Off the mark: Current lung cancer screening guidelines miss those most at risk

Cancer: Volume 121, Issue 15, pages 2477–2478, August 1, 2015

Although smoking rates have declined in the United States, an unintended result is that fewer current and former smokers at high risk of developing lung cancer are being screened under existing guidelines, according to a study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

“In the population we studied, the lung cancer incidence was declining by about 17% over the past 28 years—which is a good thing,” says lead author Ping Yang, MD, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Mayo Clinic. “At the same time, the percentage of people meeting the current screening criteria also dropped by 24%.”

Because most patients who eventually develop lung cancer are diagnosed at a later stage when it is too late to cure the disease, screening high-risk patients is the best method for detecting the disease at its earliest, most treatable stage. Nevertheless, current screening criteria established by the US government are missing some patients who will develop lung cancer, says Dr. Yang.

Read the full article here.

Effects of a clinician referral and exercise program for men who have completed active treatment for prostate cancer: A multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial (ENGAGE)

Cancer: Volume 121, Issue 15, pages 2646–2654, August 1, 2015

BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a clinician referral and exercise program in improving exercise levels and quality of life for men with prostate cancer.

METHODS
This was a multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial in Melbourne, Australia comprising 15 clinicians: 8 clinicians were randomized to refer eligible participants (n = 54) to a 12-week exercise program comprising 2 supervised gym sessions and 1 home-based session per week, and 7 clinicians were randomized to follow usual care (n = 93). The primary outcome was self-reported physical activity; the secondary outcomes were quality of life, anxiety, and symptoms of depression.

RESULTS
A significant intervention effect was observed for vigorous-intensity exercise (effect size: Cohen’s d, 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.09-0.82; P = .010) but not for combined moderate and vigorous exercise levels (effect size: d, 0.08; 95% CI, −0.28 to 0.45; P = .48). Significant intervention effects were also observed for meeting exercise guidelines (≥150 min/wk; odds ratio, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.9-7.8; P = .002); positive intervention effects were observed in the intervention group for cognitive functioning (effect size: d, 0.34; 95% CI, −0.02 to 0.70; P = .06) and depression symptoms (effect size: d, −0.35; 95% CI, −0.71 to 0.02; P = .06). Eighty percent of participants reported that the clinician’s referral influenced their decision to participate in the exercise program.

CONCLUSIONS
The clinician referral and 12-week exercise program significantly improved vigorous exercise levels and had a positive impact on mental health outcomes for men living with prostate cancer. Further research is needed to determine the sustainability of the exercise program and its generalizability to other cancer populations

via Effects of a clinician referral and exercise program for men who have completed active treatment for prostate cancer: A multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial (ENGAGE) – Livingston – 2015 – Cancer – Wiley Online Library.

The importance of assessing priorities of reproductive health concerns among adolescent and young adult patients with cancer – Murphy – 2015 – Cancer – Wiley Online Library

Cancer: Volume 121, Issue 15, pages 2529–2536, August 1, 2015

Abstract:

Visions for the future are a normal developmental process for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with and without cancer, and these visions often include expectations of sexual and romantic relationships.

AYA cancer survivors indicate reproductive health is an issue of great importance and more attention is needed in the health care setting throughout the cancer experience, beginning at diagnosis. Various practice guidelines are predominately focused on fertility; are intended to influence survivorship care plans; and do not encompass the broad scope of reproductive health that includes romantic partnering, friendships, body image, sexuality, sexual identity, fertility, contraception, and more.

Although interventions to reduce reproductive health-related sequelae from treatment are best approached as an evolving process, practitioners are not certain of the priorities of these various reproductive health content areas. Strategies incongruent with the reproductive health priorities of AYAs will likely thwart adequate follow-up care and foster feelings of isolation from the treatment team. Research is needed to identify these priorities and ensure discussions of diverse content areas.

This review explored various domains of reproductive health and emphasized how understanding the priorities of the AYA cancer cohort will guide future models of care.

via The importance of assessing priorities of reproductive health concerns among adolescent and young adult patients with cancer – Murphy – 2015 – Cancer – Wiley Online Library.

Does Vaping in E-Cigarette Advertisements Affect Tobacco Smoking Urge, Intentions, and Perceptions in Daily, Intermittent, and Former Smokers?

