genetic variation on nearly 6000 individuals originating from across Europe. The individuals were collected as control samples and were genotyped with more than 300 000 SNPs in genome-wide association studies using the Illumina Infinium platform. A major East-West gradient from Russian (Moscow) samples to Spanish samples was identified as the first principal component (PC) of the genetic diversity. The second PC identified a North-South gradient from Norway and Sweden to Romania and Spain. Variation of frequencies at markers in three separate genomic regions, surrounding LCT, HLA and HERC2, were strongly associated with this gradient. The next 18 PCs also accounted for a significant proportion of genetic diversity observed in the sample. We present a method to predict the ethnic origin of samples by comparing the sample genotypes with those from a reference set of samples of known origin. These predictions can be performed using just summary information on the known samples, and individual genotype data are not required. We discuss issues raised by these data and analyses for association studies including the matching of case-only cohorts to appropriate pre-collected control samples for genome-wide association studies.

Carcinogenicity of drinking coffee, mate, and very hot beverages

Abstract: www.thelancet.com/oncology Published online June 15, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(16)30239-X 1 In May, 2016, a Working Group of 23 scientists from ten countries met at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, to evaluate the carcinogenicity of drinking coff ee, mate, and very hot beverages. These assessments will be published in volume 116 of the IARC Monographs. Coffee is one of the world’s most widely consumed beverages. It contains many diff erent compounds and its composition varies depending on how it is produced and prepared for drinking. After consumption, caff eine, chlorogenic acids, and other compounds contained in coffee are absorbed and distributed throughout the body. The carcinogenicity of coff ee drinking was last assessed by IARC in 1991. At that time coffee was classified as “possibly carcinogenic to humans“ (Group 2B) based on limited evidence of an association with cancer of the urinary bladder from case-control studies, and inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. However, there was also evidence suggesting a lack of carcinogenicity for cancers of the female breast and the large intestine. For this re-evaluation, a much larger database of more than 1000 observational and experimental studies was available. In assessing the accumulated epidemiological evidence, the current Working Group gave the greatest weight to well-conducted prospective cohort and population-based case-control studies that controlled adequately for important potential confounders, including tobacco and alcohol consumption. For bladder cancer, there was no consistent evidence of an association with drinking coffee, or of an exposure–response gradient from ten cohort studies and several population-based case-control studies in Europe, the USA, and Japan. In several studies, relative risks were increased in men but were null or decreased in women, consistent with residual confounding from smoking or occupational exposures among men. The Working Group concluded that positive associations reported in some studies could have been due to inadequate control for tobacco smoking, which can be strongly associated with heavy coff ee drinking. By contrast, for endometrial cancer, the fi ve largest cohort studies showed mostly inverse associations with coff ee drinking. These results were supported by the fi ndings of several case-control studies and a meta-analysis. Inverse associations with coff ee drinking were also observed in cohort and case-control studies of liver cancer in Asia, Europe, and North America. A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies estimated that the risk of liver cancer decreases 15% for each 1 cup per day increment. More than 40 cohort and case-control studies and a meta-analysis including nearly 1 million women consistently indicated either no association or a modest inverse association for cancer of the female breast and coffee drinking. Similarly, numerous cohort and case-control studies of cancers of the pancreas and prostate consistently indicated no association between these cancers and coffee drinking. Data were also available for more than 20 other cancers, including lung, colorectal, stomach, oesophageal, oral cavity, ovarian, and brain cancers, and childhood leukaemia. Although the volume of data for some of these cancers was substantial, the Working Group judged the evidence to be inadequate for all of the other cancers reviewed for reasons including inconsistency of findings across studies, inadequate control for potential confounding, potential for measurement error, selection bias or recall bias, or insuffi cient numbers of studies. The combination of evidence suggesting lack of carcinogenicity for cancers of the female breast, pancreas, prostate, uterine endometrium, and liver, with inverse associations for the latter two and inadequate evidence for all the other sites reviewed led to the conclusion that there is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of coff ee drinking. Coffee has been evaluated for carcinogenicity in several long-term studies in mice and rats, and has been tested for both tumour-promoting and cancer-preventing activity in a number of co-carcinogenicity studies in rats and hamsters. The Working Group concluded that these studies provided inadequate evidence in experimental animals for the carcinogenicity of coff ee. Coffee drinking exhibited strong antioxidant effects in studies in humans, including in randomised controlled trials. Results for genotoxicity from studies in humans were inconsistent, and coffee did not induce chromosomal damage in rodents. Nonetheless, coffee gave positive results in bacterial mutagenesis assays, but only without metabolic activation. Coff ee promoted apoptosis in human cancer cell lines. Moderate evidence of an association of coffee drinking with reduced risk of colorectal adenoma was noted. Coff ee has also been associated with benefi cial eff ects on liver fi brosis and cirrhosis. Overall coffee drinking was evaluated as unclassifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans (Group 3). Mate is an infusion made from dried leaves of Ilex paraguariensis. It is consumed mainly in South America and to a lesser extent in the Middle East, Europe, and North America. Mate is traditionally drunk very hot (>65°C), but it can also be consumed warm or cold. The carcinogenicity of mate was previously evaluated in 1991, when Carcinogenicity of drinking coff ee, mate, and very hot beverages

Oral hygiene, dentition, sexual habits and risk of oral cancer.

Abstract: In an Italian case-control study of oral cancer, number of missing teeth and other aspects of dental care were similar, but the general condition of the mouth, as indicated by gum bleeding, tartar deposits and mucosal irritation, was worse among oral cancer cases than controls. No differences were detected in sexual practices (including oral sex) and (previous) sexually transmitted infections. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign