Tobacco use and prostate cancer in Blacks and Whites in the United States

Prostate cancer occurs more frequently in Blacks than Whites in the United States. A population-based case-control study which investigated the association between tobacco use and prostate cancer risk was carried out among 981 pathologically confirmed cases (479 Blacks, 502 Whites) of prostate cancer, diagnosed between 1 August 1986 and 30 April 1989, and 1,315 controls (594 Blacks, 721 Whites). Study subjects, aged 40 to 79 years, resided in Atlanta (GA), Detroit (MI), and 10 counties in New Jersey, geographic areas covered by three, population-based, cancer registries. No excesses in risk for prostate cancer were seen for former cigarette smokers, in Blacks (odds ratio [OR]=1.1, 95 percent confidence interval [CI]=0.7–1.5) and in Whites (OR=1.2, CI=0.9–1.6), or for current cigarette smokers, in Blacks (OR=1.0, CI=0.7–1.4) and in Whites (OR=1.2, CI=0.8–1.7). Increases in risk were noted for smokers of 40 or more cigarettes per day, among former (OR=1.4, CI=1.0–1.5) and current (OR=1.5, CI=1.0–2.4) smokers. Duration of cigarette use and cumulative amount of cigarette use (pack-years) were not associated with prostate cancer risk for Blacks or Whites. By age, only the youngest subjects, aged 40 to 59 years, showed excess risk associated with current (OR=1.5, CI=1.0–2.3) and former (OR=1.7, CI=1.1–2.6) use of cigarettes, but there were no consistent patterns in this group according to amount or duration of smoking. Risks also were not elevated for former or current users of pipes, cigars, or chewing tobacco, but the risk associated with current snuff use was OR=5.5 (CI=1.2–26.2). This subgroup finding may have been due to chance. The results of the present study may be consistent with a small excess risk for prostate cancer associated with tobacco use, but the lack of consistent findings in population subgroups and the lack of a clear dose-response relationship argue more strongly that no causal association exists. The data do not indicate that the Black-White difference in prostate cancer risk is related to tobacco use.This research was performed under contracts: NO1-CP-51090, NO1-CN-0522, NO1-CP-51089, NO1-CN-31022, NO1-CP-51092, and NO1-CN-5227.     

Smoking and bladder cancer risk in Blacks and Whites in the United States

A population-based case-control study of bladder cancer (2,982 cases and 5,782 controls) conducted in 10 areas of the United States examined the effect of smoking as a risk factor among Blacks and Whites, after adjustment for occupation and other potential confounders. Although the overall risk for smoking was slightly higher in Blacks than Whites (relative risk = 2.7 and 2.2, respectively), this difference was not statistically significant. Estimation of risk by dose and currency of exposure revealed no consistent racial disparities in smoking-related risks. Race-specific, attributable risk estimates indicated that nearly half of bladder cancers among both Blacks and Whites could have been prevented by elimination of smoking.     

Multiple myeloma among Blacks and Whites in the United States: role of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages

In the United States, the incidence rates of multiple myeloma inBlacks are more than twice those in Whites, but the etiology of this canceris poorly understood. A population-based case-control interview study of 571subjects (365 White, 206 Black) with multiple myeloma and 2,122 controls(1,155 White, 967 Black) living in three areas of the United States (Georgia,Michigan, New Jersey) offered the opportunity to investigate the relationshipwith smoking and alcohol drinking and to evaluate whether these factors mightcontribute to the excess risk of multiple myeloma in Blacks. For Blacks andWhites of either gender, there were no significantly elevated risksassociated with ever use of cigarettes or alcoholic beverages and noconsistent patterns with either intensity or duration of use. These datasupport previous studies indicating that smoking and drinking are not relatedcausally to the risk of multiple myeloma, and thus cannot account for theracial disparity in incidence rates.     

Racial disparities in endometrial cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios among Blacks and Whites in South Carolina

Purpose

Endometrial cancer (EC) exhibits striking racial disparities with higher mortality in Blacks compared to Whites. The mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) provides a population-based measure of survival which accounts for incidence. The objective of this study was to map EC MIRs by race for eight health regions within South Carolina (SC) and chart EC incidence by race and grade across the four cancer stages.

