Cases of KS and NHL rose dramatically in the United States in the 1980s, mainly because of the onset of the AIDS epidemic. However, during the 1990s, the dynamics of the AIDS epidemic changed. Analyzing surveillance data from nine population-based cancer registries, Mohamed A. Eltom, M.D., and Robert J. Biggar, M.D., of the National Cancer Institute, and their colleagues found that the incidence of KS declined sharply in the mid-1990s, with the change most evident in San Francisco, an AIDS epicenter.
In the late 1980s, incidence rate (the number of cases per 100,000 people) of KS in San Francisco reached a high of 33.3, but then declined to 2.8 by 1998. The incidence of NHL dropped from a high of 31.4 in 1995 to 21.6 by 1998, with the steepest declines in the most highly AIDS-associated types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
The researchers say the decline in incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma since the mid-1990s may reflect a drop in the number of individuals with AIDS and the introduction of more effective antiretroviral therapies. They note, however, that non-AIDS-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma incidence has continued to increase.
Pre-Puberty Growth May Influence Breast Cancer Risk
A study of breast cancer risk in twins suggests that factors such as height and weight before puberty may influence a woman's risk of breast cancer. The findings appear in the August 21 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Anthony J. Swerdlow, D.M., of the Institute of Cancer Research in the United Kingdom, and his colleagues
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Contact: Linda Wang
jncimedia@oupjournals.org
301-841-1287
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
20-Aug-2002