João Francisco Santos da Silva

Exposure to pesticides and prostate cancer: systematic review of the literature

Abstract Introduction: Investigations about the association between prostate cancer and environmental and/or occupational pesticide exposure have evidenced a possible role of these chemical substances on tumor etiology, related to their action as endocrine disruptors. Objective: To assess the association between pesticide exposure and prostate cancer by conducting a systematic review of the scientific literature. Materials and methods: Articles published until August 18, 2015 were searched in the databases MEDLINE/Pubmed, Scielo, and Lilacs using the keywords “pesticides” and “prostate cancer”. Only the analytical observational studies whose methodological quality met the criteria established by the New Castle-Ottawa scale were included in this review. Results: The review included 49 studies published between 1993 and 2015. All studies were in English and analyzed exposure to pesticides and/or agricultural activities. Most studies (32 articles) found a positive association between prostate cancer and pesticides or agricultural occupations, with estimates ranging from 1.01 to 14.10. Conclusion: The evidence provided by the reviewed studies indicates a possible association between the development of prostate cancer and pesticide exposure and/or agricultural occupations.

First stage of the cross-cultural adaptation of the instrument The Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) to Portuguese

The aim of this study was to describe the initial stages of the cross-cultural adaptation of the instrument The Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) for use in the context of cancer care in Brazil. Two translations into Portuguese and two back-translations into English were carried out independently, and a formal assessment of the general and referential meanings was performed in order to obtain a synthesis version. Understanding of the synthesis version was evaluated in a pretest applied to 33 patients in an oncologic hospital of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS). The version was easily applied in the intended context and was well-accepted by elders. The Portuguese version of the VES-13 proved to be well understood and adequate for testing its psychometric qualities. The latter step is currently in the final phase.

Tendencies of mortality by prostate cancer in the states of the Central-West Region of Brazil, 1980 - 2011

This study aimed at analyzing the pattern of prostate cancer mortality in the Central-West Region, in the period 1980 - 2011. The quadrennial and annual mortality rates, age-standardized by the world population, were calculated. Polynomial regression models were estimated to analyze trends of mortality in Brazilian regions and in the states of the Central-West Region. Throughout Brazil there was an increase in the magnitude of mortality rates during the studys period. In the Central-West Region, mortality rates from prostate cancer increased from 7.65/100,000 in the period 1980 - 1983, to 14.36/100,000 in the last four years, exceeding the national average. For Mato Grosso do Sul, an increased trend, although not constant, was observed for prostate mortality rates, while those rates showed stability for Mato Grosso and presented a constant trend of increment for Goiás along the studied period. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between mortality rates from prostate cancer and the proportional mortality from ill-defined causes of death in the three states, but no correlations were observed between these rates and the ratios of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) tests realized. Difficulties in the access to the health services network, better quality of death records with reduction of ill-defined causes and increased use of PSA may have contributed to the mortality pattern observed in the Central-West Region. Further studies are needed to investigate these relationships in order, to better understand the patterns of mortality from this cancer in the Central-West population.

Padrão de distribuição do câncer em cidade da zona de fronteira: tendência da mortalidade por câncer em Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, no período 1980-2006

Summary Objective: to analyze patterns of cancer mortality in Corumba in the period 1980-2006. Methodology: a study was conducted using polynomial regression models to analyze trends mortality rates. Results: a steady decline in the mortality from stomach cancer and an increasing trend for colorectal cancer was observed. Lung cancer showed consistent decline in males and increased in females, while prostate and uterine cervix tumors showed decreasing trends for the most part, with stability at the end. Stomach cancer in males and uterine cervix cancer in females showed the highest rates. Conclusion: difficulties in access to cancer diagnosis and treatment and differences in carcinogen exposure could explain the observed pattern. As this is a differentiated population, living in the Brazilian border, it would be important to have data on the prevalence of risk and protective factors as well as on cancer incidence, for better evaluation.