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Objective: The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) uses faecal occult blood (FOB) testing to select patients aged 60-69 years for colonoscopy. Aim: To examine the association between aspirin use and the detection of colorectal neoplasia in screened patients undergoing colonoscopy. Methods: Data were collected prospectively on individuals who underwent colonoscopy following a positive FOB test in the South of Tyne area between February 2007 and 2009. The relationship between the presence of colorectal neoplasia and age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and current aspirin use were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Results: 701 individuals underwent colonoscopy. 414 (59.1%) were male and 358 (51.1%) aged over 65 years. Males had a higher incidence of colorectal neoplasia (relative risk 2.26, 95% CI 1.65-3.10, p < 0.001). Current aspirin use was associated with a lower neoplasia detection rate (relative risk 0.79, 95% CI 0.50-0.98, p = 0.039). Increased age and BMI were not significantly associated with higher neoplasia detection. Conclusion: Amongst individuals undergoing colonoscopy following a positive FOB test in the BCSP, current aspirin use was associated with a lower incidence of colorectal neoplasia. This may represent the chemopreventative effect of aspirin or increased false positivity of FOB testing. Further work is needed to clarify the contribution of each and could reduce the number of unnecessary colonoscopies. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers in numerous studies have suggested that preconception paternal occupational exposures to various substances, including pesticides and herbicides, may be involved in the etiology of childhood cancers. Using data from the Northern Region Young Persons' Malignant Disease Registry, the authors investigated whether paternal occupations likely to involve such exposures, as recorded at the time of a child's birth, were associated with children's cancer risk. The authors matched cases (n = 4,723), on sex and year of birth, to controls from 2 independent sources: (1) all other patients from the registry with a different cancer and (2) 100 cancer-free individuals per case from the Cumbrian Births Database. An inverse association existed, particularly in males, between lymphoid leukemia and paternal occupations with likely exposures to pesticides and/or herbicides. However, this was not significant after stratifying by residential status (urban versus rural). Results do not support a role for preconception paternal occupational exposures to pesticides or herbicides in the etiology of childhood cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary. Childhood leukaemias and lymphomas have been associated with exposure to environmental factors, including infections, which show geographical variation. This study examined the geographical distribution of the incidence of acute leukaemia and lymphoma using Manchester Children's Tumour Registry (MCTR) data 1976–2000. A total of 910 children were included, all of whom had histologically and/or cytologically verified leukaemia or lymphoma. At the time of their diagnoses, all the children were aged 0–14 years and were resident in the counties of Greater Manchester or Lancashire. Standardized morbidity ratios were calculated. Poisson regression was used to examine the relationship between incidence rates and small-area (census ward) population density, ethnic composition and deprivation index. There was a monotonic relationship between acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) incidence and population density (P = 0·05). Higher rates were seen in more densely populated areas. There was evidence for a monotonic relationship between the incidence of the mixed cellularity subtype of Hodgkin's disease (HD) and the Townsend deprivation score (P = 0·001). Markedly higher incidence was associated with greater levels of unemployment and household overcrowding. The results for ALL and mixed cellularity HD support the involvement of environmental factors, such as infections, in disease aetiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous research from developed countries has shown a marked increase in the incidence of testicular cancer in the past 50 years. This has also been demonstrated in northern England, along with improving 5-year survival. The present study aims to determine if socioeconomic factors may play a role in both etiology and survival from non-seminoma testicular cancer.Materials and Methods: We extracted all 214 cases of non-seminoma testicular cancer diagnosed in teenage and young adult men aged between 15 and 24 years during 1968 to 2006 from the Northern Region Young Persons' Malignant Disease Registry, which is a population-based specialist regional registry. Negative binomial regression was used to examine the relationship between incidence and both the Townsend deprivation score (and component variables) and small-area population density. Cox regression was used to analyze the relationship between survival and both deprivation and population density.Results: Decreased incidence was associated with living in areas of higher household overcrowding for young adults aged between 20 and 24 years (relative risk per 1% increase in household overcrowding = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.66-0.94) but no association was detected for young people aged between 15 and 19 years. Community-level household unemployment was associated with worse survival (hazard ratio per 1% increase in household unemployment = 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00-1.08).Conclusions: This study has shown that increased risk of non-seminoma testicular cancer in teenage and young adult men may be associated with some aspect of more advantaged living. In contrast, greater deprivation is linked with worse survival prospects. The study was ecological by design and so these area-based results may not necessarily apply to individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A previous study found a thyroid cancer excess in Cumbria following the Chernobyl explosion, but did not analyse sex-specific effects. This study examines sex differences in the incidence of thyroid cancer. Ninety-five primary thyroid carcinomas (69 females, 26 males) diagnosed in those aged 0–24 during 1968–2005 were identified from the Northern Region Young Persons’ Malignant Disease Registry. Age-standardised incidence rates (ASRs), rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. For males, the ASR was 0.6 per million person-years during the pre-Chernobyl period (1968–1986), and was 1.8 per million person-years during the post-Chernobyl period (1987–2005). For females, the ASR was 2.4 pre-Chernobyl and was 3.9 post-Chernobyl. The previously noted excess in Cumbria was entirely confined to females (Cumbrian females: RR for post-Chernobyl compared with pre-Chernobyl=10.8; 95% CI: 1.4–85.3). These findings may be consistent with sex-specific differences in susceptibility to an environmental exposure, such as fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]