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Biomedical subjects

F Levi

Publications and source records attributed to F Levi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Continuing declines in cancer mortality in the European Union.

BACKGROUND: From 1988 to 1997 age-standardised total cancer mortality rates in the European Union (EU) fell by around 9% in both sexes. Available cancer mortality data in Europe up to 2002 allow a first check of the forecast of further declines in cancer mortality. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We considered trends in age-standardised mortality from major cancer sites in the EU during the period 1980-2002. RESULTS: For men, total cancer mortality, after a peak of 191.1/100,000 in 1987 declined to 177.8 in 1997 (-7%), and to 166.5 in 2002. Corresponding figures for females were 107.9/100,000, 100.5 and 95.2, corresponding to falls of 7% from 1987 to 1997, and to 5% from 1997 to 2002. Over the last 5 years, lung cancer declined by 1.9% per year in men, to reach 44.4/100,000, but increased by 1.7% in women, to reach 11.4. In 2002, for the first year, lung cancer mortality in women was higher than that for intestinal cancer (11.1/100,000), and lung cancer became the second site of cancer deaths in women after breast (17.9/100,000). From 1997 to 2002, appreciable declines were observed in mortality from intestinal cancer in men (-1.6% per year, to reach 18.8/100,000), and in women (-2.5%), as well as for breast (-1.7% per year) and prostate cancer (-1.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the persisting rises in female lung cancer, the recent trends in cancer mortality in the EU are encouraging and indicate that an 11% reduction in total cancer mortality from 2000 to 2015 is realistic and possible.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2006

Fried foods, olive oil and colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The epidemiologic evidence for an etiologic role of fried foods and heterocyclic amines in colorectal carcinogenesis is inconsistent. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We have investigated the relation between fried foods and colorectal cancer risk using data from a large, multicentric case-control study conducted in Italy and Switzerland between 1992 and 2000, with 1394 cases of colon cancer, 886 cases of rectal cancer and 4765 controls. RESULTS: After allowing for major relevant covariates, the multivariate odds ratios (ORs) for an increment of one portion per week of fried foods were 0.97 [95% confidence interval (CI)=0.93-1.01] for colon cancer and 1.04 (95% CI=1.00-1.09) for rectal cancer. When we analyzed the type of fats mainly used for frying, we found that olive oil, but not other types of oils, appeared to protect from colon cancer risk (OR=0.89, 95% CI=0.82-0.98). CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not indicate a relevant role of fried foods on colorectal cancer risk. We found a possible favorable effect of (fried) olive oil on colon cancer risk but not on rectal cancer risk.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2006

Single-atom optical clock with high accuracy.

For the past 50 years, atomic standards based on the frequency of the cesium ground-state hyperfine transition have been the most accurate time pieces in the world. We now report a comparison between the cesium fountain standard NIST-F1, which has been evaluated with an inaccuracy of about 4 x 10(-16), and an optical frequency standard based on an ultraviolet transition in a single, laser-cooled mercury ion for which the fractional systematic frequency uncertainty was below 7.2 x 10(-17). The absolute frequency of the transition was measured versus cesium to be 1,064,721,609,899,144.94 (97) Hz, with a statistically limited total fractional uncertainty of 9.1 x 10(-16) the most accurate absolute measurement of an optical frequency to date.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Cancer risk after radiotherapy for breast cancer.

Among women with breast cancer, we compared the relative and absolute rates of subsequent cancers in 1541 women treated with radiotherapy (RT) to 4570 women not so treated (NRT), using all registered in the Swiss Vaud Cancer Registry in the period between 1978 and 1998, and followed up to December 2002. Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were based on age- and calendar year-specific incidence rates in the Vaud general population. There were 11 lung cancers in RT (SIR = 1.40; 95% CI: 0.70-2.51) and 17 in NRT women (SIR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.44-1.22), 72 contralateral breast cancers in RT (SIR = 1.85; 95% CI: 1.45-2.33) and 150 in NRT women (SIR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.16-1.61), and 90 other neoplasms in RT (SIR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.10-1.68) and 224 in NRT women (SIR = 1.05; 95% CI: 0.91-1.19). Overall, there were 173 second neoplasms in RT women (SIR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.32-1.78) and 391 among NRT women (SIR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02-1.25). The estimates were significantly heterogeneous. After 15 years, 20% of RT cases vs 16% of NRT cases had developed a second neoplasm. The appreciable excess risk of subsequent neoplasms after RT for breast cancer must be weighed against the approximately 5% reduction of breast cancer mortality at 15 years after RT.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2006

[Melanoma prevention in Switzerland: where do we stand?].

