Publications

Obesity and metabolic disorders have been associated with poor outcomes in non-Mediterranean breast cancer (BC) patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic potential of anthropometric variables in patients with early BC living in Southern Mediterranean region of Italy. We enrolled 955 consecutive early BC patients treated in hospitals in Naples between 2009 and 2013 (median follow-up 11.8-year ending 15/09/2022). Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) were collected. All-cause and BC-specific mortality were calculated. At the last day of contact 208 (22%) patients had died, 131 (14%) from BC. High WC (≥ 88 cm) or WHR (> 0.85) and the MetS were significantly associated with moderately increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR=1.39, 1.62, 1.61, respectively). A significant increased risk of BC-specific mortality was found in obese patients, in those with high WC, high WHR and those with MetS (HR=1.72, 1.71, 1.80, 1.81, respectively). Central obesity significantly increased total and BC-specific mortality particularly in pre-menopausal women and in luminal subtypes, while in post-menopause MetS was a stronger risk factor. Obesity and MetS may impair the effectiveness of BC therapies hence active lifestyle interventions are encouraged.

Parazzini F {Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche ‘Mario Negri’ via Eritrea 62,20157 Milan, Italy), Hildesheim A, Ferraroni M, La Vecchia C and Brinton LA. Relative and attributable risk for cervical cancer: A comparative study in Italy and the United States. International Journal of Epidemiology 1990, 19: 539–545. The attributable risk for invasive cervical cancer in the US and Italian populations has been estimated in relation to main ‘aetiological’ factors (number of sexual partners, age at first intercourse, parity, oral contraceptive use and smoking) and history of Pap smear using data from two case-control studies conducted in the US (466 cases and 788 controls) and Italy (528 cases and 456 controls). The risk of cervical cancer increased in both studies with multiple sexual partners, decreasing age at first intercourse, higher parity, oral contraceptive use and smoking. Levels of exposure to various risk factors were markedly different in the two countries (ie number of sexual partners, frequency of oral contraceptive use and smoking were greater in the US). Multiple Pap smears and a short interval since last Pap smear strongly reduced risk of cervical cancer in both populations, although screening was much more widespread in the US study population, with only 9% of controls reporting no previous smear versus 38% of the Italian control series. The combined population attributable risk for the five ‘aetiological’ risk factors was slightly greater in the US study (76%) than in the Italian one (69%), chiefly because of a higher prevalence of exposure to sexual factors in US study women. A substantially larger proportion of Italian cases were due in part to deficiency in screening (46% in US and 84% in Italy). Thus, further inclusion of the effect of screening programmes (number of Pap smears and time since last Pap) led to an overall proportion of cases attributable to the examined risk factors of 87% in the US and 95% in Italy.

The priority for further reduction of cancer mortality in the EU remains tobacco control together with more widespread availability of modern diagnostic and treatment procedures for neoplasms that are amenable to treatment.

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.

<p>List of tools and reagents.</p>

The Mediterranean diet has been related to a reduced risk of several common cancers but its role on breast cancer has not been quantified yet. We investigated the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and breast cancer risk by means of a hospital-based case-control study conducted in Italy and Switzerland. 3034 breast cancer cases and 3392 controls admitted to the same network of hospitals for acute, non-neoplastic and non-gynaecologic diseases were studied. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was quantitatively measured through a Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), summarizing the major characteristics of the Mediterranean dietary pattern and ranging from 0 (lowest adherence) to 9 (highest adherence). We estimated the odds ratios (ORs) of breast cancer for the MDS using multiple logistic regression models, adjusting for several covariates. Compared to a MDS of 0-3, the ORs for breast cancer were 0.86 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.76-0.98) for a MDS of 4-5 and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.71-0.95) for a MDS of 6-9 (<i>p</i> for trend = 0.008). The exclusion of the ethanol component from the MDS did not materially modify the ORs (e.g., OR = 0.81, 95% CI, 0.70-0.95, for MDS ≥ 6). Results were similar in pre- and post-menopausal women. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced breast cancer risk.

Correspondence to: C La Vecchia Abstract Objective To assess the relationship be tween cigarette smoking and the risk of acute myocardial infarction in Argen tina. Design Hospital-based case-control study conducted between 1984 and 1989 in Buenos Aires. Main outcome measures were multiple logistic regression analysis of relative risk (RR) estimates, and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI), according to smoking status. Al lowance was made for sex, age, education, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, and family history of coronary heart disease. Setting-A network including 11 coron ary care units from major hospitals in Buenos Aires. Subjects Cases were 1000 patients with acute myocardial infarction. Controls were 1000 patients admitted to the same network of hospitals with a wide spec trum of acute disorders unrelated to smoking or to known or suspected risk factors for myocardial infarction. Results After allowance for major risk factors for myocardial infarction, com pared to lifelong non-smokers, the RRs were 1.6 (95% CI = 1.1 to 2.4) for current smokers of less than 15 cigarettes per day, 2.2 (95% CI = 1.6 to 3.0) for smokers of 15-24, and 5.9 (95% CI = 4.2 to 8.3) for smokers of 25 or more cigarettes per day. The RR was 1.5 (95% CI = 1.1 to 2.0) for ex-smokers who had been abstinent for at least one year. The RR at younger age (30-44 years) was 10.3 (95% CI = 4.3 to 24.9) for heavy smokers (^ 25 cigarettes per day), and declined with advancing age. Conclusions Cigarette smoking is an independent and important risk factor for acute myocardial infarction, and about 40% of cases in this Argentinian population (and over 55% of cases under age 55) are attributable to it. {Tobacco Control 1993; 2: 127-131)

&lt;p&gt;Association of Hypertension Status with Endometrial Cancer by Histologic Subtype&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;IGG transcript a protein analyses in HGBCL-DH-BCL2(-BCL6) cell lines and HEK293T cells before and after complementation with IG expression vectors&lt;/p&gt;