It is well established that drinking alcohol raises the risk of liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). However, it has not been sufficiently established as to whether or not drinking cessation subsequently reduces the risk of liver cancer and if it does reduce the risk how long it takes for this heightened risk to fall to that of never drinkers. This question is important for effective policy design and evaluation, to establish causality and for motivational treatments.

The health care costs of kidney transplantation and dialysis are generally unknown. This study estimates the Swedish health care costs of kidney transplantation and dialysis over 10 years from a health care perspective. A before–after design was used, in which the patients served as their own controls. Health care costs the year before transplantation were assumed to continue in the absence of a transplant and the cost savings was therefore calculated as the difference between the expected costs and the actual costs during the 10-year follow-up period. Factors associated with the size of the cost savings were studied using ordinary least-squares regression. Altogether 66–79% of the expected health care costs over 10 years were avoided through kidney transplantation, resulting in a cost savings of €380 000 (2012 price-year) per patient. Savings were the highest for successful transplantations, but on average the treatment was cost-saving also for patients who returned to dialysis. No gender or age differences could be found, with the exception of a higher cost of transplantation for children and a generally higher cost for younger compared with older patients on dialysis. A negative association was also found between age at the time of transplantation and the size of the cost savings for the younger part of the sample. Kidney transplantations have led to substantial cost savings for the Swedish health care system. An increase in donated kidneys has the potential to further reduce the cost of renal replacement therapy.

To evaluate the effect of alcohol cessation on the risk of developing laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers, combining available evidence in the scientific literature in a meta-analysis. A systematic literature review was conducted, and a meta-analysis was applied on the retrieved studies. The generalised least squares method was used to estimate the trend from dose-response data to assess changes in the risks of laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers after drinking cessation. A total of 9 case-control studies were included in the meta-analysis (4 and 8 estimates for laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers, respectively). On average, alcohol drinking cessation was associated with a 2% yearly reduction in the risk of developing laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers. There was a considerable heterogeneity between the studies of pharyngeal cancer, but this was mostly due to two studies. The increased risk of laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers caused by alcohol was reversible; the time periods until the risks became equal to those of never drinkers were 36 (95% CI 11–106) and 39 (95% CI 13–103) years, respectively. Moreover, 5 years of drinking cessation was associated with a reduction of around 15% in the alcohol-related elevated risk of laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers. Although a long time period is required to completely eliminate the alcohol-related elevated risk of laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers, a substantial risk reduction can be seen in the short term (5–10 years), and drinking cessation should therefore be encouraged to reduce the incidence of these cancers.

Aim: To analyse the prevalence of pain, pain sites, pain severity, and pain interfering with work or daily activities and sleep in adults with cerebral palsy (CP).Method: This was a cross‐sectional study based on data from 1591 adults (16–76y, median age 25y; 879 males, 712 females; Communication Function Classification System [CFCS] levels I–V) in the Swedish Cerebral Palsy Follow‐up Program. Pain severity was rated for several body sites and pain interference with activities/work and sleep was also evaluated. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) of the factors associated with the prevalence of pain and pain interfering with activities/work or sleep.Results: Pain was reported in 1059 of 1591 adults; a higher proportion self‐reported pain (69.9%) compared to proxy‐reported pain (62.4%). More adults classified in CFCS level I (72.5%) reported pain compared to those in CFCS levels II to V (56.5–64.9%). Adults with severe/very severe pain had a sixfold risk of pain interfering with activity/work (OR=6.68; 95% CI 4.99–8.96) and sleep (OR=6.60; 95% CI 4.84–8.98).Interpretation: Two‐thirds of adults with CP experienced pain, which is likely to be underreported in individuals who do not communicate efficiently or rely on proxy reports. Pain strongly interfered with activities and sleep; thus, it must be assessed and treated more effectively.What this paper adds: Two‐thirds of adults with cerebral palsy (CP) experienced pain from a median of three body sites. Pain is likely to be underreported in adults who do not communicate efficiently or rely on proxy reports. Adults with CP in severe pain had a sixfold risk of pain interfering with activity/work and sleep.