American Association for Cancer Research
Publications

April 2008 CEBP Highlights

PDF Version for Printing pdf4.gif

Selected Articles from the April 1, 2008 Issue

The articles referenced in this Highlights section will be available online in HTML and PDF formats to all interested users at no charge until the next issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention is published. Click on the article title to view the complete article.

View the Table of Contents for the April 2008 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

CEBP Focus:
Validating Colorectal Cancer Screening Behaviors

Page 745

The importance of identifying efficacious and effective strategies to improve the use of evidence-based cancer screening tests and reduce disparities is well documented. The group of papers in this CEBP Focus highlights the challenges to obtaining valid and generalizable measures of colorectal cancer behaviors in order to document trends and gaps in maximizing screening rates among diverse populations. Collectively, the authors make a convincing case for the importance of research related to self-report measures. Progress with colorectal cancer screening behaviors represents an exemplary model for other areas of behavioral research. 
 

Knowledge of Symptoms Leads to Coping Better

Ruiter et al.

Page 818

Ruiter and colleagues explored the effects of active or passive detection of supposedly well-known or less-known cancer-related symptoms on intended coping responses, and the extent to which these effects are driven by heightened perceptions of threat. As expected, the findings revealed that well-known symptoms resulted in more adaptive coping and less maladaptive coping than less-known symptoms. Unfortunately, the findings also suggested that the active as opposed to passive detection of cancer symptoms (e.g., self-examination vs. unusual blood loss) is likely to result in more maladaptive coping. These effects were mediated by heightened perceptions of threat.

Hormone Use before Breast Cancer Diagnosis Associated with Reduced Death

Newcomb et al.

Page 864

Due to the high prevalence of past and current hormone use, it is important to investigate whether these preparations are related to breast cancer mortality. During an average 10.3 years of follow up, 1690 deaths from breast cancer were documented by Newcomb and colleagues. Although use of combined estrogen-progesterone (EP) preparations increases breast cancer risk, in this study, use of these hormones before diagnosis was associated with reduced risk of death after a breast cancer diagnosis. The better survival among users, particularly of EP, persisted after adjustment of screening, stage, and measured confounders. 

Experimental and epidemiologic studies suggest that vitamin D metabolites (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] and its precursor 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]) may reduce breast cancer risk. Chang and colleagues examined subsequent breast cancer risk related to serum levels of these metabolites. In this prospective study of postmenopausal women, the authors did not observe an inverse association between circulating 25(OH)D or 1,25(OH)2D and breast cancer risk, although we cannot exclude an association in younger women or with long-term or earlier exposure. 

Height and Body Mass Index-Associated Risks Reported for Ovarian Cancer

Schouten et al.

Page 902

Although many studies have investigated the association between anthropometry and ovarian cancer risk, results have been inconsistent. Schouten and colleagues examined the associations of height, body mass index (BMI) and ovarian cancer risk in a pooled analysis of primary data from 12 prospective cohort studies from North America and Europe. The authors found that height was associated with an increased ovarian cancer risk, especially in premenopausal women. BMI was not associated with ovarian cancer risk in postmenopausal women but was positively associated with risk in premenopausal women.

Top

Highlights

Highlights: CEBP

Highlights: CR

Highlights: CCR

Highlights: MCR

Highlights: MCT

AACR Journals

Cancer Research Home

Clinical Cancer Research Home

CEBP Home

Cancer Prevention Research Home

Molecular Cancer Research Home

Molecular Cancer Therapeutics Home

Cancer Reviews Online Home

Prevention Portal Home

©2001-2008 American Association for Cancer Research | 615 Chestnut St. 17th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Contact Us | Sitemap | Privacy Policy | AACR Foundation | AACR Jobs