Smokeless tobacco (SLT) use is an established carcinogen to the nasal cavity, lip, and oropharynx, however, few studies have examined cancer risks in older African women among whom SLT use is common. We investigated snuff use and the risk of site-specific cancers among 15,336 newly diagnosed female cancer patients in the Johannesburg Cancer Study, South Africa. We designed case-control comparisons across multiple cancer outcomes: (a) known SLT-associated cancers; (b) other tobacco-related cancers and (c) genital cancers owing to intravaginal snuff use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman papillomavirus (HPV) proteins may elicit antibody responses in the process toward HPV-related malignancy. However, HPV seroepidemiology in noncervical HPV-related cancers remains poorly understood, particularly in populations with a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Using a glutathione S-transferase-based multiplex serology assay, antibodies against E6, E7 and L1 proteins of HPV16 and HPV18 were measured in sera of 535 cases of noncervical HPV-related cancers (anal (n = 104), vulval (n = 211), vaginal (n = 49), penile (n = 37) and oropharyngeal (n = 134)) and 6651 non-infection-related cancer controls, from the Johannesburg Cancer Study that recruited Black South African with newly diagnosed cancer between 1995 and 2016.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) causes Kaposi sarcoma (KS). The risk of KS is amplified in HIV-immunosuppressed individuals and antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces KS incidence. Reliable data on the relationship between these factors are lacking in Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ongoing quantification of the disease burden attributable to smoking is important to monitor and strengthen tobacco control policies.
Objectives: To estimate the attributable burden due to smoking in South Africa for 2000, 2006 and 2012.
Methods: We estimated attributable burden due to smoking for selected causes of death in South African (SA) adults aged ≥35 years for 2000, 2006 and 2012.
South Africa's HIV epidemic has evolved over time in terms of numbers of people living with HIV, access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) and age. These changes have profoundly influenced local cancer patterns. The Johannesburg Cancer Study has, over a period of 22 years (1995-2016), recruited over 20 000 incident black cancer patients who consented to provide answers to a questionnaire and blood samples (serum, DNA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe reviewed the literature on the importance of selected anti-high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) antibodies (namely, 16/18 and early oncoproteins E6 and E7) as potential serological markers for early detection of individuals at high risk of cervical cancer. We searched for studies in PubMed and Embase databases published from 2010 to 2020 on antibodies against HR-HPV E6 and E7 early proteins and cervical cancer. Pooled sensitivity and specificity for HPV16 and HPV18 antibodies were calculated using a bivariate hierarchical random-effects model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKaposi's sarcoma (KS) has become a common AIDS-defining cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated human herpesvirus strongly modulated by HIV-related immune suppression are the principal causes of this cancer. No other risk factors have been identified as playing a strong role.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKaposi Sarcoma (KS) is endemic in several countries in Southern and Eastern Africa, relatively rare worldwide but a leading cancer among people living with HIV. KS has always been more common in adult males than females. We assessed the prevalence of known cancer modifying factors (parity, hormonal contraceptive use in females, sex-partners, smoking and alcohol consumption in both sexes), and their relationship to KS, and whether any of these could account for the unequal KS sex ratios.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In populations with high rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-coinfection, the nature of the relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 and -18 (L1, E6 and E7) antibodies and cervical cancer is still uncertain. We measured the association between seropositivity to HPV (L1, E6 and E7) proteins and cervical cancer among black South African women with and without HIV co-infection.
Methods: We used questionnaire data and serum collected from consecutively recruited patients with a newly diagnosed cancer from the Johannesburg Cancer Study from 1346 cervical cancer cases and 2532 controls (diagnosed with other non-infection related cancers).
This paper delineates how a program of tobacco smoking cessation after a cancer diagnosis was achieved by engagement of multiple stakeholders, government, and non-government authorities in one jurisdiction in Australia, New South Wales. While it had become increasingly obvious that smoking cessation imparts benefits akin to other known treatment modalities, knowledge of this generalisation is without benefit unless this information is delivered in a trusted context and means to quit are made available. Against a backdrop of little enthusiasm among clinicians, the Cancer Institute NSW, charged with implementing tobacco control strategies, decided to focus its 2017 annual colloquium on the topic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
March 2022
Background: Sun exposure causes cutaneous squamous (SCC) and basal cell (BCC) carcinomas. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection might cause SCC.
Methods: We examined associations of β and γ HPV infection in skin-swab DNA and serum antibodies with skin cancer risk, and modification of the carcinogenic effects of sun exposure by them, in case-control studies of 385 SCC cases, 832 BCC cases, and 1,100 controls nested in an Australian prospective cohort study (enrolled 2006-2009).
Background: Aside from human papillomavirus (HPV), the role of other risk factors in cervical cancer such as age, education, parity, sexual partners, smoking and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been described but never ranked in order of priority. We evaluated the contribution of several known lifestyle co-risk factors for cervical cancer among black South African women.
Methods: We used participant data from the Johannesburg Cancer Study, a case-control study of women recruited mainly at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital between 1995 and 2016.
Introduction: The All Causes of Death Surveillance (ACDS) system was used to measure smoking-attributed mortality by inserting questions on smoking on death certificates. Smoking status information of the deceased has been routinely collected in death certificates since 2010. We describe a death registry-based case-control study using smoking and cause-of-death data for the period 2010-15.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Johannesburg Cancer Study (JCS) aims were to examine whether cancer risk factors identified in Western countries applied to black patients in Johannesburg, South Africa and to understand the impact of HIV on cancer risk, with a view to identifying previously unrecognised HIV associated cancers. A total of 24 971 black patients with an incident histologically proven (>95%) cancer of any type were enrolled between 1995-2016. Response rates were >90%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
January 2020
Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is highly prevalent worldwide and may have a role, with sun exposure, in causing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Little is known about the relationship of UV exposure and seroprevalence of cutaneous HPVs in the general population.
Methods: Using multiplex serology, we estimated the seroprevalence of 23 beta and 7 gamma HPVs and 7 other antigens (mu HPV1, HPV63, nu HPV41, alpha HPV16; polyomaviruses HPyV7 and MCV; p53) in a population-based sample of 1,161 Australian 45 and Up Study participants with valid data from blood specimens collected from 2010 to 2012.