Risk of COVID-19 Reinfection and Vaccine Breakthrough Infection, Madera County, California, 2021.

COVID-19 vaccine efficacy has been evaluated in controlled clinical trials and serves as a benchmark for evaluating the protection acquired from prior COVID-19 infection ("natural immunity"). A cohort of persons with a prior COVID-19 infection was matched to a cohort of COVID-19 vaccinated persons and the risk of reinfection post-COVID-19 infection was compared to the risk of a COVID-19 infection post-vaccination. The hazard ratio (HR) for risk of reinfection from day 90 to 300 after initial COVID-19 infection vs. vaccine breakthrough infection was 0.48, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.31-0.73). Thus from 90 to 300 days after COVID-19 infection, the post-COVID-19 infection cohort had a lower risk of COVID-19 infection compared with those fully vaccinated. The risk of death associated with the initial COVID-19 infection requisite for acquiring post-COVID-19 immunity was also assessed. The hazard ratio (HR) for deaths from all causes among those acquiring immunity via COVID-19 infection vs. vaccination was 14.9 (95% CI 7.27-30.4). Thus, while post-COVID-19 immunity was on a level comparable to that of vaccination, there was a 15-fold higher mortality resulting from achieving "natural immunity" versus acquiring vaccine-provided immunity.

Estimating the Proportion of Childhood Cancer Cases and Costs Attributable to the Environment in California.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the proportion of cases and costs of the most common cancers among children aged 0 to 14 years (leukemia, lymphoma, and brain or central nervous system tumors) that were attributable to preventable environmental pollution in California in 2013. METHODS: We conducted a literature review to identify preventable environmental hazards associated with childhood cancer. We combined risk estimates with California-specific exposure prevalence estimates to calculate hazard-specific environmental attributable fractions (EAFs). We combined hazard-specific EAFs to estimate EAFs for each cancer and calculated an overall EAF. Estimated economic costs included annual (indirect and direct medical) and lifetime costs. RESULTS: Hazards associated with childhood cancer risks included tobacco smoke, residential exposures, and parental occupational exposures. Estimated EAFs for leukemia, lymphoma, and brain or central nervous system cancer were 21.3% (range = 11.7%-30.9%), 16.1% (range = 15.0%-17.2%), and 2.0% (range = 1.7%-2.2%), respectively. The combined EAF was 15.1% (range = 9.4%-20.7%), representing $18.6 million (range = $11.6 to $25.5 million) in annual costs and $31 million in lifetime costs. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing environmental hazards and exposures in California could substantially reduce the human burden of childhood cancer and result in significant annual and lifetime savings.

Complications and Yield of Computed Tomography-Guided Transthoracic Core Needle Biopsy of Lung Nodules at a High-Volume Academic Center in an Endemic Coccidioidomycosis Area.

PURPOSE: Previous studies with small sample sizes have shown a wide range of complication rates and no study has investigated the yield of computed tomography-guided transthoracic core needle biopsies (CTTCB) for coccidioidomycosis. To better assess the safety, accuracy, and risk factors for complications of CTTCB of pulmonary nodules, we conducted a retrospective study at a high-volume academic center in an endemic coccidioidomycosis area. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 203 patients who underwent CTTCB of pulmonary nodules between December 2010 and May 2013. We collected demographics, clinical, and radiographic data. Each case was reviewed for complications. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by comparing CTTCB with final diagnoses. RESULTS: The overall complication rate was 25 %. Pneumothorax accounted for 24 % of complications with 7 % of pneumothoraces requiring chest tube. 1.5 % were complicated by hemoptysis but none required blood transfusions. There was an association between complications and age, presence of emphysema on CT, traversed lung length, and lesion depth. The overall sensitivity of the CTTCB for all types of lung cancer was 93 %, and specificity of 100 %. The positive predictive value of CTTCB for lung cancer was 100 %. The sensitivity and specificity of CTTCB for a coccidiomycosis lung nodule was 83 % with a specificity of 100 % with a PPV of 100 %. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that CTTCB is a relatively safe method for evaluating lung nodules and highly accurate in evaluating lung nodules due to coccidioidomycosis in an endemic area. The primary risk factors for complications from CTTCB are the presence of emphysema on CT scan, lesion depth, and traversed lung length.

