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: Cancer & Population. The organization has 2989 authors who have published 9010 publications receiving 929752 citations. The organization is also known as: IARC.

Association of Leisure-Time Physical Activity With Risk of 26 Types of Cancer in 1.44 Million Adults

Abstract: Importance Leisure-time physical activity has been associated with lower risk of heart-disease and all-cause mortality, but its association with risk of cancer is not well understood. Objective To determine the association of leisure-time physical activity with incidence of common types of cancer and whether associations vary by body size and/or smoking. Design, Setting, and Participants We pooled data from 12 prospective US and European cohorts with self-reported physical activity (baseline, 1987-2004). We used multivariable Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals for associations of leisure-time physical activity with incidence of 26 types of cancer. Leisure-time physical activity levels were modeled as cohort-specific percentiles on a continuous basis and cohort-specific results were synthesized by random-effects meta-analysis. Hazard ratios for high vs low levels of activity are based on a comparison of risk at the 90th vs 10th percentiles of activity. The data analysis was performed from January 1, 2014, to June 1, 2015. Exposures Leisure-time physical activity of a moderate to vigorous intensity. Main Outcomes and Measures Incident cancer during follow-up. Results A total of 1.44 million participants (median [range] age, 59 [19-98] years; 57% female) and 186 932 cancers were included. High vs low levels of leisure-time physical activity were associated with lower risks of 13 cancers: esophageal adenocarcinoma (HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37-0.89), liver (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.55-0.98), lung (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.71-0.77), kidney (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.70-0.85), gastric cardia (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64-0.95), endometrial (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.68-0.92), myeloid leukemia (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70-0.92), myeloma (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.72-0.95), colon (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.77-0.91), head and neck (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.78-0.93), rectal (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.80-0.95), bladder (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.82-0.92), and breast (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.87-0.93). Body mass index adjustment modestly attenuated associations for several cancers, but 10 of 13 inverse associations remained statistically significant after this adjustment. Leisure-time physical activity was associated with higher risks of malignant melanoma (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.16-1.40) and prostate cancer (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.03-1.08). Associations were generally similar between overweight/obese and normal-weight individuals. Smoking status modified the association for lung cancer but not other smoking-related cancers. Conclusions and Relevance Leisure-time physical activity was associated with lower risks of many cancer types. Health care professionals counseling inactive adults should emphasize that most of these associations were evident regardless of body size or smoking history, supporting broad generalizability of findings.

Human papillomavirus type distribution in 30,848 invasive cervical cancers worldwide: Variation by geographical region, histological type and year of publication.

Abstract: Pooled data on human papillomavirus (HPV) type distribution in invasive cervical cancer (ICC) can help to predict the potential impact of HPV type-specific vaccines and screening tests, and to understand the carcinogenicity of HPV types. We performed a meta-analysis of HPV type-specific prevalence data published from 1990 to 2010, including a total of 243 studies and 30,848 ICC. The proportion of ICC associated with HPV16 and/or 18 (HPV16/18) was between 70 and 76% in all world regions except Asia. In Western/Central Asia, 82% of ICC was HPV16/18-associated compared to only 68% in Eastern Asia. The 12 most common HPV types identified, in order of decreasing prevalence, were HPV16 (57%), 18 (16%), 58, 33, 45, 31, 52, 35, 59, 39, 51 and 56. The prevalence of other types, phylogenetically related to those above, ranged from <0.1% for HPV85 to 0.6% for HPV68. Overall HPV prevalence increased significantly from 85.9% in studies published from 1990 to 1999 to 92.9% in studies published from 2006 to 2010. Prevalence increases were large for multiple infections (from 4.0 to 15.7%) and for HPV16 (from 51.8 to 60.0%, including HPV16 alone or in multiple infections). Smaller but significant increases in prevalence were also seen for HPV39, 53 and 58. A large amount of recently published data has improved the understanding of the contribution of a broad range of HPV types to ICC in different world regions. However, estimating the fraction of ICC attributable to different types is increasingly complicated by the detection of multiple HPV infections in ICC.

Cancer risk from occupational and environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Abstract: Epidemiologic evidence on the relationship between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and cancer is reviewed. High occupational exposure to PAHs occurs in several industries and occupations. Covered here are aluminum production, coal gasification, coke production, iron and steel foundries, tar distillation, shale oil extraction, wood impregnation, roofing, road paving, carbon black production, carbon electrode production, chimney sweeping, and calcium carbide production. In addition, workers exposed to diesel engine exhaust in the transport industry and in related occupations are exposed to PAHs and nitro-PAHs. Heavy exposure to PAHs entails a substantial risk of lung, skin, and bladder cancer, which is not likely to be due to other carcinogenic exposures present in the same industries. The lung seems to be the major target organ of PAH carcinogenicity and increased risk is present in most of the industries and occupations listed above. An increased risk of skin cancer follows high dermal exposure. An increase in bladder cancer risk is found mainly in industries with high exposure to PAHs from coal tars and pitches. Increased risks have been reported for other organs, namely the larynx and the kidney; the available evidence, however, is inconclusive. The results of studies addressing environmental PAH exposure are consistent with these conclusions.

The international incidence of childhood cancer

Abstract: The International Agency for Research on Cancer has coordinated a worldwide study of the incidence of cancer in childhood. Contributors from over 50 countries have provided data. This paper presents a summary of some of the major results. The incidence rates and relative frequencies of childhood cancers are described according to 12 diagnostic groups, defined mainly in terms of tumour morphology. Variations in the risk of those tumours between different countries and different ethnic groups provide important information on the relative importance of environmental and genetic factors in their aetiology.

Prevalence and type distribution of human papillomavirus in carcinoma and intraepithelial neoplasia of the vulva, vagina and anus: a meta-analysis.

Abstract: This meta-analysis investigated human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence in vulvar, vaginal and anal intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN, VAIN, AIN) grades 1-3 and carcinoma from 93 studies conducted in 4 continents and using PCR assays. Overall HPV prevalence was 67.8%, 85.3% and 40.4% among 90 VIN1, 1,061 VIN2/3 and 1,873 vulvar carcinomas; 100%, 90.1% and 69.9% among 107 VAIN1, 191 VAIN2/3 and 136 vaginal carcinomas; and 91.5%, 93.9% and 84.3% among 671 AIN1, 609 AIN2/3 and 955 anal carcinomas, respectively. HPV16 was found more frequently (>75%) and HPV18 less frequently (<10%) in HPV-positive vulvar, vaginal and anal carcinomas than in cervical carcinoma. HPV6 and 11 were common in VIN1 and AIN1, but not in VAIN1. HPV prevalence in vulvar carcinoma varied most by histological type (69.4% in warty-basaloid and 13.2% in keratinized type) and was also higher in women 60 years or younger and in studies carried out in North America. HPV prevalence in anal carcinoma was higher among women (90.8%) than men (74.9%), but no difference by gender emerged in North America. The majority of AIN2/3 derived from studies of HIV-positive individuals and/or men who have sex with men. Among AIN2/3, HIV infection was associated with higher HPV prevalence, more multiple-type infections and a relative under-representation of HPV16. In conclusion, approximately 40% of vulvar, 60% of vaginal and 80% of anal carcinoma may be avoided by prophylactic vaccines against HPV16/18. This proportion would be similar for the corresponding high-grade lesions of the vagina and anus, but higher for VIN2/3 (75%) than for vulvar carcinoma.