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Biomedical subjects

F Berrino

Publications and source records attributed to F Berrino.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

A comparative study of smoking, drinking and dietary habits in population samples in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. II. Tobacco smoking.

This paper describes the smoking habits of six populations in France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. A total of 2,965 men and 2,369 women have been interviewed. The proportion of ever smoking men is almost the same (75 to 80%) everywhere but in Geneva and Calvados a higher proportion of smokers quitted the habit (over 30%). In females, on the contrary, the prevalences of ever smokers is higher in Torino (42%) and Geneva (36%) than in Spain (25%) and Calvados (19%). Young females, however, tend to smoke more and intercountry differences tend to disappear. In both sexes successive generations begin to smoke earlier. Exclusive use of black tobacco is still very high in Calvados (90%) and Navarra (80%) whilst it tends to disappear in Italy (30%). Plain cigarettes decrease everywhere, especially in Spain and Varese, but they are still smoked by the majority of men in Calvados. The results suggest that the tobacco epidemic is still increasing in those areas where it began more recently.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Radiation dose and second cancer risk in patients treated for cancer of the cervix.

The risk of cancer associated with a broad range of organ doses was estimated in an international study of women with cervical cancer. Among 150,000 patients reported to one of 19 population-based cancer registries or treated in any of 20 oncology clinics, 4188 women with second cancers and 6880 matched controls were selected for detailed study. Radiation doses for selected organs were reconstructed for each patient on the basis of her original radiotherapy records. Very high doses, on the order of several hundred gray, were found to increase the risk of cancers of the bladder [relative risk (RR) = 4.0], rectum (RR = 1.8), vagina (RR = 2.7), and possibly bone (RR = 1.3), uterine corpus (RR = 1.3), cecum (RR = 1.5), and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (RR = 2.5). For all female genital cancers taken together, a sharp dose-response gradient was observed, reaching fivefold for doses more than 150 Gy. Several gray increased the risk of stomach cancer (RR = 2.1) and leukemia (RR = 2.0). Although cancer of the pancreas was elevated, there was no evidence of a dose-dependent risk. Cancer of the kidney was significantly increased among 15-year survivors. A nonsignificant twofold risk of radiogenic thyroid cancer was observed following an average dose of only 0.11 Gy. Breast cancer was not increased overall, despite an average dose of 0.31 Gy and 953 cases available for evaluation (RR = 0.9); there was, however, a weak suggestion of a dose response among women whose ovaries had been surgically removed. Doses greater than 6 Gy to the ovaries reduced breast cancer risk by 44%. A significant deficit of ovarian cancer was observed within 5 years of radiotherapy; in contrast, a dose response was suggested among 10-year survivors. Radiation was not found to increase the overall risk of cancers of the small intestine, colon, ovary, vulva, connective tissue, breast, Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. For most cancers associated with radiation, risks were highest among long-term survivors and appeared concentrated among women irradiated at relatively younger ages.

Female↗
PubMed1987

Vitamin A and female lung cancer: a case-control study on plasma and diet.

Plasma and dietary levels of retinol and beta-carotene were evaluated in a consecutive series of 47 females with histologically proven primary lung cancer and 159 nonneoplastic hospital controls. The dietary questionnaire included 69 different items: special care was given to foods rich in vitamin A and seasonal foods (e.g., vegetables and fruits), whereas serum analysis was focused on retinol and beta-carotene. Age-adjusted mean values for cases and controls were, respectively, 458.3 vs. 551.3 mg for plasma retinol, 276.1 vs. 390.1 mg for plasma carotene; 598.1 vs 820.6 mg for daily retinol, and 628.0 vs. 882.5 mg for dietary carotene. The odds ratios for low vs. high tertile, adjusted for age, smoking, retinol or carotene, cholesterol, and triglycerides by multivariate analysis were, respectively, 1.13 for plasma retinol, 5.04 for plasma carotene, 3.27 for dietary retinol, and 2.93 for dietary carotene. For all the examined items, there was a trend of increased risk for the second and third tertile, and statistical significance was reached for plasma beta-carotene (p less than 0.05). The hypothesis that a higher risk of lung cancer is related to a low vitamin A consumption is supported by these data.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Carrots, green vegetables and lung cancer: a case-control study.

A total of 417 lung cancer cases and 849 controls were interviewed on their life-long tobacco usage and their current intake of four food items rich in retinol or carotene. The study was a hospital-based case control where 'cases' were lung cancer patients diagnosed during the period 1979/80 at seven hospitals in the Lombardy region (90% pathologically confirmed) and controls were patients admitted to the same hospitals for causes unrelated to tobacco smoking (epithelial cancers being excluded from present analysis). Odds ratios (OR) have been computed for increasing frequencies of consumption of liver, cheese, carrots and leafy green vegetables, having controlled for the confounding effects of tobacco usage, residence and birthplace. Current smokers who did not consume carrots showed a three-fold risk of developing lung cancer compared with those who ate them more than once a week (OR = 2.9 less than p less than 0.01); the ORs for consumers in the categories of 1-2 and 3-4 times per month were 1.8 and 2.0 respectively, with a significant test for linear trend (p less than 0.01). Among ex-smokers or non-smokers, no decrease of lung cancer risk is evident associated with carrot consumption. An excess risk was also associated with low intake of green vegetables although it was not significant, while no excess risk was evident for non-consumers of liver and cheese. The effect of carrots is independent of histological type of lung cancer while the effect of green vegetables was confined to epidermoid carcinomas: low versus high intake group OR = 1.3.

