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Biomedical subjects

C Herbert

Publications and source records attributed to C Herbert.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Colorectal cancer after a negative Haemoccult II test and programme sensitivity after a first round of screening: the experience of the Department of Calvados (France).

Colorectal cancers emerging after a negative Haemoccult II are described in the context of a first round of mass screening in the Department of Calvados (France), from April 1991 to the end of December 1994. People with a cancer occurring after a negative test until 31 December 1995 were identified by a local cancer registry. Incidence was calculated and the programme sensitivity was estimated. The incidence of cancer emerging after a negative test was 57.7 per 100000, i.e. half of the calculated incidence in the reference group (141.6 per 100000). These cancers did not differ from those of either the non-responder or reference groups, in particular for the stage of extension. The programme sensitivity was globally higher than that estimated in European trials: 77.2, 66.3 and 55.9%, 1, 2 and 3 years after the test respectively. Programme sensitivity was higher for distal colon cancer 1 year after the test, which is probably due to the relatively slow growth of this subsite.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Evidence of improving survival of patients with rectal cancer in france: a population based study.

BACKGROUND: Over the past 20 years there have been many changes in the management of rectal cancer. Their impact on the overall population is not well known. AIMS: To determine trends in management and prognosis of rectal cancer in two French regions. SUBJECTS: 1978 patients with a rectal carcinoma diagnosed between 1978 and 1993. METHODS: Time trends in treatment, stage at diagnosis, operative mortality, and survival were studied on a four year basis. A non-conditional logistic regression was performed to obtain an odds ratio for each period adjusted for the other variables. To estimate the independent effect of the period a multivariate relative survival analysis was performed. RESULTS: Over the 16 year period resection rates increased from 66.0% to 80.1%; the increase was particularly noticeable for sphincter saving procedures (+30.6% per four years, p=0.03). The percentage of patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy increased from 24.0% to 40.0% (p=0.02). The proportion of patients with Dukes' type A cancer increased from 17. 7% to 30.6% with a corresponding decrease in those with more advanced disease. Operative mortality decreased by 31.1% per four years (p=0.03). All these improvements have resulted in a dramatic increase in relative survival (from 35.4% for the 1978-1981 period to 57.0% for the 1985-1989 period). CONCLUSIONS: Substantial advances in the management of rectal cancer have been achieved, but there is evidence that further improvements can be made in order to increase survival.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Reporting of resected colonic carcinomas. Assessment of practices in 8 French counties in 1995].

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this work was to study the reporting of resected colonic carcinomas and to compare them with Consensus Guidelines published in January 1998. METHODS: The study included 535 colonic carcinomas collected in 8 French registries in 1995, and chosen by drawing lots. For each report, the presence of the information requested by the Guidelines was looked for. Three synthetic variables were built: 2 scores and one qualitative at 2 classes. The influence of patients, tumour and health care system's characteristics was analysed on the 3 dependent variables. RESULTS: Some important variations were observed for information's percents in reporting. In monovariate analysis, scores were significantly influenced by cancer's sub-location, area of patient's residence, surgical center, type of laboratories and pathologist case volume. In multivariate analysis, significant heterogeneity in practices remained between geographical areas. Types of laboratories and pathologist case volume affected differently dependent variables. CONCLUSION: This study shows the necessity to assess the practices before consensus because of the impact of pathological forms in therapeutic decisions and variations observed.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

[Organized screening of colorectal cancer in France. System of care and professional logistics].

The preservation or the amelioration of the health of individuals and populations does not only depend on the activity of the medical profession. It largely depends on public health policies. Screening for cancers illustrates how difficult it is to organise an action of public health within a health care system of liberal tradition in France. Through the example of screening for colorectal cancer, this article proposes to identify the mechanisms by which the system of health care determines the methods of organisation of mass cancer screenings. Through interviews carried out among the organisers of five colorectal cancer screening campaigns, we identified three models on which French screening campaigns are based: an administrative model, a medical model and a mixed model. Each of these models represents a different adaptation of the organisation of mass screening to the health care system in place in France. The interests of the concerned professional groups confront each other and the collective interest. It seems that to integrate such an approach to public health in a system dominated by payment per act is doomed to fail. Today, France can no longer avoid a modification of its health care system and of its nomenclature if it wants to improve the feasibility of cancer screening programmes and increase their chance of success.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1997

Social environment and prognosis of colorectal cancer patients: a French population-based study.

Colorectal cancer is a major public health problem in industrialised countries. Several studies have shown that social environment influences survival in cancer patients in many countries, but the causes remain unknown. In France, very little work has been done in this area. Our aim was to assess whether social environment influences survival of colorectal cancer patients in a well-defined French population and, if so, to what extent this could be explained by differences in stage at diagnosis or in treatment. The study population consisted of 1,642 colorectal cancer patients diagnosed between 1978 and 1987 in the French department of Calvados. Socio-demographic characteristics were assessed in terms of socio-professional category, place of residence (urban vs. rural) and distance from the place of residence to a specialised health-care centre. The relation between social environment, clinical factors and survival was studied using 2 multivariate methods (Cox model and relative survival method). Patients with poorer prognosis were found to be farmers of both sexes and individuals without occupation among males. Differences in survival were not explained entirely even when variations in stage at diagnosis and in treatment were taken into account.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1997

The nucleotide sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome XIV and its evolutionary implications.

