The Queensland Cancer Risk Study: behavioural risk factor results.

Objective: To describe the population prevalence of key cancer risk behaviours in Queensland.

Methods: The Queensland Cancer Risk Study was a population-based survey of 9,419 Queensland residents aged 20-75 years. Information was collected through an anonymous, computer-assisted telephone interview between February and November 2004.

Evaluating the usefulness of self-reported risk factors in a skin cancer screening program.

The objective of this study was to describe the risk factor profile of skin cancer screening participants and to determine whether there is an association between the number of skin cancer/melanoma risk factors and the likelihood of diagnosis of a malignant melanoma. Seventy skin cancer screening clinics were held by the Lions Cancer Institute in predominantly rural areas of Western Australia between 1996 and 2003. Participants were self-selected and voluntary, responding to an advertisement seeking people at 'high-risk' of melanoma.

Plasma vitamin concentrations and incidence of mesothelioma and lung cancer in individuals exposed to crocidolite at Wittenoom, Western Australia.

Increased rates of death from asbestos-related diseases have been reported in former workers and residents exposed to crocidolite (blue asbestos) at Wittenoom (Western Australia). The relationships between plasma concentrations of retinol, carotene and vitamin E and incidence of mesothelioma and lung cancer in a cohort of people from this town were examined. The relationships were evaluated by survival analyses using data obtained at the first visit, at each visit and with the rate of change of each vitamin during the period of follow-up.

Epidemiology of notified campylobacteriosis in Western Australia.

Campylobacteriosis is one of the most common causes of gastroenteritis in Australia and the rates are thought to be increasing. This study has included all cases of campylobacteriosis that were notified in Western Australia between 1991 and 2001. The data for the study were received from Western Australian Notifiable Infectious Diseases Database located at the Communicable Disease Control Directorate of Western Australia.

Cancer due to occupation in Australia.

Objective: This paper reviews previous attempts to estimate the proportion of cancers caused by occupational factors in Australia and overseas and calculates an estimate of the burden of occupational cancer in Australia.

Methods: A literature review and discussion of previous estimations of occupationally caused cancers is used to inform the choice of data for a calculation of Australian estimates. Finnish estimates of the proportion of cancers caused by occupation were applied to Australian numbers of cancers.

Specific infections, infection-related behavior, and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults.

Infections were examined as possible risk factors for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in a population-based case-control study in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Incident cases (n = 694) had no history of HIV infection or transplantation. Controls (n = 694) were randomly selected from electoral rolls and frequency matched to cases by age, sex, and area of residence.

Validity of melanoma diagnosis in a community-based screening program.

Although screening for melanoma is intuitively attractive, evidence of the effectiveness of screening programs for skin cancer is lacking. Since 1990, the Lions Cancer Institute has conducted clinics in Western Australia in which volunteer plastic surgeons and dermatologists undertake full-body skin screens. Advertisements for attendees target people with risk factors for skin cancer.

Family experiences of tissue donation in Australia.

Context: Although research exists examining the experiences of organ donor families, little is known about the specific needs of tissue donor families. Understanding family experiences in tissue donation is important to improve the process and potentially increase the number of families who consent to tissue donation.

Objective: To examine the experiences of recent tissue donor families and to identify potential areas for improvement of the donation process.

Vietnam military service history and prostate cancer.

Background: Three decades after US and Australian forces withdrew from Vietnam, there has been much public interest in the health consequences of service in Vietnam. One controversial question is whether the risk of prostate cancer amongst Vietnam veterans is increased. This paper examines relationships between military history, family history and risk of prostate cancer in a population-based case control study.

Who attends skin cancer screening in Western Australia? Results from the Lions Cancer Institute Skin Cancer Screening Program.

Objective: To examine the characteristics of persons attending a skin cancer screening clinic in Western Australia and compare the effectiveness of screening in different socio-demographic subgroups.

Methods: Questionnaires were completed by 5,950 self-selected participants who voluntarily attended the Western Australian Lions Cancer Institute's targeted skin cancer screening clinics during the period 1996-2003. A risk assessment technique was used to identify individuals at high risk of developing melanoma.

Injury in Australian veterinarians.

Background: There are a number of risk factors for traumatic injury in veterinary practice but there is little information on the prevalence of injuries or the factors associated with injury in this profession.

Aims: To identify the prevalence of injuries sustained by veterinarians and the groups most at risk for different types of injury.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey of Australian veterinarians.

Non-cancer mortality among people diagnosed with cancer (Australia).

Objective: To investigate whether people diagnosed with cancer have an increased risk of death from non-cancer causes compared to the general population.

Methods: The non-cancer mortality of people diagnosed with cancer in Queensland (Australia) between 1982 and 2002 who had not died before 1 January 1993 was compared to the mortality of the total Queensland population, matching by age group and sex, and reporting by standardised mortality ratios.