Methods

Cancer incidence and mortality data were obtained from the SC Community Access Network (SCAN), the online data query system provided by the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). The underlying data for SCAN were generated from the SC Central Cancer Registry and SC DHEC Vital Records and used to construct MIRs. ArcGIS 10.1 was used to map EC MIRs by race for eight health regions within SC. Four categories of MIR were derived using the national MIR for EC among Whites as the reference category.

Results

Blacks had higher levels of poorly differentiated tumors across all stages and higher incidence and mortality rates. In all eight health regions, Blacks were in the highest MIR category. By contrast, the MIRs for Whites were more evenly represented over the four categories.

Conclusions

The MIR proved useful for identifying disparities in EC incidence and mortality among Black and White women in SC. Cancer surveillance programs may use the MIR to monitor disparities across racial/ethnic groups and geographic regions going forward. MIRs have the potential to serve as an indicator of the long-term success of cancer surveillance programs.

     

Social ties and colorectal cancer screening among Blacks and Whites in North Carolina.

Few studies have examined the relationship between social networks and colorectal cancer screening in diverse populations. Prior research suggests that the type of social support as well as the amount or frequency of support available from one's social network may be associated with health outcomes. Therefore, the current study examined relationships between both structural (i.e., quantitative aspects of the social network, such as number of ties and frequency of contact with ties) and functional (i.e., functions provided by social network ties, such as offering emotional or instrumental support) aspects of social ties and utilization of colorectal cancer screening tests. Analyses included 697 randomly selected Blacks and Whites ages 51 to 80 years enrolled as controls in the North Carolina Colon Cancer Study. Social tie and screening information was obtained from face-to-face interviews. Forty-seven percent of participants (40% Blacks and 51% Whites) reported use of one of the options for colorectal cancer screening according to the guidelines at that time. Compared with those with the fewest social connections, those who were most socially connected were more likely to report recent use of colorectal cancer screening [odds ratio (OR), 3.2; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.7-6.2]. This association was stronger among Blacks (OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.3-10.7) than Whites (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.2-6.9; P for interaction = 0.006). There were also positive associations between being a church group (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.4-2.7) and other group member (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.2) and screening. Neither emotional (e.g., offering reassurance that one is cared for) nor instrumental (e.g., giving material assistance) support was associated with screening behavior. These data suggest that structural rather than functional aspects of social ties may be important in influencing colorectal cancer screening behavior.     

Temporal trends in geographic disparities in small-area-level colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in the United States

Objective  

We examined the extent of changes in absolute and relative geographic disparities in six colorectal cancer (CRC) indicators using data about persons aged 50 and older from 195 counties in the 1988–2006 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database.     

Changing trends and disparities in 5-year overall survival of women with invasive breast cancer in the United States, 1975-2015

Relative survival is the ratio of overall survival (OS) over survival of the general population, and widely used in epidemiological studies. But it is artificially higher than OS and thus inferior to OS for cancer prognostication of individual patients. Moreover, trend-changes and disparities in OS of breast cancer are unclear while the relative survival of breast cancer has been reported on a regular basis. Therefore, we estimated trends in age-standardized 5-year OS of invasive breast cancer, using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry program and piecewise-linear regression models. Among 188,052 women with breast cancer diagnosed during 2007-2010 (SEER-18, 155,515 [79.3%] survived by year 5), the 5-year OS significantly differed by age, histology, tumor grade, tumor stage, hormone receptors, race/ethnicity, insurance status, region, rural-urban continuum and selected county-attributes. Among 469,498 women with breast cancer diagnosed during 1975-2010 (SEER-9) in the U.S., we observed an upward trend in the age-standardized 5-year OS (stage- and race/ethnicity-adjusted annual percentage change = 0.97 [95% CI, 0.76-1.18]). The 36-year trends/slopes in age-standardized 5-year OS of breast cancer differed by histology, tumor grade, stage, race/ethnicity, region and socioeconomic attributes of the patient’s residence-county, but not by those of rural-urban continuum. The 3-joinpoint model on the 36-year trend identified significant slope changes in 1983, 1987 and 2000, with the largest slope (2.5%/year) during 1983-1987. In conclusion, we here show trends in the age-standardized 5-year OS among U.S. women with breast cancer changed in diagnosis-years of 1983, 1987 and 2000, and differed by tumor characteristics and race/ethnicity. More efforts are needed to understand the trend changes and to address the OS disparities of breast cancers.     