Misdiagnosis Among Frequent Exacerbators of Clinically Diagnosed Asthma and COPD in Absence of Confirmation of Airflow Obstruction.

PURPOSE: Clinical diagnosis of severe asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) remains a challenge and often flawed with lack of objective confirmation of airflow obstruction (AO). Misdiagnosis of asthma and COPD has been reported in stable disease, data are non-existent in frequent exacerbators. We investigated misdiagnosis and its predictors in frequent exacerbators. METHODS: The cohort comprised of frequent severe exacerbators (requiring ≥2 emergency room (ER) visits or hospitalizations) of physician diagnosed (PD)-asthma and PD-COPD. All patients underwent a rigorous diagnostic algorithm over a follow-up period of 10 ± 6 months. Two board-certified pulmonologists ascertained final diagnosis. Patients with persistent absence of AO were identified to have misdiagnosis. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of misdiagnoses. RESULTS: Among 333 frequent exacerbators analyzed (171 patients with PD-asthma, 162 with PD-COPD, mean annual exacerbations 3.4 ± 2.8), 24 % of patients had a baseline post-bronchodilator spirometry. Misdiagnosis was found in 26 % (87 of 333) of patients. Another 12 % (41 of 333) of patients had obstructive lung diseases other than asthma and COPD. Independent risk factors for misdiagnosis were spirometry underutilization (PD-asthma: OR = 2.8, 95 % CI 1.16-6.78, p = 0.02 and PD-COPD: OR = 10.7, 95 % CI 2.05-56.27, p = 0.005) and pack years of smoking (PD-COPD: OR = 1.05, 95 % CI 1.01-1.11, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Objective confirmation of AO is essential in preventing misdiagnosis in frequent severe exacerbators of clinically diagnosed asthma and COPD, a third of whom have neither. Spirometry utilization is strongly associated with a reduced risk of misdiagnosis. Smoking is associated with increased risk of misdiagnosis in severe COPD, but not asthma.

Cancer incidence in California farm workers, 1988-2010.

BACKGROUND: Farmers and farm workers have previously been found to experience decreased risk of some causes of death but elevated risks of certain types of cancer. A previous report on cancer incidence in a farm worker labor union between 1987 and 1997 found increased leukemia, brain, stomach, and uterine cervix cancer rates in this working population. METHODS: A roster of farm workers was created and electronically linked to the database of the California Cancer Registry. Proportionate cancer incidence (PCIR), stage, and age at diagnosis and histological subtypes of cancer were compared between the United Farm Workers (UFW) members and the Hispanic population of California as well as to the non-Hispanic whites (NHW). RESULTS: In this population of 139,000 farm workers in California, more than 3,600 cancer diagnoses were recorded between 1988 and 2010. Proportionately more cancer was noted in the UFW than among California NHW for kidney and renal pelvis cancer (PCIR = 1.60), liver (PCIR = 4.24), prostate (PCIR = 1.13), and uterine cervix cancer (PCIR = 2.08). Proportionately less breast (PCIR = 0.85), lung (PCIR = 0.75), skin melanoma (PCIR = 0.18), and urinary bladder cancer (PCIR = 0.59) was found. Stage at diagnosis was more advanced in the farm workers for several cancer sites, although, not for colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These farm workers experience proportionally more prostate, kidney and renal pelvis, brain, liver, stomach, cervix and leukemia and less breast, melanoma, and colorectal cancer than reference populations. For many sites, cancer is not diagnosed as early in the farm workers as in the comparison groups, except for colorectal cancer in females and melanoma in males.

Increased length of stay and costs associated with inpatient management of vascular access failures.