Diet↗
PubMed1986

On the causal association between exposure to leather dust and nasal cancer: further evidence from a case-control study.

A case-control study was performed on the incident cases of nasal cavity tumours which occurred between 1968 and 1982 among the residents of Vigevano (Lombardy region, northern Italy). This area is characterised by a high prevalence of shoemakers (especially in leather); the activity has predominated in Vigevano since the beginning of this century. Twenty one cases were identified (16 men and five women); 20 were histologically confirmed as nasal epithelial tumours; 17 had already died at the time of interview and the occupational history was obtained from the next of kin. Two controls per case were selected from the general population and matched by vital status, age, sex, and residence. The overall odds ratio for the subjects exposed to leather dust was 47.1 for men and 3.5 for women. The odds ratio was higher for adenocarcinoma and among the workers exposed to the worst working conditions. A significant trend for the level of exposure to leather dust was found. Nevertheless, even the jobs characterised by a relatively low exposure were found to have a significantly higher risk (OR = 7.5). Smoking habits and exposure to solvents are unlikely to confound the relation between exposure to leather and nasal tumours.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1984

Modifying risk of developing lung cancer by changing habits of cigarette smoking.

Data from a hospital based case-control study of lung cancer in Western Europe were used to examine changes in the risk of developing lung cancer after changes in habits of cigarette smoking. Only data for subjects who had smoked regularly at some time in their lives were included. The large size of the study population (7181 patients and 11 006 controls) permitted precise estimates of the effect of giving up smoking. Risks of developing lung cancer for people who had given up smoking 10 or more years before interview were less than half of those for people who continued to smoke. The reduction in risk was seen in men and women and in former smokers of both filter and non-filter cigarettes but varied by duration of smoking habit before giving up. The protective effect of giving up became progressively greater with shorter duration of smoking habit. The risks after not smoking for 10 years for both men and women who had previously smoked for less than 20 years were roughly the same as those for lifelong non-smokers. Reducing the number of cigarettes smoked a day or switching from non-filter to filter cigarettes also lowered the risk of developing lung cancer but not to the extent associated with giving up smoking.

Europe↗
PubMed1984

Patterns of lung cancer risk according to type of cigarette smoked.

A case-control study of lung cancer involving interviews with 7,804 cases and 15,207 hospital-based controls was carried out in seven locations in Western Europe. The large study size permitted the calculation of precise estimates of the relative risk of lung cancer associated with smoking different types of cigarettes. Lifelong nonfilter smokers were at nearly twice the risk of lung cancer compared to lifelong filter smokers after controlling for duration of cigarette use and number smoked per day (RR = 1.7 for males and 2.0 for females). Lung cancer risks for filter, nonfilter and mixed smokers increased in proportion to intensity and duration of smoking and decreased with years since stopping smoking. The findings indicate that prevention activities should continue to emphasize smoking cessation, although switching to low-tar cigarettes may also yield some reductions in lung cancer risk.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Proportion of lung cancers due to occupational exposure.

The proportions of male lung cancers due to occupational exposure and, respectively, to cigarette smoking in a highly industrialized area of Northern Italy were estimated in a population-based case-control study in 1976-9. Two hundred and four out of the 211 lung cancer cases and 351 controls sampled from the source population were questioned about their occupational and smoking histories. On the basis of the occupational history each subject was classified as probably exposed (+), possibly exposed (?), or unexposed (-) to one or more of the chemicals known to be carcinogenic for the human lung, namely asbestos, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, arsenic, nickel and chromium compounds, BCME, CMME and vinyl chloride. Upon stratification by cigarette smoking, contrasting the occupationally exposed subjects, whether certainly or uncertainly defined, with the unexposed ones, the RR for lung cancer was 2.1 and the occupational etiologic fraction was 0.33 (95% confidence interval 0.19-0.47). The tobacco etiologic fraction was 0.81, while the two exposures together accounted for 89% of the total burden of incident cases. If 33% of all male lung cancers were of occupational aetiology, then this alone would represent 5% of all cancer deaths.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Ovarian mesothelial tumors and herbicides: a case-control study.

The ovarian cancer risk from herbicide exposure has been studied in a hospital-based, case-control study after some of these compounds have been shown to be carcinogenic for animals. This study includes 60 cases of primary mesothelial ovarian tumors and 127 controls with non-ovarian malignancies drawn from the same file and matched by year of diagnosis, age and residence. A positive association (relative risk 4.38) has been found between herbicide exposure and ovarian mesotheliomas.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Cancer mortality among workers in a thermoelectric power plant.

