Association of PTSD Symptoms With Asthma Attacks Among Hurricane Katrina Survivors

The relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and asthma in the wake of natural disasters is poorly understood. Using pre‐ and postdisaster data (N = 405) from the Resilience in Survivors of Katrina (RISK) project, we examined associations between PTSD symptoms, measured by the Impact of Event Scale‐Revised (IES‐R), and self‐reported postdisaster asthma attacks. A 1‐point increase in the IES‐R avoidance score, which corresponded to one standard deviation change in this sample, was associated with double the odds of reporting an asthma attack or episode since the hurricane, 95% CI Revise spacing among characters: [1.22, 4.16]. Association with hyperarousal and intrusion symptoms was null. Further research using objective measures of asthma morbidity is needed; nevertheless, these findings may help inform postdisaster health services delivery and predisaster mitigation planning.     

儿童癌症长期存活者生活质量的研究现状

综述了儿童癌症长期存活者的生活质量及主要的影响因素,由于各文献关注的人群种族、文化、年龄等不同及文献作者对生活质量的理解和侧重点不同,儿童癌症长期存活者生活质量存在差异;儿童癌症长期存活者躯体健康状况总体良好,心理状态不容乐观。恶性肿瘤的类别、治疗手段、诊断年龄和生存时间等是影响儿童癌症长期存活者生活质量的主要因素。提出国内医务人员有必要对儿童癌症存活者进行终身随访,对他们的生活质量进行研究。     

儿童癌症长期存活者生活质量的研究现状

综述了儿童癌症长期存活者的生活质量及主要的影响因素,由于各文献关注的人群种族、文化、年龄等不同及文献作者对生活质量的理解和侧重点不同,儿童癌症长期存活者生活质量存在差异;儿童癌症长期存活者躯体健康状况总体良好,心理状态不容乐观.恶性肿瘤的类别、治疗手段、诊断年龄和生存时间等是影响儿童癌症长期存活者生活质量的主要因素.提出国内医务人员有必要对儿童癌症存活者进行终身随访,对他们的生活质量进行研究.     

Ten-year Mortality,Disease Progression,and Treatment-related Side Effects in Men with Localised Prostate Cancer from the ProtecT Randomised Controlled Trial According to Treatment Received

BackgroundThe ProtecT trial reported intention-to-treat analysis of men with localised prostate cancer (PCa) randomly allocated to active monitoring (AM), radical prostatectomy, and external beam radiotherapy.ObjectiveTo determine report outcomes according to treatment received in men in randomised and treatment choice cohorts.Design, setting, and participantsThis study focuses on secondary care. Men with clinically localised prostate cancer at one of nine UK centres were invited to participate in the treatment trial comparing AM, radical prostatectomy, and radiotherapy.InterventionTwo cohorts included 1643 men who agreed to be randomised; 997 declined randomisation and chose treatment.Outcome measurements and statistical analysisHealth-related quality of life impacts on urinary, bowel, and sexual function were assessed using patient-reported outcome measures. Analysis was carried out based on treatment received for each cohort and on pooled estimates using meta-analysis. Differences were estimated with adjustment for known prognostic factors using propensity scores.Results and limitationsAccording to treatment received, more men receiving AM died of PCa (AM 1.85%, surgery 0.67%, radiotherapy 0.73%), whilst this difference remained consistent with chance in the randomised cohort (p = 0.08); stronger evidence was found in the exploratory analyses (randomised plus choice cohort) when AM was compared with the combined radical treatment group (p = 0.003). There was also strong evidence that metastasis (AM 5.6%, surgery 2.4%, radiotherapy 2.7%) and disease progression (AM 20.35%, surgery 5.87%, radiotherapy 6.62%) were more common in the AM group. Compared with AM, there were higher risks of sexual dysfunction (95% at 6 mo) and urinary incontinence (55% at 6 mo) after surgery, and of sexual dysfunction (88% at 6 mo) and bowel dysfunction (5% at 6 mo) after radiotherapy. The key limitations are the potential for bias when comparing groups defined by treatment received and outdating of the interventions being evaluated during the lengthy follow-up required in trials of screen-detected PCa.ConclusionsAnalyses according to treatment received showed increased rates of disease-related events and lower rates of patient-reported harms in men managed by AM compared with men managed by radical treatment, and stronger evidence of greater PCa mortality in the AM group.Patient summaryMore than 90 out of every 100 men with localised prostate cancer do not die of prostate cancer within 10 yr, irrespective of whether treatment is by means of monitoring, surgery, or radiotherapy. Side effects on sexual and bladder function are much better after active monitoring, but the risks of spreading of prostate cancer are more common.     

