Successful recruitment of healthy African American men to genomic studies from high‐volume community health fairs

BACKGROUND:

Study of genomic data obtained from patient biospecimens is frequent in research of subjects with prostate and other epithelial malignancies. Understanding of the characteristics of healthy men who participate in genomic research is limited.

METHODS:

Patients were identified through the Prostate Cancer Genetic Risk Evaluation of SNPs Study and the Indiana University Cancer Biomarker Study, 2 population‐based biomarker and cohort studies. Between 2006 and 2010, healthy Caucasian (n = 774) and healthy African American (n = 381) men were recruited and enrolled at high‐volume free community health fairs. Each participant completed a demographic questionnaire and provided a blood sample for genomic research investigations. Frequency differences between demographic features of healthy African American and Caucasian men were compared and analyzed by 2‐sample t test and multivariate logistic regression after adjusting potential confounding variables with significance at the P < .05 level. Features examined included: age, body mass index (BMI), income, education, marital status, tobacco, alcohol, family history, prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level, and prior prostate cancer screening history.

RESULTS:

Significant differences between healthy Caucasian and African American men participating in genomic research included: marital status (married, 69% Caucasian vs 46% African American, P< < .001), mean age (years, 58 Caucasian vs 54 African American, P < .001), mean BMI (kg/m², 30.9 Caucasian vs 32.3 African American, P = .004), annual income (P = .038), education (P = .002), and mean PSA (ng/mL, 1.2 Caucasian vs 2.0 African American, P = .005).

CONCLUSIONS:

Significant demographic differences exist between healthy Caucasian and African American men choosing to participate in genomic research. These differences may be important in designing genomic research study recruitment strategies. Cancer 2012;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Impact of race on survival in patients with clinically nonmetastatic prostate cancer who deferred primary treatment

BACKGROUND:

Prostate cancer (PCa) racial disparity studies typically focus on survival differences after curative treatment. The authors of this report hypothesized that comparing mortality rates between African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) patients who deferred primary treatment for clinically nonmetastatic PCa may provide a better assessment of the impact of race on the natural course of PCa.

METHODS:

The pathology database of the New York Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC), an equal access‐of‐care facility, was searched for patients with biopsy‐proven PCa. Inclusion criteria included 1) no evidence of metastatic disease or death within 3 years after diagnosis, 2) no primary treatment, and 3) a minimum of 5 years of follow‐up for survivors.

RESULTS:

In total, 518 patients met inclusion criteria between 1990 and 2005. AA patients were younger (P = .02) and had higher median prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) levels (P = .001) at the time of diagnosis compared with CA patients. In a multivariate model, higher Gleason score and PSA level were associated with increased mortality (P = .001 and P = .03, respectively), but race was not a predictor of death from PCa.

CONCLUSIONS:

The current data suggested that race did not have a major impact on survival in patients with PCa who deferred primary treatment for clinically nonmetastatic disease. Cancer 2012;118: 3145–52. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Racial disparities and socioeconomic status in men diagnosed with testicular germ cell tumors: a survival analysis

BACKGROUND:

Previous reports indicated that African‐American men with testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) have more aggressive tumor characteristics and less favorable outcomes than other men. The authors of this report evaluated the effects of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on stage distribution, overall mortality (OM), and cancer‐specific mortality (CSM) in men with TGCTs.

METHODS:

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to identify 22,553 men who were diagnosed with TGCTs between 1988 and 2006. Kaplan‐Meier and Cox regression analyses were generated to predict OM and CSM. Covariates of the analyses included race, SES, age, histologic subtype, disease stage, procedure type, SEER registry, and year of diagnosis. The interaction between race and SES also was examined.

