Risk of Cancer with Combined Oral Contraceptive Use among Iranian Women

Vaisy, Afasaneh,Lotfinejad, Shirin,Zhian, Faegh Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.14

Oral contraceptive use is the most common type of contraception. More than 300 million women worldwide take oral contraceptives every day. However, there is a concern about the relationship with the incidence of cancer. This analytical retrospective study aimed to investigate the relationship between the incidence of cervical and breast cancers and oral contraceptive use in 128 Iranian patients with cervical cancer, 235 with breast cancer and equal numbers of controls. Data were collected through interviews with an organized set of questions. Details were also extracted from patient files. Data were analyzed using Student's t-test, chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, and Pearson's correlation analysis. The result revealed correlations between both cervical and breast cancers and history of contraceptive pills use. While cervical cancer significantly correlated with duration of use of pills, breast cancer had significant correlations with the type of oral contraceptive and age at first use. No significant relationships were found between the two types of cancer and age at discontinuation of oral contraceptives, patterns of use, and intervals from the last use. The use of oral contraceptives may triple the incidence of cervical cancer and doubles the incidence of breast cancer. Therefore, performing Pap smears every six months and breast cancer screening are warranted for long-term oral contraceptive users.

Public Perceptions on Cancer Incidence and Survival: A Nation-wide Survey in Korea

김소연,신동욱,양형국,김소영,고영진,Be-Long Cho,이영성,이덕형,박기호,박종혁 대한암학회 2016 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.48 No.2

Purpose The aim of this study was to compare the public perceptions of the incidence rates and survival rates for common cancers with the actual rates from epidemiologic data. Materials and Methods We conducted a survey of Korean adults without history of cancer (n=2,000). The survey consisted of questions about their perceptions regarding lifetime incidence rates and 5-year survival rates for total cancer, as well as those of eight site-specific cancers. To investigate associated factors, we included questions about cancer worry (Lerman’s Cancer Worry Scale) or cared for a family member or friend with cancer as a caregiver. Results Only 19% of Korean adults had an accurate perception of incidence rates compared with the epidemiologic data on total cancer. For specific cancers, most of the respondents overestimated the incidence rates and 10%-30% of men and 6%-18% of women had an accurate perception. A high score in “cancer worry” was associated with higher estimates of incidence rates in total and specific cancers. In cancers with high actual 5-year survival rates (e.g., breast and thyroid), the majority of respondents underestimated survival rates. However, about 50% of respondents overestimated survival rates in cancers with low actual survival rates (e.g., lung and liver). There was no factor consistently associated with perceived survival rates. Conclusion Widespread discrepancies were observed between perceived probability and actual epidemiological data. In order to reduce cancer worry and to increase health literacy, communication and patient education on appropriate risk is needed.

