Biomedical subjects

S Rosso

Publications and source records attributed to S Rosso.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Immunomodulation therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

The role of the immune system in the pathogenesis and treatment of cancer is currently a popular area of research. An underlying fundamental concept of cancer immunology is the supposition that tumor cells express antigens differently than normal cells, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Understanding tumor-host interactions may suggest opportunities to modify these relationships to obtain antitumor effects. There is growing evidence that the immune system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Based on this evidence, trials studying the therapeutic efficacy of biologic response modifiers (BRMs) have been undertaken. These trials have had variable success, but continued efforts incorporating newer cytokines are underway.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of smoking cessation following physicians' counseling.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was, to identify predictors of quitting following general practitioners' (GP) anti-smoking counseling. METHODS: We studied determinants (characterized following the Precede framework) of successful quitting (1 year sustained abstinence, biochemically confirmed at 6- and 12-month follow-up) among 861 smokers randomized to the intervention groups based on repeated counseling (RC), RC + spirometric testing, and RC + nicotine gum, in a smoking cessation trial carried out in Turin, Italy. RESULTS: GPs' intervention worked best for male (OR = 2.30; 95% CI, 1.13-4.52) and married (OR = 3.63; 95% CI, 1.37-9.59) smokers, for smokers who had maintained abstinence for at least 1 month in the past (OR = 6.78; 95% CI, 1.56-29.52) or at their first quit attempt (OR = 10.91; 95% CI, 2.37-50.13), and for those who spontaneously reduced their coffee consumption (OR = 3.30; 95% CI, 1.59-6.82); heavy smokers (> = 20 cig/day OR = 0.48; 95% CI, 0.24-0.93) and those living with other smokers (> = 1 smokers in the household: OR = 0.44; 95% CI, 0.22-0.90) were less likely to give up. Previous antismoking advice by the GP represented a strong barrier to success for healthy smokers (OR = 0.19; 95% CI, 0.07-0.52), but not for those reporting symptoms of shortness of breath (OR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.39-9.20). There were no interactions between predictors and treatment conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of factors influencing quitting would allow GPs to tailor their message to address existing barriers and to help patients utilize their resources for change.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Central nervous system myelin deficit in rats exposed to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid throughout lactation.

Our results show that 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) exposure through mother's milk during the period of rapid myelination (from the 15th to the 25th postnatal days) results in a myelin deficit in the pup's brain and demonstrates the vulnerability of the developing central nervous system (CNS) to 2,4-D. After 100 mg/kg 2,4-D administration to dams, brains of male and female rats show a significant diminution of myelin markers such as monohexosylceramide as well as phospholipids and free fatty acids (FFA) and an increase of cholesteryl esters. Histological studies revealed myelin deficit in some brain regions after 2,4-D treatment. These data indicate that 2,4-D, through the mother's milk, alters the myelination process during a specific postnatal period.

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Reproducibility of histopathologic diagnosis and classification of non-melanocytic skin cancer: a panel exercise in the framework of the multicenter southern European study HELIOS.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: The reproducibility of histologic diagnoses, and in particular of the distinction between basal and squamous cell forms, has been evaluated in the framework of a multicenter case-control study (in Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland) aimed to assess the causes of non-melanocytic skin cancers. METHODS: A panel composed of 10 pathologists from the collaborating centers was appointed. A total of 1,774 slides of routine diagnoses were blindly reviewed by a second panelist; discordant diagnoses underwent a third examination. Controversial and interesting cases were discussed during general sessions. RESULTS: The results showed a high degree of concordance (99.5%), with a Cohen's kappa of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.77-0.94) in the assessment of malignancy of lesions. The concordance in the distinction between large morphologic groups, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma was also high (Cohen's kappa = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.82-0.89). The assessment of histologic subtypes, degree of invasion and differentiation showed a lower degree of concordance, presumably as a consequence of a weaker consistency in the relevant classifications. CONCLUSIONS: The reproducibility study has therefore validated the epidemiologic study and in particular allowed to correct some misclassifications that could have lessened the analysis of the case-control study. In general, because of its characteristics (number of pathologists and variety of their origins, the large number of cases examined, blind examination of histologic slides), the conclusions of the study may show a certain degree of generalization, at least with regard to the countries represented. Routine histologic diagnoses of cutaneous carcinoma showed a high degree of reliability with reference to the assessment of malignancy and the distinction between basal and squamous cell carcinoma morphotypes.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The ITACARE Study.