At a thermoelectric power plant in Turbigo (Milan, Italy), an analysis of the technological process has shown the presence of exposure to several carcinogens: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, asbestos, hydrazine, polychlorinated biphenyls, chromium, nickel, and beryllium. An epidemiologic study was carried out to quantify the effect of the detected exposures on the workers, and the cancer mortality of the cohort was compared with the corresponding rates from the closest town and with cancer register data from a nearby province. Excess mortality was found for workers with 10 or more years of employment; the median latency time was about 20 years.

Carcinogens↗
PubMed1984

Increased androgenic activity and breast cancer risk in premenopausal women.

Blood and urine specimens from 27 premenopausal breast cancer patients and 62 healthy controls have been compared with respect to concentration of testosterone and progesterone in blood and of testosterone and androstanediol in urine, measured in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. There was a strong positive association between the concentration of the two androgens, either in blood or urine, and breast cancer risk. A strong association was also observed with decreasing levels of progesterone. The association was statistically significant (p for trend less than 0.01) for each hormone; the rate ratios were 10.2 for serum testosterone (highest category), 5.6 for serum progesterone (lowest category), 8.4 for urinary testosterone (highest category), and 5.2 for androstanediol (highest category). The rate ratio for women presenting both high serum testosterone and low progesterone was 21.8 (4.1 to 116.1). Considering the exposure to at least one of three androgens at the highest level and low progesterone, the rate ratio was as high as 90.2 (8.2 to 989.7). This study provides evidence for the hypothesis that increased androgenic activity is an important risk indicator for breast cancer, particularly when associated with anovulation, as indicated by low serum progesterone level.

Androgens↗
PubMed1983

Mortality from lung cancer in an acetylene and phthalic anhydride plant. A case-referent study.

Mortality from lung cancer in an acetylene and phthalic anhydride plant: A case-referent study. Scand j work environ health 9 (1983) 455-462. The study tested the hypothesis that an excess of lung cancer observed in a small town of the Milano Province in Italy was attributable to occupational exposures in a chemical plant (SISAS) producing mainly acetylene, phthalic anhydride, and their derivatives. Exposures included a large number of chemicals, some of which are known or suspected carcinogens such as soot and phthalates. The local register of deaths was the source of the cases and referents. The cases (N = 43) were the male residents in the town who had died from lung cancer from 1976 to 1979. The referents were a sample of residents from the same town who had died during the same four-year period from causes other than respiratory cancer. Causes of death were validated through clinical data and relatives' reports. Information for a complete occupational history and on smoking habits was collected in interviews of the next of kin of each study subject. After control for age and smoking, the risk of dying from lung cancer for the subjects previously employed at the SISAS plant relative to those never occupationally exposed was 5.6 (95% confidence limits 1.9-16.2). The risk for exposure to lung carcinogens in work environments other than SISAS was 1.7 (95% confidence limits 0.9-3.5). On the whole, occupational exposure to chemical carcinogens accounted for about one-third of the total number of lung cancer deaths that occurred in the area during the study period. The results call for further investigation of specific chemicals, mainly soot and phthalates, in the etiology of lung cancer.

Acetylene↗
PubMed1982

Gliomas and occupational exposure to carcinogens: case-control study.

Patients with gliomas of the central nervous system hospitalized during the period January 1979--March 1980 at the Neurological Institute C. Besta of Milan were compared with controls admitted to the Institute in the same period for nonneoplastic neurologic diseases or benign tumors. The comparison was based on occupational history, smoking habits, and alcohol consumption. Two analyses were carried out: the first by case-control pairs matched for age, sex, and residence; the second by age, sex, and residence stratification. Patients with glioma were more likely than controls to have worked in agricultural activities and showed a relative risk of 5.0 (p = 0.043) in the matched analysis and 1.9 (p = 0.113) in the analysis by stratification. This high risk was confined to those who performed agricultural work after 1960, suggesting a possible etiologic role of exposure to organic pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides, which have only recently been commonly used in Italy. No significant difference was observed between cases and controls in regard to other analyzed occupations and habits.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

[Evaluation of lung cancer treatment in an unselected population].

The modality of lung cancer treatment was retrospectively evaluated in an unselected population. All the lung cancer cases diagnosed among the residents in a Local Sanitary Unit of Lombardy during four years (1974-1979), were identified. The clinical records of the 235 collected patients were reviewed and on this basis the anatomical extent of disease was retrospectively classified in stages according to the TNM of UICC (1978). The relative frequency of clinical stages resulted 29% for stage I, 17% II, 20% III and 32% IV. Only 57% of all the subjects had been treated; 11% by resection, 22% by radiotherapy and 24% by chemotherapy. For the stages I and II the operability rates were 35% and 26% respectively, while the resectability rates were 29% and 17%. An objective reason of exclusion from surgery was found in no more than a quarter of stage I and II lung cancers, while the remaining (40%) had probably been excluded from exploration owing to a subjective prognostic evaluation. If compared with similar reports from other countries, these data show a striking defect in the choice of curative treatment for a high proportion of the examined cases.

Adult↗