Highlights of This Issue

Abstract

The link between squamous cell cervical carcinoma and HPV 16/18 is well established but the magnitude of this risk is less certain. To examine this, Sundström and colleagues prospectively examined the risks of developing cervical cancer in situ (CIS) and invasive squamous cell cervical carcinoma (SCC) associated with different HPV types, in a large population-based cohort of Swedish women. Compared to women who were negative for HPV, the presence of HPV16/18 was associated with 8.5-fold and 18.6-fold increased risks of CIS and SCC, respectively. Infection with other high-risk HPV types was also associated with significantly increased risks for both CIS and SCC. This important study quantifies the risks for different HPV types and provides evidence that non-16/18 high-risk HPV types also increase the risk for cervical cancer.Compared to the general population, smoking is more prevalent in people with serious mental illness. Unfortunately, it is not clear how medications used to manage these patients affect nicotine metabolism and smoking behavior. To examine this, Williams and colleagues investigated the effects of the drugs carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine or valproic acid on the nicotine and nicotine metabolite levels in 149 smokers with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. In the subgroup of patients taking carbamazepine, nicotine metabolite levels were significantly higher compared to individuals not taking the drug. In contrast, there were no significant differences in nicotine metabolite levels in individuals taking valproic acid compared to those not taking the drug. This study prompts further investigations to explore how these medications alter exposures to tobacco toxins.Cruciferous vegetables have generated interest as dietary constituents that may protect against lung cancer. Cruciferous vegetables contain precursors to isothiocyanates, which may inhibit the bioactivation of procarcinogens to carcinogens. In this study, Lam and colleagues investigated the association between intake of cruciferous vegetable and lung cancer risk in a communitybased cohort. The study found that cruciferous vegetable intake was inversely associated with lung cancer risk. The inverse associations were true for both former smokers and current smokers but not for never smokers. These findings encourage further studies on the effects of isothiocyanates on tobacco smoke carcinogens.Effective breast cancer screening programs rely on adherence to the program, which can be measured by the proportion of women that perform the screening and the frequency in which they attend the program. In this study, Caleffi and colleagues evaluated the adherence to a breast cancer screening program in underserved women in southern Brazil. Investigators monitored attendance to the program, frequency of attendance and possible predictors of adherence (such as socio-economic indicators and health/lifestyle behaviors). The study reports that the most important independent predictors of adherence were high genetic risk, illiteracy, parity ≥ 5 and smoking. The identification of factors that help predict adherence to breast cancer screening programs will aid the development of future public health screening strategies.