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Background Breast cancer places a heavy burden on the Australian healthcare system, but information about the actual number of women living with breast cancer and their current or future health service needs is limited. We used existing population-based data and innovative statistical methods to address this critical research question in a well-defined geographic region. Methods Breast cancer data from the New South Wales (NSW) Central Cancer Registry and PIAMOD (Prevalence and Incidence Analysis MODel) software were used to project future breast cancer prevalence in NSW. Parametric models were fitted to incidence and survival data, and the modelled incidence and survival estimates were then used to estimate current and future prevalence. To estimate future healthcare requirements the projected prevalence was then divided into phases of care according to the different stages of the survivorship trajectory. Results The number of women in NSW living with a breast cancer diagnosis had increased from 19,305 in 1990 to 48,754 in 2007. This number is projected to increase further to 68,620 by 2017. The majority of these breast cancer survivors will require continued monitoring (31,974) or will be long-term survivors (29,785). About 9% will require active treatment (either initial therapy, or treatment for subsequent metastases or second cancer) and 1% will need end of life care due to breast cancer. Conclusions Extrapolating these projections to the national Australian population would equate to 209,200 women living with breast cancer in Australia in 2017, many of whom will require active treatment or post-treatment monitoring. Thus, careful planning and development of a healthcare system able to respond to this increased demand is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The New South Wales Central Cancer Registry (NSW CCR) is the only population-based cancer registry in Australia that has routinely collected summary stage at diagnosis since its inception in 1972. However, a large proportion of prostate cancer cases have ''unknown'' stage recorded by the registry. We investigated the characteristics of prostate cancer cases with ''unknown'' stage recorded by the NSW CCR, and examined survival for this group. Methods: Data were obtained from the NSW CCR for all first primary prostate cancer cases diagnosed in 1999-2007. Summary stage was recorded as localised, regional, distant or ''unknown''. Associations between disease stage and patient characteristics (age, place of residence at diagnosis, year of diagnosis and country of birth) and prostate cancer specific survival were investigated using multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models respectively. Results: Of 39 852 prostate cancer cases, 41.8% had ''unknown'' stage recorded by the NSW CCR. This proportion decreased significantly over time, increased with increasing age at diagnosis and was higher for those living in socio-economically disadvantaged areas. The proportion with ''unknown'' stage varied across area health services. Prostate cancer specific survival for cases with ''unknown'' stage was significantly poorer than for those with localised stage but better than for those with regional or distant stage. Conclusions: Researchers or others using cancer registry stage data to examine prostate cancer outcomes need to consider the differences between cases with ''unknown'' stage at diagnosis and those with known stage recorded by the registry, and what impact this may have on their results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates mechanisms of multiple resistance to glyphosate, acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) and acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides in two Lolium rigidum populations from Australia. When treated with glyphosate, susceptible (S) plants accumulated 4- to 6-fold more shikimic acid than resistant (R) plants. The resistant plants did not have the known glyphosate resistance endowing mutation of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3 phosphate synthase (EPSPS) at Pro-106, nor was there over-expression of EPSPS in either of the R populations. However, [14C]-glyphosate translocation experiments showed that the R plants in both populations have altered glyphosate translocation patterns compared to the S plants. The R plants showed much less glyphosate translocation to untreated young leaves, but more to the treated leaf tip, than did the S plants. Sequencing of the carboxyl transferase domain of the plastidic ACCase gene revealed no resistance endowing amino acid substitutions in the two R populations, and the ALS in vitro inhibition assay demonstrated herbicide-sensitive ALS in the ALS R population (WALR70). By using the cytochrome P450 inhibitor malathion and amitrole with ALS and ACCase herbicides, respectively, we showed that malathion reverses chlorsulfuron resistance and amitrole reverses diclofop resistance in the R population examined. Therefore, we conclude that multiple glyphosate, ACCase and ALS herbicide resistance in the two R populations is due to the presence of distinct non-target site based resistance mechanisms for each herbicide. Glyphosate resistance is due to reduced rates of glyphosate translocation, and resistance to ACCase and ALS herbicides is likely due to enhanced herbicide metabolism involving different cytochrome P450 enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the mutation of acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene endowing resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides in Lolium rigidum populations. Accordingly, L. rigidum resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides has developed widely in Australia. The objective of the study is to identify specific resistance-endowing ALS gene mutation in four resistant populations and to develop PCR-based molecular markers. The study reveals the diverse ALS-resistant alleles and genotypes in the populations, and related them directly to phenotypic resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides. The study establishes the existence of a diversify of ALS gene mutations endowing resistance in L. rigidum populations.