The creation and maintenance of vascular access for hemodialysis patients is responsible for a significant amount of morbidity and hospital expenses which continue to escalate with increasing population of ESRD patients. A retrospective review of patient charts were performed from 2008 to May 2011 at an academic tertiary care center who had a diagnosis of vascular access failure based on ICD 9 coding. Data regarding demographic information, length of stay (LOS), source of insurance, hospital expenses, and discharge status were obtained. Based on strict inclusion criteria we identified 172 total patients. The mean age among all patients was 60.53 ± 15.35 years and the majority of patients were Hispanic (n = 81). The Mean LOS was 5.30 ± 4.64 days. Mean hospital costs were 41,896 ± 20,318 US$. Patients admitted for tunneled dialysis placement had greater length of stay (p-value = 0.011) as did patients with hypertension (p-value = 0.030). Hospital expenses were significantly higher for patients admitted for arterio-venous fistula complications (55,456 ± 23,779 US$) compared with admissions for catheter or dialysis graft related complications (p-value = 0.004). Patients on Medicare had significantly lower length of stay (3.98 ± 3.32 days) compared with patients with Medicare/Medical (6.59 ± 5.69 days), p-value = 0.047. Inpatient management of vascular access failure is associated with increased length of stay, and significant hospital expenses. Timely referral to vascular access centers can prevent unnecessary hospitalizations and provide cost-saving benefits.

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among Hmong immigrants in the San Joaquin Valley.

Chronic hepatitis B infection (HBV) is the major cause of primary liver cancer worldwide and Asians are disproportionately affected. The prevalence of HBV among most Asian American groups has been well documented, except in Hmong immigrants in the United States. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBV among Hmong immigrants in the San Joaquin Valley of California. A convenient sample of 534 Hmong age ≥18 years was recruited at various locations throughout Fresno County. Blood samples from study participants were collected and tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by enzyme-immunoassay. Two hundred and eighty-nine females and 245 males of Hmong descent (mean age, 43.93) were screened. Eighty-nine (41 males and 48 females) were positive for HBsAg, which accounts for a prevalence of 16.7% (95% C.I. 13.5-19.9). The majorities of HBsAg positive patients were ≥40 years (64.2%), married (66.7%), born in Laos (87.3%), and had lived in the United States ≥20 years (62.5%). Only 37.5% of the participants reported having a primary care physician. Our study revealed that approximately one out of every six Hmong immigrants screened was infected with HBV. Based on our findings, more than one-third of these infected patients have no primary care physician to provide further treatment, surveillance for liver cancer, or vaccination of their families. This supports the Institute of Medicine's recent recommendations to the Center for Disease Control to engage in a national Hepatitis B surveillance system.

Is the stepping-down approach a better option than multiple daily injections in obese patients with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes on advanced insulin therapy?

Aim: To determine whether de-escalating from advanced insulin therapy (AIT) to the combined use of metformin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, a GLP1 receptor agonist and basal insulin is the better option than multiple daily insulin injections (MDI) in obese patients with poorly controlled T2DM. Methods: This was a 16-week, prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Twenty-two obese patients with T2DM on AIT were randomized to intervention (step-down) or control (MDI) group. In the intervention group, all prandial insulin injections were discontinued, but the patient remained on basal insulin and metformin, to which an SGLT2i and a GLP1 RA were added. In the control group, the patient remained on MDI. Results: Compared to control group (n = 8), A1c was significantly lower at week 4 (9.54% vs 8.25%; p = .0088) and week 16 (9.7% vs 7.31%; p < .001) in intervention group (n = 10). In intervention group, compared to baseline, there was a significant decrease in weight (-16.38 pounds; p = .003), BMI (-3.06; p < .001), LDL cholesterol (-15.7 mg/dl; p = .0378), total cholesterol (-18.5 mg/dl; p = .0386), total daily insulin dose (-57.3 units; p < .001) and a significant improvement in DM-SAT patient satisfaction 0-100 scores: total score (+45.3; p < .001) and subscale scores (Convenience + 35.28, p = .019; Lifestyle + 35.8, p = .0052; Medical control + 51.3, p < .001; Wellbeing + 47.2, p = .0091) at week 16. Conclusion: De-escalating from AIT to the combined use of metformin, SGLT2i, GLP1 RA and basal insulin in obese patients with poorly controlled T2DM on MDI resulted in significant improvement in glycaemic control, weight loss and significantly higher patient satisfaction. This stepping-down approach may be the better option than continuing MDI in these patients.

