An analysis: Colon cancer mortality in Tianjin, China, from 1981 to 2000

AIM: To analyze the data from Tianjin Cancer Registry of mortality due to colon cancer from 1981 to 2000 in Tianjin, China. METHODS: Tumors diagnosed in this study were coded according to ICD-9. Mortality rates were calculated by sex and calendar year of diagnosis. RESULTS: Seventy point four percent of colon cancer deaths occurred in the age group of 55-79 years and the mortality rate reached its peak in the age group of 75-80 years. The average age at death was 64.10 years. An ascending trend was observed in the mean age of death due to colon cancer from 1981 through 2000. However, as for the sex ratio, there was no clear trend exhibited. During 1981-2000, the total number of deaths was 2147, 1041 males and 1106 females. The mean mortality rate of colon cancer was 3.04/100 000. The mortality caused by colon cancer ascended from 1981 to 2000. CONCLUSION: The epidemic trend of colon cancer in Tianjin and its risk factors and prevention should be studied further.

Changes in survival patterns in urban Chinese patients with liver cancer

AIM: To examine the survival patterns and determinants of primary liver cancer in a geographically defined Chinese population.METHODS: Primary liver cancer cases (n=13 685)diagnosed between 1981 and 2000 were identified by the Tianjin Cancer Registry. Age-adjusted and age-specific incidence rates were examined in both males and females.Proportional hazards (Cox) regression was utilized to explore the effects of time of diagnosis, sex, age, occupation,residence, and hospital of diagnosis on survival.RESULTS: Crude and age-adjusted incidence rates in the study period were: 27.4/100 000 and 26.3/100 000 in males;and 11.5/100 000 and 10.4/100 000 in females, respectively.Cox regression analyses indicated that there was a significant improvement in survival rates over time. Industrial workers and older people had relatively poor survival rates. The hospital in which the liver cancer was diagnosed was a statistically significant predictor of survival; patients diagnosed in city hospitals were more likely to have better survival than those diagnosed in community/district hospitals. CONCLUSION: Patients diagnosed in recent years appeared to have a better outcome than those diagnosed in early times. There were also significant survival disparities with respect to occupation and hospital of diagnosis, which suggest that socioeconomic status may play an important role in determining prognosis.

Thl Bias in PBMC Induced by Large Scale Auto-CIK Infusion in Malignant Solid Tumor Patients in China

OBJECTIVE This article is to verify feasibility and validity of autologous cytokine-induced killer cell (Auto-CIK) treatment in solid malignancypatients.METHODS Amplification, phenotypic characteristics, cytokine secretion,antitumor cytotoxicity and clinical response to Auto-CIK derived from 65cases of solid tumor patients with different pathological types and clinicalstages were compared with LAKs in a large-scale clinical trial,RESUL'r$ We found that seriousness of disease and metastatic status hadno influence on effective components and antitumor immunological activityof Auto-ClK. Comparing cytotoxicity against various tumor cells with LAKsat various effector to target ratios, ClKs showed more effective cytotoxicityagainst NK sensitive or non-sensitive solid tumor cell lines at a low E/T ratio(6:1) which suggests indirectly that Auto-CIK had a longer effective time invivo than LAKs. These results suggest that CIKs are more suitable forimmunotherapy for those solid malignancy patients at high risk of relapse orrecurrence.CONCLUSIONS Our experimental data were consistent ~ith the reportedconclusion that the potent antitumor activity of Auto-ClK mainly rooted in theCD4- part of CIKs, including CD3~CD56~ cells and CD8 ~ CTLs. The CD4~part of ClKs seemed to have no direct tumor lytic activity. The results indicatethat the special "Thl bias" and enhanced cytotoxicity against K562 cellsoccurred in PBMCs after multicycles of Auto-ClK infusions suggesting theinduction of a "Thl shift" and rectification of "Th2 dominance" in PBMC afterAuto-CIK treatments.

Regional variations in mortality rates of pancreatic cancer in China:Results from 1990-1992 national mortality survey

AIM: To examine the regional variations in mortality rates of pancreatic cancer in China.METHODS: Aggregated mortality data of pancreatic cancer were extracted from the 1990-1992 national death of all causes and its mortality survey in China. Age specific and standardized mortality rates were calculated at both national and provincial levels with selected characteristics including sex and residence status.RESULTS: Mortality of pancreatic cancer ranked the ninth and accounted for 1.38 percent of the total malignancy deaths. The crude and age standardized mortality rates of pancreatic cancer in China in the period of 1990-1992 were 1.48/100 000 and 1.30/100 000, respectively. Substantial regional variations in mortality rates across China were observed with adjusted mortality rates ranging from 0.43/100 000 to 3.70/100 000 with an extremal value of 8.7.Urban residents had significant higher pancreatic mortality than rural residents.CONCLUSION: The findings of this study show different mortality rates of this disease and highlight the importance of further investigation on factors, which might contribute to the observed epidemiological patterns.