Results: Compared to the non-cancer mortality in the general population, cancer patients (all cancers combined) were nearly 50% more likely to die of non-cancer causes (SMR = 149.

Chronicity of psychological strain in occupational settings and the accuracy of the General Health Questionnaire.

This article examines the proposition that the traditional scoring method of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) underestimates the number of respondents classified as "cases." A revised "chronic" scoring method (the CGHQ) is used and demonstrates superior construct validity and greater sensitivity. A comparison of the CGHQ and GHQ also shows the CGHQ to be a superior criterion measure.

Methodological issues in linking study participants to Australian cancer registries using different methods: lessons from a cohort study.

Objective: To compare results of concurrent linkage of records from the same occupational cohort to cancer registries at both a State and national level. Methodological issues affecting the record registry linkage process will be explored in cases of discordant results between the State and national cancer linkages.

Methods: The number of incident invasive cancers in an occupational cohort of more than 11,000 workers was determined by linkage to the National Cancer Statistics Clearing House (NCSCH) in 2003.

Collection of population-based cancer staging information in Western Australia--a feasibility study.

Background: Routine data from cancer registries often lack information on stage of cancer, limiting their use. This study aimed to determine whether or not it is feasible to add cancer staging data to the routine data collections of a population-based Western Australian Cancer Registry (WACR).

Methods: For each of the five most common cancer types (prostate, colorectal, melanoma, breast and lung cancers), 60 cases were selected for staging.

Effects of asbestos and smoking on gas diffusion in people exposed to crocidolite.

Objective: To examine the effects of asbestos exposure and tobacco smoking on the level and rate of change of the diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO).

Design And Participants: A cohort study of 934 people (including both mine workers and town residents) exposed to crocidolite (blue asbestos) at the asbestos mines and in the town of Wittenoom, Western Australia, between 1943 and 1966. DLCO measurements were taken during a follow-up period from 1992 to 2002.

Assessing the effectiveness of a mammography screening service.

Background: Trials have shown that mammography screening reduces mortality and probably decreases morbidity related to breast cancer.

Methods: We assessed whether the major mammography service in Western Australia (BreastScreen WA) is likely to reduce mortality by comparing prognostic variables between screen-detected and other cases of breast cancer diagnosed in 1999. We assessed likely reductions in morbidity by comparing treatments received by these two groups.

Risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma associated with occupational exposure to solvents, metals, organic dusts and PCBs (Australia).

Objective: Several studies have suggested that there is an occupational component to the causation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We aimed to use accurate means to assess occupational exposures to solvents, metals, organic dusts and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a case-control study.

Methods: Cases were incident NHLs during 2000 and 2001 in two regions of Australia.

Plasma concentrations of retinol, carotene, and vitamin E and mortality in subjects with asbestosis in a cohort exposed to crocidolite in Wittenoom, Western Australia.

Objective: We sought to examine the relationships between plasma concentrations of retinol, carotene, and vitamin E and mortality associated with asbestosis in people previously exposed to crocidolite.

Methods: Cox regression modeling was applied to examine these relationships at the first measurement of each vitamin, at the measurement at each visit, and with the rate of change of each vitamin during the follow-up.

Results: There were 76 deaths of people with asbestosis during the follow-up period and 1885 subjects censored.

Plasma retinol, carotene and vitamin E concentrations and lung function in a crocidolite-exposed cohort from Wittenoom, Western Australia: a cohort study.

Background: Increased rates of death from asbestos related diseases have been reported for people previously employed in the mining and milling operations at Wittenoom (Western Australia), and people who lived in the nearby town, where they were environmentally exposed to crocidolite.

Methods: Annual measurements of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) and plasma concentrations of retinol, carotene and vitamin E have been made since 1992. Mixed effects models were used to examine the associations between lung function and the plasma vitamin levels of retinol, carotene and vitamin E.

Birth order, atopy, and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Background: Immune deficiency is a strong risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but whether or not other forms of immune dysregulation are associated with NHL risk is unknown. We investigated associations between atopy, which is associated with a Th2-dominant immune response, and NHL risk. Because late birth order and childhood crowding are inversely associated with atopy, we also investigated their associations with NHL risk.

Influences on participation in a community-based colorectal neoplasia screening program by virtual colonoscopy in Australia.

Objective: To determine the effect of certain personal and health behaviour characteristics on participation in a community-based colorectal neoplasia (CRN) screening program using virtual colonoscopy.

Methods: The study population comprised randomly selected subjects from the State electoral roll; screening by virtual colonoscopy was offered through letter of invitation. For non-responders, a further invitation was sent a month later.

Validity of self reported male balding patterns in epidemiological studies.

Background: Several studies have investigated the association between male pattern baldness and disease such as prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. Limitations in the lack of standardized instruments to measure male pattern baldness have resulted in researchers measuring balding patterns in a variety of ways. This paper examines the accuracy and reliability of assessment of balding patterns by both trained observers and men themselves, using the Hamilton-Norwood classification system.