title: The use of epidemiology, scientific data, and regulatory authority to determine risk factors in cancers of some organs of the digestive system. 1. Introduction.
abstract: Continuing concern about cancer provides an impetus for continuing efforts to reduce its incidence and improve its treatment. Efforts to improve treatment are seen as highly desirable and excite little controversy, but attempts to reduce cancer incidence by regulatory intervention raise questions about cost-benefit ratios. Difficulties of making cost-benefit decisions are compounded by the lack of adequate data, especially in the area of cancer incidence and mortality, to demonstrate that regulatory or program intervention has effected any improvement. Regulatory agencies such as Food and Drug Administration can use descriptive epidemiological methods to determine trends in disease and magnitudes of exposed populations largely from readily available data, e.g., mortality data, data from National Cancer Institute surveys, census data, and food consumption data. The goal of these studies is to identify any unexpected changes in incidence or mortality through surveillance of the available data for time trends and through probes of specific data collected during research activities or gathered in support of regulatory decisions.
mesh_terms: D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005503:Food Additives / Q000633:toxicity; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D007881:Legislation, Food; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D012306:Risk; D014116:Toxicology; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D005503:Food Additives