Health Communication: Published online: 11 Mar 2015

Abstract:

Visual depictions of vaping in electronic cigarette advertisements may serve as smoking cues to smokers and former smokers, increasing urge to smoke and smoking behavior, and decreasing self-efficacy, attitudes, and intentions to quit or abstain.

After assessing baseline urge to smoke, 301 daily smokers, 272 intermittent smokers, and 311 former smokers were randomly assigned to view three e-cigarette commercials with vaping visuals (the cue condition) or without vaping visuals (the no-cue condition), or to answer unrelated media use questions (the no-ad condition). Participants then answered a posttest questionnaire assessing the outcome variables of interest.

Relative to other conditions, in the cue condition, daily smokers reported greater urge to smoke a tobacco cigarette and a marginally significantly greater incidence of actually smoking a tobacco cigarette during the experiment. Former smokers in the cue condition reported lower intentions to abstain from smoking than former smokers in other conditions. No significant differences emerged among intermittent smokers across conditions.

These data suggest that visual depictions of vaping in e-cigarette commercials increase daily smokers’ urge to smoke cigarettes and may lead to more actual smoking behavior. For former smokers, these cues in advertising may undermine abstinence efforts. Intermittent smokers did not appear to be reactive to these cues. A lack of significant differences between participants in the no-cue and no-ad conditions compared to the cue condition suggests that visual depictions of e-cigarettes and vaping function as smoking cues, and cue reactivity is the mechanism through which these effects were obtained.

via Taylor & Francis Online.

Very low mammographic breast density predicts poorer outcome in patients with invasive breast cancer – Springer

European Radiology: July 2015, Volume 25, Issue 7, pp 1875-1882

Objectives
To examine the prognostic value of mammographic breast density (MBD) and mammographic features and their relationship with established prognostic factors in patients with invasive breast cancer.
Methods
Mammographic characteristics of 270 patients were analyzed. MBD was classified according to percentile density (<5 %, 5-10 %, 10-25 %, 25-50 %, 50-75 %, >75 %) and further categorized into very low density (VLD; <10 %), low density (LOD; <25 %) and mixed density (MID; >25 %). Mammographic features were compared with established prognostic factors and patient outcomes while correcting for possible confounders.
Results
MBD was inversely associated with tumour grade (p = 0.019). Patients with LOD breasts had worse prognoses compared to those with MID breasts (disease-free survival 74.7 % vs. 84.8 %, p = 0.048; overall survival 75.3 % vs. 90.2 %, p = 0.003). Patients with VLD breasts showed the strongest significance compared to the remaining patients, even after adjusting for age, body mass index, and menopausal status. No other mammographic feature was prognostically significant. In Cox regression analysis, VLD proved to be an independent, poor prognostic feature (hazard ratio = 3.275; p < 0.001).
Conclusion
In patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer, very low MBD proved to be an independent prognostic feature, associated with higher tumour grade and predicted worse survival even after correcting for possible confounders.

via Very low mammographic breast density predicts poorer outcome in patients with invasive breast cancer – Springer.

The prognostic significance of the postoperative prognostic nutritional index in patients with colorectal cancer

BMC Cancer 2015, 15:521

Background
The preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI) has been reported to correlate with the prognosis in patents with various carcinomas. However, the prognostic significance of the postoperative PNI is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of the postoperative PNI in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods
Two hundred and eighteen patients who underwent potentially curative surgery for stage II/III CRC were enrolled in this study. The PNI was calculated as 10 × serum albumin concentration (g/dl) + 0.005 × lymphocyte count (/mm 3 ). The preoperative PNI was measured within two weeks before the operation and the postoperative PNI were measured at the first visit after leaving the hospital. We then examined the correlations between the preoperative/postoperative PNI and the prognosis for survival.

Results
In the validation study, the median preoperative PNI was 47.90 (range: 32.45-61.36) and the median postoperative PNI was 48.69 (range: 32.62-66.96). According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, we set 43.0 as the cut-off value in the validation study. For both the preoperative and postoperative PNI, the overall survival rates were significantly worse in the low PNI group in the validation study (preoperative PNI, p = 0.0374; postoperative PNI, p = 0.0005). In the multivariate analysis of the validation study, the combination of pre- and postoperative PNI was an independent predictor of poor overall survival (p = 0.006).

Conclusions
The postoperative PNI is, in addition to the preoperative PNI, a useful prognostic marker. The combination of pre- and postoperative PNI was an independent prognostic factor in patients with CRC who underwent potentially curative surgery and is important for considering the long-term outcome in patients with CRC.

via BMC Cancer | Abstract | The prognostic significance of the postoperative prognostic nutritional index in patients with colorectal cancer.