RESULTS:

Overall, there were 516 African‐American men, 21,090 Caucasian men, and 947 men of other races. African‐Americans (14.9%) and individuals with low SES (10.7%) had a higher proportion of distant stage disease. CSM and OM rates were significantly higher for African‐American patients and for patients who resided in low SES counties. Multivariate analyses revealed that African‐American men and men with low SES were more likely to die of OM and CSM relative to Caucasian men (P < .001) and men with high SES (P < .001), respectively. The interaction between race and SES was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS:

African‐American race and low SES appeared to predispose men to more advanced disease stages and to higher OM and CSM rates. These observations may warrant race‐specific and/or SES‐specific adjustments in the treatment of TGCT. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Prostate cancer‐specific mortality and the extent of therapy in healthy elderly men with high‐risk prostate cancer

BACKGROUND:

The risk of prostate cancer‐specific mortality (PCSM) in healthy elderly men may depend on extent of treatment. The authors of this report compared the use of brachytherapy alone with combined brachytherapy, external‐beam radiation to the prostate and seminal vesicles, and androgen‐suppression therapy (CMT) in this population.

METHODS:

The study cohort comprised 764 men aged ≥65 years with high‐risk prostate cancer (T3 or T4N0M0, prostate‐specific antigen >20 ng/mL, and/or Gleason score 8‐10) who received either brachytherapy alone (n = 206) or CMT (n = 558) at the Chicago Prostate Cancer Center or at a 21st Century Oncology facility. Men either had no history of myocardial infarction (MI) or had a history of MI treated with a stent or surgical intervention. Fine and Gray regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with PCSM.

RESULTS:

The median patient age was 73 years (interquartile range, 70‐77 years). After a median follow‐up of 4.9 years, 25 men died of prostate cancer. After adjusting for age and prostate cancer prognostic factors, the risk of PCSM was significantly less (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.29; 95% confidence interval, 0.12‐0.68; P = .004) for men who received CMT than for men who received brachytherapy alone. Other factors that were associated significantly with an increased risk of PCSM included a Gleason score of 8 to 10 (P = .017).

CONCLUSIONS:

Elderly men who had high‐risk prostate cancer without cardiovascular disease or with surgically corrected cardiovascular disease had a lower risk of PCSM when they received CMT than when they received brachytherapy alone. These results support aggressive locoregional treatment in healthy elderly men with high‐risk prostate cancer. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.     

Inappropriate utilization of radiographic imaging in men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer in the United States

BACKGROUND:

The use of radiographic imaging (bone scan and computerized tomography) is only recommended for men diagnosed with high‐risk prostate cancer characteristics. The authors sought to characterize utilization patterns of imaging in men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer.

METHODS:

The authors performed a population‐based observational cohort study using the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results‐Medicare linked data to identify 30,183 men diagnosed with prostate cancer during 2004 to 2005.

RESULTS:

Thirty‐four percent of men with low‐risk and 48% with intermediate‐risk prostate cancer underwent imaging, whereas only 60% of men with high‐risk disease received imaging before treatment. Radiographic imaging utilization was greater for men who were older than 75 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20‐1.37; P < .001), were black (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.01‐1.21; P = .030), resided in wealthier areas (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.08‐1.32 for median income >$60,000 vs <$35,000; P < .001), lived in rural regions (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.12‐1.36; P < .001), or underwent standard radiation therapies (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.60‐1.84; P < .001). Imaging utilization was less for men living in areas with greater high school education (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.75‐0.91 between highest and lowest graduation rates; P < .001) or opting for active surveillance (OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.15‐0.19 vs radical prostatectomy; P < .001). The estimated cost of unnecessary imaging over this 2‐year period exceeded $3.6 million.

CONCLUSIONS:

In the United States, there is widespread overutilization of imaging for low‐risk and intermediate‐risk prostate cancer, whereas a worrisome number of men with high‐risk disease did not receive appropriate imaging studies to exclude metastases before therapy. Cancer 2012;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Race impacts outcome in stage III/IV squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck after concurrent chemoradiation therapy

BACKGROUND:

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of race on outcome in patients with stage III/IV squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) who have completed concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

METHODS:

The authors performed a retrospective analysis of 202 patients with stage III/IV SCCHN who were treated at the University of Maryland. Patients received daily radiation to a total dose of 70.2 Gray (Gy) (1.8 Gy/day), concurrently with weekly carboplatin (area under the curve [AUC] = 2) and paclitaxel (45 mg/m²) chemotherapy.

