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G R Newell

Publications and source records attributed to G R Newell.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Incidence of cutaneous melanoma in the United States by histology with special reference to the face.

Cutaneous melanoma has been classified into three distinct histological subtypes based on histopathological and clinical features. The incidence of the least common type, lentigo maligna melanoma, has been most strongly associated with chronic sunlight exposure as its cause, especially lesions presenting on the face area. The relationship of sunlight exposure to the other two major subtypes, superficial spreading melanoma and nodular melanoma, is unclear. Based on over 13,000 cases of cutaneous melanoma collected by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program of the NCI, we report histological-specific incidence rates within four major anatomic sites: face, trunk, arm and shoulder, and leg and hip. The anatomic distribution for all histologies combined was the same as often reported with a male preponderance of melanomas on the face and trunk and female preponderance on the arm and leg. Age-specific incidence for melanoma of the face increased steadily with age in both genders, whereas it did not for the other three sites. The nine SEER areas were divided into North, Central, and South based on the UV index for each area. For melanomas of the face, lentigo maligna melanoma was higher in the Central and South than the North for both genders and increased with age. For superficial spreading melanoma, the pattern of occurrence was different. Incidence was higher in the Central than the North and for males it increased with age. There was a smaller increase for females. This study documents the incidence of cutaneous melanoma by histological subtype within four anatomic sites. The different shapes of the age-incidence curves suggest that different histologies may react differently to sunlight exposure as an etiological factor. Our findings strongly support the importance of considering histological subtypes of cutaneous melanoma in future etiological studies.

Adult↗

Squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract. A case comparison analysis.

Although the etiologic importance of tobacco in risk of upper aerodigestive malignancies is unquestioned, quantification of subsite-specific risks is less well delineated. Risk estimates from this case-control study are derived from self-administered comprehensive risk factor questionnaires distributed to newly registered patients at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston. Cases included 185 white patients with histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract. An equal number of age-frequency and sex-frequency matched patients was randomly selected from the same patient population excluding only patients with diagnoses of squamous cell carcinoma of any site. A statistically significant dose-response relationship for three categories of cigarette pack-years was evident for both males (odds ratios [OR] = 1.8, 4.0, and 7.5) and females (OR = 1.5, 9.0, and 12.0). Highest risks were documented for laryngeal cancer (OR = 15.1) and lingual cancer (OR = 14.5). There was interaction between alcohol use and smoking among men, but no independent effect of alcohol consumption among either gender. After 15 years of smoking abstinence, males no longer exhibited increased risk (OR = 1.0) whereas the risk for females after 15 years of cessation was 1.5. There were also significantly increased risks among men associated with snuff dipping, cigar, and pipe use (OR = 3.4, 2.8, and 1.8, respectively). The differences in the magnitude of the risk estimates and dose-response curves by subsite and by sex suggest a variable susceptibility to carcinogenic action.

Adult↗

Nutrient intakes of whites, blacks, and Mexican Americans in southeast Texas.

Ethnic groups in the United States exhibit different patterns of cardiovascular disease and cancer morbidity and mortality. This has, in part, been attributed to differences in dietary intake. However, there is limited comparative information available regarding the dietary patterns of whites, blacks, and Hispanics residing in the same geographic area. Selected nutrient intakes were obtained by an interviewer-administered 24-hr dietary recall from 231 white, 102 black, and 98 Mexican-American persons residing in the same communities in Southeast Texas. Mean caloric intakes were highest for whites, followed by Mexican Americans and blacks. Mexican Americans had carbohydrate intakes that were significantly higher, but total fat intakes that were significantly lower, than those of whites. Blacks of both sexes had the highest cholesterol intakes and black males had the highest saturated fat intakes. Neither was significantly higher than that of whites or Mexican Americans. Overall, the mean vitamin A and C values were highest for blacks and lowest for whites, although the differences were not statistically significant. Mean calcium and phosphorus intakes were significantly higher for whites compared with those for blacks and Mexican Americans. Blacks had significantly lower mean fiber values than whites or Mexican Americans. International ethnic differences in disease distribution have long been used to provide clues to etiologic factors. National ethnic differences in disease distribution related to dietary intake can further elucidate these causative and/or preventive factors. However, to do so will require additional attention to dietary methodology of the type presented here.