Proportionate cancer incidence in the Laotian population of California, 1988-2006.

When the Vietnam War ended in 1975, pro-US Laotians (including Lao, Mien, Khmu) were displaced and became refugees in their own native country. Thousands fled to refugee camps in nearby Thailand and were eventually relocated to several Western countries, including the US. A listing of 1,195 Laotian cancer cases were extracted from the California Cancer Registry for diagnosis years 1988-2006. Cancer cases with birthplace coded as "Laos" were included. Proportionate incidence ratios (PIRs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for 17 selected cancer sites. The total population of California (all race/ethnic groups combined) was used as the reference. Proportional occurrence of cancers varied by genders and by cancer sites. Laotians in California experienced statistically significantly elevated risks for cancer of the nasopharynx (PIR = 14.8; 95% CI = 10.5-20.1), liver (PIR = 12.6; 95% CI = 10.8-14.6), stomach (PIR = 3.1; 95% CI = 2.4-4.0), cervix (PIR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.5-2.3), pancreas (PIR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.5-2.8), oral cavity (PIR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.4-2.3), lung and bronchus (PIR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.2-1.7). As found for other Asian subgroups, Laotians, too, have statistically significantly reduced risks for colorectal (PIR = 0.8; 95% CI = 0.6-0.9), colon (PIR = 0.7; 95% CI 0.5-0.9), breast (PIR 0.7; 95% CI = 0.5-0.8), and prostate (PIR = 0.1; 95% CI = 0.0-0.2) cancers. The increased risk found for mostly non-Western types of cancers have implications for culturally responsive cancer control and intervention activities targeting the Laotian population.

Agricultural Exposures and Breast Cancer Among Latina in the San Joaquin Valley of California.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the role of agricultural work, pesticide exposure, and age at first farm labor exposure in breast cancer (BC) risk among Hispanic women in Central California. METHODS: A BC case control study was conducted. Latina BC cases were identified through the California Cancer Registry and controls were recruited. Both cases and controls completed a detailed questionnaire. Pesticide exposure data were obtained by linking the crops, work locations, and dates worked in specific farm jobs with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) Pesticide Use Reports (PUR). RESULTS: Chemicals associated with BC risk included organophosphates, organochlorines, and a phthalimide, Captan. Age at first work in farm labor was younger in cases than controls (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Agricultural work may be associated with the increased BC risk in female Hispanic farm workers.

A case-control study of breast cancer risk and ambient exposure to pesticides.

While the estrogenic properties of certain pesticides have been established, associations between pesticide exposure and risk of breast cancer have been inconsistently observed. We investigated the relation between pesticide exposure and breast cancer risk using methods capable of objectively assessing exposure to specific pesticides occurring decades before diagnosis. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted to evaluate the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer associated with historic pesticide exposure in California's Central Valley, the most agriculturally productive region in the United States where pesticide drift poses a major source of nonoccupational exposure. Residential and occupational histories were linked to commercial pesticide reports and land use data to determine exposure to specific chemicals. Cases (N = 155) were recruited from a population-based cancer registry, and controls (N = 150) were obtained from tax assessor and Medicare list mailings. RESULTS: There was no association between breast cancer and exposure to a selected group of organochlorine pesticides thought to have synergistic endocrine-disrupting potential; however, breast cancer was three times as likely to occur among women exposed to chlorpyrifos compared with those not exposed, after adjusting for exposure to other pesticides including organochlorines (OR = 3.22; 95% CI = 1.38, 7.53). CONCLUSIONS: Organophosphate pesticides, such as chlorpyrifos, have rarely been evaluated in studies of breast cancer risk. Additional research is needed to confirm these findings and to better understand the underlying mechanisms given that chlorpyrifos has been detected in local air monitoring at levels of concern for residents living in the agricultural regions where it is used.

