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In this study involving 1655 men who had been treated for localized prostate cancer, differences between prostatectomy and radiotherapy were noted in the first 5 years after treatment, but these differences tended to disappear after 15 years of follow-up. Patients with clinically localized prostate cancer have a favorable long-term overall and cancer-specific rate of survival regardless of treatment choice. 1 – 3 There are currently no completed prospective, randomized trials that evaluate differences in survival outcomes between radical prostatectomy and external-beam radiation therapy. Consequently, predicted functional outcomes have become essential components of treatment decision making. 4 , 5 Although studies with short-term follow-up (1 to 3 years) and intermediate-term follow-up (4 to 5 years) have identified incremental differences in functional outcomes between patients undergoing prostatectomy and those undergoing radiotherapy, longer-term outcomes remain largely unknown. Since the median life expectancy after treatment for prostate . . .

Background Socioeconomically disadvantaged and racially minoritized populations bear an elevated risk of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), but few studies evaluate whether racial disparities in ACEs persist within socioeconomic strata. We examine the effect of both childhood socioeconomic characteristics and race on ACE burden. Methods Data are from a population-based sample ( N  = 1381) of US-born non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and White (NHW) women aged 20–49 years in Metropolitan Detroit and Los Angeles County, 2011–2014. Recalled data on ACEs aged < 13 years, childhood household socioeconomic position (chSEP) aged < 13 years, childhood neighborhood poverty rate (cNPR) aged 6 years (based on US Census tract), and covariates were collected during in-person interviews. ACEs are parameterized as an index (i.e., number of adversities, range 0–12) and as individual adversities. We estimate associations between cNPR (≥ 20%/10- < 20%/< 10%), chSEP index (low/medium/high), race (NHB/NHW), joint cNPR/race, and joint chSEP/race and ACEs using weighted logistic regression, to calculate odds ratios (OR), and using weighted zero-inflated Poisson regression, to calculate estimated ACE index. Results Participants who lived in poorer neighborhoods (i.e., cNPR ≥ 20%) or households (i.e., low chSEP index) during childhood reported significantly more ACEs than participants in wealthier neighborhoods (i.e., cNPR < 10%) or households (i.e., high chSEP index). NHB vs NHW participants overall had a higher mean ACE index (3.18 vs 2.25, respectively, p < 0.05), but NHB and NHW participants who lived in poorer neighborhoods or households had a similarly elevated ACE burden (e.g., estimated ACE index for low chSEP was 3.63 [95%CI 1.19–4.97] and 4.16 [95%CI 3.68–4.65], respectively). NHB participants experienced significant discrimination at all levels of cNPR and chSEP, which contributed to their overall increased ACE risk. Conclusions US-born NHB and NHW girls residing in poorer neighborhoods or households had a similarly substantially elevated burden of ACEs, indicating childhood poverty is a crucial determinant of ACE risk, independent of race.

Purpose We described unmet information and service needs of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors (15–39 years of age) and identified sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with these unmet needs. Methods We studied 523 AYAs recruited from seven population-based cancer registries, diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, germ cell cancer, or sarcoma in 2007–2008. Participants completed surveys a median of 11 months from diagnosis. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to estimate associations between unmet (information and service) needs and sociodemographic and health-related factors. Results More than half of AYAs had unmet information needs relating to their cancer returning and cancer treatments. AYAs needing services, but not receiving them, ranged from 29 % for in-home nursing to 75 % for a support group. The majority of AYAs who needed a pain management expert, physical/occupational therapist, mental health worker, or financial advice on paying for health care did not receive services. In multivariable analyses, older participants, men, participants of non-white race/ethnicity, and participants who reported less than excellent general health or fair/poor quality of care were more likely to report unmet information needs. Factors associated with both unmet service and information needs included physical health or emotional problems interfering with social activities or having ≥3 physical treatment-related symptoms. Conclusions Recently diagnosed AYA cancer survivors have substantial unmet information needs varying by demographic and health-related factors. Implications for cancer survivors We identified subgroups of AYA cancer survivors with high unmet needs that can be targeted for interventions and referrals.