Adult↗

Viral etiology of testicular tumors.

Testicular carcinoma and Hodgkin's disease are among the most frequent malignancies afflicting young men in the 15 to 39-year age group. These malignancies share other epidemiological characteristics as well, including multiple histological tumor types, higher rates of occurrence in white, urbanized populations and upper social classes, relative infrequency among black populations, low but definite familial occurrence and an early geographically acquired lifetime risk irrespective of later migration. Both diseases are increasing in this country. This epidemiological similarity suggests exposure to an infectious agent early in life. The Epstein-Barr virus is known to be oncogenic and neonatal exposure with early infection is believed to be associated with Burkitt's lymphoma in African children. High titers of antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus capsid antigen also have been reported in a series of studies comparing patients with Hodgkin's disease and controls. Because testicular cancer is epidemiologically similar to Hodgkin's disease and, therefore, might be expected to manifest similar Epstein-Barr virus findings, we performed a viral screen (Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and hepatitis A and B viruses) on blood samples from 56 consecutive patients with clinical stage I germ cell tumors of the testis who had received no active therapy after orchiectomy. Our results show a high incidence (80 per cent) of previous exposure to Epstein-Barr virus and support the hypothesis of a possible infectious origin for testicular carcinoma.

Adolescent↗

Profiles of cigarette smoking among patients in a cancer center.

Although cancer patients who continue to smoke are at high risk for subsequent malignancies, especially in tobacco-exposed tissues, they are rarely the target of intervention strategies. We present smoking behavior profiles on 2,531 adult patients registered at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center over a 15-month period. The data are derived from self-administered risk-factor questionnaires. Prevalence data are compared with 1985 data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Percentages of current smokers were similar for men (34.6%) and women (31.8%) and comparable with national survey data. Black men had the highest percentage of current smokers (41%), while Hispanic and black females had the lowest (26.1% and 26.7%, respectively). There were proportionately fewer quitters among women compared with men (19.1% v 37.8%) and among black men and women (20.5% and 11.5%, respectively) compared with whites and Hispanics. Fifty-five percent of male patients smoked over 25 cigarettes daily, compared with 33% of men in the national data. The comparable estimates for women were 31% and 21%. While there was a clear inverse association between educational attainment and smoking prevalence, those college-educated men who did smoke were heavier smokers than their less-educated counterparts. These data highlight the importance of tailoring educational programs to correspond with the specific smoking and demographic characteristics of the patient population.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Health hazards of passive smoking.

"Environmental tobacco smoke" (ETS) is the term used to characterize tobacco combustion products inhaled by nonsmokers in the proximity of burning tobacco. Over 3800 compounds are in tobacco smoke, many of which are known carcinogens. Most ETS exposure is from sidestream smoke emitted from the burning tip of the cigarette. Sidestream smoke is hazardous because it contains high concentrations of ammonia, benzene, nicotine, carbon monoxide, and many carcinogens. Nonsmokers chronically exposed to ETS are believed to assume health risks similar to those of a light smoker. Children of parents who smoke have more respiratory infections, more hospitalizations for bronchitis and pneumonia, and a smaller rate of increase in lung function compared to children of parents who do not smoke, particularly during the first year of life. Among adults with preexisting health conditions such as allergies, chronic lung conditions, and angina, the symptoms of these conditions are exacerbated by exposure to ETS. The acute health effects among healthy adults include headaches, nausea, and irritation of the eyes and nasal mucous membranes. The evidence for a relationship between ETS and cancer at sites other than lung is insufficient to draw any positive conclusions. For lung cancer, studies have consistently shown an excess risk between 10% and 300%, with a summary relative risk of 1.3 (95% confidence interval = 1.1-1.5). A dose-response relation is suggested but difficult to assess completely. Histologic types of lung cancer are generally similar to those most closely associated with active smoking, although other histologic types have also been found. Both excess relative risks and the dose responses are underestimates of the true excess risk and of the range of dose-response effect. Although the temporal relationship between exposure and disease occurrence is established, many questions are unanswered. The findings are consistent with many known biologic effects of active smoking and are partially analogous to the biologic effects of direct smoke inhalation. As many as 5000 nonsmokers are estimated to die annually from lung cancer as a result of exposure to ETS. There is great potential for prevention of these premature deaths. The two major preventive actions are (a) eliminating the source by reducing the amount of direct smoking and (b) limiting the level of exposure by restricting where tobacco can be smoked. Specific preventive actions include smoking cessation, smoking prevention, restriction of advertising, increased taxation on tobacco, and adoption of stringent nonsmoking policies in the workplace, schools, and public places.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adult↗

Nitrite inhalants: historical perspective.

