Interrelation between population density and cancer incidence in the province of Opole, Poland.

AIM OF THE STUDY: In this study, we present the results of the interrelation between population density and cancer incidence in the Province of Opole, Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The material included demographic data from the Statistical Office in Opole and oncology information obtained from the Cancer Registry in Opole - both research series encompass the five-year plan (years 2006-2010). A geostatistic analysis was performed using a spatial model (called the conditional autoregressive model). Based on the spatial regression coefficients, the strength of the relationship was measured in male and female populations, respectively. The statistical computations were performed in the Bayesian Inference Using Gibbs Sampling (BUGS) platform based on the so-called Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique. RESULTS: The data presented in the study indicate that relative risk of cancer is higher within urban than in rural areas; an increase in population density of a thousand people per sq. km results in a 13% increase in risk of cancer among men and 16% increase in this risk for women.

Unemployment and lung cancer incidence in the Province of Opole. Brief report.

In this geostatistical analysis we present the results of interrelation between unemployment rate and lung cancer incidence ratios in the Province of Opole, Poland. In the study, unemployment statistics and population data were analyzed together with the registered (histopathologically confirmed) lung cancer cases (C34, ICD10) in sex-stratified working age population (18-65 years). The data were collected in the years 2006-2008 in the Statistical Office in Opole and Opole Cancer Registry, Poland. The statistically significant positive correlation/interrelation between unemployment rate and lung cancer incidence ratios in male population was established; in females, this effect was statistically insignificant. The obtained results are consistent with the most up-to-date reports supporting the thesis that a higher burden of disease is observed in more deprived areas. The statistics may have practical relevance in terms of improving health status of the local population following economic reforms.

Lower Risk of Cancer in the Areas Inhabited by the German Minority in the Region of Opole, Poland.

BACKGROUND: The lower risk of cancer in the areas inhabited by the German minority in the region of Opole, Poland, at the turn of the 1980's and 1990's has been already reported. A reanalysis of the present-day data was conducted. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All the cancer cases (at all sites combined) registered within the years 2008-2012 with data collected by the Regional Cancer Registry in Opole were analyzed in this study. To estimate the risk of cancer in different spatial contexts, such as trends, clusters, and levels, modern geostatistical tools were applied. RESULTS: A statistically significant reduction of the cancer risk was reported in administrative units with ≥ 10% of the German minority. Average decreases in relative risk of 13% in men and 16% in women were estimated. The geographical patterns of the estimates are illustrated. CONCLUSIONS: The observed differences in the risk of cancer between the ethnic groups (Germans and repatriates) confirm a historical trend of the disease in the region of Opole, Poland. Some genetic, nutritional, or cultural aspects together with economic issues may play a role in the specified spatial disease patterns.

Partial-Body Irradiation in Patients with Prostate Cancer Treated with IMRT Has Little Effect on the Composition of Serum Proteome.

Partial body irradiation during cancer radiotherapy (RT) induces a response of irradiated tissues that could be observed at the level of serum proteome. Here we aimed to characterize the response to RT in group of patients treated because of prostate cancer. Five consecutive blood samples were collected before, during, and after the end of RT in a group of 126 patients who received definitive treatment with a maximum dose of 76 Gy. Serum peptidome, which was profiled in the 2000-16,000 Da range using MALDI-MS. Serum proteins were identified and quantified using the shotgun LC-MS/MS approach. The majority of changes in serum peptidome were detected between pre-treatment samples and samples collected after 3-4 weeks of RT (~25% of registered peptides changed their abundances significantly), yet the intensity of observed changes was not correlated significantly with the degree of acute radiation toxicity or the volume of irradiated tissues. Furthermore, there were a few serum proteins identified, the abundances of which were different in pre-RT and post-RT samples, including immunity and inflammation-related factors. Observed effects were apparently weaker than in comparable groups of head and neck cancer patients in spite of similar radiation doses and volumes of irradiated tissues in both groups. We concluded that changes observed at the level of serum proteome were low for this cohort of prostate cancer patients, although the specific components involved are associated with immunity and inflammation, and reflect the characteristic acute response of the human body to radiation.