성인 암 생존자의 흡연 양상과 현재 흡연 관련 요인

변정애,양연수,김희진,윤지은,지선하 대한금연학회 2019 대한금연학회지 Vol.10 No.2

Background: Cancer survivors have high risk of secondary cancer and diseases other than cancer. However, there are persistent smokers among them. This study aims to explore the tobacco use patterns and associated factors with current smoking among cancer survivors. Methods: The results of surveys and blood tests collected from the Korea Medical Institute (KMI) from 2007 through 2011 were used as data. The subjects of this study were 91,040 adults (59,132 men) aged 20-64, and they were divided into cancer survivor group (1,375 men, 671 women) and non-cancer counterparts according to their past history of cancer. Results: The current smoking rate of cancer survivors was lower than that of non-cancer survivors, but 33.53% of men and 2.53% of women among cancer survivors were still current smokers. In the cancer survivors, in men, the younger they were, the higher the risk of current smoking became (The odds ratio of smoking in those aged 20-39 to 51-64 was 2.47 while that of smoking in 40-50, 1.43); and that the odds ratio of smoking in persons in drinkers to non-drinkers, 2.80 (95% CI: 2.02-3.88). In women cancer survivors, the odds ratio of current smoking was 21.15 (95% CI: 2.72-164.35) in alcohol drinkers to non-drinkers. Conclusion: Young age in men and alcohol use in both men and women were important factors correlated with tobacco smoking among cancer survivors. Further research and policy is needed to support cancer survivors’ smoking cessation and health promotion. 연구배경: 암 생존자는 이차암 및 질환 위험이 높다. 그러나 이들 중에도 흡연을 지속하는 경우가 남아있다. 이 연구에서는 암 생존자의 흡연 양상과 이들의 현재 흡연과의 관련요인을 살펴보고자 한다. 방법: 2007-2011년도에 한국의학연구소(Korea Medical Institute, KMI)에 내원한 연구 동의자 20-64세 성인 91,040 명(남자 59,132명)을 대상으로, 암 과거력 유무에 따라 암 생존자군(남 1,375명, 여 671명)과 비(非) 암 생존자군으로 나누어 설문, 신체계측, 혈액검사 자료를 분석하였다. 결과: 암 생존자의 현재흡연률은 비(非) 암 생존자에 비해 낮았으나 남성 암 생존자의 33.53%, 여성 암 생존자의 2.53%가 여전히 현재 흡연자였다. 암 생존자 중 남성은 50세 이하젊은 연령, 만성질환 과거력, 음주를 하는 경우, 신체활동을 하지 않는 경우 현재 흡연 위험이 높았다. 여성은 음주를 하는 경우, 신체활동을 하지 않는 경우 현재 흡연 위험이 높았다. 암 생존자에서, 남성이 현재 흡연할 오즈비는 51-64세에 비해 20-39세 2.47, 51-64세 1.43으로 높았으며, 음주 시 비음주군에 비해 현재 흡연할 오즈비도 남성 2.80(95% CI:2.02-3.88), 여성 21.15(95% CI:2.72-164.35)로 높았다. 결론: 남성의 젊은 연령과 남녀 음주는 암 생존자의 현재 흡연 지속과 관련된 중요한 요인이다. 향후 지속적인 연구와 개입 방법 개발을 통해 암 생존자의 금연과 건강증진을 위한 지원이 필요하다.

암 분야 전문가용 데이터베이스 및 네트워크 구축에 관한 수요조사

김추봉,장윤정,윤창수,임민경,조영호,김석일,강건욱 대한의료정보학회 2007 Healthcare Informatics Research Vol.13 No.1

Objective: This research is a basic investigation of collecting experts’ opinions for constructing the national cancer expert network. The objective of this research is to evaluate present situation and to use it for the planning of future korean cancer network in the cancer-related area. Methods: We analyzed the need of the network and degree of information demand for constructing the network from Clinicians and Basic researchers(n=376) who answered themselves ‘cancer expert’. The questionnaire consists of 9 questions and it was analyzed by using frequence, t-test and Chi-square. Results: 53.7 percents of respondents answered they are already recognized cancer expert network and 93.5 percents of respondents answered that they need the network. Among the services that would be served by the network, the demand of cancer statistics, development and evaluation of cancer policy, and cancer clinical trials were listed in the high priorities. And recognized societies included in the high priorities were Korean Cancer Study Group, Korean Cancer Association, Korean Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Conclusion: We are going to develop a database and network for the experts to generate, evaluate and verify cancer-related information based on evidence-based cancer information infrastructure. Hence, this research will be contributed to provide fundamental data for activating cancer-related research through joint studies with experts. (Journal of Korean Society of Medical Informatics 13-1,43-49, 2007)

Feasibility of Household Surveys for Population Risk Assessment of Cancer and Cancer Registration Support

Habib, Omran S,Hussain, Riyadh Abdul-Ameer Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.no.sup3

Cancer is a major health problem in the Arab region including Iraq. An adequate database is essential for effective cancer control strategies. Such a database may be provided through cancer registration but supportive household surveys may be useful. This article reports selected results on the feasibility of household surveys to support and validate cancer registration in Basrah governorate - southern Iraq. A large scale multi-stage cluster sample household survey was carried out in Basrah during 2013. It covered 6,999 households and involved gathering data on demographic characteristics and both incident cancer cases and cancer-related deaths among members of these households during a three-year recall period (2010-2012). The data obtained yielded an average annual incidence rate of 91 per 100,000 population (age-standardized incidence rate of 148.8 /100,000) and cancer specific mortality rate of 68 per 100,000 population (age-standardized mortality rate of 126.3/100,000). The results showed an overall pattern of cancer similar to that reported according to cancer registration but the household survey results were consistently higher than those of the cancer registration by a margin of approximately 20- 30% with respect to incident cancer and about 70 % with respect to cancer-specific mortality. Household surveys on cancer, while costly and time consuming, are a very useful additional source of information on cancer at the population level. They can be performed for specific purposes with effective resource mobilization.