Over the last 50 years, skin cancer rates (particularly melanoma) have markedly increased in Caucasian populations. Switzerland, with some 1,600 cases of, and 220 deaths from, malignant melanoma per year has among the highest rates in Europe. This public health issue, affecting relatively young people, has led to primary and secondary nationwide prevention campaigns being carried out for nearly 20 years. Observed changes in sun protection knowledge and attitudes have yet to impact on incidence trend. Early detection has resulted in a large increase in rates of thin melanoma with little change in rates of thick melanoma. Mortality has levelled off and a recent decrease, especially in women, cannot be ruled out. The efficiency of prevention campaigns should soon become more blatant if current efforts persist.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

Trends in mortality from coronary heart and cerebrovascular diseases in the Americas: 1970-2000.

OBJECTIVE: To describe trends in mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) over the period 1970 to 2000 in the Americas. METHODS: Age standardised mortality rates were derived from the World Health Organization database and grouped according to the International classification of diseases, ninth revision. Joinpoint analysis was used to identify changes in trends. RESULTS: In the USA and Canada, CHD mortality rates declined by about 60% in both sexes. In Latin America, falls in CHD mortality were observed for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. In 2000, mortality rates among men were highest in Venezuela (137.3/100,000) and lowest (apart from Ecuador) in Argentina (63.5/100,000). For women, the rates were highest in Cuba (79.4/100,000) and lowest in Argentina (26.5/100,000). For CVA mortality, a decline by about 60% was observed in the USA and Canada for both sexes. The falls were smaller (about -25% to -40% among men and -20% to -50% among women) in Puerto Rico, Argentina, Chile, and Costa Rica and only minor in Ecuador, Mexico, and Venezuela. Around 2000, CVA mortality in Latin America was highest in Brazil (85.5/100,000 among men and 61.7/100,000 among women) and lowest in Puerto Rico (29.3/100,000 among men and 24.1/100,000 among women). CONCLUSIONS: Recent falls in CHD and CVA were less favourable in Latin America than in the USA and Canada. This may reflect unfavourable changes in nutrition (including obesity), physical activity, and smoking in most Latin American countries, together with less effective control of hypertension and management of the diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Folate intake and squamous-cell carcinoma of the oesophagus in Italian and Swiss men.

BACKGROUND: Dietary folate has been inversely related to the risk of several cancers. However, studies on the role of dietary folate in oesophageal cancer are scanty. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using data from a multicentric case-control study conducted in Italy and Switzerland between 1992 and 1999, we investigated the association between dietary folate intake and oesophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (OSCC) among 351 men with incident, histologically confirmed OSCC and 875 hospital controls admitted for acute, non-neoplastic conditions, unrelated to alcohol and smoking consumption. Intake of folate and other nutrients was computed from a validated food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: The multivariate odds ratios (ORs) of OSCC were 0.68 (95% confidence intervals, CI: 0.46-1.00) for the highest versus the lowest tertile of folate intake, and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.72-0.99) for an increment of folate intake equal to a standard deviation (98 microg/day). The inverse relation was somewhat stronger in strata of high methionine, vitamin B6 and alcohol intake, and did not vary substantially according to age and smoking habits. CONCLUSION: Dietary folate was inversely related to OSCC risk in this population with high alcohol consumption and infrequent use of supplements and multivitamins.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed2005

Diverging trends in breast cancer mortality within Switzerland.

BACKGROUND: Substantial regional heterogeneity in the provision of cancer prevention and management services results from the decentralised Swiss healthcare system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Breast cancer mortality trends between 1980 and 2002 were compared in two French- and in two German-speaking female populations of Switzerland, aged 55-74 years, characterised by different access to, and use of, mammography screening. RESULTS: Since the early 1990s, a 30% fall was observed in the French-speaking regions of Vaud and Geneva, where mammography screening is widespread, with no decline in the German-speaking areas of Basel and Zurich. CONCLUSION: Modification in breast cancer diagnosis and management in selected regions of Switzerland is urgently needed.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

[Participation in Swiss mammography screening programmes: key role of physicians].