In 1992 we started assembling an ordered library of cosmid clones from chromosome XIV of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. At that time, only 49 genes were known to be located on this chromosome and we estimated that 80% to 90% of its genes were yet to be discovered. In 1993, a team of 20 European laboratories began the systematic sequence analysis of chromosome XIV. The completed and intensively checked final sequence of 784,328 base pairs was released in April, 1996. Substantial parts had been published before or had previously been made available on request. The sequence contained 419 known or presumptive protein-coding genes, including two pseudogenes and three retrotransposons, 14 tRNA genes, and three small nuclear RNA genes. For 116 (30%) protein-coding sequences, one or more structural homologues were identified elsewhere in the yeast genome. Half of them belong to duplicated groups of 6-14 loosely linked genes, in most cases with conserved gene order and orientation (relaxed interchromosomal synteny). We have considered the possible evolutionary origins of this unexpected feature of yeast genome organization.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Factors affecting compliance with colorectal cancer screening in France: differences between intention to participate and actual participation.

This study aimed to identify the social, cultural and psychological characteristics influencing behaviour in a cancer mass screening campaign in a French population. The intention to take a screening test and actually doing it was studied, in particular. A self reported-questionnaire was mailed in December 1992 to a random sample of people living in Caen (western France), and aged from 45-74 years. The sample was formed by random selection from electoral registers. The study was population based, in the Caen area, department of Calvados, France. The questionnaire comprised 26 open and close questions. Starting in February 1993, the occult blood screening test (haemoccult IIR) for colorectal cancer was offered by general practitioners (GPs), occupational health doctors and pharmacists in the Caen area to all those aged 45-74 years. From 1 February 1993 to 30 June 1994, the data on the mass screening campaign were centralized and the study population divided into those who took the screening test and those who did not. Of the 1,129 persons contacted, 645 (57.1%) returned the questionnaire. After exclusions, 585 questionnaires were used for analysis. The results show that whether a person will actually take a screening test cannot be predicted from their intention to do so. The sociodemographic and cultural characteristics influencing the intention to take the test differ from those influencing execution of the test. Among the variables tested here, the following four sociodemographic and cultural characteristics were independently predictive of actually taking the screening test for colorectal cancer: compliance with the health insurer's advice; low or medium sociodemographic status, living with a partner (or widowhood); and not knowing someone with cancer. The analysis of the quantitative and qualitative differences between the intention to take the test and actually doing it could elucidate the reasons underlying refusal. Poor screening compliance has multiple causes. A record of intention to take a screening test alone is not appropriate. This type of study should no longer be carried out to determine the mechanisms underlying behaviour towards secondary prevention.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1997

Early at-risk alcohol intake. Definitions and physicians' role in modifying behaviour.

OBJECTIVE: To learn from a sample of general practitioners and their patients how they define early at-risk alcohol intake and what they perceive the physician's role in helping patients with early at-risk alcohol intake to be. DESIGN: Survey questionnaire. SETTING: Family practices in Kamloops, BC, and the Department of Family Practice at Vancouver General Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-one family physicians and 860 of their patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic variables and definitions of alcohol intake, opinions on appropriate interventions for physicians. RESULTS: Patients' median estimate for the limit of early, at-risk drinking for a 75-kg man was two drinks per day an 11 drinks per week; doctors' estimate was 1.5 drinks per day and nine drinks per week. For a 55-kg woman, patients set risk to begin at 1.5 drinks per day and nine drinks per week; doctors set it at 1.2 per day and eight per week. However, patients thought there should be 4.3 alcohol-free days each week and doctors thought 3.5, both answers inconsistent with the daily and weekly limits set. Most (85%) patients and 97% of doctors think doctors should ask about drinking behaviour; yet only 42% of these patients recalled ever being asked how much they drank. CONCLUSIONS: Both physicians and patients have stringent definitions of early at-risk drinking and believe physicians should intervene. Physicians appear to be intervening less often than expected.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Mass screening of colorectal cancer by general practitioners in France: what is the real target population?].

OBJECTIVES: People at high risk of colorectal cancer, due to familial or personal history, or to specific symptoms, are considered not to be concerned by mass screening by Haemoccult test. The aim of this study was to investigate people aged 50 to 74 with high risk of colorectal cancer among general practitioners' practices in the department of Calvados (France). METHODS: A random sample of 200 general practitioners were asked to systematically fill out a questionnaire on Haemoccult II proposal for 50-74 year-old patients for a whole week. RESULTS: Participation rate of general practitioners was 58.5%. According to our findings, 13% of 50-74 years patients are considered not be concerned by mass screening, due to familial or personal history, or to specific symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Colorectal cancer screening protocol have to be fit to level of risk of colorectal cancer. Involvement of general practitioners in colorectal cancer mass screening allows identification of high risk people who can then be managed with a more suitable screening protocol.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Haida perspectives on living with non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the experience of Haida people living with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), in order to provide a basis for a culturally sensitive community-based approach to managing NIDDM. DESIGN: Qualitative study using grounded theory. SETTING: The villages of Skidegate and Old Massett in Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia. PARTICIPANTS: Nine focus groups met at the beginning and six at the end of the project. The focus groups had 8 to 12 members each and roughly the same number of men and women overall. The groups included people with diabetes, family members of people with diabetes, community leaders and elders. FINDINGS: Conceptual findings related to the participants' views on the impact of NIDDM on their lives, their views on what life was like before the effects of NIDDM were felt and their beliefs about the prevention and treatment of NIDDM. Six themes recurred in the discussions: fear; grief and loss; the loss of and desire to regain control; food and eating; physical and personal strength; and traditional ways. CONCLUSIONS: Insights into the illness experience of different cultural groups can inform program development and the creation of culturally sensitive health care interventions.

Adult↗