The Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study: reflections on a 30-year experience.

This article reflects on 30 years of conducting the Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study, a comprehensive, population-based investigation of colorectal cancer (CRC). The study had an incidence arm, a case-control arm and a survival arm, and contributed considerable knowledge about CRC risk, aetiology, prevention and screening. The incidence arm: confirmed high rates of CRC in Australia and the prevalent view that rates rise in first-generation immigrants from countries with low rates of CRC; and enabled the first report of high rates of colon cancer among Australian Jewish people and the first report of high rectal cancer rates anywhere.

Colorectal cancer risk, chronic illnesses, operations and medications: case control results from the Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study. 1988.

The associations between colorectal cancer risk and several chronic illnesses, operations and various medications were examined in 715 colorectal cancer cases and 727 age- and sex-matched controls in data derived from a large, comprehensive population-based study of this cancer conducted in Melbourne, Australia. There was a statistically significant deficit among cases of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, chronic chest disease and chronic arthritis and a statistically significant excess of 'haemorrhoids' among cases, and all of these differences were consistent for both colon and rectal cancers and for both males and females. Although no statistically significant differences were found for other cancers, there were twice as many breast cancers among cases (16) than among controls (8) and also there were 9 uterine cancers among cases and only 2 among controls.

Carcinoma in a Pharyngeal Pouch: Five-Year Survival after Resection.

A 57-year-old man had a resection performed of a pharyngeal pouch, which was complicated by a squamous-cell carcinoma. There is no evidence of recurrence five years later. The clinical and radiological features of this condition are briefly discussed.