Purpose Individuals diagnosed with high survival cancers will often die of cardiovascular disease (CVD) rather than a recurrence of their cancer, yet CVD risk factors may be overlooked during survivorship care. We assess the prevalence of CVD risk factors among long-term cancer survivors and compare results to survey data from the general population in the same geographic region. We also characterize how often at-risk survivors discuss CVD-related health behaviors with their health care providers. Methods Survivors ( n  = 1,582) of breast, prostate, colorectal, and gynecologic cancers, 4–14 years after diagnosis, were recruited from two California cancer registries for a cross-sectional mail survey. We assessed CVD risk factors, including smoking, body mass index, physical inactivity, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes, as well as report of discussions with health care providers about diet, exercise, smoking, and lifestyle change assistance. Results With the exception of current smoking, CVD risk factors were more common among survivors than the general adult population. Of survivors, 62.0 % were overweight or obese, 55.0 % reported hypertension, 20.7 % reported diabetes, 18.1 % were inactive, and 5.1 % were current smokers. Compared to white, non-Hispanic survivors, Hispanic ( b  = 0.37, p  = 0.007) and African-American ( b  = 0.66, p  < 0.0001), but not Asian, survivors reported significantly more risk factors. One in three survivors with one or more risk factors for CVD did not report a health promotion discussion with their health care providers. Conclusions CVD risk factors are common among long-term survivors, but many at-risk survivors may not discuss lifestyle prevention with their health care team. Primary care and oncology should work together to deliver optimal survivorship care that addresses CVD risk factors, as well as prevalent disease. Implications for cancer survivors Cardiovascular disease may compromise cancer survivors’ long-term health and well-being, yet cardiovascular risk factors may be overlooked during survivorship care. We document that CVD risk factors are common among cancers survivors, yet nearly a third of survivors do not report health promotion discussions with their medical teams. Survivors should be aware of their cardiovascular risk factors and initiate discussions with their medical teams about health promotion topics, if appropriate.

Background Ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) is a pre-invasive form of invasive breast cancer (IBC). Due to improved breast cancer screening, it now accounts for ~ 25% of all breast cancers. While the treatment success rates are over 90%, this comes at the cost of considerable morbidity, considering that the majority of DCIS never become invasive and our understanding of the molecular changes occurring in DCIS that predispose to invasive disease is limited. The aim of this study is to characterize molecular changes that occur in DCIS, with the goal of improving DCIS risk stratification. Methods We identified and obtained a total of 197 breast tissue samples from 5 institutions (93 DCIS progressors, 93 DCIS non-progressors, and 11 adjacent normal breast tissues) that had at least 10-year follow-up. We isolated DNA and RNA from archival tissue blocks and characterized genome-wide mRNA expression, DNA methylation, DNA copy number variation, and RNA splicing variation. Results We obtained all four genomic data sets in 122 of the 197 samples. Our intrinsic expression subtype-stratified analyses identified multiple molecular differences both between DCIS subtypes and between DCIS and IBC. While there was heterogeneity in molecular signatures and outcomes within intrinsic subtypes, several gene sets that differed significantly between progressing and non-progressing DCIS were identified by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. Conclusion DCIS is a molecularly highly heterogenous disease with variable outcomes, and the molecular events determining DCIS disease progression remain poorly defined. Our genome-wide multi-omic survey documents DCIS-associated alterations and reveals molecular heterogeneity within the intrinsic DCIS subtypes. Further studies investigating intrinsic subtype-stratified characteristics and molecular signatures are needed to determine if these may be exploitable for risk assessment and mitigation of DCIS progression. The highly significant associations of specific gene sets with IBC progression revealed by our Gene Set Enrichment Analysis may lend themselves to the development of a prognostic molecular score, to be validated on independent DCIS cohorts.

