We assessed the levels of arsenic in drilled wells in Finland and studied the association of arsenic exposure with the risk of bladder and kidney cancers. The study persons were selected from a register-based cohort of all Finns who had lived at an address outside the municipal drinking-water system during 1967-1980 (n = 144,627). The final study population consisted of 61 bladder cancer cases and 49 kidney cancer cases diagnosed between 1981 and 1995, as well as an age- and sex-balanced random sample of 275 subjects (reference cohort). Water samples were obtained from the wells used by the study population at least during 1967-1980. The total arsenic concentrations in the wells of the reference cohort were low (median = 0.1 microg/L; maximum = 64 microg/L), and 1% exceeded 10 microg/L. Arsenic exposure was estimated as arsenic concentration in the well, daily dose, and cumulative dose of arsenic. None of the exposure indicators was statistically significantly associated with the risk of kidney cancer. Bladder cancer tended to be associated with arsenic concentration and daily dose during the third to ninth years prior to the cancer diagnosis; the risk ratios for arsenic concentration categories 0.1-0.5 and [Greater/equal to] 0.5 microg/L relative to the category with < 0.1 microg/L were 1.53 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75-3.09] and 2.44 (CI, 1.11-5.37), respectively. In spite of very low exposure levels, we found some evidence of an association between arsenic and bladder cancer risk. More studies are needed to confirm the possible association between arsenic and bladder cancer risk at such low exposure levels.

Summary Two hundred and eleven patients with node-positive stage 11 and IlIl breast cancer were treated with eight cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy comprising cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and oral ftorafur (CAFt), with and without tamoxifen. All patients had undergone radical surgery, and 148 patients were treated with post-operative radiotherapy in two randomized studies. The impact of haematological toxicity of CAFt on distant disease-free (DDFS) and overall survival (OS) was recorded. Dose intensity of all given cycles (Dl), dose intensity of the two initial cycles (Dl2) and total dose (TD) were calculated separately for all chemotherapy drugs and were correlated with DDFS and OS. Patients with a lower leucocyte nadir during the chemotherapy had significantly better DDFS and OS (P = 0.01 and 0.04 respectively). Dose intensity of the two first cycles also correlated significantly with DDFS (P=0.05) in univariate but not in multivariate analysis, while the leucocyte nadir retained its prognostic value. These results indicate that the leucocyte nadir during the adjuvant chemotherapy is a biological marker of chemotherapy efficacy; this presents the possibility of establishing an optimal dose intensity for each patient. The initial dose intensity of adjuvant chemotherapy also seems to be important in assuring the optimal effect of adjuvant chemotherapy.

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Purpose Statins' cholesterol-lowering efficacy is well-known. Recent epidemiological studies have found that inhibition of cholesterol synthesis may have beneficial effects on prostate cancer (PCa) patients, especially patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). We evaluated statins' effect on prostate cancer prognosis among patients treated with ADT. Materials and methods Our study population consisted of 8253 PCa patients detected among the study population of the Finnish randomized study of screening for prostate cancer. These were limited to 4428 men who initiated ADT during the follow-up. Cox proportional regression model adjusted for tumor clinical characteristics and comorbidities was used to estimate hazard ratios for risk of PSA relapse after ADT initiation and prostate cancer death. Results During the median follow-up of 6.3 years after the ADT initiation, there were 834 PCa deaths and 1565 PSA relapses in a study cohort. Statin use after ADT was associated with a decreased risk of PSA relapse (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.65-0.82) and prostate cancer death (HR 0.82; 95% CI 0.69-0.96). In contrast, statin use defined with a one-year lag (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.76-1.04), statin use before ADT initiation (HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.96-1.31), and use in the first year on ADT (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.85-1.24) were not associated with prostate cancer death, without dose dependency. Conclusion Statin use after initiation of ADT, but not before, was associated with improved prostate cancer prognosis.

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