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As a cornerstone of public health, epidemiology has lately undergone substantial changes enabled by, among other factors, the use of biobank infrastructures. In biobank-related research, the return of results to participants constitutes an important and complex ethical question. In this study, we qualitatively investigated how individuals perceive the results returned following their participation in cohort studies with biobanks. In our semi-structured interviews with 31 participants of two such German studies, we observed that some participants overestimate the nature of the personal information they will receive from the study. Although this misestimation does not seem to jeopardize the validity of the consent provided at recruitment, it may still represent a threat for participants' trust in research and thus their long-term commitment, crucial for such studies. We argue that such misestimation may have ethical consequences on the principles guiding the reflection on the return of results in biobank research, i.e. autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and reciprocity. We suggest that shifting from the idea of directly benefiting participants through the return of research results could help focusing on benefiting society as a whole, thereby increasing research trustworthiness of population-based studies using biobanks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There is limited evidence for an association between the pattern of lifetime alcohol use and cause-specific risk of death.Methods Multivariable hazard ratios were estimated for different causes of death according to patterns of lifetime alcohol consumption using a competing risks approach: 111 953 men and 268 442 women from eight countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study were included. Self-reported alcohol consumption at ages 20, 30, 40 or 50 years and at enrolment were used for the analysis; 26 411 deaths were observed during an average of 12.6 years of follow-up.Results The association between lifetime alcohol use and death from cardiovascular diseases was different from the association seen for alcohol-related cancers, digestive, respiratory, external and other causes. Heavy users (>5 drinks/day for men and >2.5 drinks/day for women), regardless of time of cessation, had a 2- to 5-times higher risk of dying due to alcohol-related cancers, compared with subjects with lifetime light use (&leq;1 and &leq;0.5 drink/week for men and women, respectively). Compared with lifetime light users, men who used <5 drinks/day throughout their lifetime had a 24% lower cardiovascular disease mortality (95% confidence interval 2-41). The risk of death from coronary heart disease was also found to be 34–46% lower among women who were moderate to occasionally heavy alcohol users compared with light users. However, this relationship was only evident among men and women who had no chronic disease at enrolment.Conclusions Limiting alcohol use throughout life is associated with a lower risk of death, largely due to cardiovascular disease but also other causes. However, the potential health benefits of alcohol use are difficult to establish due to the possibility of selection bias and competing risks related to diseases occurring later in life. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors investigated the role of known risk factors in educational differences in breast cancer incidence. Analyses were based on the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition and included 242,095 women, 433 cases of in situ breast cancer, and 4,469 cases of invasive breast cancer. Reproductive history (age at first full-term pregnancy and parity), exposure to endogenous and exogenous hormones, height, and health behaviors were accounted for in the analyses. Relative indices of inequality (RII) for education were estimated using Cox regression models. A higher risk of invasive breast cancer was found among women with higher levels of education (RII = 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09, 1.37). This association was not observed among nulliparous women (RII = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.84, 1.52). Inequalities in breast cancer incidence decreased substantially after adjusting for reproductive history (RII = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.98, 1.25), with most of the association being explained by age at first full-term pregnancy. Each other risk factor explained a small additional part of the inequalities in breast cancer incidence. Height accounted for most of the remaining differences in incidence. After adjusting for all known risk factors, the authors found no association between education level and risk of invasive breast cancer. Inequalities in incidence were more pronounced for in situ breast cancer, and those inequalities remained after adjustment for all known risk factors (RII = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.41), especially among nulliparous women. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent evidence suggests that gallstones and kidney stones are associated with insulin resistance, but the relation between stone diseases and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus is not clear. Participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Potsdam Study (Potsdam, Germany) provided information about the presence of gallstones and kidney stones at recruitment between 1994 and 1998. On biennial questionnaires, participants reported newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus, and confirmation was obtained from treating physicians. During a mean follow-up period of 7.0 years between 1994 and 2005, 849 incident cases of type 2 diabetes were identified among 25,166 participants. After adjustment for sex, age, waist circumference, and lifestyle risk factors, persons with reported gallstones (n = 3,293) had an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (relative risk = 1.42, 95% confidence interval: 1.21, 1.68). Among the 23,817 participants with information on reported kidney stones (784 cases of incident diabetes), those who developed kidney stones (n = 2,468) were not at increased risk of diabetes in multivariable-adjusted models (relative risk = 1.05, 95% confidence interval: 0.86, 1.27). These findings suggest that gallstones, but not kidney stones, may predict the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, providing physicians with an interventional opportunity to implement adequate prevention measures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background Studies in many countries have reported higher lung cancer incidence and mortality in individuals with lower socioeconomic status. Methods To investigate the role of smoking in these inequalities, we used data from 391 251 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study, a cohort of individuals in 10 European countries. We collected information on smoking (history and quantity), fruit and vegetable consumption, and education through questionnaires at study entry and gathered data on lung cancer incidence for a mean of 8.4 years. Socioeconomic status was defined as the highest attained level of education, and participants were grouped by sex and region of residence (Northern Europe, Germany, or Southern Europe). Relative indices of inequality (RIls) of lung cancer risk unadjusted and adjusted for smoking were estimated using Cox regression models. Additional analyses were performed by histological type. Results During the study period, 939 men and 692 women developed lung cancer. Inequalities in lung cancer risk (Rllmen = 3.62, 95% confidence interval [Cl] = 2.77 to 4.73, 117 vs 52 per 100000 person-years for lowest vs highest education level; RlIwomen = 2.39, 95% Cl = 1.77 to 3.21, 46 vs 25 per 100000 person-years) decreased after adjustment for smoking but remained statistically significant (Rllmen = 2.29, 95% CI = 1.75 to 3.01; Rllwomen = 1.59, 95% Cl = 1.18 to 2.13). Large RIIs were observed among men and women in Northern European countries and among men in Germany, but inequalities in lung cancer risk were reverse (RIls < 1) among women in Southern European countries. Inequalities differed by histological type. Adjustment for smoking reduced inequalities similarly for all histological types and among men and women in all regions. In all analysis, further adjustment for fruit and vegetable consumption did not change the estimates. Conclusion Self-reported smoking consistently explains approximately 50% of the inequalities in lung cancer risk due to differences in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), the authors examined the association of ethanol intake at recruitment (1,119 cases) and mean lifelong ethanol intake (887 cases) with lung cancer. Information on baseline and past alcohol consumption, lifetime tobacco smoking, diet, and the anthropometric characteristics of 478,590 participants was collected between 1992 and 2000. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Overall, neither ethanol intake at recruitment nor mean lifelong ethanol intake was significantly associated with lung cancer. However, moderate intake (5–14.9 g/day) at recruitment (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.76, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63, 0.90) and moderate mean lifelong intake (HR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.66, 0.97) were associated with a lower lung cancer risk in comparison with low consumption (0.1–4.9 g/day). Compared with low intake, a high (≥60 g/day) mean lifelong ethanol intake tended to be related to a higher risk of lung cancer (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.74), but high intake at recruitment was not. Although there was no overall association between ethanol intake and risk of lung cancer, the authors cannot rule out a lower risk for moderate consumption and a possibly increased risk for high lifelong consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Body weight and body mass index (BMI) are positively related to risk of colon cancer in men, whereas weak or no associations exist in women. This discrepancy may be related to differences in fat distribution between sexes or to the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women. Methods: We used multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazards models to examine the association between anthropometric measures and risks of colon and rectal cancer among 368 277 men and women who were free of cancer at baseline from nine countries of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: During 6.1 years of follow-up, we identified 984 and 586 patients with colon and rectal cancer, respectively. Body weight and BMI were statistically significantly associated with colon cancer risk in men (highest versus lowest quintile of BMI, relative risk [RR] = 1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12 to 2.15; Ptrend = .006) but not in women. in contrast, comparisons of the highest to the lowest quintile showed that several anthropometric measures, including waist circumference (men, RR = 1.39,95% CI = 1.01 to 1.93; Ptrend = .001; women, RR = 1.48, 95% Cl = 1.08 to 2.03; Ptrend = .008), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR; men, RR = 1.51,95% Cl = 1.06 to 2.15; Ptrend = .006; women, RR = 1.52, 95% Cl = 1.12 to 2.05; Ptrend = .002), and height (men, RR = 1.40, 95% CI = 0.99 to 1.98; Ptrend = .04; women, RR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.30 to 2.46; Ptrend<.001) were related to colon cancer risk in both sexes. The estimated absolute risk of developing colon cancer within 5 years was 203 and 131 cases per 100 000 men and 129 and 86 cases per 100 000 women in the highest and lowest quintiles of WHR, respectively. Upon further stratification, no association of waist circumference and WHR with risk of colon cancer was observed among postmenopausal women who used HRT. None of the anthropometric measures was statistically significantly related to rectal cancer. Conclusions: Waist circumference and WHR, indicators of abdominal obesity, were strongly associated with colon cancer risk in men and women in this population. The association of abdominal obesity with colon cancer risk may vary depending on HRT use in post-menopausal women; however, these findings require confirmation