Course leader presentation: Jonathan Lyström

Assessment of Cancer Risk
4th – 6th of May 2021, online

What is your background?

As a clinician in occupational and environmental medicine, I meet with patients and assess the level of risk and/or relationship to their symptoms. I seek to raise awareness about hazardous exposures and their mitigation in mostly occupational settings, in patients and healthcare practitioners, but also employers and employees, as well as authorities and the public.

Why do you think assessment of cancer risk is an important and current issue to discuss in 2021?

Cancer risk assessment and risk communication is a challenge. Exposure-induced tumours can take decades to develop and present – a time delay which may reduce the feasibility and willingness to investigate and address the concerns today.

There is also discrepancy between the individual and the population. While increased cancer risks due to exposures are arguably common, the absolute risk for the individual is often only slightly elevated. Still extra cases of cancer will occur population-wise that might have been avoidable. Also, a cluster of individual cancer cases is not necessarily proof of a common carcinogenic exposure, but it can be difficult to judge without proper investigation.

What would you like to say to the participants of the course?

We look forward to providing participants with useful knowledge to be put into practical use when assessing as well as communicating cancer risks. We hope to illuminate various aspects, including occupational and environmental concerns, perspectives on populations and individuals, established and emerging risks, etiological and epidemiological evidence.

More information: Course web page