Methadone maintenance programmes and AIDS.
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Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
Biomedical subjects
S Franceschi
Publications and source records attributed to S Franceschi.
Risk factors for different histological types of ovarian cancer.
Various histological types of ovarian cancer may develop from different etiological aspects. Data separated by histological subtypes collected in the framework of a large case-control study on ovarian cancer conducted in Italy were analyzed. The cases were women below the age of 75 years, admitted to a network of hospitals in Milan. Cases were grouped into four categories by histological type: mucinous tumor (n = 52), serous tumor (n = 680), endometrioid tumor (n = 41), and other histologies including clear-cell and undifferentiated epithelial tumors (n = 50). Controls were 2758 patients admitted to the same network of hospitals for a wide spectrum of acute, nongynecological, non-hormone-related, non-neoplastic conditions. In comparison with nulliparae, the risk of serous, endometrioid, and other histologies of ovarian cancer tended to be lower in parous women, but the odds ratios (OR) were above unity for mucinous ovarian cancer. Oral contraceptive use was associated with OR lower than unity for serous (OR = 0.7) and endometrioid (OR = 0.8) ovarian cancers but not for mucinous (OR = 1.4) and other histologies (OR = 1.6). Finally, our results on dietary fat intake did not show substantial differences in all histological types of ovarian cancer.
Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell↗
Alcohol and the risk of cancers of the stomach and colon-rectum.
Alcohol drinking is strongly related to cancer of the upper digestive tract, but the pattern of risk with alcohol drinking is clearly different for cancer of the stomach and colon-rectum. All twelve cohort studies and three-quarters of 40 case-control investigations on the topic weigh against the possibility of a substantial effect of alcohol consumption on the risk of stomach cancer. Evidence is still insufficient to establish whether cancer of the cardiac region of the stomach is related to alcohol intake to any different extent than the rest of the stomach. With reference to colorectal cancer, different types of epidemiological studies are consistent in suggesting some direct relations with alcohol drinking. The association, however, is moderate, and an elevated risk of a factor 2--or even of a factor 1.5--for both cancers of the colon and rectum can now be excluded even for the highest levels of alcohol consumption.
Alcohol Drinking↗
Lifelong menstrual pattern and risk of breast cancer.
The relationship between lifelong menstrual pattern and the risk of breast cancer has been analyzed using data from a large case-control study conducted since 1983 in the greater Milan area including 3,037 cases, aged 74 years or less, with histologically confirmed breast cancer and 2,569 control subjects admitted for acute nongynecological, nonneoplastic nonhormone-related conditions to the same network of hospitals where cases had been identified. Compared with women reporting lifelong regular cycles, those reporting irregularities were at significantly reduced risk of breast cancer, relative risk estimate being 0.6, with 95% confidence interval (CI) ranging from 0.5 to 0.8. This protection was restricted to women reporting totally irregular menstrual cycles; compared to women reporting menstrual cycles lasting 25 days or less, the estimated relative risks were 1.0 and 1.2 in those reporting cycles lasting 26-30 days or 31 days or more, respectively, but 0.6 (95% CI 0.5-0.8) for those reporting totally irregular cycles. The effect of irregular menstrual cycles was similar in different strata of age and main risk factors for breast cancer.
Adult↗
Female thyroid cancer: the role of reproductive and hormonal factors in Switzerland.
We conducted a study on 91 women with thyroid cancer and 306 controls in hospital for acute nonneoplastic, non-hormone-related disorders in order to investigate the role of reproductive and hormonal factors in the etiology of epithelial thyroid cancer in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Non-significant increases in cancer risk with an increasing number of full-term pregnancies (odds ratio, OR, after allowance for age and previous benign thyroid disease = 1.6, for > or = 3 vs. 0 full-term pregnancies, 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.7-3.6) and spontaneous abortions (OR = 2.0 for > or = 2 vs. 0 spontaneous abortions, 95% CI: 0.7-5.2) were seen. A significantly elevated OR (2.8, 95% CI: 1.1-7.2) was found in those women whose first pregnancy ended with an abortion. Whereas most other reproductive, menstrual and hormonal factors examined did not seem to affect the risk of thyroid cancer significantly, a clue emerged of an association between thyroid cancer and artificial menopause (OR = 6.3, for women who underwent artificial menopause vs. premenopausal women, 95% CI: 1.7-23.2). Although not necessarily causal, the relationship between the risk of epithelial thyroid cancer and the occurrence of spontaneous abortions and artificial menopause deserves attention in future studies, in the light of the high incidence of thyroid cancer in young and middle-aged women.
