Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995-2009: analysis of individual data for 25,676,887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2)

BACKGROUND: Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. METHODS: Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15-99 years) and 75,000 children (age 0-14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995-2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. FINDINGS: 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005-09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15-19% in North America, and as low as 7-9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10-20% between 1995-99 and 2005-09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995-99 and 2005-09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005-09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005-09 was high (54-58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18-23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. INTERPRETATION: International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems

Novel Properties of the Wheat Aluminum Tolerance Organic Acid Transporter (TaALMT1) Revealed by Electrophysiological Characterization in Xenopus Oocytes: Functional and Structural Implications1[OA]

Many plant species avoid the phytotoxic effects of aluminum (Al) by exuding dicarboxylic and tricarboxylic acids that chelate and immobilize Al3+ at the root surface, thus preventing it from entering root cells. Several novel genes that encode membrane transporters from the ALMT and MATE families recently were cloned and implicated in mediating the organic acid transport underlying this Al tolerance response. Given our limited understanding of the functional properties of ALMTs, in this study a detailed characterization of the transport properties of TaALMT1 (formerly named ALMT1) from wheat (Triticum aestivum) expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes was conducted. The electrophysiological findings are as follows. Although the activity of TaALMT1 is highly dependent on the presence of extracellular Al3+ (Km1/2 of approximately 5 μm Al3+ activity), TaALMT1 is functionally active and can mediate ion transport in the absence of extracellular Al3+. The lack of change in the reversal potential (Erev) upon exposure to Al3+ suggests that the “enhancement” of TaALMT1 malate transport by Al is not due to alteration in the transporter's selectivity properties but is solely due to increases in its anion permeability. The consistent shift in the direction of the Erev as the intracellular malate activity increases indicates that TaALMT1 is selective for the transport of malate over other anions. The estimated permeability ratio between malate and chloride varied between 1 and 30. However, the complex behavior of the Erev as the extracellular Cl− activity was varied indicates that this estimate can only be used as a general guide to understanding the relative affinity of TaALMT1 for malate, representing only an approximation of those expected under physiologically relevant ionic conditions. TaALMT1 can also mediate a large anion influx (i.e. outward currents). TaALMT1 is permeable not only to malate but also to other physiologically relevant anions such as Cl−, NO3−, and SO42− (to a lesser degree)

Interação silício e alumínio em plantas de arroz de terras altas cultivadas em solo alumínico

Solos com altos teores de Al tóxico podem causar diversos danos às plantas e, como consequência, diminuir sua produtividade; assim, seu manejo torna-se imprescindível para obter maiores produtividades, e o Si pode ser alternativa para diminuir a toxidez por Al em plantas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a interação entre Si e Al em plantas de arroz de terras altas cultivadas em solo naturalmente alumínico de textura média arenosa. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos inteiramente casualizados, dispostos em esquema fatorial 2 x 5 com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos empregados foram dois cultivares de arroz de terras altas: BRS Talento (não tolerante ao Al, moderno) e Guarani (tolerante ao Al3+, tradicional), além de cinco doses de Si (0, 30, 60, 90 e 120 mg dm-3) adicionadas ao solo. O Si fornecido ao solo contribuiu amenizando a toxidez por Al em ambos os cultivares, porém só houve acréscimo em produtividade no cultivar BRS Talento. Houve correlação positiva para produtividade de grãos do cultivar BRS Talento e teor de Si nas folhas; já o teor de Al nas folhas correlacionou-se com a produtividade de forma negativa; e também houve correlação negativa entre os teores de Si e Al nas folhas, indicando que há interação entre Si e Al em plantas de arroz