Genome-wide Association Studies Reveal Novel Locus With Sex-/Therapy-Specific Fracture Risk Effects in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Childhood cancer survivors treated with radiation therapy (RT) and osteotoxic chemotherapies are at increased risk for fractures. However, understanding of how genetic and clinical susceptibility factors jointly contribute to fracture risk among survivors is limited. To address this gap, we conducted genome-wide association studies of fracture risk after cancer diagnosis in 2453 participants of European ancestry from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) with 930 incident fractures using Cox regression models (ie, time-to-event analysis) and prioritized sex- and treatment-stratified genetic associations. We performed replication analyses in 1417 survivors of European ancestry with 652 incident fractures from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (SJLIFE). In discovery, we identified a genome-wide significant (p < 5 × 10⁻⁸) fracture risk locus, 16p13.3 (HAGHL), among female CCSS survivors (n = 1289) with strong evidence of sex-specific effects (p_{sex-heterogeneity} < 7 × 10⁻⁶). Combining discovery and replication data, rs1406815 showed the strongest association (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.43, p = 8.2 × 10⁻⁹; n = 1935 women) at this locus. In treatment-stratified analyses in the discovery cohort, the association between rs1406815 and fracture risk among female survivors with no RT exposures was weak (HR = 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95–1.57, p = 0.11) but increased substantially among those with greater head/neck RT doses (any RT: HR = 1.88, 95% CI 1.54–2.28, p = 2.4 × 10⁻¹⁰; >36 Gray only: HR = 3.79, 95% CI 1.95–7.34, p = 8.2 × 10⁻⁵). These head/neck RT-specific HAGHL single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) effects were replicated in female SJLIFE survivors. In silico bioinformatics analyses suggest these fracture risk alleles regulate HAGHL gene expression and related bone resorption pathways. Genetic risk profiles integrating this locus may help identify female survivors who would benefit from targeted interventions to reduce fracture risk. © 2020 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).     

Quality of Life Among Five-Year Survivors After Treatment for Very Low Rectal Cancer With or Without a Permanent Abdominal Stoma

Background Low rectal cancers situated less than 5 cm from the anal margin are still usually treated with abdomino-perineal excision (APE). Our aim is to compare the quality of life (QOL) of five-year survivors treated for low or very low rectal cancer with an advanced/complex coloanal procedure with the QOL of patients submitted to a standard APE with a definitive abdominal stoma. Methods Sixty-two patients, operated on radically for low or very low rectal cancer, who came for their fifth year follow-up visit and were free from cancer, were studied. Thirty patients (group 1) had an APE with permanent abdominal stoma. Thirty-two patients (group 2) had undergone a radical advanced and complex procedure to avoid the abdominal stoma. The patients received the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QOL-30 generic and the CR38 colorectal cancer QOL questionnaires with the recommendation to return the questionnaire to the hospital. The Mann–Whitney U-test and χ ² Fisher test were employed for statistical analysis. Results All questionnaires were returned. Patients without a terminal abdominal stoma had a better score in six categories of the QOL 30 and in two categories of the CR38. No differences were observed in the other variables examined. Conclusions After five years, cancer-free patients operated on for low or very low rectal cancer have a better QOL if a definitive terminal abdominal stoma was avoided. The paper has been partially presented at the 9^th International Meeting of Coloproctology, Stresa, Italy, March 27–29, 2006     

Profile and Predictors of Long-term Morbidity in Breast Cancer Survivors

Background

A sound understanding of the benefits of different treatment options and their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) impacts is required for optimal breast cancer care.

Methods

A cross-sectional cohort study was conducted to determine the prevalence and severity of persistent functional decrements and symptoms and identify demographic, clinical and treatment variables associated with poorer outcomes. Four hundred English-speaking women treated for ductal carcinoma-in-situ or stage I to III breast cancer between 1999 and 2009, at least 12 months after surgery and currently disease free, were randomly selected and invited to complete (1) the Breast Cancer Treatment Outcome Scale and (2) the EORTC core Quality of Life Questionnaire, version 3.

Results

The response rate was 85.60 %. Many participants reported moderate to severe decrements in a number of HRQoL domains, including functional well-being (15 %), cosmetic status (32 %) and overall quality of life (21 %). There were significant associations (p < .05) between younger age and poorer HRQoL but none between time since surgery and morbidity (p > .05). Different treatments were associated with different HRQoL impacts. Poorer functional status was predicted by axillary dissection (p = .011), and adjuvant radiotherapy was a significant predictor of breast-specific pain (p < .05).

Conclusions

Many breast cancer survivors report long-term morbidity that is unaffected by time since surgery. The significant associations between the extent of locoregional therapies and poorer HRQoL outcomes emphasize the importance of the safe tailoring of these treatments.