Abortion, Spontaneous↗
Mortality from Hodgkin's disease and other lymphomas in Europe, 1960-1990.
Trends in mortality from Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) in the whole of Europe and in two broad European geographic areas (Western and Eastern Europe) were reviewed over the period of 1960-1990, on the basis of official death certifications derived from the World Health Organization database. Between the early 1960s and 1990, HD mortality in the whole of Europe declined from 2.1 to 0.9/100,000 males (-58%), and from 1.1 to 0.5/100,000 (-56%) females. The decline was larger in Western Europe (around 65%), but appreciably smaller in Eastern Europe (around 30%). In contrast, mortality from NHL increased in males from 2.2 to 4.2/100,000 (+93%), and in females from 1.2 to 2.6/100,000 (+112%). These upward trends were larger in Western (over 100%) than in Eastern Europe (around 80%). The declines in HD were larger and the increases in NHL were smaller in populations below age 65. When all lymphomas were considered together, an increase was observed in both sexes (from 4.3 to 5.1/100,000 males; from 2.4 to 3.1/100,000 females) that was comparable in various areas of the continent. These data confirm a major impact of newer integrated diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in reducing HD mortality, while indicating that this impact has been delayed and limited in Eastern Europe. The upward trends in mortality from NHL probably reflect both real increases in incidence and better case ascertainment and certification, but are inconsistent with a noticeable impact of newer therapies on mortality from NHL. It is also conceivable that the introduction of immunophenotypic and immunogenotypic characterization of lymphomas has selectively eliminated from HD a worse-prognosis subset previously classified on the basis of Sternbergoid cells, which has been subsequently classified as NHL. This would have increased survival and decreased mortality from HD, while increasing incidence and mortality from NHL to an extent which is unknown but worth considering.
Adolescent↗
Epidemiology of classic Kaposi's sarcoma, with special reference to mediterranean population.
An excess of classic Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) in individuals of southern European ancestry has long been suspected and recently quantified in terms of age-standardized rates. In Italy and most notably in southern Italy for the period 1976-84, prior to the AIDS epidemic, KS incidence rates were two-to-three-fold higher than in the United States and Sweden and many ten-fold higher than in England and Wales and Australia. A high frequency of classic KS has also been documented in Israel and, in low-risk countries, in individuals born in southern Europe and the Middle East. Many infections have been suspected to play a role in the etiology of KS, including cytomegalovirus, malaria and, most recently, a new virus of the herpes family, identified in AIDS-associated and classic KS. The present review deals with epidemiologic data concerning KS in the Mediterranean and stresses the opportunity to combine the study of KS in AIDS as well as non-AIDS patients in order to shed light on this no longer rare disease.
Arabs↗
Differences in cancer mortality trends between four neighboring north-eastern areas and Italy, 1970-1990.