Waist circumference is independently and positively associated with breast cancer risk

Cancer: Article first published online: 20 JUL 2015

BACKGROUND
Greater body mass index (BMI), a measure of overall adiposity, is associated with a higher risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. The role of central adiposity, often measured by waist circumference, is less well understood, especially among premenopausal women. The objective of the current study was to examine multiple measures of adiposity in relation to breast cancer in a prospective cohort study.

METHODS
A total of 50,884 Sister Study cohort participants aged 35 to 74 years were enrolled from 2003 through 2009. Inclusion criteria for the cohort included having a sister previously diagnosed with breast cancer. Trained study personnel measured height, weight, and waist and hip circumference during a home visit and study participants completed a detailed questionnaire. Using Cox regression analysis, we estimated multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for breast cancer risk associated with adiposity measurements, considering tumor subtype and menopausal status.

RESULTS
In total, 2009 breast cancers were diagnosed during follow-up (mean = 5.4 years). Weight, BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio were found to be positively associated with overall breast cancer risk and HRs were greater among postmenopausal women, those with hormonally responsive tumors, and women who were not currently using postmenopausal hormones. In models that adjusted for BMI, waist circumference associations persisted among both postmenopausal women (81-88 cm vs ≤80 cm: HR = 1.16 [95% CI 1.01-1.35] and >88 cm vs ≤80 cm: HR = 1.30 [95% CI 1.10-1.54]) and premenopausal women (81-88 cm vs ≤80 cm: HR = 1.56 [95% CI 1.19-2.04] and >88 cm vs ≤80 cm: HR = 1.30 [95% CI 0.91-1.87]).

CONCLUSIONS
Findings from this large, prospective study with examiner-measured body size indicate that waist circumference is independently and positively associated with both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer risk.

via Overall and central adiposity and breast cancer risk in the sister study – White – 2015 – Cancer – Wiley Online Library.

Prevalence of incidental prostate cancer: A systematic review of autopsy studies – Bell – 2015 – International Journal of Cancer – Wiley Online Library

International Journal of Cancer, 137: 1749–1757.

Prostate cancer screening may detect nonprogressive cancers, leading to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. The potential for overdiagnosis can be assessed from the reservoir of prostate cancer in autopsy studies that report incidental prostate cancer rates in men who died of other causes.

We aimed to estimate the age-specific incidental cancer prevalence from all published autopsy studies. We identified eligible studies by searches of Medline and Embase, forward and backward citation searches and contacting authors. We screened the titles and abstracts of all articles; checked the full-text articles for eligibility and extracted clinical and pathology data using standardized forms.

We extracted mean cancer prevalence, age-specific cancer prevalence and validity measures and then pooled data from all studies using logistic regression models with random effects. The 29 studies included in the review dated from 1948 to 2013. Incidental cancer was detected in all populations, with no obvious time trends in prevalence. Prostate cancer prevalence increased with each decade of age, OR = 1.7 (1.6–1.8), and was higher in studies that used the Gleason score, OR = 2.0 (1.1–3.7). No other factors were significantly predictive. The estimated mean cancer prevalence increased in a nonlinear fashion from 5% (95% CI: 3–8%) at age <30 years to 59% (95% CI: 48–71%) by age >79 years. There was substantial variation between populations in estimated cancer prevalence.

There is a substantial reservoir of incidental prostate cancer which increases with age. The high risk of overdiagnosis limits the usefulness of prostate cancer screening.

via Prevalence of incidental prostate cancer: A systematic review of autopsy studies – Bell – 2015 – International Journal of Cancer – Wiley Online Library.

Citrus Consumption and Risk of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma

Journal of Clinical Oncology: Published online before print June 29, 2015

Purpose Citrus products are widely consumed foods that are rich in psoralens and furocoumarins, a group of naturally occurring chemicals with potential photocarcinogenic properties. We prospectively evaluated the risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma associated with citrus consumption.

Methods A total of 63,810 women in the Nurses’ Health Study (1984 to 2010) and 41,622 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986 to 2010) were included. Dietary information was repeatedly assessed every 2 to 4 years during follow-up. Incident melanoma cases were identified through self-report and confirmed by pathologic records.