Risk-adjusted melanoma skin cancer incidence rates in Whites (United States)

The objective of this study was to obtain a better population-based measure of risk for melanoma skin cancer. A method has been previously proposed for estimating cancer incidence rates for data collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Unlike conventionally reported incidence rates in the USA, this method uses the first primary cancer and adjusts for population-based cancer prevalence to obtain a better measure of cancer risk. The study involves SEER data for white men and women. Conventional melanoma incidence rates overestimate risk for men, increasingly so from 3.3% in the age group of 30-39 years to 11.3% in the age group of 80 years and older. Overestimation in risk for women ranged from 3.3% in the age group of 30-39 years to 8.9% in the age group of 80 years and older. Overestimation of risk was more pronounced when both in-situ and malignant melanomas were considered. Increasing trends in conventional rates were slightly greater than trends in risk-adjusted incidence rates (RAIRs). In 2007, the estimated number of cases with malignant melanoma among the white population based on conventional cancer incidence rates is 37 636 (64 125 including in-situ cases) for men and 28 935 (49 361 including in-situ cases) for women. The estimated number of cases in the USA based on RAIRS is 34 652 [(7.9%); 55 413 (13.6%) including in-situ cases] for male and 27 178 [(6.1%); 44 467 (9.9%) including in-situ cases] for women. We concluded that RAIRs are a better measure of melanoma skin cancer risk and should be used for estimating the number of cancer patients in the USA.     

Colorectal cancer incidence among Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites in the United States

Purpose

Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence has declined over the past two decades; however, these declines have not occurred equally in all populations. To better understand the impact of CRC among Hispanics, we examined incidence trends by age and Hispanic ethnicity.

Methods

Using data from the National Program of Cancer Registries and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, we estimated CRC incidence rates during the period 2001–2014, and across all 50 U.S. states. We estimated incidence rates in younger (age?<?50 years) and older (age?≥?50 years) adults by anatomic subsite and stage at diagnosis, separately for non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanic Whites.

Results

CRC incidence rates declined among older (age?≥?50 years) Whites and Hispanics, but Whites experienced a greater decline (31% vs. 27% relative decline among Hispanics). In contrast to older adults, there were continued increases in CRC incidence from 2001 to 2014 among younger (age 20–49 years) adults. The largest relative increases in incidence occurred in Hispanics aged 20–29 years (90% vs. 50% relative increase among Whites).

Conclusions

Opposing incidence trends in younger versus older Hispanics may reflect generational differences in CRC risk by birth cohort, as well as environmental exposures and lifestyle-related risk factors associated with immigration and acculturation.

     

Vitamin D insufficiency among African-Americans in the southeastern United States: implications for cancer disparities (United States)

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and predictors of vitamin D insufficiency among black and white adult residents of the southern US. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of serum 25(OH)D levels using baseline blood samples from 395 Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS) participants. Participants were African-American and white adults aged 40-79 who enrolled in the study from 2002-2004. We defined hypovitaminosis D as serum 25(OH)D levels < or = 15 ng/ml. RESULTS: Hypovitaminosis D prevalence was 45% among blacks and 11% among whites. Vitamin D intake from diet and supplements was associated with modest increases in circulating 25(OH)D (0.5-0.7 ng/ml per 100 IU increment), but hypovitaminosis D was found for 32% of blacks with intake > or = 400 IU/day. Body mass index (BMI) was a strong predictor of risk for hypovitaminosis D among black women (OR = 6.5, 95% CI 1.7-25.1 for BMI > or = 30 kg/m(2) vs. 18-24.9 kg/m(2)). UVR exposure estimated by residential location was positively associated with 25(OH)D levels among all groups except white women. CONCLUSIONS: Hypovitaminosis D was present in a substantial proportion of the African-American population studied, even in the South and among those meeting recommended dietary guidelines. Vitamin D should continue to be a studied target for ameliorating racial cancer disparities in the US.     