AIMS AND BACKGROUND: The present report combines descriptive statistics (partly never published) on four neighboring areas of north-eastern (NE) Italy [Friuli-Venezia Giulia (1970-89) and Veneto (1970-87) regions and the provinces of Trento (1970-89) and Bolzano (1971-90)], and all Italy (1970-89). The aim was to highlight potential differences in mortality trends and promote a more systematic sharing of data and methodologies. METHODS: Death certificates stratified by cause, sex, age and residence were obtained from official publications of the Italian Central Institute of Statistics. Absolute numbers of deaths from different causes, age-standardized rates (on the basis of the European standard population) and percentage of change over the examined period for both sexes were computed for each geographic area. RESULTS: Unfavorable trends were seen for neoplasms of the upper aerodigestive tract, lung, breast, colorectum, bladder, kidney and pancreas and cutaneous malignant melanoma. Increases in most of these neoplasms were more marked in the 4 NE areas than in Italy, especially with respect to cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract in both sexes and cancer of the lung and ovary in women. In Bolzano, rates of neoplasms associated with tobacco and alcohol consumption were lower and less steeply increasing than in the other NE areas, most notably Trento, therefore, contributing to produce the lowest overall cancer mortality rates of NE areas. Cancers of the stomach, uterus, and testis and Hodgkin's disease presented consistent downward trends in all examined areas. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of mortality trends across areas is consistent with elevated and still increasing cancer rates in the 4 NE areas considered, especially for tobacco and alcohol-related neoplasms and skin melanoma. Preventive strategies, based on epidemiologic knowledge, especially against tobacco and heavy alcohol consumption, and intense intermittent sun exposure, seem to be priorities and may benefit from systematic sharing of information, expertise and intervention tools in NE Italy. At least part of the lack of cancer deaths in Bolzano must be attributable to the deaths of Bolzano residents abroad (especially in Austria) and/or to differences in coding practices. This should be elucidated in future studies.
Age Distribution↗
Cancer mortality by urbanization and proximity to the sea coast in Campania Region, southern Italy.
AIMS AND BACKGROUND: The risk for several cancers is higher in urban than in rural areas. The gradient has seldom been studied in southern Europe. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The geographical pattern of mortality for different cancers and all causes was studied in the Campania Region (about 5.6 million inhabitants), whose largest town is Naples. The key variables were residence in urban/rural and coastal/inland municipalities. Relative risks of death and corresponding 95% confidence intervals by residence were evaluated by means of Poisson log-linear regression models. RESULTS: Significantly increased mortality rates in urban compared to rural municipalities were found for several cancer causes of death. In particular, in both sexes, excesses in the order of 30-50% were observed for tobacco-related neoplasms (i.e., larynx, lung, and bladder) and cancers of the intestine, liver, brain, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, in addition to all-cancer, and all-cause mortality. In females, specific excesses were also noticed for cancer of the gallbladder, pancreas, breast and uterus (corpus and cervix). Conversely, significantly decreased mortality rates in urban with respect to rural municipalities were observed for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx in males. Coastal location and degree of urbanization were strongly correlated, thus showing similar associations with most causes of death. However, a significant excess of cancer of the pleura in males was restricted to coastal municipalities. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-smoking campaigns, sanitation improvements, hepatitis B vaccination, and a decrease in obesity emerge as high priorities with respect to cancer control strategies in the Campania Region, particularly in overpopulated, underprivileged urban areas.
Adolescent↗
Epidemiology of gastric cancer and perspectives for prevention.
The most recent estimates of the world-wide incidence of cancer indicate that gastric cancer was in 1990 the second most frequent cancer in the world (after lung cancer), with about 900000 new cases diagnosed every year. Steady declines in the rates have been observed everywhere in the last few decades, but the absolute number of new cases per year is increasing mainly because of ageing of the population. The exact causes of the decline of gastric cancer are not well understood, but must include improvements in diet, food storage (e.g., refrigeration) and, possibly, the decline of Helicobacter pylori infection. Dietary modifications and, possibly, vitamin supplements remain one of the most important tool for the prevention of gastric cancer. Control of H. pylori infection, by means of eradication or immunization, is also likely to offer great potential for the prevention of this important malignancy.
Case-Control Studies↗
The relationship between oral contraceptive use, cancer and vascular disease.