ITACARE is a collaborative study on the survival of Italian cancer patients diagnosed in the period 1978-1989. The study involves 11 Italian population-based cancer registries (CRs) (Firenze, Forli-Ravenna, Genova, Latina, Modena, Parma, Ragusa, Torino, Varese, the childhood CR of Piedmont and the colorectal CR of Modena), and its principal aim is to identify and analyze possible differences between the areas covered by the CRs. This article describes the ITACARE database. Ten percent of the Italian population is covered by the participating CRs, most of which are located in the northern part of the country. All malignant cancer sites (classified by ICD-9) except skin cancers were included. For bladder cancers, papillomas and transitional cell tumours grade 1 and 2 were also included. Survival data on over 100,000 cases were collected. The principal information variables were sex, date of birth, diagnosis and end of follow-up, life status, ICD-9 code for tumour site, diagnosis modality (clinical, cytologic confirmation, histologic confirmation), ICD-0 morphology code, and tumour stage (grouped into broad categories). Follow-up is active in all registries. All cases were checked systematically for errors and inconsistencies, following which about 0.2% of cases were excluded from the analyses. The percentage of cases microscopically verified, which is an indicator of diagnostic accuracy and data reliability, was higher among patients under 65 years of age (90%), breast cancer patients (92%) and cases covered by the Varese, Torino and Forli-Ravenna CRs (more than 82%). The percentage of cases known by death certificate only (an indicator of the completeness and quality of registration) was about 3% of total cases and was higher among older patients (4%). Province-specific mortality, used to compute relative survival from cancer (i.e., survival adjusted for competing causes of death), varied according to period of diagnosis, sex and area: the highest mortality was among women of the Ragusa CR (Sicily) and men in northern CRs. Overall mortality decreased during the period, more markedly in the north and among women.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The prevalence of cancer: a review of the available data.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Cancer prevalence in a population, defined as the proportion - or the number - of people who were diagnosed with a cancer during their lives and are still alive at a given date, is a crucial indicator for heath care planning and resource allocation. Long-term population-based cancer registries (CR) are the appropriate tools to produce prevalence figures, which, however, are scarcely available. This paper contains a review up to 1999 of the published data world-wide (reports and articles) on cancer prevalence: including measured and estimated figures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data on cancer prevalence from CRs are available for the Nordic countries, Connecticut, and Italy. In addition, electronic data are available for the European Union (EU). Data for the Nordic countries were first published in the mid-seventies, reporting the prevalence for 1970. The first data from Connecticut were available 10 years later. Estimates for all EU countries were published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 1997. In Italy, observed and estimated data on the prevalence of respiratory and digestive tract cancer and breast cancer have been published during the nineties, followed by a systematic analysis for all cancers in 1999. By using information obtained from CRs, cancer prevalence data were calculated directly (observed prevalence) by means of incidence and follow-up information on individual cancer patients, or indirectly (estimated prevalence) by means of mathematical models, which generally use epidemiological information at the aggregate level. RESULTS: Cancer prevalence for all cancers combined (proportions per 100,000 inhabitants) showed values of less than 700 in males and less than 800 in females in 1970 (Finland) to over 2,300 in males and over 3,000 in females in 1992 (Italian registries). With few exceptions, in each country and period considered the cancer sites contributing most to cancer prevalence are lung, colon-rectum, prostate and bladder in males, colon-rectum, breast, uterus (both cervix and corpus) and ovary in females. At present, comparison of measurements from different areas is difficult because there exists no standardized mode of presentation. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of their being potentially useful for health care planning, prevalence data have been produced inconsistently and late by cancer registries, at least in comparison with the systematic availability of incidence and survival statistics. The available data can be compared only to a limited extent due to differences in completeness, in the choice of indicators, in the standard populations, and in the frequency of publication. It would be desirable that in the future data will be produced systematically, with a higher level of standardization compared to the past, and, most importantly, on the same geographic and administrative scale as health-care decision-making.

