Highlights of This Issue

Abstract

To document liver cancer incidence trends around the world, Center and Jemal used incidence data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, representing information from 32 cancer registries worldwide. The authors report that, in 8 of 32 registries, liver cancer incidence rates increased from 1993 to 2002. In contrast, rates decreased in 5 registries, including 3 in Asia. Despite these decreases, the incidence rates in Asian countries are still twice as high as those in Africa and over 4 times as high as in North America. The description of international liver cancer incidence should stimulate future etiologic studies.To evaluate the relationship between socioeconomic position (SEP) and repeat mammography screening, Dailey and colleagues used nationwide U.S. Census SEP data linked to a sample of women who participated in the 2005 National Health Interview Survey. The authors report that women living in more disadvantaged areas had lower odds of engaging in repeat mammography than women living in the most advantaged areas. These results reinforce the importance of addressing area-level social inequalities if mammography screening guidelines are to be realized.Smoking tobacco in a water pipe (or hookah) is popular, and many perceive water pipe smoking to be less hazardous than cigarette smoking. To examine the hazards of water pipe use, Jacob and colleagues evaluated expired carbon monoxide, plasma nicotine, and urinary nitrosamine levels in subjects after a single water pipe use. The authors report substantial increases in plasma nicotine concentrations as well as increased levels of carbon monoxide and urinary nitrosamines. The results from this study indicate that water pipe use presents many of the same health hazards as cigarette smoking.The diagnosis of nonmelanoma skin cancer carries an increased risk of a second skin cancer diagnosis. Wiemels and colleagues evaluated whether immunoglobulin E (IgE), a marker related to atopic allergy, was associated with the diagnosis of subsequent squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Total, respiratory, and foodspecific IgE were measured in skin cancer cases, and the authors report that IgE levels were higher in cases with a second SCC, compared with controls. The association between respiratory IgE and subsequent skin cancer was strongest among individuals with a tendency to sunburn. These results indicate that allergy control may be a tactic in skin cancer prevention in susceptible populations.