Global colorectal cancer research, 2007-2021: Outputs and funding

The purpose of this study was to provide an evidence base for colorectal cancer research activity that might influence policy, mainly at the national level. Improvements in healthcare delivery have lengthened life expectancy, but within a situation of increased cancer incidence. The disease burden of CRC has risen significantly, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Research is key to its control and reduction, but few studies have delineated the volume and funding of global research on CRC. We identified research papers in the Web of Science (WoS) from 2007 to 2021, and determined the contributions of the leading countries, the research domains studied, and their sources of funding. We identified 62 716 papers, representing 5.7% of all cancer papers. This percentage was somewhat disproportionate to the disease burden (7.7% in 2015), especially in Eastern Europe. International collaboration increased over the time period in almost all countries except in China. Genetics, surgery and prognosis were the leading research domains. However, research on palliative care and quality-of-life in CRC was lacking. In Western Europe, the main funding source was the charity sector, particularly in the UK, but in most other countries government played the leading role, especially in China and the USA. There was little support from industry. Several Asian countries provided minimal contestable funding, which may have reduced the impact of their CRC research. Certain countries must perform more CRC research overall, especially in domains such as screening, palliative care and quality-of-life. The private-non-profit sector should be an alternative source of support.     

Can we increase the cervical cancer screening interval with an HPV test for women living with HIV? Results of a cohort study from Maharashtra,India

We are reporting (a) updated incidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) among women who did not have colposcopic or histopathological disease at baseline and (b) disease outcomes among women treated for CIN and their follow-up HPV status; in a cohort of women living with HIV (WHIV). The median overall follow-up was 3.5 years (IQR 2.8-4.3). The incidence of any CIN and that of CIN 2 or worse disease was 16.7 and 7.0 per 1000 person-years of observation (PYO), respectively. Compared with women who were HPV negative at baseline, women who cleared HPV infection had 23.95 times increased risk of incident CIN 2 or worse lesions (95% CI 2.40-661.07). Women with persistent HPV infection had 138.18 times increased risk of CIN 2 or worse lesions (95% CI 20.30-3300.22). Complete disease regression was observed in 65.6% of the HPV positive women with high-grade CIN and were treated with thermal ablation but HPV persistence was seen in 44.8% of those with high-grade disease. Among those who did not have any disease at baseline and were also HPV negative, about 87% (95% CI 83.79-89.48) women remained HPV negative during consecutive HPV test/s with the median interval of 3.5 years. Long-term surveillance of WHIV treated for any CIN is necessary for the prevention of cervical cancer among them. Our study provides an early indication that the currently recommended screening interval of 3 to 5 years among WHIV may be extended to at least 5 years among HPV negative women. Increasing the screening interval can be cost saving and improve scalability among WHIV to support WHO's cervical cancer elimination initiative.     

Body mass index is a predictor of discharge to a postacute care facility following total shoulder arthroplasty

BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on discharge to a postacute care (PAC) facility following elective total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA).MethodsThe National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried to identify adult patients (>18 years old) who underwent inpatient TSA for primary osteoarthritis between 2005 and 2018. Hemiarthroplasty, revision TSA, trauma indications, and outpatient procedures were excluded. Patient and perioperative data were identified. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess the relationship between BMI and discharge to PAC facilities.ResultsA total of 10,198 patients with a primary TSA were identified. The majority (93%) of patients were discharged home vs. 7% to PAC facilities. Patients discharged to PAC had significantly higher mean BMI (P = .006). After controlling for demographic and comorbid factors, BMI was the only modifiable risk factor that was independently associated with an increased risk of discharge to a PAC. For every increase in BMI point, there was an increased risk of discharge to a PAC by 2.9% (odds ratio [OR] 1.029, confidence interval [CI] 1.016-1.041, P < .001). Additional covariates associated with PAC discharge were older age (OR 1.113, CI 1.099-1.127, P < .001), female gender (OR 3.037, CI 2.489-3.705, P < .001), and dependent functional status (OR 8.322, CI 5.544-12.492, P < .001).ConclusionMost patients undergoing TSA were discharged home following surgery. While age, sex, and functional status also affect disposition, elevated BMI is the only modifiable risk factor that independently predicts PAC discharge. Consideration of patient BMI prior to elective TSA may greatly improve discharge planning and management of patient expectations.     

Immunotherapy for urothelial carcinoma: Metastatic disease and beyond

For advanced and metastatic urothelial carcinomas (UCs), platinum (preferably cisplatin)‐based chemotherapy has been the standard treatment for many years. However, many patients are ineligible for cisplatin‐based chemotherapy because of poor performance status and/or other age‐related conditions. At the other end of the spectrum, patients with localized non‐muscle–invasive bladder cancer who are unresponsive to intravesical Bacillus Calmette‐Guérin (BCG) treatment often face radical cystectomy as the only option. In recent years, the application of immunotherapy in the form of immune‐checkpoint inhibitors has provided viable alternatives in the second‐line postplatinum and first‐line cisplatin‐ineligible settings. Recent and ongoing clinical trials are also assessing the safety and efficacy of immunotherapy for neoadjuvant and adjuvant uses before/after cystectomy, for BCG‐unresponsive cases, and for combination treatments that include the newer indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase‐1 inhibitors and/or BCG. This review summarizes recent developments in immunotherapy for UCs.