An overview of the available epidemiological evidence on the connection between oral contraceptives and cancer or vascular disease is presented, including the observation that epidemiological studies have produced important indications for changing both the composition and prescription patterns of oral contraceptives to avoid a large proportion of vascular side effects. Further, the evidence is remarkably clear and consistent in relation to the elevated risks of cervical neoplasms and, although based on a limited number of small studies, of primary liver cancer; protection against endometrial and ovarian cancers up to middle age; and the absence of association with malignant melanoma. There are still uncertainties regarding breast cancer, mainly related to the role of time factors, and the potential persisting risk related to long term use at younger age: published studies, in fact, show elevated risks for long term use in women below age 35 or perhaps up to age 45, but no evidence of association in middle age. Since breast cancer and ovarian cancer account for most of the mortality burden in women up to age 50 or 55 in developed countries, a clarification of the risk relationship for these 2 neoplasms will determine most of the quantitative evaluation on positive or adverse effects of oral contraceptives. The impact of other neoplasms and of cardiovascular disease, on the basis of current oral contraceptive composition, is comparatively limited, if not negligible.
Contraceptives, Oral↗
[Estimate of the proportion of skin tumors attributable to sun exposure in 3 Italian populations].
Translation of recommendations on skin cancer prevention formulated by many national and international institutions into efficient steps requires measuring the potential impact in terms of preventable cases. This study analyses the proportion of skin cancers attributable to sun exposure in Turin, Trento and Ragusa. Estimates have been reached by applying the risk models calculated from the case-control study on melanoma in Turin and the Helios multi-centric study on skin carcinomas. The proportion of cases attributable to sun exposure has been subsequently calculated by correcting for the different proportion of skin characteristics among the populations taken into consideration. Attributable risks so calculated show medium to high values for melanoma in Turin (38%) and Trento (29%), while values are lower in Ragusa (17%). As for basal-cell carcinoma, attributable risk values are slightly inferior to those of melanoma. The risk of squamous-cell carcinoma attributable to sun exposure during outdoor work is the highest in Ragusa, with a value of 25%. Taking an annual incidence rate for melanoma of 9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and a preventive intervention with 50% of effectiveness, preventable cases should be 2 cases per 100,000 each year. This figure compared with 8 preventable cases of cervix cancer, in a similar population suggests an extremely cautious attitude in taking on programmes aiming to change life styles.
Humans↗
[Methodological issues and first results of a record linkage between AIDS and Cancer Registries in Italy].
We report herein, the first results of a record linkage between the Italian AIDS Registry and 13 population-based Cancer Registries (about 8-million population in 1991). An anonymous linkage process was carried out on about 339,000 cancer notifications and 6,067 AIDS ones reported between 1982 and 1994. Out of 243 Kaposi's sarcomas (KS) below age 50 years recorded at either type of registry, 90 (37%) were reported as such by both. Sixty-eight percent of individuals with KS at Cancer Registries could be identified at the AIDS Registry. Sixty-two percent of individuals with KS and 65% of individuals reported as having non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) at RAIDS could be also found at Cancer Registries. Among 6,067 persons with AIDS 15-69 years old, observed and expected numbers of cancer and age-standardised incidence ratios (SIR) on a total of 25,759 person-years were computed. Significantly increased SIR was found for Hodgkin's disease (8.9; 95% CI: 4.4-16.0), invasive carcinoma of the cervix uteri (15.5; 95% CI: 4.0-40.1), and non-melanomatous skin cancer (3.0, 95%, CI: 1.3-5.9). As in previous studies, KS and NHL were greatly increased (SIR = 1,300 and 59, respectively). The risk for all cancer types, after exclusion of KS and NHL, was approximately twice the risk of the general population. An increased SIR of Hodgkin's disease in persons with AIDS is thus confirmed, though many-fold smaller than for NHL. An association with invasive carcinoma of the cervix is also shown at a population level. These data indicate the potential of AIDS and Cancer Registries for improving cancer assessment in individuals with HIV/AIDS and elucidating the role of immune system on cancer onset.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
Medical history and the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.
