Comparison between two cancer registry quality check systems: functional features and differences in an Italian network of cancer registries dataset

PurposeThe aim of this study was to compare the functional characteristics of two computer-based systems for quality control of cancer registry data through analysis of their output differences. MethodsThe study used cancer incidence data from 22 of the 49 registries of the Italian Network of Cancer Registries registered between 1986 and 2017. Two different data checking systems developed by the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Joint Research Center (JRC) with the European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR) and routinely used by registrars were used to check the quality of the data. The outputs generated by the two systems on the same dataset of each registry were analyzed and compared. ResultsThe study included a total of 1,305,689 cancer cases. The overall quality of the dataset was high, with 86% (81.7-94.1) microscopically verified cases and only 1.3% (0.03-3.06) cases with a diagnosis by death certificate only. The two check systems identified a low percentage of errors (JRC-ENCR 0.17% and IARC 0.003%) and about the same proportion of warnings (JRC-ENCR 2.79% and IARC 2.42%) in the dataset. Forty-two cases (2% of errors) and 7067 cases (11.5% of warnings) were identified by both systems in equivalent categories. 11.7% of warnings related to TNM staging were identified by the JRC-ENCR system only. The IARC system identified mainly incorrect combination of tumor grade and morphology (72.5% of warnings). ConclusionBoth systems apply checks on a common set of variables, but some variables are checked by only one of the systems (for example, checks on patient follow-up and tumor stage at diagnosis are included by the JRC-ENCR system only). Most errors and warnings were categorized differently by the two systems, but usually described the same issues, with warnings related to "morphology" (JRC-ENCR) and "histology" (IARC) being the most frequent. It is important to find the right balance between the need to maintain high standards of data quality and the workability of such systems in the daily routine of the cancer registry

Improving Physical Activity and Health of Older People Involved in a Social Farming Regional Preventative Multidimensional Programme in Italy

Physical exercise and social activities play a role of primary importance in the prevention of diseases and in maintaining functional abilities in old age, nevertheless, maintaining a regular habit of exercise is considered a challenge during the aging process. Motivation to start and maintain physical activity is an essential factor. In the case of older people, promoting exercise by means of activities intrinsically pleasurable is preferable to physical activity programs based on health improvements. From this perspective, our study is aimed to understand if preventative interventions combining physical activity, self-efficacy, and social participation in the context of a natural environment might be of help in increasing the level of physical activity. The sample was composed of 95 subjects, of which 40 were excluded because declared to be already engaged in regular physical activity at baseline. Considering the final sample of 55 subjects with low or no physical activity at baseline, 21 subjects (38.2%) improved the intensity of their physical activity at follow-up. They were younger (52.4% with age >=70 vs 82.4; p=0.017), mostly women (85.7% vs 58.8%; p = 0.036), and had a higher balance test score with respect to the others (3.6 ± 0.7 vs 2.8 ± 1.0; p=0.005). Results should be able to strengthen the concept that having a good level of physical conditions, such as good balance, facilitates the path for greater physical improvements and better quality of life among older adults. Balance issues may be cause of fear of falling and psychological difficulties which may have limited the effects of the programme

Identification of Lipid Biomarkers to Discriminate between the Different Production Systems for Asiago PDO Cheese

The lipid fraction of Asiago Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheese was analyzed to identify specific biomarkers of its main production systems through a canonical discriminant analysis. The three main production systems of the cheese were considered. Two were located in the upland (UL): pasture-based (P-UL) vs hay-based total mixed rations (H-UL). The third was located in the lowland (LL) and processed milk from cows fed maize silage-based rations (maize silage lowland: MS-LL). The discriminant analysis selected nine fatty acids and vitamin A as lipid biomarkers useful to separate the three production systems. High contents of conjugated linoleic acids, anteiso-C15:0, and vitamin A were discriminant factors for P-UL cheese. The separation between H-UL and MS-LL cheese was less marked with the former having the higher content of conjugated linoleic acids and some polyunsaturated n-6 fatty acids and with the latter being identified by cyclopropane fatty acid and C9:0

Tau mutations serve as a novel risk factor for cancer

In addition to its well-recognized role in neurodegeneration, tau participates in maintenance of genome stability and chromosome integrity. In particular, peripheral cells from patients affected by frontotemporal lobar degeneration carrying a mutation in tau gene (genetic tauopathies), as well as cells from animal models, show chromosome numerical and structural aberrations, chromatin anomalies, and a propensity toward abnormal recombination. As genome instability is tightly linked to cancer development, we hypothesized that mutated tau may be a susceptibility factor for cancer. Here we conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing cancer incidence in families affected by genetic tauopathies to control families. Additionally, we carried out a bioinformatics analysis to highlight pathways associated with the tau protein interactome. We report that the risk of developing cancer is significantly higher in families affected by genetic tauopathies, and a high proportion of tau protein interactors are involved in cellular processes particularly relevant to cancer. These findings disclose a novel role of tau as a risk factor for cancer, providing new insights in the various pathological roles of mutated tau

Consistency and accuracy of diagnostic cancer codes generated by automated registration: comparison with manual registration