Dietary and lifestyle practices of Hmong in California.

As Hmong adapt to life in Fresno, California, their dietary and lifestyle patterns are examined. Data on tobacco and alcohol use, dietary practices, and socio-demographic variables were collected from a convenience sample, stratified by age and sex. The 248 participants were interviewed. Descriptive analyses reveal that more than 63% of Hmong adults were either overweight or obese. Only 57% could speak English fluently, and 71% were economically impoverished. Hmong do not consume tobacco and alcoholic products excessively. Rice, chicken, beef, and eggs were the most frequently identified food items. Fruits and vegetables were also identified. Low alcohol and tobacco consumption may offer Hmong some protection against certain diseases. However, low socioeconomic status and rapid urbanization may have resulted in a shift from a high-energy expenditure lifestyle and high fiber diets to a sedentary lifestyle with high saturated fat food diets, which may be detrimental to the health of many Hmong.

Cancer survival in California Hispanic farmworkers, 1988-2001.

CONTEXT: Although epidemiologic studies have identified elevated cancer risk in farmworkers for some cancer types, little is known about cancer survival in this population. PURPOSE: To determine if cancer survival differs between a Hispanic farmworker population and the general Hispanic population in California. METHODS: Hispanic United Farm Workers of America union members and California Hispanics diagnosed from 1988 to 2001 with a first primary cancer were identified from the California Cancer Registry. Kaplan-Meier observed 5-year cause-specific survival rates were calculated, and log-rank tests assessed population differences. Cox proportional hazards models for the most common cancers provided age-, stage-, and year of diagnosis-adjusted hazard ratios. FINDINGS: Observed 5-year cancer-specific survival rates were lower for Hispanic United Farm Workers of America men compared to California Hispanic men for all cancer sites combined (53.7% vs 57.7%, respectively) and colorectal cancer (48.1% vs 60.6%, respectively) and higher for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (86.7% vs 57.6%, respectively). Only non-Hodgkin's lymphoma survival differences remained significant (P = .021) after adjusting for age and stage at diagnosis. No statistically significant survival differences were detected between United Farm Workers of America and California Hispanic women. CONCLUSIONS: Although survival was generally similar between United Farm Workers of America members and California Hispanics, lower crude survival among United Farm Workers of America men for all sites combined and colorectal cancer warrants public health measures to address barriers to cancer screening in California's Hispanic farm-working populations. Histology-specific analyses with larger sample sizes are required before reaching conclusions on non-Hodgkin's lymphoma survival differences.

Cancer incidence in the Middle Eastern population of California, 1988-2004.

International statistics suggest lower cancer incidence in the Middle East and Middle Eastern (ME) immigrants in Europe, Australia, and Canada, but little is known from the United States. This study compares cancer rates in ME population with other race/ethnic groups in California from 1988 through 2004. ME cases in California cancer registry were identified by surname and ME population was estimated from U.S. Census data. Cancer rates for ME countries was obtained from Globocan. The ME incidence rate ratios for all sites combined in male and female were 0.77 and 0.82, respectively and were statistically significant. ME rates were significantly lower for cancers of the colon, lung, skin melanoma, female breast and prostate, and were significantly higher for cancers of the stomach, liver, thyroid, leukemia, and male breast. Cancer incidence in ME population in California was 2.4 times higher than rates in home countries. Incidence trends in ME males remained fairly stable but in females shows a slight decline in recent years. Cancer incidence in ME population is lower than non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic Black, but is higher than rates for Hispanics and Asians, and ME countries. Improved data quality, chronic infections, acculturation, and access to screening services are some of the factors responsible for the observed pattern.