Characteristics of first-round attendees and determinants of reattendance in the Swiss mammography screening pilot programme (1993-1998) were investigated. Data on socio-demographic features, health preventive behaviour and history, prior screening round and referring physicians' attributes were collected at initial attendance among women enrolled in 1993-1995. First-round participants (n = 4,162) were prospectively followed through next screening round. Determinants of reattendance (second-round attendance among first-round participants) were identified by multivariate logistic regression models. The reattendance rate was high (80%). Women most likely to reattend were urban, Swiss residents with a true-negative first-round screening result. The more intensive the initial recruitment efforts, the lesser were the odds of reattendance. Mammography screening prior to screening enrolment increased reattendance. Having a gynaecologist, a female and a younger doctor as a referring physician was positively associated with reattendance. Mammography screening attendance is not only influenced by women-related factors but also by structural factors, and thus requires a global approach. For strategies aimed at improving the impact of organised cancer screening programmes, understanding and quantification of determinants of (re)attendance are key elements to consider.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Increased risk of esophageal cancer after breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant radiation therapy for breast cancer has been related to excess esophageal cancer risk, but population-based data are scanty. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We considered esophageal cancer risk among 11 130 breast cancer patients diagnosed between 1974 and 2002 in the Swiss cantons of Vaud and Neuchâtel, and followed-up to the end of 2002, for a total of 75 900 women-years at risk. RESULTS: Overall, 18 cases were observed compared with 8.9 expected, corresponding to a standardised incidence ratio (SIR) of 2.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-3.2]. The SIR was 1.6 in the first 10 years after diagnosis and 3.3 for >/=10 years after diagnosis, 2.3 for cases diagnosed between 1974 and 1988 and 1.5 for those diagnosed after 1988, 2.3 (based on 15 cases) for squamous cell cancer and 1.3 (based on three cases) for adenocarcinomas, and 2.9 for the upper third, 2.3 for the middle third and 1.9 for the lower third of the esophagus. CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm an excess esophageal cancer risk following treatment for breast cancer which could not be explained by confounding of tobacco or alcohol alone. The excess risk tended to decrease for cases diagnosed after 1988, leaving open the issue of the risk of modern radiotherapy for breast cancer on esophageal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2005

Lung cancer mortality in European women: recent trends and perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer mortality in men has been declining since the late 1980s in most European countries. In women, although rates are still appreciably lower than those for men, steady upward trends have been observed in most countries. To quantify the current and future lung cancer epidemic in European women, trends in lung cancer mortality in women over the last four decades were analyzed, with specific focus on the young. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Age-standardized (world standard) lung cancer mortality rates per 100,000 women-at all ages, and truncated 35--64 and 20--44 years-were derived from the WHO for the European Union (EU) as a whole and for 33 separate European countries. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to identify points where a significant change in trends occurred. RESULTS: In the EU overall, female lung cancer mortality rates rose by 23.8% between 1980--1981 and 1990--1991 (from 7.8 to 9.6/100,000), and by 16.1% thereafter, to reach the value of 11.2/100,000 in 2000--2001. Increases were smaller in the last decade in several countries. Only in England and Wales, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine did female lung cancer mortality show a decrease over the last decade. In several European countries, a decline in lung cancer mortality in young women (20--44 years) was observed over the last decade. CONCLUSIONS: Although female lung cancer mortality is still increasing in most European countries, the more favorable trends in young women over recent calendar years suggest that if effective interventions to control tobacco smoking in women are implemented, the lung cancer epidemic in European women will not reach the levels observed in the USA.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Role of fried foods and oral/pharyngeal and oesophageal cancers.

