Validating a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess regional diet in a study of cancer in South West Nigeria.

PURPOSE: Cancer burden is rising rapidly in Nigeria, the most populous country in sub-Saharan Africa; this trend may in part be attributable to diet. We developed and validated a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess regional diet in Nigeria. METHODS: We recruited 68 adult participants from rural and urban settings in South West Nigeria. We developed an FFQ administered at baseline and assessed its validity using 3 dietary recalls (baseline, 7 days post baseline, 3 months post baseline). We calculated Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and energy-adjusted de-attenuated correlation coefficients for food items and macronutrients. We evaluated cross-classification using quartiles of macronutrient intake. RESULTS: Energy-adjusted de-attenuated food item correlations between the FFQ and dietary recalls ranged from -0.08 (smoked beef/goat) to 0.73 (fried snacks) for the average intake from the first 2 recalls (2DR) and from -0.05 (smoked beef/goat) to 0.75 (smoked fish) for the average of all 3 recalls (3DR). Macronutrient correlations ranged from 0.15 (fat) to 0.37 (fiber) for the 2DR and from 0.08 (fat) to 0.41 (carbohydrates) for the 3DR. The percent of participants classified in the same quartile ranged from 16.4% (fat) to 32.8% (fiber, protein) for the 2DR and from 25.6% (fat) to 34.9% (carbohydrates) for the 3DR. Agreement improved when including adjacent quartiles, from 65.5% (carbohydrates) to 70.5% (fat, fiber) for the 2DR and from 62.8% (protein) to 76.8% (carbohydrate) for the 3DR. CONCLUSION: Our semi-quantitative FFQ was reasonably valid for ranking intake of certain foods and macronutrients in adults in South West Nigeria.

Outcome of Pancreatic Cancer Surveillance Among High-Risk Individuals Tested for Germline Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Germline mutations in BRCA1/2 are risk factors for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether results of surveillance for PDAC in high risk individuals (HRI) differ between those with and without a pathogenic BRCA1/2 mutation. This prospective study was conducted within the Pancreatic Tumor Registry at a major cancer center. There were 83 HRIs with ≥1 first-degree relative with PDAC who underwent surveillance and testing for pathogenic germline mutations in BRCA1/2 A secondary analysis includes 18 HRIs with known mutations in BRCA1/2 but with weaker family history. HRIs were evaluated over time using magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and endoscopic ultrasound when indicated by MRCP findings. We reviewed imaging results, blinded to mutation status. Demographic information was obtained from interviewer-administered questionnaires. The outcome was the proportion with any pancreatic abnormality identified at initial or follow-up surveillance. Among the 83 HRIs in the main analysis, 48 had a mutation in BRCA1/2 and 35 did not. Overall, 16 of 48 (33%) BRCA1/2-positive and 13 of 35 (37%) BRCA1/2-negative participants had pancreatic abnormalities on imaging; in each group, all but one finding was an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. Among those with pathogenic mutations but weaker family history, results were similar: 7 of 18 (39%) with pancreatic abnormalities. Results of surveillance for pancreatic abnormalities on imaging are similar regardless of BRCA1/2 mutation status. While the results from this small study need confirmation in other studies, at present there does not appear to be increased yield from targeting individuals with BRCA1/2 mutations for surveillance.