The article presents a study which underscores the molecular characterization of resistance to ALS (acetolactate synthase)-inhibiting herbicides in Hordeum leporinum biotypes. It is posed that ALS-inhibiting herbicide sulfosulfuron is recorded in Australia for the selective control of Hordeum leporinum Link in wheat crops. In this study, dose-response studies showed very high level resistance to the sulfonylurea herbicides sulfometuron and sulfosulfuron. Moreover, this study established the first documented case of evolved ALS inhibitor resistance in H. leporium and showed that the molecular basis is due to a Pro to Ser mutation in the ALS gene.

Background: Australia has one of the highest rates of cancer incidence worldwide and, despite improving survival, cancer continues to be a major public health problem. Our aim was to provide simple summary measures of changes in cancer mortality and incidence in Australia so that progress and areas for improvement in cancer control can be identified. Methods: We used national data on cancer deaths and newly registered cancer cases and compared expected and observed numbers of deaths and cases diagnosed in 2007. The expected numbers were obtained by applying 1987 age-sex specific rates (average of 1986-1988) directly to the 2007 population. The observed numbers of deaths and incident cases were calculated for 2007 (average of 2006-2008). We limited the analyses to people aged less than 75 years. Results: There was a 28% fall in cancer mortality (7827 fewer deaths in 2007 vs. 1987) and a 21% increase in new cancer diagnoses (13,012 more diagnosed cases in 2007). The greatest reductions in deaths were for cancers of the lung in males ( -2259), bowel ( -1797), breast ( -773) and stomach ( -577). Other notable falls were for cancers of the prostate ( -295), cervix ( -242) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma ( -240). Only small or no changes occurred in mortality for cancers of the lung (female only), pancreas, brain and related, oesophagus and thyroid, with an increase in liver cancer (267). Cancer types that showed the greatest increase in incident cases were cancers of the prostate (10,245), breast (2736), other cancers (1353), melanoma (1138) and thyroid (1107), while falls were seen for cancers of the lung ( -1705), bladder ( -1110) and unknown primary ( -904). Conclusions: The reduction in mortality indicates that prevention strategies, improvements in cancer treatment, and screening programmes have made significant contributions to cancer control in Australia since 1987. The rise in incidence is partly due to diagnoses being brought forward by technological improvements and increased coverage of screening and early diagnostic testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glyphosate is routinely used in Australia to control the Arctotheca species Arctotheca calendula (L.) Levyns (referred hereinafter as capeweed). This study identifies the first global case of field-evolved glyphosate-resistant capeweed, collected from the grainbelt of Western Australia., Results: In 2020, a capeweed biotype that was collected from Borden in the southern Western Australian grainbelt was confirmed to be glyphosate-resistant (referred hereinafter as Spence population). When compared to the pooled mortality of six field-collected, glyphosate susceptible capeweed populations (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 and S6), the Spence population was found > 11-fold more resistant to glyphosate than the pooled results of the susceptible populations (S1-S6) at the lethal dose of 50% (LD 50 ) level. The growth of the Spence population was also less affected, requiring > 13-fold more glyphosate to reduce growth than the pooled susceptible populations at the growth reduction of 50% (GR 50 ) level. Sequencing of the plastidic 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene indicated no known single gene mutation imparting glyphosate resistance. This study, however, did not investigate any other known mechanisms that impart glyphosate resistance. When screened at the field-applied rate, this Spence population was also found to survive an inhibitor of acetolactate synthase (ALS) (metosulam) and an inhibitor of phytoene desaturase (diflufenican)., Conclusions: This is the first confirmation of glyphosate resistance evolution in a capeweed population globally. With capeweed resistance already confirmed to photosystem-I inhibiting herbicides (paraquat and diquat), this study emphasizes the importance of using integrated measures that do not depend only on the use of non-selective herbicides for controlling herbicide resistance-prone capeweed populations. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.)