There are important reasons for considering nitrite inhalation as a factor in the development of AIDS-related KS in young male homosexuals. These are (1) the pharmacologic properties of amyl, butyl, and isobutyl nitrites, which are toxic; (2) the mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic products resulting from metabolism of N-nitroso compounds; (3) the potent carcinogenicity of N-nitroso compounds in 39 different animal species; and (4) the deleterious effects of volatile nitrites on human lymphocytes both in vitro and in vivo. Specifically related to this epidemic, there are additional reasons for pursuing the connection between nitrite inhalation and development of KS. These include: (1) the timing of the production and sales of volatile nitrites for use as recreational drugs and the subsequent outbreak of the AIDS epidemic (7 to 10 years); (2) the extensive use of nitrites among male homosexuals; (3) the virtual universal history of nitrite use by young male homosexuals in whom KS has developed during the past 3 years; and (4) the age group in which KS is developing is consistent with a cohort initially exposed 7 to 10 years ago.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Screening: potential for cancer prevention.

Cancer screening is the application of a test in large numbers of asymptomatic persons for the early detection of cancer. The objective is to reduce deaths among the population screened. Prerequisites for implementation of cancer screening are sufficient knowledge of the biology of the cancer, an appropriate screening test, an effective intervention, either by removal or with curative treatment, and the decision that the costs are worth the benefits. At this time, screening asymptomatic women for early detection of cancers of the cervix using the Pap test and breast using mammography has the greatest potential for the control of these common cancers.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Incidence of lymphoma in the US classified by the working formulation.

The incidence of lymphoma in the US and Puerto Rico among 13,600 patients is reported by histologic subtypes according to the Working Formulation. The most frequent histologic types were intermediate grades (five per 100,000 among whites, three per 100,000 among blacks, and two per 100,000 among Puerto Rican Hispanics). Low-grade types were next in frequency (2.7 per 100,000 in whites, 1.5 per 100,000 in blacks, and one per 100,000 in Puerto Rican Hispanics). More than 95% of patients had low-or intermediate-grade lymphomas, and of these, intermediate-grade lymphomas occurred in 65% of patients. High-grade types were infrequent in all ethnic groups. The incidence among men was significantly greater than among women in all ethnic groups. There was a distinct peak for small noncleaved cell type among white boys but not girls. For all other histologic types, there was a conspicuous absence of a young adult component, with incidence increasing steadily with age. No evidence for seasonal fluctuation in month of diagnosis was found. This delineation of incidence by histologic groupings, sex, and ethnic group will facilitate future studies using the Working Formulation.

Adolescent↗

Subfertility: an etiologic factor in development of testicular cancer?

Gonadal dysfunction with resultant subfertility has been implicated as a possible etiologic factor in testicular cancer. A survey of 57 men who had been married before testicular cancer developed revealed that only four marriages (9%) had problems with fertility. Our findings fail to support a premise that testicular carcinoma is associated with prior male infertility.

Adult↗

Incidence of testicular cancer in the United States related to marital status, histology, and ethnicity.

Analyses were made of the marital status of 3,346 patients with the diagnosis of testicular cancer. Among whites, blacks, and Puerto Rico Hispanics, the risk was greater among single than married men. Among whites and both Puerto Rico and New Mexico Hispanic groups, the elevated risk was apparent for histologic types other than seminoma. Among single white men, this excess risk began after 25-29 years of age. During the 10 years 1973 through 1982, incidence increased among single men under age 45, but little increase in incidence was found for married men. There was a striking increase among single men ages 30-44. These data confirm that single men are more susceptible to non-seminoma testicular cancer than are married men after the age of 30. Testicular cancer is increasing fastest among single men of ages 30-44.

Adult↗

Incidence of prostate cancer and marital status.

