Carlo La Vecchia

Research summary

Cancer epidemiology with emphasis on tobacco, alcohol, and global burden defines this work. A dose–response meta-analysis of alcohol consumption across 23 cancer types quantified site-specific risks of cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, colorectum, liver, larynx, and female breast, and discussed contested associations for other sites; the relative risks fit log-linear functions with thresholds varying by site [2]. The International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) Consortium pooled individual-level data to characterize the interaction between tobacco and alcohol use, showing that joint exposure raises head and neck cancer risk multiplicatively beyond either factor alone [3]; the companion paper analyzed never-users of one exposure to isolate the independent effect of the other and showed that smoking among never-drinkers and drinking among never-smokers each carry substantial independent risk [4]. A global review compared thyroid-cancer mortality and incidence trends, finding rising incidence but declining mortality consistent with detection-driven over-diagnosis [5]. A 2016 review of lung-cancer risk factors mapped geographic and temporal patterns of incidence and attributed dominant variation to tobacco-smoking patterns with occupational and environmental contributions [6]. A 2006 paper on gallbladder cancer worldwide compiled age-adjusted incidence rates and risk factors including gallstones, parity, and chronic infection, identifying high-incidence regions in South America and parts of Asia [7]. A 2010 prospective cohort review identified gait, balance, polypharmacy, and visual impairment as predictors of falls among community-dwelling older people [1]. The methodological pattern is meta-analytic and pooled individual-data designs that quantify exposure–disease associations and inform global cancer-control priorities.

Recent publications

1. Epidemiology and Risk Factors of Urothelial Bladder Cancer2012 · European Urology · 2173 citationsDOI
2. Pancreatic cancer2016 · Nature Reviews Disease Primers · 1846 citationsDOI
3. Risk Factors for Falls in Community-dwelling Older People2010 · Epidemiology · 1456 citationsDOI
4. Alcohol consumption and site-specific cancer risk: a comprehensive dose–response meta-analysis2014 · British Journal of Cancer · 1290 citationsDOI
5. Interaction between Tobacco and Alcohol Use and the Risk of Head and Neck Cancer: Pooled Analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium2009 · Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention · 1230 citationsDOI
6. Alcohol Drinking in Never Users of Tobacco, Cigarette Smoking in Never Drinkers, and the Risk of Head and Neck Cancer: Pooled Analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium2007 · JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 1102 citationsDOI
7. Thyroid cancer mortality and incidence: A global overview2014 · International Journal of Cancer · 1019 citationsDOI
8. Risk factors for lung cancer worldwide2016 · European Respiratory Journal · 975 citationsDOI
9. Cancer incidence and mortality in Europe1989 · Sozial- und Präventivmedizin · 971 citationsDOI
10. Gallbladder cancer worldwide: Geographical distribution and risk factors2006 · International Journal of Cancer · 929 citationsDOI

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Email Carlo La Vecchia 6-12 months before your application deadline. Read several recent papers and reference specific work in your message. Use our how to email a Japanese professor guide for the proven email structure.

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External profiles

• ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1441-897X
• OpenAlex: openalex.org

Profile compiled from public sources (Researchmap, OpenAlex, Nagoya University faculty directory). Last refreshed 2026-05. Report incorrect information.