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Biomedical subjects

F Levi

Publications and source records attributed to F Levi.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Trends in survival for patients diagnosed with cancer in Vaud, Switzerland, between 1974 and 1993.

BACKGROUND: Analysis of trends in cancer survival in defined well surveilled populations can provide useful indications on advancements in cancer management and treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Survival rates from the Vaud Cancer Registry were computed for 31,158 cases registered in 1984-1993, and compared with those registered in 1974-1978 and 1979-1983. RESULTS: A systematic, albeit generally moderate, tendency towards increasing five-year relative survival was observed for both sexes and most major cancer sites, including oral cavity and pharynx (0.38-0.43). stomach (0.21-0.26), colon (0.49-0.55), rectum (0.45-0.51), lung (0.08-0.12), skin melanoma (0.67-0.89), female breast (0.67-0.80), endometrium (0.72-0.84), ovary (0.28-0.37). prostate (0.44-0.66), testis (0.73-0.96), bladder (0.31-0.50), kidney and renal pelvis (0.41-0.59), thyroid (0.73-0.81), non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (0.37-0.63), Hodgkin's disease (0.61-0.81), and leukaemias (0.27-0.39). Survival for all cancers and both sexes combined, rose from 0.51 0.64 (0.57 for males, 0.71- for females). No appreciable change in survival was observed for cancers of oesophagus, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, larynx, cervix uteri, brain, multiple myeloma, as well as unidentified or unknown origin neoplasms. CONCLUSIONS: Survival estimates for most cancer sites are comparable to the US SEER dataset, and their pattern of trends are discussed in terms of improved diagnosis and treatment for various neoplasms.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A pooled analysis of thyroid cancer studies. V. Anthropometric factors.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relation between anthropometric factors and thyroid cancer risk in a pooled analysis of individual data from 12 case-control studies conducted in the US, Japan, China and Europe. METHODS: 2056 female and 417 male cases, 3358 female and 965 male controls were considered. Odds ratios (OR) were derived from logistic regression, conditioning on age, A-bomb exposure (Japan) and study, and adjusting for radiotherapy. RESULTS: Compared to the lowest tertile of height, the pooled OR was 1.2 for females for the highest one, and 1.5 for males, and trends in risk were significant. With reference to weight at diagnosis, the OR for females was 1.2 for the highest tertile, and the trend in risk was significant, whereas no association was observed in males. Body mass index (BMI) at diagnosis was directly related to thyroid cancer risk in females (OR = 1.2 for the highest tertile), but not in males. No consistent pattern of risk emerged with BMI during the late teens. Most of the associations were observed both for papillary and follicular cancers, and in all age groups. However, significant heterogeneity was observed across studies. CONCLUSIONS: Height and weight at diagnosis are moderately related to thyroid cancer risk.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Refined and whole grain cereals and the risk of oral, oesophageal and laryngeal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible differential role of refined and whole grain cereals on the risk of upper digestive and respiratory tract neoplasms. DESIGN: Hospital-based case-control study. SETTING: University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland. SUBJECTS: A total of 156 incident cases of cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, 101 of the oesophagus, 40 of the larynx, and 349 control subjects admitted for a wide spectrum of acute non-neoplastic conditions. INTERVENTION: Trained interviewers collected information using a structured and validated questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR) of various cancers for a tertile increment of intake of refined and whole grains were estimated using unconditional multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Refined grains were directly related to the risk of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx (OR=1.9 for the highest tertile), oesophagus (OR=3.7) and larynx (OR=4.0). In contrast, whole grain cereals were protective, with OR of 0.6 for oral cavity and pharynx, 0.3 for oesophagus, and 0.7 for larynx. For the three sites combined, the OR for the highest tertile was 5.7 for refined grains and 0.5 for wholegrains. The trends in risk for refined grains were significant for all sites and their combination, and for wholegrain for oesophageal cancer and all sites. CONCLUSIONS: Even if inference on causality and the biological interpretation remain open to discussion, the present data indicate and further quantify that refined cereals are an unfavourable, but whole grain ones a favourable indicator of the risk of upper aerodigestive and respiratory tract neoplasms.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Trends in mortality from leukemia in subsequent age groups.