Cancer: Scenario and Relationship of Different Geographical Areas of the Globe with Special Reference to North East-India

Sharma, Jagannath Dev,Kalit, Manoj,Nirmolia, Tulika,Saikia, Sidhartha Protim,Sharma, Arpita,Barman, Debanjana Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.8

Background: Cancer is becoming the most important public health burden around the globe. As per the GLOBOCAN 2008 estimates, about 12.7 million cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths were estimated to have occurred in 2008. The burden of cancer cases for India in the year 2020 is calculated to be 1,148,757 (male 534,353; female 614,404) compared to 979,786 in 2010. The pattern of cancer incidence is varying among geographical regions, esophageal cancer for example being high in China, lung cancer in USA, and gallbladder cancer in Chile. The question remains why? Is it due to the diversity in genome pool, food habits, risk factor association and role of genetic susceptibility or some other factors associated with it? In India, the North East (NE)-India region is seeing a marked increase in cancer incidence and deaths, with a very different cancer incidence pattern compared to mainland India. The genome pool of the region is also quite distinct from the rest of India. Northeastern tribes are quite distinct from other groups; they are more closely related to East Asians than to other Indians. In this paper an attempt was made to see whether there is any similarity among the pattern of cancer incidence cases for different sites of NE-India region to South or East-Asia. Materials and Methods: Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), Pearson Correlation coefficient test was assessed to evaluate the linkage of North-East India region to other regions. A p value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The results clearly shows that there are similarities in occurrence of cancer incidence patterns for various cancer sites of NE-India with South and East-Asian regions, which may lead to the conclusion that there might be a genetic linkage between these regions.

Terminal Versus Advanced Cancer: Do the General Population and Health Care Professionals Share a Common Language?

김상혁,신동욱,김소영,양형국,남은주,조현정,안은미,BeLong Cho,박기호,박종혁 대한암학회 2016 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.48 No.2

Purpose Many end-of-life care studies are based on the assumption that there is a shared definition of language concerning the stage of cancer. However, studies suggest that patients and their families often misperceive patients’ cancer stages and prognoses. Discrimination between advanced cancer and terminal cancer is important because the treatment goals are different. In this study, we evaluated the understanding of the definition of advanced versus terminal cancer of the general population and determined associated socio-demographic factors. Materials and Methods A total of 2,000 persons from the general population were systematically recruited. We used a clinical vignette of a hypothetical advanced breast cancer patient, but whose cancer was not considered terminal. After presenting the brief history of the case, we asked respondents to choose the correct cancer stage from a choice of early, advanced, terminal stage, and don’t know. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to determine sociodemographic factors associated with the correct response, as defined in terms of medical context. Results Only 411 respondents (20.6%) chose “advanced,” while most respondents (74.5%) chose “terminal stage” as the stage of the hypothetical patient, and a small proportion of respondents chose “early stage” (0.7%) or “don’t know” (4.4%). Multinomial logistic regression analysis found no consistent or strong predictor. Conclusion A large proportion of the general population could not differentiate advanced cancer from terminal cancer. Continuous effort is required in order to establish common and shared definitions of the different cancer stages and to increase understanding of cancer staging for the general population.

