Cancer Epidemiology

A basic textbook addressed to medical and public health students, clinicians, health professionals, and all others seeking to understand the principles and methods used in cancer epidemiology. Written by a prominent epidemiologist and experienced teacher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the text aims to help readers become competent in the use of basic epidemiological tools and capable of exercising critical judgment when assessing results reported by others. Throughout the text, a lively writing style and numerous illustrative examples, often using real research data, facilitate an easy understanding of basic concepts and methods. Information ranges from an entertaining account of the origins of epidemiology, through advice on how to overcome some of the limitations of survival analysis, to a checklist of questions to ask when considering sources of bias. Although statistical concepts and formulae are presented, the emphasis is consistently on the interpretation of the data rather than on the actual calculations. The text has 18 chapters. The first six introduce the basic principles of epidemiology and statistics. Chapters 7-13 deal in more depth with each of the study designs and interpretation of their findings. Two chapters, concerned with the problems of confounding and study size, cover more complex statistical concepts and are included for advanced study. A chapter on methodological issues in cancer prevention gives examples of epidemiology's contribution to primary prevention, screening and other activities for early detection, and tertiary prevention. The concluding chapters review the role of cancer registries and discuss practical considerations that should be taken into account in the design, planning, and conduct of any type of epidemiological research.

This much anticipated Third Edition provides a comprehensive presentation of the global burden and patterns of cancer occurrence, along with new developments in our understanding of cancer causation and prevention. Special attention is given to epidemiologic approaches that incorporate molecular biomarkers based on genomic and other emerging technologies, providing new insights into the role of genetic predisposition and gene-environment interactions in cancer induction. In addition, new chapters are included on social class disparities in cancer incidence and mortality, the role of obesity and physical inactivity in cancer etiology, the potential effects of electromagnetic fields and rediofrequency radiation, and the principles of cancer chemoprevention. The textbook is organized into five sections: Basic Concepts; The Magnitude of Cancer; The Causes of Cancer; Cancer by Tissue of Origin; Cancer Prevention and Control. In this new edition, Drs. David Schottenfeld and Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr. have enlisted three distinguished Associate Editors: Drs. Jonathan Samet of Johns Hopkins University, Graham Colditz of Harvard University and Alice Whittemore of Stanford University.

This superb text gives a concise, systematic account of what is currently known about the epidemiology and primary prevention for most forms of human cancer. Part 1 provides an introduction to basic concepts in epidemiology, a description of the global burden of cancer, definitions and characterizations of the various measures used, and approaches used to reveal genetic determinants of cancer risk and integrate biologic markers in the epidemiogic research process. Part 2 contains chapters of uniform structure on over 20 types of cancer, providing clinical and pathological outlines, descriptive epidemiology, and a comprehensive account of risk factors and their etiological importance. Specific sections address somatic and germ cell mutations that play a role in the occurrence of particular forms of cancer.

Public Health

In the late 1980s, the National Cancer Institute initiated an investigation of cancer risks in populations near 52 commercial nuclear power plants and 10 Department of Energy nuclear facilities (including research and nuclear weapons production facilities and one reprocessing plant) in the United States. The results of the NCI investigation were used a primary resource for communicating with the public about the cancer risks near the nuclear facilities. However, this study is now over 20 years old. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requested that the National Academy of Sciences provide an updated assessment of cancer risks in populations near USNRC-licensed nuclear facilities that utilize or process uranium for the production of electricity. Analysis of Cancer Risks in Populations near Nuclear Facilities: Phase 1 focuses on identifying scientifically sound approaches for carrying out an assessment of cancer risks associated with living near a nuclear facility, judgments about the strengths and weaknesses of various statistical power, ability to assess potential confounding factors, possible biases, and required effort. The results from this Phase 1 study will be used to inform the design of cancer risk assessment, which will be carried out in Phase 2. This report is beneficial for the general public, communities near nuclear facilities, stakeholders, healthcare providers, policy makers, state and local officials, community leaders, and the media.

Sixth edition of the hugely successful, internationally recognised textbook on global public health and epidemiology, with 3 volumes comprehensively covering the scope, methods, and practice of the discipline

Preceded by Cancer epidemiology and prevention / edited by David Schottenfeld, Joseph F. Fraumeni Jr. 3rd ed. 2006.

Population studies and epidemiology facilitate the discovery of genetic and environmental determinants of cancer and the development of new approaches to cancer control and prevention, therefore they play a central role in the creation of health policies. Cancer Epidemiology compiles areas of research which cover etiological factors or determinants that contribute to the development of cancer and describe the latest technologies in cancer epidemiology. In Volume 1, Host Susceptibility Factors, leading experts provide chapters on cancer incidence, prevalence, mortality and surveillance, methods, technologies and study design in cancer epidemiology as well as host susceptibility factors in cancer epidemiology. Although a non-standard volume of the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series, this comprehensive text retains the commitment of the series to collecting the kind of detailed, up-to-date information and implementation advice that is crucial for getting optimal results. Cutting-edge and essential, Cancer Epidemiology allows readers to get the maximum advantage of the methods involved in this exciting and important field.