RESULTS:

There were 108 Caucasian (CA) and 94 African American (AA) patients. The median age was 56 years, and 81% were stage IV. The median follow‐up was 33 months. The median overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) were 33 months and 19 months, respectively. When analyzed by race, the median DFS was 33 months (CA) versus 12 months (AA) (P = .028). The median OS was 44 months (CA) versus 24 months (AA) (P = .071). The 3‐year DFS for stage IV AA versus stage IV CA was 29% versus 50% (P = .031). The 3‐year DFS for N2 disease in AA versus CA was 32% versus 51% (P = .046). The 3‐year DFS for AA versus CA with oropharyngeal tumors was 30% versus 60% (P = .006).

CONCLUSIONS:

This analysis documents the inferior outcome for AA patients. They had inferior DFS and a trend toward worse OS. When stratified by several prognostic variables, the mediocre DFS in the AA patients remains. These data suggest that further investigation into the genetic characteristics of SCCHN in AA patients is warranted. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.     

Mortality in men with localized prostate cancer treated with brachytherapy with or without neoadjuvant hormone therapy

BACKGROUND:

Discrepancies exist regarding the impact of neoadjuvant hormone therapy (NHT) on the risk of all‐cause mortality (ACM) in men who receive brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to examine the effect of NHT on the risk of ACM in men with prostate cancer who receive with brachytherapy.

METHODS:

The study cohort included 2474 men with localized prostate cancer who either received NHT (N = 1083) or did not receive NHT (N = 1391) and brachytherapy without supplemental external beam radiation between 1991 and 2005 at centers within the 21st Century Oncology Consortium. All men had at least 2 years of follow‐up. Low‐risk, intermediate‐risk, and high‐risk disease was present in 65%, 23%, and 12% of men, respectively. A Cox regression multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the risk of ACM in men who received NHT compared with all others adjusting for age, prostate‐specific antigen level, Gleason score, and tumor classification.

RESULTS:

After a median follow‐up of 4.8 years (interquartile range, 3.3‐7.5 years) and adjusting for known prostate cancer prognostic factors and age, treatment with NHT was associated significantly with an increased risk of ACM (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.01‐1.53; P = .04) in men aged ≥73 years. In men who were younger than the median age of 73 years, hormone therapy use was not significant (P = .34).

CONCLUSIONS:

Compared with men who were younger than the median age of 73 years, men aged ≥73 years with localized prostate cancer who received brachytherapy and NHT had an increased risk of ACM compared with men who did not receive NHT. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.     

Biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy for prevalent versus incident cases of prostate cancer : implications for management

BACKGROUND.

Among screened populations, it is unknown whether men with prostate cancer (PC) diagnosed at the initial screening (prevalent cases) have a different outcome than men who are diagnosed at subsequent screenings (incident cases) after adjusting for known prognostic factors.

METHODS.

The current study cohort was comprised of 1923 men from a prospective PC screening study who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) between September 19, 1989 and May 22, 2002. Cox regression multivariate analysis was used to determine whether having prevalent PC versus incident PC was associated with the time to prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) failure after RP after adjusting for PSA level, Gleason score, clinical tumor (T) classification, and year of RP.

RESULTS.

Men with prevalent PC had higher PSA levels (P < .001) and more advanced clinical T classification (P < .001) than men with incident PC. After a median follow‐up of 6.1 years, factors that were associated with a significantly shorter time to PSA failure after RP were prevalent PC (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 1.8; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.3‐2.6; P = .0005), baseline PSA (AHR, 1.07; 95%CI, 1.04‐1.09; P < .001), Gleason 7 disease (AHR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.9‐3.3; P < .001), Gleason 8 to 10 disease (AHR, 2.3; 95%CI, 1.5‐3.5; P < .001), and the year of RP (AHR, 0.92; 95%CI, 0.86‐0.97; P = .003). Men with prevalent PC also had worse outcomes after adjusting for their more advanced pathologic features.

CONCLUSIONS.