Invited Review : Cancer Metabolism: Strategic Diversion from Targeting Cancer Drivers to Targeting Cancer Suppliers

( Soo Youl Kim ) 한국응용약물학회 2015 Biomolecules & Therapeutics(구 응용약물학회지) Vol.23 No.2

Drug development groups are close to discovering another pot of gold-a therapeutic target-similar to the success of imatinib (Gleevec) in the field of cancer biology. Modern molecular biology has improved cancer therapy through the identification of more pharmaceutically viable targets, and yet major problems and risks associated with late-phase cancer therapy remain. Presently, a growing number of reports have initiated a discussion about the benefits of metabolic regulation in cancers. The Warburg effect, a great discovery approximately 70 years ago, addresses the “universality” of cancer characteristics. For instance, most cancer cells prefer aerobic glycolysis instead of mitochondrial respiration. Recently, cancer metabolism has been explained not only by metabolites but also through modern molecular and chemical biological techniques. Scientists are seeking context-dependent universality among cancer types according to metabolic and enzymatic pathway signatures. This review presents current cancer metabolism studies and discusses future directions in cancer therapy targeting bio-energetics, bio-anabolism, and autophagy, emphasizing the important contribution of cancer metabolism in cancer therapy.

Trends in Cancer Screening Rates among Korean Men and Women: Results of the Korean National Cancer Screening Survey, 2004-2013

서민아,최귀선,박보영,이윤영,전재관,이덕형,김열 대한암학회 2016 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.48 No.1

Purpose The Korean National Cancer Screening Survey (KNCSS), a nationwide cross-sectional survey, has been conducted annually since 2004. The current study was conducted to report on the trends in screening rates among Korean men and women, and to evaluate policies regarding cancer screening programs implemented to reduce the burden of cancer. Materials and Methods The current study used KNCSS data. The eligible study population included men aged 40-74 years and women aged 30-74 years with no cancer history. The lifetime screening rate, screening rate with recommendation, and changes in annual rates were calculated for five major cancers (i.e., stomach, liver, colorectal, breast, and cervix uteri). Results The screening rates with recommendation increased by 4.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.7% to 4.8%) annually for stomach cancer, 1.2% (95% CI, 0.1% to 2.4%) for liver cancer, 3.0% (95% CI, 1.8% to 4.1%) for colorectal cancer, 3.7% (95% CI, 2.7% to 4.8%) for breast cancer, and 1.3% (95% CI, 0.8% to 1.8%) for cervical cancer. In 2013, the screening rates with recommendation for stomach, liver, colorectal, breast, and cervical cancers were 73.6%, 33.6%, 55.6%, 59.7%, and 67.0%, respectively. Conclusion Both the lifetime screening rates and screening rates with recommendation for the five above-mentioned cancers increased annually from 2004 to 2013.

Short Sleep Duration and Its Correlates among Cancer Survivors in Korea: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys

Yoon, Hyung-Suk,Yang, Jae Jeong,Song, Minkyo,Lee, Hwi-Won,Lee, Yunhee,Lee, Kyoung-Mu,Lee, Sang-Ah,Lee, Jong-koo,Kang, Daehee Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.11

Background: Though a large proportion of cancer survivors are assumed to be commonly affected by sleep disturbance, few studies have focused on short sleep problems and its correlates among Korean cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of short sleep in adult cancer survivors from a nationwide population-based sample and to identify risk factors for short sleep duration. Materials and Methods: Based on the fourth and fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2007-2012), 1,045 cancer survivors and 33,929 non-cancer controls were analyzed. The prevalence of short sleep was compared between these two groups. Associations between short sleep and its correlates were evaluated using multiple logistic regression among cancer survivors: odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were estimated after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors, psychological conditions, and cancer-related factors. Results: About 8.1% of cancer survivors slept for less than 5 hours per day (6.2% men and 9.3% women), whereas this was the case for only 3.7% of non-cancer controls. Cancer survivors who had the lowest household income level showed a significantly higher likelihood for short sleep (adjusted OR 2.82, 95%CI 1.06-7.54). Self-reported poor health and depressive symptoms were found to be associated with significantly increased likelihood for short sleep in cancer survivors (adjusted OR 3.60, 95%CI 1.40-9.26 and adjusted OR 2.00, 95%CI 1.17-3.42). Gastric cancer survivors had a 3.97-fold increased risk for short sleep (95%CI 1.60-9.90). Conclusions: The prevalence of short sleep occurs at a high rate among the Korean cancer survivors, which may indicate a poorer quality of life and a higher risk of future complications in survivorship. Targeted interventions that can assist cancer survivors to cope with sleep disturbances as well as ensuring psychological stability are warranted to reduce the latent disease burden.