Background There is pressing need to develop and evaluate clinically sound approaches to supporting the engagement between patients who have inherited cancer susceptibility and their relatives who may share it. Identifying and engaging patients with an inherited cancer susceptibility in the community is a potentially powerful strategy to reduce the gap in genetic risk evaluation for their families. The goal of the Genetic Information and Family Testing (GIFT) Study is to engage patients about inherited cancer susceptibility and provide support and services to their relatives to initiate genetic risk evaluation (including choice of home genetic testing). Methods/design We are conducting a population-based, 2 × 2 factorial cluster-randomized clinical trial to implement and evaluate a direct-to-family, virtual, personalized, family-centered communication and decision-making tool: the Family Genetic Health Program. We use a unique SEER-based data infrastructure that we pioneered to identify patients diagnosed with cancer in the states of Georgia and California who carry a pathogenic variant (PV) in clinically tested cancer susceptibility gene. Eligible patients are offered enrollment into the trial and can invite their eligible first- and second-degree relatives to enroll. The index subject is randomized, and relatives are then cluster randomized by family. Participants in all arms receive some level of intervention, including at least the web-based platform with information about genetic testing and, for the relatives, an option to receive genetic testing through the study platform. We study the effects of two intervention design features: (1) the level of personalized family genetic risk navigation support: a technology-assisted, personally tailored patient and family member education and communication tool vs. the tool plus direct assistance from a lay human navigator); and (2) the cost of the genetic test offered to the relatives ($50 vs. free). Discussion GIFT is a blueprint for how a virtual cascade genetic risk program can be delivered in the community, through a population-based approach to patients and relatives in families with hereditary cancer syndromes. The vision, experiences, and findings from GIFT will inform next-generation implementation science and the results will pertain to stakeholders interested in a population-based approach to cascade genetic risk evaluation. Trial registration NCT05552664 registered at Clincaltrials.gov September 20, 2022.

Although landmark studies in the 1990s demonstrated that adolescents and young adults (AYAs, ages 15-39 years) with cancer had lower survival improvement compared to other ages, therapeutic advances warrant reappraisal of those observations. We utilized more recent data to study site-specific AYA survival trends and disparities and gain a more contemporary understanding of this problem. Using California Cancer Registry data from 1988 to 2014, we calculated 1) 5-year overall survival improvement for AYAs compared to other age groups; 2) hazard ratios (HRs) of death for AYAs comparing 2001-2014 with 1988-2000 stratified by site, stage, sex, age group, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES); and 3) site-specific adjusted HRs (aHRs) for AYA risk groups and interaction analyses by time period. For all cancers combined, AYAs demonstrated survival improvement that exceeded all other age groups, largely due to reduced mortality in human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related cancers. The strongest predictor of death was cancer stage (aHR = 6.32 for distant vs localized, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.20 to 6.45). The aHR of death was statistically significantly higher for blacks (1.46, 95% CI = 1.42 to 1.50), Asian and Pacific Islanders (1.12, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.15), and Latino whites (1.06, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.08) compared to non-Latino whites, and was statistically significantly higher for low SES compared to high (1.31, 95% CI = 1.29 to 1.34). Survival disparities by stage, race and ethnicity, and SES worsened over time. For AYAs in aggregate, the historical cancer survival improvement gap has been closed. However, the growing survival disparities in AYA subsets reported here, including advanced stage disease, racial and ethnic minorities, and low SES, highlight new priorities in need of increased attention, including inequities in cancer care and delivery within this vulnerable population.