Europe↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Risk of basal and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin in Sion, Switzerland: a case-control study.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Non-melanocytic skin cancers are the most common cancers in white populations. Studies on populations of Anglo-Saxon and Mediterranean origins highlighted different patterns of risk of basal-cell carcinoma and squamous-cell carcinoma in relation to sunlight exposure, skin characteristics and phenotype susceptibility. In Sion, and in Switzerland as a whole, the high incidence suggests the possible presence of additional risk factors or of a different pattern of exposure to solar radiation as well as different composition of pigmentary traits and skin sensitivity to sun. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a case-control study of 146 cases (73% of eligible cases) and 144 controls (81% of eligible subjects) to further evaluate the relationship between nonmelanocytic skin cancer and risk factors in the Sion population. Interviews were conducted by trained interviewers with a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: Pigmentary characteristics such as blonde and red hair as well as tendency to sunburn without tanning and number of sunburns showed a statistically significant and independent risk increase in basal-cell carcinoma. Sun exposure during recreational activities (outdoor sports) showed a risk increase in basal-cell carcinoma with borderline statistical significance. Analysis of squamous-cell carcinoma risk was limited by the small number of cases, but it was positively associated with lifetime exposure to sun during outdoor work and with skin characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Results confirmed previous suggestions of a different mechanism leading to malignant transformation of target cells from the basal and squamous epidermal layers, mediated by different phenotypes, and conditioning the ability to develop an effectively protective tan.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Social differences in cancer incidence, fatality, and mortality in Turin].

INTRODUCTION: The study of social differences in health is today focused on determinants. The knowledge of determinants is useful for the definition of policies to tackle inequities. The aim of this paper is to analyse the social distribution of cancer incidence, fatality and mortality in the city of Turin during the 80's and to estimate the amount of inequality produced within the health system. SOURCES OF DATA: The social distribution of the risk of death in Turin during 1981-1989, estimated from the Turin Longitudinal Study, is compared with incidence and fatality during approximately the same time period. RESULTS: Among men, the relative risks for all cancer sites, among social classes, appear to confirm the hypothesis of a multiplicative model of incidence and fatality. In particular, colo-rectal, prostatic, bladder cancers and lymphoma and leukaemia show relative risks similar to the expected ones. Cancers of larynx, lung and stomach seem to be less coherent. Among women, colon-rectum, lung, breast and lymphoma and leukaemia show coherent results, whereas relative risks for uterus are far from the expected. DISCUSSION: The coherence with the expected values of the social distribution of mortality suggests the adequacy of the multiplicative model for the provision of mortality from incidence and fatality. Therefore it is possible to state that the portion of inequality in health originated within the health system is big enough to suggest the need to put the equity in the access to health services in the agenda of interventions.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[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↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Preventive practices of general practitioners in Torino, Italy.

Health care reforms introduced in Italy in the late 1970s triggered a profound rethinking of the role of general practitioners (GPs) in prevention. We interviewed 209 GPs registered in the Torino area to delineate their beliefs, attitudes, and practice patterns in relation to prevention. We examined an array of primary and secondary preventive interventions, including influenza vaccination of the elderly; counseling activities related to smoking, alcohol consumption, accidents, contraception, safety helmets, and seat belts; and early detection of hypertension and lung, cervical, and breast cancers. Improvement can still be made in the full implementation of preventive practices. We examine features of the organization of medical practices in Italy that impede the integration of preventive interventions in primary care.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Determinants of preventive practices of general practitioners in Torino, Italy.

We conducted a study of general practitioners in Torino, Italy, to determine their patterns of preventive practice. We examined a set of primary and secondary preventive interventions and their determinants. We explored the determinants of primary preventive interventions (antismoking and alcohol abuse counseling, counseling for prevention of accidents at home among the elderly, flu vaccination for the elderly, and counseling on contraceptive use) and cancer early detection techniques (chest x rays and sputum cytology for lung cancer; mammography, physical examination, teaching of breast self-examination, and Papanicolaou [Pap] smear for gynecological cancers). Grouping determinants in cognitive, sociodemographic, and organization factors, we found different patterns for each maneuver. Cognitive factors played an important role, but their importance varied for each intervention. We found that smoking behavior of physicians predicted antismoking counseling. Further, the availability of other primary care services is an important factor in the early detection of gynecological cancers.

Accident Prevention↗