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Harvard report on cancer prevention volume 4: Harvard Cancer Risk Index. Risk Index Working Group, Harvard Center for
G A Colditz1, K A Atwood, K Emmons
1Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Cancer Causes & Control : CCC
|July 6, 2000
Summary
A new Cancer Risk Index estimates personal cancer risk, addressing poor risk perception. This tool identifies major risk factors and lifestyle changes to reduce cancer incidence.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Risk Assessment
Background:
- Individual cancer risk prediction is underdeveloped in health risk appraisals.
- Public perception of personal cancer risk is often inaccurate.
- A significant portion of the cancer burden in the United States remains unaddressed by current risk assessment tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a Cancer Risk Index for predicting individual cancer risk.
- To address cancers responsible for 80% of the US cancer burden.
- To improve cancer risk perception and inform lifestyle modifications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized expert consensus from Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health to categorize cancer risk factors (definite, probable, possible).
- Developed a risk point system based on the strength of causal associations.
- Integrated population average and 10-year cumulative risk data from SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) program.
- Validated the index using colon cancer incidence data from prospective cohort studies.
Main Results:
- The Harvard Cancer Risk Index offers a comprehensive classification of cancer risk.
- Validation demonstrated good agreement between the index and observed colon cancer incidence in cohort data.
- The index provides a broad overview of an individual's cancer risk profile.
Conclusions:
- The Harvard Cancer Risk Index provides a straightforward method for estimating personal cancer risk.
- It has the potential to educate individuals about significant cancer risk factors.
- The index can guide users in making lifestyle changes to lower their cancer risk, enabling personalized health promotion.