Background: Inherited factors and maternal behaviors are thought to play an important role in the etiology of several congenital malformations. Twin studies can offer additional evidence regarding the contribution of genetic and lifestyle factors to common birth anomalies, but few large-scale studies have been reported. Methods: We included data from twins (20,803 pairs) from the population-based California Twin Program. We compared concordance in monozygotic (MZ) to dizygotic (DZ) twins for the following birth anomalies: clubfoot, oral cleft, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, deafness, cerebral palsy, strabismus, and congenital heart defects. Each birth anomaly was also examined for the associations with birth characteristics (birthweight and birth order) and parental exposures (age, smoking, and parental education). Results: The overall prevalence of any selected birth anomaly in California twins was 38 per 1,000 persons, with a slightly decreasing trend from 1957–1982. For pairwise concordance in 6,752 MZ and 7,326 like-sex DZ twin pairs, high MZ:DZ concordance ratios were observed for clubfoot (CR 5.91; P = 0.043) and strabismus (CR 2.52; P = 0.001). Among the total 20,803 pairs, parental smoking was significantly associated with risk of spina bifida (OR 3.48; 95% CI, 1.48–8.18) and strabismus (OR 1.61; 95% CI, 1.28–2.03). A significant quadratic trend of increasing risk for clubfoot, spina bifida, and strabismus was found when examining whether father smoked, mother smoked, or both parents smoked relative to non-smoking parents (P = 0.029, 0.026, and 0.0005, respectively). Conclusions: Our results provide evidence for a multifactorial etiology underlying selected birth anomalies. Further research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms.

Background Skin cancer is the most common secondary malignancy among young adult childhood cancer survivors (YA‐CCS). Skin examination to detect skin cancer early (including melanoma as well as basal or squamous cell skin cancers), both physician‐based (PSE) and self‐skin exam (SSE), is recommended, particularly for radiotherapy‐exposed YA‐CCS who are at high risk of developing skin cancer. Methods Awareness and prevalence of skin examination and demographic, clinical, and healthcare correlates were examined in a population‐based sample of YA‐CCS with diverse cancer types excluding melanoma. Descriptive frequencies and logistic regression models were conducted using sample weights to correct for non‐response bias with PSE, SSE and adherence to both as outcomes. Results The sample comprised 1064 participants with 53% Latino. Eight percent of participants were aware of the need for skin examination; 9% reported receipt of PSE within past 2 years; 35% reported regular SSE; and 6% were adherent to both. Among the radiotherapy‐treated, 10% were aware of the need for skin examination, 10% reported recent PSE; 38% reported regular SSE; and 8% were adherent to both. Healthcare and clinical factors including healthcare self‐efficacy, engagement in cancer‐related follow‐up care, greater treatment intensity and greater number of treatment‐related late effects were positively associated with PSE and SSE. Latino YA‐CCS were less likely to engage in PSE and SSE. Conclusion(s) Adherence to recommended screening for skin cancer was low in this at‐risk population, notably for YA‐CCS exposed to radiotherapy. The development of effective strategies to expand skin cancer screening is needed in this at‐risk population. Despite the high risk of skin cancer as a second malignancy among young adult survivors of childhood cancer, in this study extremely low rates of skin screening (both physician‐based and skin self‐examination) were found in a diverse population‐based sample.

BackgroundBenign prostatic hyperplasia, lower urinary tract symptoms, and prostate cancer often co-occur. Their effect on urinary function is an important consideration regarding prostate cancer treatment choices. While prostate volume (PV) and urinary symptoms are commonly used in treatment choice decision making, their association with post-treatment urinary function is unknown. We evaluated the associations between PV and baseline urinary function with treatment choice and post-treatment urinary function among men with localized prostate cancer.MethodsWe identified 1647 patients from CEASAR, a multicenter population-based, prospective cohort study of men with localized prostate cancer, for analysis. Primary outcomes were treatment choice and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assessed by the 26-item Expanded Prostate Index Composite (EPIC-26) at pre-specified intervals up to 5 years. Multivariable analysis was performed, controlling for demographic and clinicopathologic features.ResultsMedian baseline PV was 36 mL (IQR 27–48), and baseline urinary irritative/obstructive domain score was 87 (IQR 75–100). There was no observed clinically meaningful association between PV and treatment choice or post-treatment urinary function. Among patients with poor baseline urinary function, treatment with radiation or surgery was associated with statistically and clinically significant improvement in urinary function at 6 months which was durable through 5 years (improvement from baseline at 5 years: radiation 20.4 points, surgery 24.5 points).ConclusionsPV was not found to be associated with treatment modality or post-treatment urinary irritative/obstructive function among men treated for localized prostate cancer. Men with poor baseline urinary irritative/obstructive function improve after treatment with surgery or radiation therapy.