The relationship between selected aspects of medical history and the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) was investigated using data from a hospital-based case-control study conducted in northern Italy on 177 cases of NHL and 561 controls in hospital for acute conditions, other than nonneoplastic or immunological. Among six viral diseases considered, only herpes zoster (shingles) had a relative risk (RR) significantly above unity [RR = 2.7; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.5 to 4.7]. The association, however, was restricted to subjects whose diagnosis of herpes zoster dated back to less than 10 years, suggesting that this slow-acting virus could be reactivated by the early development of NHL. Six of eight bacterial diseases considered showed RR above unity, and the estimate was significant for scarlet fever (RR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1 to 3.5) and pyelonephritis (RR = 5.3; 95% CI, 1.8 to 16.2). These associations were not restricted to the few years before lymphoma diagnosis. When various classes of infectious or inflammatory diseases were grouped together, no association was evident for viral infections (RR = 0.8; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.2), acute bacterial diseases (RR = 1.0; 95% CI, 0.7 to 1.5), or allergic conditions (RR = 1.0; 95% CI, 0.6 to 2.1). The risk estimates were nonsignificantly above unity for chronic bacterial diseases (RR = 1.2; 95% CI, 0.7 to 1.2) and autoimmune conditions (RR = 1.4; 95% CI, 0.9 to 2.2), and significantly elevated for chronic inflammatory disease (RR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2 to 3.0).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adolescent↗
Histamine-2-receptor antagonists and gastric cancer: update and note on latency and covariates.
The relationship between treatment with histamine-2 (H2)-receptor antagonists (cimetidine and ranitidine) and subsequent risk of gastric cancer was analyzed with data of a case-control study conducted in northern Italy between 1983 and 1991 on 628 incident cases of gastric cancer and 1776 control subjects who had been hospitalized for acute, nonneoplastic, non-digestive-tract disorders, with a specific focus on time-risk relationships and analysis of covariates. Previous use of H2-receptor antagonists was reported by 45 (7.2%) cancer patients and 68 (3.8%) control subjects; the corresponding multivariate relative risk (RR) was 2.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4-3.8). A significantly elevated risk, however, was evident only among individuals (27 patients and 23 control subjects) who had started using the drug less than 5 yr before diagnosis (RR 3.8, 95% CI 2.1-6.1). The risk estimate declined to 2.1 (95% CI 1.0-4.2) for use starting 5-9 yr before diagnosis and to 0.4 (95% CI 0.2-1.2) for use starting greater than or equal to 10 yr before diagnosis. When the relationship between use of H2-receptor antagonists and gastric cancer risk was examined across strata of sex, age, and other selected covariates (educational level, tobacco use, and alcohol and coffee consumption), all RRs were greater than unity for use starting less than 5 yr before diagnosis, but there was no evidence of any consistent association for use starting in the more distant past. Furthermore, there was no evidence of heterogeneity in the RRs for H2-receptor antagonist use and gastric cancer across strata of the covariates examined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adult↗
[Pilot study of screening for the early diagnosis of tumors of the upper respiratory and digestive tracts in individuals at risk in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region].
A pilot study on a screening program for tumours of the upper respiratory and digestive tracts was conducted from December 1988 to May 1989 in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region (Northern Italy), an area showing high mortality rates for cancers of these sites. Six hundred seventy-one patients at risk (i.e. habitual smokers and/or drinkers) were referred to an E.N.T. specialist by 16 general practitioners for free examination. Of these 436 (65%) actually underwent examination and, among them, 55 (12.6%) precancerosis and 8 (1.8%) epithelial tumors were detected. Although some low risk patients (mainly females) were eventually seen as well, two non-epithelial tumors being found, this pilot study would appear to have accomplished its purposes, namely to establish a closer relationship between GPs and ENT Specialists so as to discover cancerous and precancerous lesions early on and to address an educational message against smoking and heavy drinking to at risk subjects.
Adult↗
[Tobacco use and health: a preventable epidemics].
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Body Weight↗
[Law 194 on voluntary abortion].
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Abortion, Legal↗