Oral cavity and pharynx cancer incidence rates in the United States, 1975-1998

To identify subgroups of oral cavity and pharynx (OCP) cancers that may be etiologically distinct, we evaluated age-adjusted incidence rates by histologic type, anatomical site, race, and sex using cases diagnosed during 1975-1998 in nine US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program registries. Male/female rate ratios were about one for adenocarcinoma (AC), three or more for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and undetermined for Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Among males, black/white rate ratios exceeded two for cancers of the palate, tonsil, oropharynx, and pyriform sinus, and were less than one only for lip and salivary gland cancers. Among females, rates by race were similar for all oral sites except lip, but rates for each of the pharynx subsites were higher among blacks. Findings suggest that OCP cancers may be separated into SCC of the lip, SCC of the oral cavity, SCC of the pharynx, AC, and KS.     

New malignancies following childhood cancer in the United States, 1973-2002

The objectives of our study were to quantify risks for developing new malignancies among childhood cancer survivors, identify links between particular types of first and subsequent cancer, and evaluate the possible role of treatment. A cohort of 25,965 2-month survivors of childhood cancer diagnosed in the U.S. during 1973-2002 was identified and followed through SEER cancer registries. Observed-to-expected ratios (O/E) were calculated, and Poisson regression was used to compare risks among treatment groups. Childhood cancer survivors were at nearly 6-fold risk of developing a new cancer relative to the general population (O/E = 5.9, 95% CI: 5.4-6.5). Most common were subsequent primary cancers of the female breast, central nervous system, bone, thyroid gland and soft tissue, as well as cutaneous melanoma and acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). The greatest risks of subsequent cancers occurred among patients diagnosed previously with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), Ewing sarcoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumor, or retinoblastoma. Risk of subsequent solid cancers was higher among persons whose initial treatment for childhood cancer included radiotherapy, whereas the excess of subsequent ANLL was strongly related to chemotherapy. The O/E for subsequent ANLL increased with increasing calendar year of initial cancer diagnosis among survivors of cancers other than HL, most likely due to increasing use of leukemogenic drugs for solid cancers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Childhood cancer survivors are at markedly increased risk of developing a variety of new cancers relative to the general population, but the magnitude of excess risk and specific types of second cancer vary widely by type of first cancer.     

Attitudes Regarding Overweight, Exercise, and Health among Blacks (United States)

Objective To investigate Blacks’views regarding the connections among overweight, exercise, and health. Methods A national randomized telephone survey of 986 US Blacks, conducted between 6 July 2004 and 15 July 2004. Results The majority (65%) of respondents reported their weight as average or underweight. Most participants also reported being regularly physically active in the last month (84.5%). The majority of participants reported believing that it is possible to be overweight and healthy. Most acknowledged the connection between exercise and health, and just over half of respondents identified the association between overweight and cancer risk. There was little sociodemographic variation in responses, although findings differed by self-reported overweight and physical activity. Conclusions Some Blacks may underestimate the extent of their overweight, perhaps resulting from the high prevalence of the condition in the population. Gaps exist in Blacks’ recognition of the connection between weight and health, although the importance of exercise for health promotion was widely acknowledged. These data may highlight an important target for intervention attention. (At the time of the study, Dr. Wolin was with the Harvard School of Public Health and Dana–Farber Cancer Institute)     

Increasing incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus in Scotland, 1975-2002

In Scotland, since 1975-1979 (world) age-standardised incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus has more than doubled, reaching 0.37 per 100,000 in males and 0.55 in females during 1998-2002, being somewhat higher in socioeconomically deprived areas.     

Persistent disparities in liver transplantation for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States, 1998 through 2007

BACKGROUND:

Prior studies have demonstrated that among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), African Americans (AAs) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (APIs) are substantially less likely to undergo liver transplantation (LT) compared with whites. The authors examined whether disparities in the receipt of LT among LT‐eligible HCC patients changed over a 10‐year time period, and whether the disparities might be explained by sociodemographic or clinical factors.