After adjusting for known prognostic factors, men with prevalent PC had a poorer outcome after RP than men with incident PC. The authors believe that this finding should be taken into consideration when weighing the risk of recurrence and treatment options for men who are diagnosed with PC on their initial screening. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.     

Outcomes after prostate brachytherapy are even better than predicted

BACKGROUND:

During the first 3 years after prostate cancer treatment with radiation therapy, benign prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) bounces are difficult for clinicians to distinguish from a biochemical recurrence, which can result in unnecessary interventions and erroneous predictions of outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate a commonly used PSA failure definition in a multinational, multi‐institutional study after monotherapy with prostate brachytherapy.

METHODS:

Participants were selected from 2919 men who underwent permanent prostate brachytherapy at the University Medical Center Utrecht, Princess Margaret Hospital, or Seattle Prostate Institute between 1998 and 2006. Inclusion required not having received androgen‐deprivation therapy and having at least 30 months of follow‐up. Failure was defined as any post‐treatment use of hormone therapy, clinical relapse, or prostogram‐defined biochemical (PSA) failure. Cases in which the nomogram predicted biochemical failure were evaluated at each institution to verify biochemical status over time and the actual clinical outcome at 5 years.

RESULTS:

The median follow‐up for the 1816 patients was 5.2 years. Concordance between the prostogram‐predicted and actual outcomes, as measured by the Harrell c statistic, was 0.655 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.536‐0.774; P = .010) for the Princess Margaret group, 0.493 (95% CI, 0.259‐0.648; P = .955) for the Seattle group, and 0.696 (95% CI, 0.648‐0.744, P < .001) for the Utrecht group. The overall mean difference in biochemical recurrence‐free survival at 5 years between actual outcomes and prostogram‐defined outcomes was 9.2% (95% CI, 7.7%‐10.6%). The total numbers of prostogram‐defined and actual biochemical failures were 312 and 157, respectively (P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS:

The widely used prostogram could not adequately distinguish a benign PSA bounce from a biochemical recurrence after prostate brachytherapy and could not be used to counsel patients about their predicted outcomes after treatment. The authors conclude that, to avoid unnecessary active interventions after treatment, clinicians should monitor PSA levels for at least 3 years and provide reassurance to patients that a PSA rise during this time is common and may not indicate a treatment failure. Cancer 2012;118:839–847. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Obesity as a predictor of adverse outcome across black and white race

BACKGROUND:

Across multiple studies, obesity has been associated with an increased risk of higher grade disease and prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP). Whether these associations vary by race is unknown. In the current study, the authors examined the association between obesity and outcome after RP stratified by race.

METHODS:

A retrospective analysis was performed on 1415 men in the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) database who underwent RP between 1989 and 2008. The association between increased body mass index (BMI) and adverse pathology and biochemical recurrence was examined using multivariate logistic regression and Cox models, respectively. Data were examined stratified by race.

RESULTS:

After adjusting for preoperative clinical characteristics, higher BMI was associated with higher tumor grade (P = .008) and positive surgical margins (P < .001) in white men, and similar but statistically nonsignificant trends were observed in black men. No significant interaction was noted between race and BMI for associations with adverse pathology (P_interaction≥.12). After adjusting for preoperative clinical characteristics, higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of recurrence in both white men (P = .001) and black men (P = .03). After further adjusting for pathologic variables, higher BMI was associated with significantly increased risk of recurrence in white men (P = .002) and black men (P = .01). No significant interactions were observed between race and BMI for predicting biochemical progression adjusting either for preoperative factors (P_interaction = .35) or for preoperative and pathologic features (P_interaction = .47).

CONCLUSIONS:

Obesity was associated with a greater risk of recurrence among both black men and white men. Obesity did not appear to be more or less influential in 1 race than another but, rather, was identified as a risk factor for aggressive cancer regardless of race. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.     

Population‐based 10‐year oncologic outcomes after low‐dose‐rate brachytherapy for low‐risk and intermediate‐risk prostate cancer

BACKGROUND.

