Cancer and the Environment Gene-Environment Interaction (2002) / Chapter Skim
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4. Gene-Environment Interaction in Special Populations
4. Gene-Environment Interaction in Special Populations
Pages 36-45
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From page 36... ...
One challenge according to Armin Weinberg, Baylor College of Medicine, is the need to continue to describe and understand what researchers call special populations, priority populations, and vulnerable populations. "It is important to describe these populations, but not to label them" said Weinberg.
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From page 37... ...
Higher income permits increased access to medical care and enables people to afford better housing, live in better neighborhoods, and have opportunities to promote their health behaviors. Higher incomes also tend to help people participate in clinical research studies, said Weinberg; thus, disparities in access to health care can affect enrollment in research studies.
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From page 38... ...
has stated that it considers rural residents to constitute a vulnerable population because rural Americans tend to be older, poorer, less educated, and more likely to be uninsured than their urban counterparts. In addition, rural communities have higher rates of chronic illness and disability and report poorer overall health status than urban communities.
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From page 39... ...
Friedell pointed out that "the social environment in which poor people live prevents the development of healthy behaviors." However, until cancer surveillance incorporates socioeconomic status, the relationship between poverty and cancer in population groups will be difficult to sort out, said Friedell. in the poor white population are comparable in many ways to those seen in recognizable minority populations.
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From page 40... ...
Lessons drawn from this program indicate that enhancing cancer control efforts at the community level is possible, but it is labor intensive and requires commitment at the state and national levels and recognition that ongoing support will be necessary, concluded Friedell. MIGRANT FARMWORKERS' CHILDREN AND PESTICIDES: A HIGH-RISK POPULATION There are approximately 3 million to 6 million migrant and/or seasonal farmworkers (MSFs)
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From page 41... ...
CHEMICALS AND CANCER CLUSTERS "Cancer clusters are the bane of the existence of state and local health officials," said Richard Jackson, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "yet there are real opportunities embedded in cancer clusters to meet public health needs, and they can actually end up with good outcomes if you use good communication skills, good science, good medicine, and bring good policy to all of this." Jackson described his experience with pesticide use in Kern County, California, where agricultural chemicals have caused broad environmental contamination of wells with dibromochloro-propane, a known carcinogen that also causes sterility in males. Fifteen years ago, said Jackson, there was no way to deal with the public's concerns about these chemicals.
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From page 42... ...
CANCER IN CHILDREN Observations during the past several decades have identified a modest but consistent increase in the incidence of childhood cancers. Secular trends have varied with specific diagnostic categories, but the most consistent increases have been seen in acute leukemia and in tumors of the central nervous system, said Leslie Robison, University of Minnesota.
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From page 43... ...
Late sequelae of childhood cancer can include an increased risk of second and subsequent malignancies, as well as serious organ dysfunction and psychosocial effects. As more patients survive and the length of follow-up grows, patterns of second and subsequent malignancies are being identified in survivors, including increased rates of breast cancer, thyroid malignancies, CNS tumors, and leukemia.
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From page 44... ...
The NOC hypothesis predicts that a mother's frequent eating of cured meats and infrequent eating of fruits and vegetables during pregnancy would increase the risk of brain tumors in her children. Studies done to date generally support the hypothesis that frequent eating of cured meats during pregnancy increases the risk of such tumors and provide limited support for a protective effect of fruits and vegetables.
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From page 45... ...
Special populations such as migrant farmworkers, children, immigrants, and ethnic groups will have to be included in future research to ensure that they are also able to benefit from the new advances in research. Further understanding of environmental exposures in various subgroups through longitudinal studies will be necessary to more carefully identify risk in these groups, according to some participants.
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