We calculated the long-term risks of death from smoking for individuals of various ages and smoking status in terms of the excess mortality contributed by smoking, over and above the baseline mortality from the same diseases caused by factors other than smoking using standard life table procedures. Since mortality data for specific smoking categories were available only from prospective studies in the late 1950s, we scaled these to the 1982 mortality levels. We assumed, for lung cancer, that the death rates for nonsmokers have not changed and, for other smoking-related diseases, that the risks of death for smokers relative to those for nonsmokers have not changed since the 1950s. Probabilities that result from alternative assumptions were also investigated and are

Descriptive epidemiological findings for 7,696 patients with newly diagnosed thyroid cancer reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program for the years 1973 through 1981 are summarized. The preponderance of this tumor in women and of the papillary histologic subtype are well documented. The data suggest that previously reported increases in the incidence of thyroid cancer among Whites levelled off in the late 1970s. Differences in the incidence of this cancer according to ethnic group were particularly striking. Compared with White men and women, Puerto Rico Hispanics and Blacks had significantly lower thyroid cancer rates (weighted rate ratios ranged from 0.48 to 0.65). New Mexico Hispanic men and Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian and Filipino men and women had significantly higher rates (weighted rate ratios ranged from 1.56 to 3.17). Elevated thyroid cancer rates for residents of Hawaii, regardless of ethnic group, were also a noteworthy finding. Variations in thyroid cancer risk according to ethnic group and geographical residence may reflect socio-economic or local environmental influences, including the possibility of a carcinogenic agent in volcanic lava.

Emergency medicine residents are exposed to PEM primarily by rotating through a general ED, the PED, and the PICU, being proctored by PEM and EM attendings and attending EM lectures and EM M&M conferences. Areas that may merit further attention for pediatric emergency training include experience in areas of neonatal resuscitation, pediatric M&M, and specific pediatric electives. This survey highlights the need to describe current educational strategies as a first step to assess perceived effectiveness.

Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute were used in the evaluation of cancer patient survival experience for 8 racial-ethnic groups in the U.S. population--Anglos, Hispanics, blacks, American Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, and Hawaiians. This report contains an actuarial (life table) survival analysis on 402,752 patients with first primary cancer diagnosed in 1973-79 and followed through December 31, 1981. Relative and observed survival rates are shown for each sex separately by primary site. Survival rates for females exceeded those for males for each primary site except for gallbladder and urinary bladder. The primary site having the highest survival rate among each group studied was the thyroid gland with a 5-year relative rate of 91% for all races combined. Rates were uniformly low among each group for cancers of the esophagus, liver, and pancreas. Survival rates for Hispanics were almost identical to those for Anglos; the largest differences were found for bladder (73% for Anglos vs. 64% for Hispanics), Hodgkin's disease (70% for Anglos vs. 61% for Hispanics), and ovary (35% for Anglos vs. 42% for Hispanics). For many primary sites Japanese experienced the highest survival rates and American Indians the lowest. In comparison to Anglos, Japanese had higher survival for cancers of the stomach, colon, prostate gland, and breast. The higher survival for stomach and breast cancers persisted even when controlling for age of patient and stage of disease at diagnosis. Survival rates for blacks were much lower than those for whites for cancers of the corpus uteri and urinary bladder. Survival rates for Chinese and Hawaiians were roughly comparable to those for Anglos, whereas survival rates for Filipinos tended to be similar to those for blacks.