The objective of this study was to report the rates of disease‐free survival (DFS), cause‐specific survival (CSS), and overall survival after low‐dose‐rate (LDR) prostate brachytherapy (PB).

METHODS.

Data from 1006 consecutive patients with prostate cancer who received LDR‐PB and underwent implantation on or before October 23, 2003 were extracted from a prospective database on November 11, 2011. The selected patients had low‐risk (58%) or intermediate‐risk (42%) disease according to National Comprehensive Cancer Network criteria. The Phoenix threshold was used to define biochemical relapse. Sixty‐five percent of patients received 3 months of neoadjuvant androgen‐deprivation therapy (ADT) and 3 months of concomitant ADT. Univariate and multivariate analyses are reported in relation to patient, tumor, and treatment variables.

RESULTS.

The median follow‐up was 7.5 years. By using Fine and Gray competing risks analysis, the 5‐year and 10‐year actuarial DFS rates were 96.7% (95% confidence interval, 95.2%‐97.7%) and 94.1% (95% confidence interval, 92%‐95.6%), respectively. When applied to the whole cohort, none of the usual prognostic variables, including dose metrics, were correlated with DFS. However, in both univariate and multivariate models, increasing dose was the only covariate that correlated with improved DFS for the subset of men (N = 348) who did not receive ADT (P = .043). The actuarial 10‐year CSS rate was 99.1% (95% confidence interval, 97.3%‐99.7%). The overall survival rate was 93.8% at 5 years (95% confidence interval, 92%‐95.1%) and 83.5% at 10 years (95% confidence interval, 79.8%‐86.6%). Only age at implantation (P = .0001) was correlated with overall survival in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS.

In a consecutive cohort of 1006 men with National Comprehensive Cancer Network low‐risk and intermediate‐risk prostate cancer, the actuarial rate of recurrent disease after LDR‐PB was approximately 3% at 5 years and 6% at 10 years. Cancer 2013. © 2012 American Cancer Society.     

Association between exercise and primary incidence of prostate cancer

BACKGROUND:

Exercise is a modifiable lifestyle risk factor associated with prostate cancer risk reduction. However, whether this association is different as a function of race is unclear. In the current study, the authors attempted to characterize the link between exercise and prostate cancer (CaP) in white and black American men.

METHODS:

Using a prospective design, 307 men (164 of whom were white and 143 of whom were black) who were undergoing prostate biopsy completed a self‐reported survey that assessed exercise behavior (metabolic equivalent [MET] hours per week). Crude and adjusted logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the risk of prostate cancer controlling for age, body mass index, digital rectal examination findings, previous biopsy, Charlson comorbidity score, and family history of CaP stratified by self‐reported race.

RESULTS:

There was no significant difference noted with regard to the amount of exercise between racial groups (P = .12). Higher amounts of MET hours per week were associated with a decreased risk of CaP for white men in both crude (P = .02) and adjusted (P = .04) regression models. Among whites, men who exercised ≥ 9 MET hours per week were less likely to have a positive biopsy result compared with men exercising < 9 MET hours per week (odds ratio, 0.47; 95% confidence interval, 0.22‐0.99 [P = .047]). There was no association noted between MET hours per week and risk of CaP among black men in both crude (P = .79) and adjusted (P = .76) regression models.

CONCLUSIONS:

In a prospective cohort of men undergoing biopsy, increased exercise, measured as MET hours per week, was found to be associated with CaP risk reduction among white but not black men. Investigating race‐specific mechanisms by which exercise modifies CaP risk and why these mechanisms disfavor black men in particular are warranted. Cancer 2013. © 2013 American Cancer Society.     

Treatment adherence and outcome in women with inflammatory breast cancer

BACKGROUND:

The authors compared treatment adherence rates and outcome in Caucasian and African American patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).

METHODS:

The records of 55 (25 Caucasian and 30 African American) IBC patients treated with curative intent from 1995 to 2009 were reviewed. All patients received neoadjuvant doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and/or taxane‐based chemotherapy, and mastectomy with or without radiotherapy. The median follow‐up period for Caucasian and African American patients was similar (39.5 months and 36.1 months, respectively).