in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current evidence suggests that high red meat intake is associated with increased cob rectal cancer risk. High fish intake may be associated with a decreased risk, but the existing evidence is less convincing. Methods: We prospectively followed 478040 men and women from 10 European countries who were free of cancer at enrollment between 1992 and 1998. Information on diet and lifestyle was collected at baseline. After a mean follow-up of 4.8 years, 1329 incident colorectal cancers were documented. We examined the relation ship between intakes of red and processed meat, poultry, and fish and colorectal cancer risk using a proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, energy (nonfat and fat sources), height, weight, work- related physical activity, smoking status, dietary fiber and folate, and alcohol consumption, stratified by center. A calibration substudy based on 36994 subjects was used to correct hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (C Is) for diet measurement errors. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Colorectal cancer risk was positively associated with intake of red and processed meat (highest [>160 g/day] versus lowest [<20 g/day] intake, HR = 1.35, 95% CI = 0.96 to 1.88; Ptrend = .03) and inversely associated with intake of fish (>80 g/day versus <10 g/day, HR = 0.69,95 % CI = 0.54 to 0.88; Ptrend<.001), but was not rebated to poultry intake. Correcting for measurement error strengthened the associations between cob rectal cancer and red and processed meat intake (per 100-g increase HR = 1.25, 95% CI =1.09 to 1.41, Ptrend = .001 and HR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.19 to 2.02, Ptrend = .001 before and after calibration, respectively) and for fish (per 100 g increase HR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.57 to 0.87, Ptrend<.001 and HR =0.46,95% CI = 0.27 to 0.77, Ptrend = .003; before and after correction, respectively). In this study population, the absolute risk of development of colorectal cancer within 10 years for a study subject aged 50 years was 1.71% for the highest category of red and processed meat intake and 1.28% for the lowest category of intake and was 1.86% for subjects in the lowest category of fish intake and 1.28% for subjects in the highest category of fish intake. Conclusions: Our data confirm that colorectal cancer risk is positively associated with high consumption of red and processed meat and support an inverse association with fish intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors compared interview reports with hospitalization records of participants in a nationally representative survey to determine the accuracy of self-reports of ischemic heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, ulcers, cataract, hip fracture, colon polyps, and cancers of the colon, breast, prostate, and lung. The study cohort consisted of 10, 523 participants from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 1971–1975 who were aged 25–74 years at the baseline examination and who completed a follow-up interview in 1982–1984. Self-reports of hospitalization for breast cancer were confirmed as accurate for 100% of cases where a hospital record was available. Self-report accuracy was also high for Ischemic heart disease (84%), cataract (83%), and hip fracture (81 %); it was moderate for lung cancer (78%), prostate cancer (75%), gallbladder disease (74%), colon cancer (71%), and stroke (67%); but it was low for ulcers (54%) and colon polyps (32%). Some of the self-reports of ulcers (20%), hip fracture (9%), ischemic heart disease (7%), and stroke (7%) were found to reflect diagnoses of other conditions of anatomic proximity. Accuracy of self-reports improved with higher levels of education, but was not generally related to age, gender, race, alcohol use, or smoking. The results suggest that self-reports of some diseases can be taken as accurate, but self-reports of other conditions might require medical record verification in epidemiologic follow-up studies. Am J Epidemiol 1998; 147: 969–77. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The accuracy of self-reported cancer diagnoses in a prospective study was compared with population based cancer registry data in four states. The study cohort included 65,582 men and women aged 39–96 years who were participants in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Survey, begun by the American Cancer Society in 1992. Estimates of sensitivity (the proportion of study participants with a registry-documented cancer who self-reported the cancer) ranged from 0.79 for an exact match of cancer site and year of diagnosis (±1 year) to 0.93 for a match of any reported cancer. The sensitivity of exact matches varied considerably by cancer site and was highest for breast, prostate, and lung cancers (0.91, 0.90, and 0.90, respectively) and lowest for rectal cancer and melanoma (0.16 and 0.53, respectively). Sensitivity also varied slightly by the age, education, and smoking status of study participants. Estimates of sensitivity were virtually identical for each of the four states. The positive predictive value (the proportion of self-reported cancers that were confirmed by the registries) was 0.75 overall and also varied by cancer site. Unlike sensitivity, however, this proportion varied considerably by state. All self-reports of cancer that were not confirmed by the registries were further investigated by repeat questionnaires and acquisition of medical records. Low positive predictive values were due to underascertainment of true cancer cases by the registries, inaccurate reporting on the part of study participants, and problems with the algorithm used by the state to link the study poplation to the registry data. In conclusion, the ability of members of this cohort to report a past diagnosis of cancer accurately is quite high, especially for cancers of the breast, prostate, lung, and colon, or for the occurrence of any cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Midlife Dietary Intake of Antioxidants and Risk of Late-Life Incident Dementia: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study."