Publications

Ultraviolet radiation is the major cause of skin cancer, but promotes vitamin D synthesis, and vitamin D has been inversely related to the risk of several common cancers including prostate, breast and colorectum. We therefore computed the incidence of prostate, breast and colorectal cancer following skin cancer using the datasets of the Swiss cancer Registries of Vaud and Neuchâtel. Between 1974 and 2005, 6,985 histologically confirmed squamous cell skin cancers, 21,046 basal cell carcinomas and 3,346 cutaneous malignant melanomas were registered, and followed up to the end of 2005 for the occurrence of second primary cancer of the prostate, breast and colorectum. Overall, 680 prostate cancers were observed versus 568.3 expected (standardized incidence ratio (SIR) = 1.20; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-1.29), 440 breast cancers were observed versus 371.5 expected (SIR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.08-1.30) and 535 colorectal cancers were observed versus 464.6 expected (SIR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.06-1.25). When basal cell, squamous cell and skin melanoma were considered separately, all the SIRs for prostate, breast and colorectal cancers were around or slightly above unity. Likewise, the results were consistent across strata of age at skin cancer diagnosis and location (head and neck versus others), and for male and female colorectal cancers. These findings, based on a population with a long tradition of systematic histologic examination of all surgically treated skin lesions, do not support the hypothesis that prostate, breast and colorectal cancer risk is decreased following skin cancer.

Our pooled analysis indicates that there is no association between dietary vitamin D and the risk of GC.

Milk has been considered a risk factor for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD) because of its content in cholesterol, saturated fatty acids, and possibly lactose. However, epidemiological data are scanty and inconclusive. A Scottish prospective study found a relative risk of 0.92 for CHD in men with higher milk intake, and the preliminary analyses of the Caerphilly study found a protective association.1 No significant relation with CHD was found in other prospective studies, including the British Regional Heart study conducted in men (relative risk, RR, 0.88 for drinkers compared with non-drinkers),2 a British study on vegetarians (increased risk in high milk consumers and reduced in moderate consumers),3 and the Iowa study in postmenopausal women (RR 0.94 for the highest tertile of intake compared with the lowest),4 although absolute numbers of events were limited. An Italian case-control study of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in women found …

This study, based on a uniquely large dataset, indicates that there are different social class correlates for colon and rectal cancer. Consequently the two sites should not be combined in studies considering lifestyle factors in the aetiology of these neoplasms.

Canned fish is a widely consumed and affordable food whose effect on cancer risk has been little investigated. We studied its effect on risk of upper digestive tract cancers using data from a network of hospital-based case-control studies from Northern Italy providing information about canned fish consumption as a separate item and including a total of 946 patients with oral cavity and pharynx cancer, 304 patients with esophageal cancer, 230 patients with gastric cancer and 3273 controls. Twenty-three percent of patients with cancer of the oral cavity or pharynx and 26% of those with cancer of the stomach consumed ≥1 serving per week of canned fish, compared to 40% and 49% of the respective control group. Among cases of esophageal cancer and controls 22% consumed ≥1 serving per week of canned fish. Odds ratios for ≥1 vs <1 portion per week were 0.79 (95% Confidence Interval, CI: 0.64-0.97) for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.41-0.86) for stomach cancer, whereas there was no inverse association with esophageal cancer. These findings suggest a favorable role of canned fish for selected upper digestive tract cancers.

To provide an up-to-date overview of recent trends in mortality from oral and pharyngeal cancer, we analyzed death certification data for 61 countries worldwide provided by the World Health Organization in 2010-2015, and, for selected most populous countries, over the period 1970-2016. For 12 largest countries, we analyzed incidence derived from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents in 1960-2012 for all oral and pharyngeal cancers and by subsites. In 2015, male age-standardized (world population) death rates per 100,000 were 5.03 in the European Union (EU), 8.33 in the Russian Federation, 2.53 in the United States (USA), and 3.04 in Japan; corresponding rates in women were 1.23, 1.23, 0.82, and 0.76. Male mortality decreased over the last decades in several European countries, with earlier and sharper declines in southern Europe; conversely, mortality was still increasing in a few eastern European countries and the United Kingdom. Mortality in men also decreased in Argentina, Australia, and Hong Kong, while it leveled off over more recent calendar years in Brazil, Japan, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, as well as in Australia and the USA. Female mortality slightly rose in various European countries. Overall incidence trends in the largest countries were broadly consistent with mortality ones, but oropharyngeal cancer incidence rose in many countries. Changes in tobacco and alcohol exposure in men over the last decades likely explain the favorable trends in oral and pharyngeal cancer mortality and incidence observed in selected countries worldwide, while increased human papillomavirus infection is likely responsible for the rise in oropharyngeal cancer incidence.

The reduction in multiple births has been influenced by changes in IVF strategy and procedures. The decline has been gradual but steady since 2009, when a law restricting embryo freezing was repealed in Italy. In contrast, the proportion of multiple births resulting from first line treatments has remained constant over time. Despite declining, multiple births from MAR remained about one order of magnitude higher than those from spontaneous pregnancies.

Women should not exceed one drink/day, and women at elevated risk for breast cancer should avoid alcohol or consume alcohol occasionally only.

The relation between coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea intake and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk was analyzed in a case-control study conducted in Italy between 1992 and 2004. Cases were 767 subjects with incident histologically confirmed RCC and controls were 1,534 patients in hospital for acute non neoplastic conditions. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for RCC were computed by multiple logistic regression models, conditioned on study center, sex, and age. Coffee intake (mostly espresso and mocha) was not associated with RCC risk, with an OR of 1.02 (95% CI 0.73-1.43) in drinkers of > or = 4 cups/day compared with drinkers of < 1 cup/day. The corresponding ORs were 1.34 (95% CI 0.87-2.07) in men and 0.67 (95% CI 0.38-1.18) in women, 1.91 (95% CI 0.85-4.31) in current smokers and 0.74 (95% CI 0.41-1.31) in never smokers, with no trend in risk with dose. No relation was observed with decaffeinated coffee (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 0.94-2.03 for drinkers compared with nondrinkers) and tea intake (OR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.59-1.05 for drinkers of > or = 1 cup/day compared with nondrinkers). No significant heterogeneity was found for coffee intake across strata of age, education, body mass index, and consumption of sugar. This study, based on a large dataset, provides further evidence that coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea consumption are not related to RCC risk.

Smoking is related to AR-positive breast cancer.