RESULTS:

There was no difference between races in median age, tumor size, grade, and receptor status at diagnosis. The number of patients who completed neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy did not differ by race (84% of Caucasians vs 86.7% of African Americans) nor did the median length of time to complete trimodality treatment (263 [range, 207‐422] days for Caucasians vs 262 [range, 165‐371] days for African Americans). There was a trend toward slightly higher pathological complete response rates in Caucasian than African American women (20% in Caucasians vs 6.7% in African Americans, P = .23). Despite slightly better response rates to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, Caucasian patients did not have higher 3‐year local control rates (70% in Caucasians vs 64% in African Americans, P = .73). However, there was a trend toward higher 3‐year overall survival in Caucasian versus African American patients (73% in Caucasians vs 55% in African Americans, P = .09) and higher distant metastasis‐free survival (60% in Caucasians vs 40% in African Americans, P = .19).

CONCLUSIONS:

This study is among the largest to examine patients with IBC by race. Being Caucasian or African American did not appear to impact treatment adherence. However, African American patients tended to have poorer response to standard treatment and worse outcome than Caucasian patients. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Effect of race and socioeconomic status on surgical margins and biochemical outcomes in an equal-access health care setting: Results from the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) database

BACKGROUND:

The impact of race and socioeconomic status (SES) in prostate cancer (CaP) outcomes has been well‐studied, but controversy remains. The associations of race/SES with intermediate CaP outcomes, including positive surgical margin (PSM) and biochemical recurrence (BCR), were explored in an equal‐access setting.

METHODS:

Data were retrospectively collected from 2502 men in the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospitals (SEARCH) database who underwent radical prostatectomy from 1989 to 2010. SES (income, education, employment, and poverty) was estimated from linkage of home ZIP code to census data. Logistic regression with adjustment for pre‐ and postoperative covariates estimated risk for associations between race/SES and pathologic outcomes. Cox proportional hazards models estimated risk for associations between race/SES and time to BCR.

RESULTS:

Black men were more likely to have lower SES than white men (P < .001). On multivariate analysis, race was not associated with PSM, but higher SES was associated with less PSM and fewer Gleason sum ≥ 7 pathologic tumors when SES was assessed by education, employment, or poverty (P trend ≤ .051) and income, employment, or poverty (P trend ≤ 0.059), respectively. Crude Cox models showed black men had higher BCR risk (hazards ratio = 1.20, 95% confidence interval = 1.05‐1.38, P = .009) that persisted after adjustment for covariates including SES (hazards ratio ≥ 1.18, P ≤ .040). Higher SES measured by income and poverty were associated with less BCR, but only for black men (P trend ≤ .048).

CONCLUSIONS:

Even in an equal‐access setting, higher SES predicted lower PSM risk, and race persisted in predicting BCR despite adjustment for SES. Low SES black patients may be at greatest risk for postprostatectomy BCR. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society.     

Disparities in survival among women with invasive cervical cancer

BACKGROUND:

In this study, the authors sought to understand the effects of patient race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) on outcomes for cervical cancer.

METHOD:

The Florida Cancer Data System and the Agency for Health Care Administration data sets (1998‐2003) were merged and queried. Survival outcomes for patients with invasive cervical cancer were compared between different races, ethnicities, and community poverty levels.

RESULTS:

In total, 5367 patients with cervical cancers were identified. The overall median survival was 43 months. Significantly longer survival was observed for Caucasians (47.1 months vs 28.8 months for African Americans [AA]; P < .001), Hispanics (52.8 months vs 41.6 months for non‐Hispanics; P < .001), the insured (63 months vs 41.2 months for uninsured; P < .001), and patients from more affluent communities (53.3 months where <5% lived in poverty vs 36.9 months where >15% lived in poverty; P < .001). Surgery was associated with dramatically improved survival. AA women who were diagnosed with cervical cancer were significantly less likely to undergo surgical treatment with curative intent compared with Caucasian women (P < .001). However, on multivariate analysis, independent predictors of poorer outcomes were insurance status, tumor stage, tumor grade, and treatment. Neither race, nor ethnicity, nor SES was an independent predictor of poorer outcome.