Office spirometry correlates with laboratory spirometry in patients with symptomatic asthma and COPD.

OBJECTIVES: Spirometry remains underutilized in the evaluation of obstructive lung disease. While office spirometry (OS) has been compared to formal laboratory-based spirometry (LS) in healthy subjects, the correlation has never been formally assessed in patients with symptomatic obstructive lung disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation in this population. METHODS: We used a retrospective study design to analyze spirometry data from patients that underwent both OS and LS. Two flow sensing office (portable) spirometers were used and compared with laboratory-based (body plethymosgraph) spirometer. Accuracy and reliability were assessed using Bland Altman analysis. RESULTS: Among 185 patients with symptomatic obstructive lung disease, 129 had undergone both OS and LS. Of these, 107 patients had both tests performed less than 90 days apart and were included in final analyses. Mean age was 54 years with mean FEV1 of 1.97 L (65% predicted). Ninety-two patients had airflow obstruction, as determined by a FEV1/FVC ratio of <70%. We found significant correlation in the values between OS and LS for both FEV1 and FVC (r = 0.937 and 0.90, respectively, P < 0.001). Eighty-seven percent of patients had a concordant spirometry in terms of airflow obstruction. Correlation was independent of the office spirometer (and hence the Flow-sensing mechanism) used. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with known asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), OS is accurate and reliable when compared to formal laboratory-based spirometry. Routine use of OS should be encouraged to improve spirometry utilization and healthcare outcomes in patients with Asthma and COPD.

Control selection and pesticide exposure assessment via GIS in prostate cancer studies.

BACKGROUND: Pesticide exposures have recently been linked to prostate cancer, but accurate exposure assessment to date has been challenging. Additionally, historical exposures have rarely been examined. The utility of a geographic information system (GIS)-based model for assessing residential exposure to pesticides is examined in a population-based case-control setting among groups easily recruited as control subjects. METHODS: Historical pesticide and land-use data were used to generate exposure measures for two distinct pesticides previously linked to prostate cancer risk for control series and prostate cancer cases in three rural California counties. Simple estimates of residential exposures for different exposure periods are compared between case and control groups and the value of complete residential histories is examined. RESULTS: Residential exposure to methyl bromide based on current address resulted in an overestimation of exposure for distant exposure periods, whereas exposures to organochlorines were similar regardless of availability of historical residence information. A response bias was detected in Medicare controls such that unexposed elderly control subjects were characterized by a higher response rate. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency and amount of application of pesticides seem to affect the bias introduced into GIS-based exposure assessments. Inclusion of subjects' complete residential histories into the computation of exposure estimates seems to reduce bias from this source, but it may also introduce an additional bias through control self-selection. The use of randomly sampled controls from Medicare and residential parcels listings independent of subject response seems to result in the opportunity for relatively unbiased estimates of pesticide exposures.

Cancer screening, reproductive history, socioeconomic status, and anticipated cancer-related behavior among Hmong adults.

In the United States, breast, cervical, colorectal and prostate cancer screening rates are low or non-existent in the Hmong population compared to non-Hispanic Whites. No Hmong adults report ever participating in prostate (male only) and colorectal cancer screening. US-born Hmong women, those living in the US 20 years, and those 39 years old are more likely to be screened for breast and cervical cancer than other women. The Hmong, in general, are a young population (median age = 34 years) with low socioeconomic status. As a function of these characteristics, 52% of Hmong women reported having their first child at 15-19 years old and continued to bear children until 40-54 years old. The combination of young age at first pregnancy and multiparity probably protects Hmong women from breast cancer but elevates cervical cancer risk.

Regression analysis of pesticide use and breast cancer incidence in California Latinas.

