2012 Publications
A mega study and a global trial, to fight killer diseases better
The largest ever study to investigate causes of common cancers in India is being carried out through a collaboration between Oxford University in the
UK and 12 leading cancer centres in India.
The largest ever study to investigate causes of common cancers in India is being carried out through a collaboration between Oxford University in the
UK and 12 leading cancer centres in India. Several cancer centres are collaborating in the ambitious project to investigate whether certain factors common in Indian lifestyle are important in influencing the risk of cancer. Among lifestyle trends being investigated are vegetarianism and common spices in the Indian diet. The researchers will study whether these have a beneficial effect in lowering the risk of cancer. The researchers will also investigate if chewing tobacco, burning wood as a fuel indoors, and the adoption of Western lifestyles in Indian cities have a detrimental effect. The study is part of a project initiated by the INDOX Cancer Research Network, a partnership between the University of Oxford and 12 of India’s top comprehensive cancer centres, says INDOX director Dr Raghib Ali. The study will involve as many as 30,000 people at 12 centres across India.
Originally published on Indian Express by Anuradha Mascarenhas on 27 October 2011 (link to original)
Pill 'lowers ovarian cancer risk'
Women who take the pill for 10 years almost halve their risk of ovarian cancer, according to a study.
Women who take the pill for 10 years almost halve their risk of ovarian cancer, according to a study. But experts say this must be balanced against the risk of breast cancer, which is higher in women on the pill. The study followed more than 300,000 women enrolled in a large European study known as EPIC (European Prospective Investigation of Cancer). The team also say it found evidence that having a baby reduced the risk of ovarian cancer; the more children a woman had, the bigger the protection. Naomi Allen, an epidemiologist at the University of Oxford who works on the EPIC study, said: ‘Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect and so prevention is key to saving women suffering from this disease. These results are important because most women don’t know that taking the pill or getting pregnant can help reduce their risk of ovarian cancer later on in life.’
Originally published on BBC News online, Helen Briggs on 26 October 2011 (link to original)
Height clue to cancer risk
Taller people are at increased risk of a wide range of cancers, according to new research led by Oxford University.
Being tall has been linked to health risks: people mark their height at a MoMa exhibit. Photo: Liz Mc, Artist: Roman Ondák
The study found that in women the risk of cancer rises by about 16% for every 10cm (4 inches) increase in height. Previous studies have shown a link between height and cancer risk, but this research extends the findings to more cancers and for women with differing lifestyles and economic backgrounds.
A report of the research is published Online First in The Lancet Oncology.
‘We showed that the link between greater height and increased total cancer risk is similar across many different populations from Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North America,’ said Dr Jane Green, lead author of the study, who is based at the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University.
‘The link between height and cancer risk seems to be common to many different types of cancer and in different people; suggesting that there may be a basic common mechanism, perhaps acting early in peoples’ lives, when they are growing.’
To investigate the impact of height on overall and site-specific cancer risk, Dr Green and colleagues assessed the association between height, other factors relevant for cancer, and cancer incidence, in the Cancer Research UK-funded Million Women Study, which included 1.3 million middle-aged women in the UK enrolled between 1996 and 2001. During an average follow-up time of about 10 years, 97,000 cases of cancer were identified.
The risk of total cancer increased with increasing height, as did the risk of many different types of cancer, including cancers of the breast, ovary, womb, bowel, leukaemia and malignant melanoma. The authors also conducted a meta-analysis combining their results with those from ten previous studies.
Although it is still not clear how height increases cancer risk, it has been suggested that environmental influences including diet and infections in childhood, as well as growth hormone levels, might be involved. The results suggest that increases in the height of populations over the course of the 20th century might explain some of the changes in cancer incidence over time.
Dr Green said: ‘Of course people cannot change their height. Being taller has been linked to a lower risk of other conditions, such as heart disease. The importance of our findings is that they may help us to understand how cancers develop.’
Originally published in the University of Oxford Press Office’s News Feed on 21 Jul 2011 (link to original)