BACKGROUND: Automated procedures are increasingly used in cancer registration, and it is important that the data produced are systematically checked for consistency and accuracy. We evaluated an automated procedure for cancer registration adopted by the Lombardy Cancer Registry in 1997, comparing automatically-generated diagnostic codes with those produced manually over one year (1997). METHODS: The automatically generated cancer cases were produced by Open Registry algorithms. For manual registration, trained staff consulted clinical records, pathology reports and death certificates. The social security code, present and checked in both databases in all cases, was used to match the files in the automatic and manual databases. The cancer cases generated by the two methods were compared by manual revision. RESULTS: The automated procedure generated 5027 cases: 2959 (59%) were accepted automatically and 2068 (41%) were flagged for manual checking. Among the cases accepted automatically, discrepancies in data items (surname, first name, sex and date of birth) constituted 8.5% of cases, and discrepancies in the first three digits of the ICD-9 code constituted 1.6%. Among flagged cases, cancers of female genital tract, hematopoietic system, metastatic and ill-defined sites, and oropharynx predominated. The usual reasons were use of specific vs. generic codes, presence of multiple primaries, and use of extranodal vs. nodal codes for lymphomas. The percentage of automatically accepted cases ranged from 83% for breast and thyroid cancers to 13% for metastatic and ill-defined cancer sites. CONCLUSION: Since 59% of cases were accepted automatically and contained relatively few, mostly trivial discrepancies, the automatic procedure is efficient for routine case generation effectively cutting the workload required for routine case checking by this amount. Among cases not accepted automatically, discrepancies were mainly due to variations in coding practice

Descriptive epidemiology of selected birth defects, areas of Lombardy, Italy, 1999

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Birth defects are a leading cause of neonatal and infant mortality in Italy, however little is known of the etiology of most defects. Improvements in diagnosis have revealed increasing numbers of clinically insignificant defects, while improvements in treatment have increased the survival of those with more serious and complex defects. For etiological studies, prevention, and management, it is important to have population-based monitoring which provides reliable data on the prevalence at birth of such defects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We recently initiated population-based birth defect monitoring in the Provinces of Mantova, Sondrio and Varese of the Region of Lombardy, northern Italy, and report data for the first year of operation (1999). The registry uses all-electronic source files (hospital discharge files, death certificates, regional health files, and pathology reports) and a proven case-generation methodology, which is described.</p> <p>The data were checked manually by consulting clinical records in hospitals. Completeness was checked against birth certificates by capture-recapture. Data on cases were coded according to the four-digit malformation codes of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9). We present data only on selected defects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found 246 selected birth defects in 12,008 live births in 1999, 148 among boys and 98 among girls. Congenital heart defects (particularly septal defects) were the most common (90.8/10,000), followed by defects of the genitourinary tract (34.1/10, 000) (particularly hypospadias in boys), digestive system (23.3/10,000) and central nervous system (14.9/10,000), orofacial clefts (10.8/10,000) and Down syndrome (8.3/10,000). Completeness was satisfactory: analysis of birth certificates resulted in the addition of two birth defect cases to the registry.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first population-based analysis on selected major birth defects in the Region. The high birth prevalences for septal heart defect and hypospadias are probably due to the inclusion of minor defects and lack of coding standardization; the latter problem also seems important for other defects. However the data produced are useful for estimating the demands made on the health system by babies with birth defects.</p

Rilievi GPR multifrequenza in un sito test controllato in Campania, Italia

In questo report vengono presentati i risultati dell’attività geofisica svolta presso l’area test di Succivo (NA). Scopo del lavoro è verificare la risposta di antenne GPR (Ground Penetration Radar) a diversa frequenza (100 MHz – 270 MHz) in terreni di natura piroclastica dove sono stati interrati oggetti di varia natura (fusti metallici, muretti in tufo e tubi in PVC) e a diverse profondità (1m - 2m - 3m). Conoscendo la stratigrafia di massima del sottosuolo e la disposizione degli oggetti sepolti, sono stati ottenuti radargrammi 2D la cui analisi ed interpretazione hanno permesso di definire la risposta delle antenne GPR in termini di risoluzione e profondità. L’attività ha permesso di conseguire importanti informazioni sulla scelta della frequenza di utilizzo delle antenne GPR in terreni piroclastici e sulla risposta che tale tecnica fornisce nell’identificazione di oggetti sepolti .Tali informazioni risultano essenziali qualora venga usata la tecnica GPR per rilevare la presenza di oggetti sepolti (metallici e non) a varie profondità

Implant replacement and anaplastic large cell lymphoma associated with breast implants: a quantitative analysis

Breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (BIAALCL) is a rare form of non-Hodgkin T-cell lymphoma associated with breast reconstruction post-mastectomy or cosmetic-additive mammoplasty. The increasing use of implants for cosmetic purposes is expected to lead to an increase in BIA-ALCL cases. This study investigated the main characteristics of the disease and the factors predicting BIA-ALCL onset in patients with and without an implant replacement

Tomografia Geoelettrica 3D ad alta risoluzione nell’area di San Gregorio Magno (SA)

Nell’ambito delle attività di ricerca del progetto “TESIRA”, in cui partecipano il Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra dell’Ambiente e delle Risorse (DISTAR) dell’Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, l’Istituto di Scienze del Patrimonio Culturale del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche CNR – ISPC e l'Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia sede di Roma (INGV), il gruppo di geofisica di Napoli dell’ISPC,ha condotto nell’area test del comune di San Gregorio Magno, SGM, (SA) un’indagine di tomografia geoelettrica 3D (ERT), per l’individuazione e la ricostruzione tridimensionale delle strutture presenti nel sottosuolo connesse con la faglia di SGM. In particolare in questo rapporto tecnico si riportano le procedure di acquisizione ed elaborazione di dati di tomografia geoelettrica 3D