Trends in age-standardized death certification rates from leukemias in subsequent age groups were analyzed on the basis of the World Health Organization database over the period 1960-1997 in the European Union (EU) and other developed areas of the world. In the EU, the peak rate at age 0-14 was observed in 1960-1964, and the fall in mortality was over 70%, to reach 1.2/100,000 males and 0.9/100,000 females in 1995-1997. In the age group 15-44, the fall was about 40% for males and 45% for females. In the age group 45-59, the fall was around 25%. At age 60-69, the peak rate was observed in the late 1970s, and the subsequent fall was only 6% for females. At age > or =70, leukemia mortality rose up to the late 1980s, and levelled off there-after. Overall, the falls in leukemia mortality over the 35-year calendar period corresponded to the avoidance of about 7,000 deaths per year. In eastern Europe, the falls in children and young adults started later --in the late 1970s--and were less than 40% for children and 30% for young adults (15-44 years). Overall age-standardized mortality from leukemia did not appreciably change over the 35-year period considered. Leukemia mortality rates in the USA and Japan started from different values, but were similar to those of the EU in the late 1990s, indicating that the impact of therapeutic advancements has been comparable in developed areas of the world. In eastern Europe, however, the declines in leukemia mortality were later and appreciably smaller.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Smoking and drinking cessation and the risk of oesophageal cancer.

In a case-control study from Italy and Switzerland with 404 oesophageal cancer cases and 1070 hospital controls, the risk of oesophageal cancer declined with time since cessation of smoking or drinking, and was significantly reduced (odds ratio = 0.11) 10 or more years after cessation of both habits.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Epidemiology of carcinoid neoplasms in Vaud, Switzerland, 1974-97.

In Vaud, Switzerland, the incidence of carcinoids based on 218 malignant and 215 benign cases rose from 19.6/10(6)in 1974-85 to 28. 2/10(6)in 1986-97, more so among males and malignant neoplasms. Lung was the commonest site for malignant and large intestine for benign carcinoids. Sixty-eight (16%) carcinoids had another neoplasm.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Sex differences in colorectal cancer mortality in Europe, 1955-1996.

Colorectal cancer is the leading cancer in non-smokers in Western countries, and over the last decades its trends have been generally more favourable for women than for men. Possible explanations of the sex differentials in colorectal cancer relate to different exposure to exogenous hormones and to other risk factors including diet, physical activity and alcohol drinking. The objective of this investigation was to systematically analyse the trends in colorectal cancer mortality sex ratios in major European countries over the last four decades. Trends in death certification rates from colorectal cancer over the period 1955-1996 were analysed for 20 European countries (excluding the former Soviet Union and a few of the smaller countries). In all countries, the mortality sex ratios (M/F) were around or slightly above unity in the 1950s, and systematically increased to approach 1.5 in the 1990s. The extent of the rises varied across countries, ranging between + 0.8% in Germany, + 9.7% in Sweden, and + 12.1% in Denmark (the lowest increases) to + 65.3% in Spain, + 56.2% in Portugal, and + 50.4% in Hungary (the highest ones). Mortality sex ratios in Europe show more favourable trends for females, which may be attributable, in part, to the introduction of exogenous hormones in the late 1950s and 1960s, and, in part, to differential sex exposure to major environmental risk factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Food groups and oesophageal cancer risk in Vaud, Switzerland.

The influence of food groups on oesophageal cancer risk was analysed using data from a case-control study conducted between 1992 and 1999 in the Swiss Canton of Vaud on 101 incident, histologically confirmed cases (92 squamous cell, 9 adenocarcinomas) and 327 controls admitted to hospital for acute, non-neoplastic conditions. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) were computed after allowance for age, sex, tobacco, alcohol and non-alcohol energy. Significant increased risks emerged for red meat (OR = 1.7 for an increase of one serving per day), pork and processed meat (OR = 1.6), and eggs (OR = 1.5), whereas inverse associations were observed for milk (OR = 0.7), raw and cooked vegetables (OR = 0.5), citrus and other fruits (OR = 0.5), as well as for a more varied diet (OR = 0.5). Most associations were apparently stronger in heavy alcohol drinkers, suggesting an interaction between poor diet and alcohol drinking in oesophageal carcinogenesis.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

An age, period and cohort analysis of pleural cancer mortality in Europe.

