Paul Dickman
Associate professor of biostatistics, deputy head of department
Education
1990, BMath, University of Newcastle, Australia.
1992, BMath (honours class 1), Statistics, University of Newcastle, Australia.
1997, PhD, Department of Statistics, University of Newcastle, Australia.
1998, Postdoc (Cancer Epidemiology), Karolinska Institutet.
2002, Docent (Biostatistics), Karolinska Institutet.
Short presentation of current research
My primary research interests are in the development and application of methods for population-based cancer survival analysis, particularly the estimation and modeling of relative survival. I am coauthor of the Stata strs command for estimating and modelling relative survival, and have taught courses in cancer survival analysis in eight different countries. My research program for 2008/2009, in collaboration with Dr. Paul Lambert (University of Leicester), focuses on cure models for relative survival, prediction of prognosis in the presence of competing risks, and use of flexible parametric models (in survival analysis and epidemiological cohort studies). These methods are being applied to study the survival or patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukaemia (with Prof. Magnus Björkholm and others).
Research in the area of cancer patient survival
Key publications
Does socioeconomic status influence the prospect of cure from colon cancer - A population-based study in Sweden 1965-2000.
Eur J Cancer 2010, in press.
Estimating the crude probability of death due to cancer and other causes using relative survival models.
Stat Med 2010;29:885-95.
Temporal trends in the proportion cured among adults diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in Sweden 1973-2001, a population-based study.
Br J Haematol 2010;148:918-24.
Improved patient survival for acute myeloid leukemia: a population-based study of 9729 patients diagnosed in Sweden between 1973 and 2005.
Blood 2009;113:3666-72.
Estimating and modeling the cure fraction in population-based cancer survival analysis.
Biostatistics 2007;8:576-94.
Temporal trends in the proportion cured for cancer of the colon and rectum: a population-based study using data from the Finnish Cancer Registry.
Int J Cancer 2007;121:2052-9.
Interpreting trends in cancer patient survival.
J Intern Med 2006;260:103-17.
Cancer patient survival in Sweden at the beginning of the third millennium - predictions using period analysis.
Cancer Causes Control 2004;15:967-76.
Natural history of early, localized prostate cancer.
Jama 2004;291:2713-9.
Research in cancer epidemiology (other than patient survival)
Key publications
My primary training is in statistics and my primary research interests are in the development and application of statistical methods for cancer patient survival. However, I also have a strong interest in cancer epidemiology in general and consider myself as much a cancer epidemiologist as a biostatistician.
Serum calcium and the risk of prostate cancer.
Cancer Causes Control 2009;20:1205-14.
Menopausal hormone therapy and other breast cancer risk factors in relation to the risk of different histological subtypes of breast cancer: a case-control study.
Breast Cancer Res 2006;8:R11.
Hip Fractures in Men with Prostate Cancer Treated with Orchiectomy.
J Urol 2004;172:2208-12.
Thyroid cancer risk after thyroid examination with 131I: a population-based cohort study in Sweden.
Int J Cancer 2003;106:580-7.
Incidence and survival of Swedish patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.
Int J Cancer 2003;106:569-73.
Quality of life after radical prostatectomy or watchful waiting.
N Engl J Med 2002;347:790-6.
Colorectal cancer rates among first-degree relatives of patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a population-based cohort study.
Lancet 2001;357:262-6.
Research in perinatal and reproductive epidemiology
Key publications
I also have an interest in perinatal and reproductive epidemiology where I work primarily with Sven Cnattingius and Anna Johansson. Current research includes investigating whether smoking cessation influences the risk of infant death. We are also studying statistical methods for modelling adverse pregnancy outcomes, in particular the use of time since conception as the time scale.
Previous preterm and small-for-gestational-age births and the subsequent risk of stillbirth.
N Engl J Med 2004;350:777-85.
Maternal Hemoglobin Concentration During Pregnancy and Risk of Stillbirth.
Jama 2000;284:2611-7.
Time of birth and risk of intrapartum and early neonatal death.
Epidemiology 2003;14:218-22.
Research on health consequences of loss of a loved one and long-term effects of cancer on quality of life
I also collaborate with Professor Gunnar Steineck and his research group at the Division of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology, primarily on studies of psychological and physical health consequences of stressful exposures, such as the loss of a loved one by death and the effect of cancer and its treatment on long-term symptoms and quality of life among cancer survivors.
Key publications
Social support after stillbirth for prevention of maternal depression.
Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2009;88:1358-64.
Events after stillbirth in relation to maternal depressive symptoms: a brief report.
Birth 2008;35:153-7.
Long-term outcomes for mothers who have or have not held their stillborn baby.
Midwifery 2007.
Vaginal changes and sexuality in women with a history of cervical cancer.
N Engl J Med 1999;340:1383-9.
Teaching
I am an active and enthusiastic teacher. I particularly enjoy teaching courses in the analysis of cancer patient survival to cancer researchers since I learn so much from discussions with the participants. Details of my teaching can be found on my personal web page (see link below).
From 2005-2007 I was director of postgraduate studies and member of the working group of the postgraduate program in epidemiology and continue to teach postgraduate courses at KI.
From 2006-2010 I was responsible for coordinating all undergraduate education at MEB (grundutbildningsansvarig) and heavily involved in teaching in the KI medical program where was chair of chair the group that has an overall responsibility for coordinating scientific development within the program including specific responsibility for 5 weeks coursework integrated throughout the program and a 20 week project (see link below).
Complete publication list
Current doctoral students
- Anna Genell (registered at Sahlgrenska Academy)