An evaluation of pesticide use data and breast cancer incidence rates in California Hispanic females was conducted via a regression analysis. The analysis used 1988-2000 data from the California Cancer Registry, the population-based cancer registry that monitors cancer incidence and mortality in California. It also used pesticide use data from 1970-1988 from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. California is the leading agricultural state in the United States, and more than a quarter of all pesticides in the United States are applied there. Hispanic (Latina) females are commonly employed in agricultural operations. The authors performed regression analysis of county-level specific pesticide use data (pounds of active ingredients applied) for two classes of pesticides, organochlorines and triazine herbicides, against the breast cancer incidence rates among Latinas, controlling for age, socioeconomic status, and fertility rates, using negative binomial regression models. A total of 23,513 Latinas were diagnosed with breast cancer in California during the years 1988-1999. Risk of breast cancer was positively and significantly associated with age and socioeconomic status, and inversely and significantly associated with fertility levels. With respect to pesticides, breast cancer was positively associated with pounds of the organochlorines methoxychlor (adjusted incidence rate ratio [IRR] for highest quartile = 1.18; confidence interval [CI] = 1.03-1.35) and toxaphene (IRR = 1.16; CI = 1.01-1.34). No significant associations were found for the triazine herbicides atrazine and simazine.

Cancer incidence in the south Asian population of California, 1988-2000.

BACKGROUND: Although South Asians (SA) form a large majority of the Asian population of U.S., very little is known about cancer in this immigrant population. SAs comprise people having origins mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. We calculated age-adjusted incidence and time trends of cancer in the SA population of California (state with the largest concentration of SAs) between 1988-2000 and compared these rates to rates in native Asian Indians as well as to those experienced by the Asian/Pacific Islander (API) and White, non-Hispanic population (NHW) population of California. METHODS: Age adjusted incidence rates observed among the SA population of California during the time period 1988-2000 were calculated. To correctly identify the ethnicity of cancer cases, 'Nam Pehchan' (British developed software) was used to identify numerator cases of SA origin from the population-based cancer registry in California (CCR). Denominators were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau. Incidence rates in SAs were calculated and a time trend analysis was also performed. Comparison data on the API and the NHW population of California were also obtained from CCR and rates from Globocan 2002 were used to determine rates in India. RESULTS: Between 1988-2000, 5192 cancers were diagnosed in SAs of California. Compared to rates in native Asian Indians, rates of cancer in SAs in California were higher for all sites except oropharyngeal, oesophageal and cervical cancers. Compared to APIs of California, SA population experienced more cancers of oesophagus, gall bladder, prostate, breast, ovary and uterus, as well as lymphomas, leukemias and multiple myelomas. Compared to NHW population of California, SAs experienced more cancers of the stomach, liver and bile duct, gall bladder, cervix and multiple myelomas. Significantly increasing time trends were observed in colon and breast cancer incidence. CONCLUSION: SA population of California experiences unique patterns of cancer incidence most likely associated with acculturation, screening and tobacco habits. There is need for early diagnosis of leading cancers in SA. If necessary steps are not taken to curb the growth of breast, colon and lung cancer, rates in SA will soon approximate those of the NHW population of California.

Nasopharyngeal cancer in the California Hmong, 1988-2000.

Although previous studies document elevated nasopharyngeal cancer incidence in the American Hmong, a descriptive analysis is lacking. The present case-series aims to identify important features of head and neck cancers in the California Hmong, specifically nasopharyngeal cancer. We assessed incident head and neck cancers identified by the California Cancer Registry from 1988-2000 for incidence, mortality and descriptive comparisons between the Hmong, non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (API). Nasopharyngeal cancer was the most frequent Hmong cancer (39 of 51 cases) with incidence 23 times greater than in NHW. Nasopharyngeal cancer mortality rates for Hmong, NHW and API were 10.4, 0.2 and 1.7/100,000 respectively. Hmong were more likely to be diagnosed with remote tumors and less likely to receive treatment. A public health disparity clearly exists regarding nasopharyngeal cancer in the Hmong. Education on culturally appropriate healthcare and efforts to encourage diagnosis and treatment are necessary to reduce this disparity.