Death certification data from pleural cancer in eight European countries providing data to the World Health Organization database over the period 1970-1994 were analysed using a log-linear Poisson model to disentangle the effects of age, birth cohort and period of death. The age effect reached values between 10 and 15/100,000 males at age 80-84 in most countries, except Hungary (6.7), Switzerland (18.0), France (20.6) and the Netherlands (36.5). Cohort effects were steadily and appreciably upwards in all countries up to the generations born in 1940 or 1945, and levelled off for the 1950 cohort, except in Hungary, where persistent rises were observed. Thus, most rises in pleural cancer mortality in Europe were on a cohort of birth basis. Since most pleural cases were asbestos-related mesotheliomas, and since asbestos has an early-stage effect on subsequent mesothelioma risk, exposure early in life is important for determining the subsequent mesothelioma risk of each generation. Consequently, the data indicate that the peak mortality from pleural cancer in most western European countries will be reached in the first decades of the 21st century, i.e. around 2010-2020, when the generations born between 1940 and 1950 will reach the peak age for mesothelioma incidence and mortality. This contrasts with US data, where the peak of pleural cancer incidence has been reached at the end of the 20th century, and reflects a delay in adopting adequate prevention measures since the 1940-1945 generations entered the workforce in the 1960s, when cancer risk from asbestos exposure was already recognized.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Second primary tumors after prostate carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Several large datasets have shown a reduced risk of all neoplasms after a diagnosis of prostate carcinoma but an increased incidence rate of urologic carcinoma has been suggested. METHODS: Data collected by the Cancer Registries of the Swiss Cantons of Vaud and Neuchâtel (approximately 760,000 inhabitants) were used to estimate the incidence rate of a second primary tumor after a diagnosis of prostate carcinoma. A total of 4503 cases registered between 1974 and 1994 were followed until the end of 1996 (17,065 person-years). RESULTS: A total of 380 second primary neoplasms were observed versus 534.1 expected primary neoplasms (standardized incidence ratio [SIR] = 0.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.6-0.8). SIRs were significantly below unity for lung carcinoma (SIR = 0.7) and other major tobacco-related neoplasms, including those of the mouth or pharynx (SIR = 0.5), esophagus (SIR = 0.4), pancreas (SIR = 0.5), and larynx (SIR = 0.8). There was no excess rate of subsequent urologic carcinoma (SIR = 1.0) or colorectal carcinoma (SIR = 0.9). The reduced SIRs for lung carcinoma were stronger in elderly men (age >/= 75 years) and in patients with a shorter period since diagnosis (< 5 years). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of all neoplasms was reduced significantly in men diagnosed with prostate carcinoma. Selection of the population, under-registration of second primary tumors, and reduced surveillance in elderly men with prostate carcinoma may, at least in part, explain this reduction in risk. No excess risk was observed for the complex of urologic neoplasms nor for tobacco-related neoplasms. This finding would not support an association between cigarette smoking and prostate carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Comparison of the effect of smoking and alcohol drinking between oral and pharyngeal cancer.

To compare the separate and combined effects of alcohol drinking and smoking between the 2 sites, we evaluated 274 men with oral cancer, 364 with pharyngeal cancer and 1,254 controls, frequency-matched for age and area of residence, from Italy and Switzerland. Extremely elevated risk increases for oral cancer (odds ratio, OR = 228) and pharyngeal cancer (OR = 100) were found for the highest joint level of drinking (>/=77 drinks/week) and smoking (>/=25 cigarettes/day). Ratios of ORs between oral cancer and pharyngeal cancer vs. controls, obtained by polytomous logistic regression, suggested that the risk increase for oral cancer was about 2-fold greater than that for pharyngeal cancer at each combined level of smoking and drinking, except at low levels of drinking in smokers. A clear departure from risk difference additivity was present for both oral and pharyngeal cancer in individuals heavily exposed to both factors versus non-smoking abstainers/light drinkers. Our findings thus help explain observations from descriptive epidemiology that, if smoking level in a population does not change substantially, but alcohol consumption increases, increase in oral cancer would be greater than at any other site in the upper aero-digestive tract, including cancer of the pharynx.

Adult↗