We investigated the role of fried foods on oral-pharyngeal and oesophageal cancers, using data from two case-control studies conducted in Italy and Switzerland between 1992 and 1999, one with a total of 749 (634 men) cases of oral/pharyngeal cancer and 1772 (1252 men) controls, the other with 395 (351 men) cases of oesophageal cancer and 1066 (875 men) controls. Controls were admitted for acute, non-neoplastic conditions, unrelated to alcohol and smoking consumption. After allowance for sex, age, centre, education, body mass index, tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking and nonalcohol energy intake, the multivariate odds ratios (ORs) for an increment of one portion per week of total fried foods were 1.11 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-1.17) for oral-pharyngeal and 1.16 (95% CI: 1.08-1.26) for oesophageal cancer. The ORs were consistent across strata of gender (OR in men only were 1.10 and 1.16, respectively), age, alcohol, tobacco consumption and body mass index.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Trends in cancer mortality in the Americas, 1970-2000.

BACKGROUND: Data and statistics on cancer mortality over the last decades are available for most developed countries, while they are more difficult to obtain, in a standardized and comparable format, for countries of Latin America. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Age standardized (world population) mortality rates around the year 2000, derived from the WHO database, are presented for 14 selected cancers and total cancer in 10 countries of Latin America, plus, for comparative purposes, Canada and the USA. Trends in mortality are also given over the period 1970-2000. RESULTS: In 2000, the highest total cancer mortality for males was observed in Argentina and Chile, with rates comparable to those of Canada and the USA, i.e. about 155/100,000. For women, Chile and Cuba had the highest rates in Latin America (114 and 103/100,000, respectively), again comparable to those of North America (around 105/100,000). These reflect the comparatively high mortality from cancer of the stomach (for Chile), lung and intestines (for Argentina) in men, and of stomach and uterus (for Chile), intestines and lung (for Cuba) in women. Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico had the lowest total cancer mortality for men, due to low mortality from stomach, colorectal and lung cancer. For women, the lowest rates were in Brazil and Puerto Rico, reflecting their low stomach and cervical cancer rates. In Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Venezuela cancer mortality rates tended to decline, particularly in men. Rates were stable in Ecuador and Puerto Rico, and were increasing in Mexico and Cuba. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality from some common cancers (including colorectal and lung) is still low in Latin America compared with Canada and the USA, and decreasing trends have been observed in the last decades for some cancer sites (including stomach, uterus, lung and other tobacco-related cancers) in several countries. However, mortality from female lung and breast cancers has been increasing in most countries of Latin America, and several countries still show an extremely elevated mortality from cancer of the cervix. Selected neoplasms amenable to treatment, including testis and leukemias, also show unsatisfactory trends in Latin America.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Resveratrol and breast cancer risk.

Resveratrol is a non-flavonoid polyphenol that has attracted attention as a potential anticancer agent in vitro and in vivo, but scanty epidemiological data are available. We have therefore analysed the relation between dietary intake of resveratrol and breast cancer risk using data from a case-control study conducted between 1993 and 2003 in the Swiss Canton of Vaud on 369 cases and 602 controls. Compared with the lowest tertile of total resveratrol intake, the multivariate odds ratios (OR) were 0.50 for the intermediate and 0.39 for the highest tertile, and the trend in risk was significant. A significant inverse association was observed for resveratrol from grapes (OR = 0.64 and 0.55), but not for wine. The inverse relation between resveratrol and breast cancer risk was not explained by several potential confounding factors, including detailed allowance for alcohol intake, nor attributable to a non-specific favourable effect of fruit on breast cancer risk.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

The Mesothelioma epidemic in Western Europe: an update.

The number of male deaths from pleural cancer in France, Germany and Italy increased from about 8750 in 1990-1994 to 9550 in 1995-1999, suggesting that mesothelioma deaths in males may be levelling off in most of Western Europe.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Profile of women not attending in the Swiss Mammography Screening Pilot Programme.

The Swiss Mammography Screening Pilot Programme was conducted between 1993 and 1998 in three areas of the French-speaking canton of Vaud. Socio-demographic characteristics were available for the whole of the target population and were used to identify determinants of initial (in the first round) and repeated (in both first and second rounds) non-attendance by means of logistic regression analyses. Initial non-attendance was higher among non-Swiss, single or divorced/separated women, and increased with distance between the residence and the screening centre. Being single and aged 65-70, not living in the vicinity of the screening centre and replying to decline the invitation to the initial screening session significantly increased the odds of persisting in non-attendance for screening within the programme. Factors such as age, nationality, marital status and screening centre differed in their influence on initial and repeated non-attendance, and the type of reply to the invitation was strongly predictive of non-attendance in the next round.

Age Factors↗