Analyses were made of the marital status of 48,106 men with adenocarcinoma of the prostate, who were reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the National Cancer Institute during the 9 years ending in 1981. The hypothesis tested was that widowers and possibly divorced men were at higher risk for developing this cancer than were married men. Age- and marital-specific incidence rates were calculated for 4 age groups (45-54, 55-64, 65-74, and greater than or equal to 75 yr) for U.S. white, black, and Puerto Rico Hispanic men. Risks for other marital status groups were calculated relative to "married." Among the 45-54 age group, all ethnic groups had an excess risk for widowed as compared to the risk for married men [whites, relative risk (RR) = 1.7; blacks, RR = 1.5; Hispanics, RR = 2.5]. These excesses were not significantly different from unity. In the other 3 age groups and among each ethnic group, among whom 97.3% of all prostate cancers occurred, there was no suggestion of an excess risk for the development of prostate cancer among widowed men relative to married men. Unexpected findings were significant deficits in risk for single, separated, and divorced white men as compared to the risk for married men. Thus this study does not support an association between widowerhood and an increased risk for the development of prostate cancer. Additional studies are required to investigate a suggestion of decreased risk for older, separated, and divorced men.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Epidemiologic similarities leading to etiologic hypotheses.

Analogy is a useful means of generating etiologic hypotheses which can be tested by epidemiologic, clinical, or laboratory studies. We describe how the use of analogy has furthered the understanding of three disease entities--Hodgkin's disease (HD), testicular cancer (TC), and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). HD is probably caused by a virus of low pathogenicity with clinical expression dependent on social factors. TC may have a viral etiology, although clinical disease may be triggered by other factors. AIDS is caused by a virus which may act as an initiator. AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) may be the result of exposure to a carcinogenic chemical acting as a promoter. In all three diseases, the clinical manifestation could be regarded as varying expressions of host response to a viral agent, modified by an array of socioeconomic and/or biologic cofactors.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Incidence and descriptive features of testicular cancer among United States whites, blacks, and Hispanics, 1973-1982.

This is a descriptive epidemiologic report based on over 3000 incident testicular cancer cases occurring among residents of the US and Puerto Rico, as reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute for the years 1973 through 1982. White men had significantly higher incidence rates than their New Mexico Hispanic, black, and Puerto Rican Hispanic counterparts with weighted risk ratios of 1.36, 4.62, and 4.80, respectively. Ethnic differences in incidence were least evident at the extremes of age. Although the distribution of histologic subtypes did not differ across ethnic strata, morphologic expression was related to age at diagnosis. There was a predominance of right-sided tumor involvement in each ethnic group in childhood (less than 15 years of age), but not in the oldest age categories or among tumors presenting in cryptorchid testes. Never married men appeared to be at greater risk of developing nonseminoma testicular cancer than their married counterparts. Analysis of ethnic secular trends, using data from comparable geographic areas, showed a consistent increase in incidence among young men for all three ethnic groups. The contrast between the rate differences and the homogeneity of descriptive parameters across ethnic strata suggest the impact of quantitative rather than qualitative differences in environmental etiology.

Black or African American↗

Ethnic patterns of Hodgkin's disease incidence among children and adolescents in the United States, 1973-82.

The descriptive epidemiologic findings were summarized on 1,109 patients (white, black, and Hispanic) under 20 years of age who were diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease as reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results ("SEER") Program of the National Cancer Institute from 1973 to 1982. Across all ethnic strata, incidence rates increased with advancing age at diagnosis, with white adolescents 15-19 years old exhibiting the highest rates (male, 3.67; female, 4.18). Gender difference among children 0-14 years of age was most evident in blacks (male:female ratio: 4.0 for blacks, 1.0 for whites). Highest adolescent:childhood ratios of incidence rates were noted for females (5.81 for whites and 8.29 for New Mexico Hispanics) and lowest, for Hispanic males (1.25, New Mexico; 2.15, Puerto Rico). Whites exhibited the highest percentage of the nodular sclerosis histologic subtype (65%) and Hispanics, the lowest (45%). Conversely, Hispanics had higher rates of histologic types associated with a poorer prognosis (mixed cellularity and lymphocyte depletion). These differing age and histologic patterns were consistent with previously described international patterns of disease occurrence. Analysis of secular trends for whites from 1969 to 1982 revealed relatively stable rates for youngest ages and male adolescents. Rates increased over time for white female adolescents, but the trend was not statistically significant.

Adolescent↗