Background. Personality traits have shown considerable heritable components. Association between alleles of a polymorphism in the third exon of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) and the personality trait Novelty Seeking has been reported. Recently, in a sample of Swedish non-psychiatric subjects we could not detect any significant relationships between the same polymorphism and Novelty Seeking related scales in the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP). However, there was a tendency in the direction of the proposed association. There were also tentative associations between an exon I 13 bp deletion polymorphism and the personality traits Socialization and Guilt.

Methods. We investigated a new Swedish population-based sample (N=167) investigated with the KSP for three DRD4 polymorphisms.

Results. Neither of the previous results were replicated. Combining the previous and the present samples did not give rise to any significant association between DRD4 polymorphisms and personality scales.

Conclusions. The dopamine D4 receptor gene is probably not of importance to the different personality dimensions as measured by the Karolinska Scales of Personality.

Background. There still is much debate with regard to the role of psychosocial factors in cancer. Evidence suggests that cancer and coronary heart disease (CHD) may have common causes. This study examined the role of pessimism, anxiety and personality in the development of cancer among men who had been diagnosed with CHD but were free of cancer at baseline.

Methods. Two hundred and forty-six men who were treated for CHD, but were free of cancer, filled out psychological scales at baseline. Patients and their families were contacted after 6–10 years to determine the incidence of cancer.

Results. At follow-up, 12 patients (5%) had been diagnosed with cancer (9 cancer deaths). Development of cancer was unrelated to cardiac pathology but was associated with age [ges ]56 years, poor exercise tolerance, pessimism and anxiety. The rate of cancer was 8/60=13% for men with a distressed personality (type-D) and 4/186=2% for non-type-D men (P=0·002); rate of cancer death was 10% and 2%, respectively (P=0·007). Type-D refers to the interaction between high negative affectivity and high social inhibition. Regression analysis yielded older age (odds ratio 4·6, 95% CI 1·5–14·3) and type-D (odds ratio 7·2, 95% CI 2·9–18·1) as independent prognostic factors for cancer.

Conclusions. Type-D personality was a prognostic factor for the development of cancer in men with established CHD. Psychosomatic research should take a broad enough view of the specific and the global psychosocial variables that may play a role in both cancer and CHD.

The VIII Congress of the International Federation of Psychiatric Epidemiology (IFPE) will be held under this title at the International Conference Centre of the Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan, 6–9 March 1999.

The scientific programme will cover, in addition to the title theme, a variety of other topics. The official languages of the Congress will be English and Chinese.