Results Over 24 to 26 years of follow-up, we documented 1,840 incident melanomas. After adjustment for other risk factors, the pooled multivariable hazard ratios for melanoma were 1.00 for overall citrus consumption < twice per week (reference), 1.10 (95% CI, 0.94 to 1.30) for two to four times per week, 1.26 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.47) for five to six times per week, 1.27 (95% CI, 1.09 to 1.49) for once to 1.5 times per day, and 1.36 (95% CI, 1.14 to 1.63) for ≥ 1.6 times per day (P_trend < .001). Among individual citrus products, grapefruit showed the most apparent association with risk of melanoma, which was independent of other lifestyle and dietary factors. The pooled multivariable hazard ratio for melanoma comparing the extreme consumption categories of grapefruit (≥ three times per week v never) was 1.41 (95% CI, 1.10 to 1.82; P_trend < .001).

Conclusion Citrus consumption was associated with an increased risk of malignant melanoma in two cohorts of women and men. Nevertheless, further investigation is needed to confirm our findings and explore related health implications.

via Citrus Consumption and Risk of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma.

Primary chemotherapy versus primary surgery for newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer (CHORUS): an open-label, randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial

Volume 386, No. 9990, p249–257, 18 July 2015

Background
The international standard of care for women with suspected advanced ovarian cancer is surgical debulking followed by platinum-based chemotherapy. We aimed to establish whether use of platinum-based primary chemotherapy followed by delayed surgery was an effective and safe alternative treatment regimen.

Methods
In this phase 3, non-inferiority, randomised, controlled trial (CHORUS) undertaken in 87 hospitals in the UK and New Zealand, we enrolled women with suspected stage III or IV ovarian cancer. We randomly assigned women (1:1) either to undergo primary surgery followed by six cycles of chemotherapy, or to three cycles of primary chemotherapy, then surgery, followed by three more cycles of completion chemotherapy. Each 3-week cycle consisted of carboplatin AUC5 or AUC6 plus paclitaxel 175 mg/m2, or an alternative carboplatin combination regimen, or carboplatin monotherapy. We did the random assignment by use of a minimisation method with a random element, and stratified participants according to the randomising centre, largest radiological tumour size, clinical stage, and prespecified chemotherapy regimen. Patients and investigators were not masked to group assignment. The primary outcome measure was overall survival. Primary analyses were done in the intention-to-treat population. To establish non-inferiority, the upper bound of a one-sided 90% CI for the hazard ratio (HR) had to be less than 1·18. This trial is registered, number ISRCTN74802813, and is closed to new participants.

Findings
Between March 1, 2004, and Aug 30, 2010, we randomly assigned 552 women to treatment. Of the 550 women who were eligible, 276 were assigned to primary surgery and 274 to primary chemotherapy. All were included in the intention-to-treat analysis; 251 assigned to primary surgery and 253 to primary chemotherapy were included in the per-protocol analysis. As of May 31, 2014, 451 deaths had occurred: 231 in the primary-surgery group versus 220 in the primary-chemotherapy group. Median overall survival was 22·6 months in the primary-surgery group versus 24·1 months in primary chemotherapy. The HR for death was 0·87 in favour of primary chemotherapy, with the upper bound of the one-sided 90% CI 0·98 (95% CI 0·72–1·05). Grade 3 or 4 postoperative adverse events and deaths within 28 days after surgery were more common in the primary-surgery group than in the primary-chemotherapy group (60 [24%] of 252 women vs 30 [14%] of 209, p=0·0007, and 14 women [6%] vs 1 woman [<1%], p=0·001). The most common grade 3 or 4 postoperative adverse event was haemorrhage in both groups (8 women [3%] in the primary-surgery group vs 14 [6%] in the primary-chemotherapy group). 110 (49%) of 225 women receiving primary surgery and 102 (40%) of 253 receiving primary chemotherapy had a grade 3 or 4 chemotherapy related toxic effect (p=0·0654), mostly uncomplicated neutropenia (20% and 16%, respectively). One fatal toxic effect, neutropenic sepsis, occurred in the primary-chemotherapy group.

Interpretation
In women with stage III or IV ovarian cancer, survival with primary chemotherapy is non-inferior to primary surgery. In this study population, giving primary chemotherapy before surgery is an acceptable standard of care for women with advanced ovarian cancer.

via Primary chemotherapy versus primary surgery for newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer (CHORUS): an open-label, randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial – The Lancet.