Recent estimates of global cancer incidence and survival were used to update previous figures of limited duration prevalence to the year 2008. The number of patients with cancer diagnosed between 2004 and 2008 who were still alive at the end of 2008 in the adult population is described by world region, country and the human development index. The 5-year global cancer prevalence is estimated to be 28.8 million in 2008. Close to half of the prevalence burden is in areas of very high human development that comprise only one-sixth of the world's population. Breast cancer continues to be the most prevalent cancer in the vast majority of countries globally; cervix cancer is the most prevalent cancer in much of Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia and prostate cancer dominates in North America, Oceania and Northern and Western Europe. Stomach cancer is the most prevalent cancer in Eastern Asia (including China); oral cancer ranks as the most prevalent cancer in Indian men and Kaposi sarcoma has the highest 5-year prevalence among men in 11 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The methods used to estimate point prevalence appears to give reasonable results at the global level. The figures highlight the need for long-term care targeted at managing patients with certain very frequently diagnosed cancer forms. To be of greater relevance to cancer planning, the estimation of other time-based measures of global prevalence is warranted.Prevalence measures the absolute number (or relative proportion) of individuals in the population affected by a given disease and requiring some form of medical care. Although incidence and mortality are considered the key measurements of cancer burden and the demands for cancer services, prevalence is an important supplementary indicator for developing strategies for service provision. Unlike incidence and mortality, however, there is no unique definition of cancer prevalence. Total (or complete) prevalence is the number of persons in a defined population alive at a given time who have had cancer diagnosed at some time in the past. This may be estimated directly in population-based cancer registries by counting the number of cases still alive and present at a specified point in time; however, this approach requires registration and followup for vital status over many years. Furthermore, the resource requirements for treating newly diagnosed patients are quite different from those for supporting long-term survivors, 1 and with increasing numbers of patients considered clinically cured, alternative definitions of prevalence are commonly used. Limited duration prevalence is the number of patients diagnosed with cancer within a fixed time in the past and is likely to be pertinent in estimating the needs for cancer services according to specific phases of cancer care from diagnosis through to palliation and death. A number of country-and cancer-specific approaches to prevalence estimation based on mathematical models have been recently published. 2-7Previously, we had described and validated methods th...

Population-based screening for early detection and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) and precursor lesions, using evidence-based methods, can be effective in populations with a significant burden of the disease provided the services are of high quality. Multidisciplinary, evidence-based guidelines for quality assurance in CRC screening and diagnosis have been developed by experts in a project co-financed by the European Union. The 450-page guidelines were published in book format by the European Commission in 2010.They include 10 chapters and over 250 recommendations, individually graded according to the strength of the recommendation and the supporting evidence. Adoption of the recommendations can improve and maintain the quality and effectiveness of an entire screening process, including identification and invitation of the target population, diagnosis and management of the disease and appropriate surveillance in people with detected lesions. To make the principles, recommendations and standards in the guidelines known to a wider professional and scientific community and to facilitate their use in the scientific literature, the original content is presented in journal format in an open-access Supplement of Endoscopy. The editors have prepared the present overview to inform readers of the comprehensive scope and content of the guidelines. IntroductionAccording to recent estimates by the International Agency for Research on Cancer [1], colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cancer in Europe with 432 000 new cases reported annually in men and women combined. It is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in Europe with 212 000 deaths reported in 2008.Worldwide, CRC ranks third in incidence and fourth in mortality with an estimated 1.2 million cases and 0.6 million deaths annually. In the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU), CRC ranks first in incidence and second in mortality, with approximately 334000 new cases and 149000 deaths estimated in 2008.Even in those Member States in the lower range for age-standardized rates of CRC, the burden of disease is significantly greater when compared with many other HHS Public Access Author Manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript regions of the world (see reference [1]). CRC is therefore an important health problem across the EU.Screening can be effective in cancer control in populations with a significant burden of CRC, provided the services are of high quality [2]. The aim of CRC screening is to lower the burden of cancer in the population by discovering disease in its early, latent stages [3]. Evidence-based methods permit treatment that is more effective than if disease is diagnosed later when symptoms have occurred. Early treatment of invasive lesions, for example by endoscopic resection of early CRC, can also be less detrimental for quality of life. The endoscopic removal of pre-malignant lesions also reduces the incidence of CRC by avoiding the progression to cancer. Randomized trials in people of average risk invite...

Purpose: Nifedipine is a calcium channel blocker, which is used to treat hypertension and angina pectoris. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of gene polymorphisms on pharmacokinetics of relevant metabolic genes with inconsistent or incomplete research conclusions and of others that exhibited an impact on pharmacodynamics, so as to provide a scientific basis for the inter-individual variation in nifedipine controlled-release tablet disposition.Methods: A total of 33 healthy volunteers were administered a single 30 mg oral dose of nifedipine controlled-release tablets, and were genotyped for 17 SNPs within 12 genes, by StepOne Real-Time PCR System and the Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight. The plasma concentration levels were quantified by Ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed and the mean pharmacokinetic variables were compared according to genotypes. Results: The CYP3A4 rs2242480, ABCB1 rs1045642, CACNA1D rs312481, CACNA1C rs2238032, ACE rs4646994 and SLC14A2 rs3745009 polymorphisms significantly influenced the pharmacokinetics of nifedipine controlled-release tablets with a greater effect being noted on CACNA1D, CACNA1C, and SLC14A2. These results continued to be statistically significant following multivariate correction. Conclusions: The CYP3A4 rs2242480, ABCB1 rs1045642, CACNA1D rs312481, CACNA1C rs2238032, ACE rs4646994 and SLC14A2 rs3745009 polymorphisms significantly influenced the pharmacokinetics of nifedipine controlled-release tablets . Their pharmacokinetic properties were examined, so as to provide a theoretical basis for individual differences found during treatment.

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