METHODS:

The National Cancer Data Base, a national hospital‐based cancer registry, was used to study 7707 adults with small (≤ 5 cm), nonmetastatic HCC diagnosed between 1998 and 2007. Racial/ethnic patterns in the use of LT were compared during 2 periods of 5 years each: 1998 through 2002 (n = 2412 patients) and 2003 through 2007 (n = 5295 patients). Data regarding comorbid medical conditions were only available during the later time period.

RESULTS:

Large and persistent racial/ethnic differences in the probability of receiving LT were observed. Compared with whites, hazard ratios (HRs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for receiving LT from 1998 through 2002 were 0.64 (95% CI, 0.46‐0.89) for AA patients, 1.01 (95% CI, 0.79‐1.29) for Hispanic patients, and 0.52 (95% CI, 0.39‐0.68) for API patients. Analogous results for 2003 through 2007 were 0.64 (95% CI, 0.54‐0.76) for AA patients, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75‐0.99) for Hispanic patients, and 0.58 (95% CI, 0.49‐0.69) for API patients. AA patients were less likely than whites to undergo any form of surgery, and API patients were more likely than whites to undergo surgical resection. Adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical factors produced only small changes in these HRs.

CONCLUSIONS:

Between 1998 and 2007, there were large and persistent racial/ethnic disparities noted in the receipt of LT among patients with HCC. These disparities were not explained by sociodemographic or clinical factors. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Cancer health disparities in racial/ethnic minorities in the United States

There are well-established disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes by race/ethnicity that result from the interplay between structural, socioeconomic, socio-environmental, behavioural and biological factors. However, large research studies designed to investigate factors contributing to cancer aetiology and progression have mainly focused on populations of European origin. The limitations in clinicopathological and genetic data, as well as the reduced availability of biospecimens from diverse populations, contribute to the knowledge gap and have the potential to widen cancer health disparities. In this review, we summarise reported disparities and associated factors in the United States of America (USA) for the most common cancers (breast, prostate, lung and colon), and for a subset of other cancers that highlight the complexity of disparities (gastric, liver, pancreas and leukaemia). We focus on populations commonly identified and referred to as racial/ethnic minorities in the USA—African Americans/Blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asians, Native Hawaiians/other Pacific Islanders and Hispanics/Latinos. We conclude that even though substantial progress has been made in understanding the factors underlying cancer health disparities, marked inequities persist. Additional efforts are needed to include participants from diverse populations in the research of cancer aetiology, biology and treatment. Furthermore, to eliminate cancer health disparities, it will be necessary to facilitate access to, and utilisation of, health services to all individuals, and to address structural inequities, including racism, that disproportionally affect racial/ethnic minorities in the USA.Subject terms: Cancer epidemiology, Cancer epidemiology     

Head and neck carcinoma in the United States

BACKGROUND:

Detailed information about how patients with head and neck carcinoma (HNC) are treated across practice settings does not exist. The authors conducted a prospective, observational study to examine the patterns of care for a series of patients with newly diagnosed HNC in the United States and to test 2 hypotheses: 1) There is no difference in the pattern of care between community and academic settings; and 2) the results of major randomized clinical trials will change the pattern of care in both practice settings within 1 year of publication in peer‐reviewed journals.

METHODS:

Patients aged ≥18 years were enrolled in the Longitudinal Oncology Registry of Head and Neck Carcinoma (LORHAN) after providing written informed consent if they had a confirmed diagnosis of new HNC and were scheduled to receive treatment other than surgery alone.

RESULTS:

Between 2005 and 2010, 100 centers enrolled 4243 patients, including 2612 patients (62%) from academic investigators and 1631 patients (38%) from community centers. Initial treatments were radiation with concurrent chemotherapy (30%) or cetuximab (9%), adjuvant radiotherapy (21%), induction chemotherapy (16%), and other (24%). Intensity modulated radiation therapy was the dominant radiation technique (84%). Single‐agent cisplatin was prescribed in nearly half of patients and more often in academic centers (53% vs 43% of patients; P < .0001). Single‐agent cetuximab was the next most common drug used (19%) and was prescribed more frequently in community settings (24% vs 17%; P = .0001). The data rejected the 2 prospective hypotheses.

CONCLUSIONS:

LORHAN documented differences in patient characteristics and treatments between community and academic settings for a large series of patients in the United States. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society.