CONCLUSIONS:

Race, ethnic, and SES disparities in cervical cancer survival were explained by late‐stage presentation and under‐treatment. Earlier diagnosis and greater access to surgery and other treatments would significantly improve the survival of women with cervical cancer. Cancer 2009. © 2008 American Cancer Society.     

Statin use and fatal prostate cancer: a matched case-control study

BACKGROUND:

Statins are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in medical practice, and prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among men. Although there has been no consistent evidence that statins affect cancer incidence, including prostate cancer, several reports suggest they may decrease the rate of advanced prostate cancer. However, no study to date has specifically examined statin use and prostate cancer mortality. The authors conducted this population‐based case‐control investigation to examine this association.

METHODS:

This was a matched case‐control study. Cases were residents of New Jersey ages 55 to 79 years who died from prostate cancer between 1997 and 2000. The cases were matched individually to population‐based controls by 5‐year age group and race. Medication data were obtained identically for cases and controls from blinded medical chart review. Conditional logistic regression was used to adjust for confounders.

RESULTS:

In total, 718 cases were identified, and cooperation was obtained from 77% of their spouses (N = 553). After a review of medical records, 387 men were eligible, and 380 were matched to a control. The unadjusted odds ratio was 0.49 (95% confidence interval, 0.34‐0.70) and decreased to 0.37 (P < .0001) after adjusting for education, waist size, body mass index, comorbidities, and antihypertensive medication. There was little difference between lipophilic and hydrophilic statins, but more risk reduction was noted for high‐potency statins (73%; P < .0001) compared with low‐potency statins (31%; P = .32).

CONCLUSIONS:

Statin use was associated with substantial protection against prostate cancer death, adding to the epidemiologic evidence for an inhibitory effect on prostate cancer. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Improvement of racial disparities with respect to the utilization of minimally invasive radical prostatectomy in the United States

BACKGROUND:

Race represents an established barrier to health care access in the United States and elsewhere. We examined whether race affects the utilization rate of minimally invasive radical prostatectomy (MIRP) in a population‐based sample of individuals from the United States.

METHODS:

Within the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), we focused on patients in whom MIRP and open radical prostatectomy (ORP) were performed between 2001 and 2007. We assessed the proportions and temporal trends in race distributions between MIRP and ORP. Multivariable logistic regression analyses further adjusted for age, year of surgery, baseline Charlson Comorbidity Index, annual hospital caseload tertiles, hospital region, insurance status, and median zip code income.

RESULTS:

Of 65,148 radical prostatectomies, 3581 (5.5%) were MIRPs. African Americans accounted for 11.4% of patients versus 78.8% for Caucasians versus 9.9% for others. Between 2001 and 2007, the annual proportions of Caucasian patients treated with MIRP were 2.2%, 0.9%, 2.6%, 7.2%, 4.7%, 9.3%, and 11.6%, respectively (chi‐square trend p<0.001). For the same years in African American patients, the proportions were 0.8, 0.3, 1.4, 4.4, 3.5, 9.0 and 8.4% (chi‐square trend P < .001). In multivariable analyses relative to Caucasian patients, African American patients were 14% less likely to undergo MIRP (P = .01). After period stratification between years 2001‐2005 versus 2006‐2007, African Americans were 22% less likely to undergo a MIRP in the early period (P = .007) versus 11% less likely to have a MIRP in the contemporary period (P = .1).

CONCLUSIONS:

The racial discrepancies in MIRP utilization rates are gradually improving. Cancer 2012;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Survival disparities among African American women with invasive bladder cancer in Florida

BACKGROUND:

The authors sought to understand the effect of patient sex, race, and socioeconomic status (SES) on outcomes for bladder cancer.

METHOD:

The Florida Cancer Data System and the Agency for Health Care Administration data sets (1998‐2003) were merged and queried. Survival outcomes for patients with bladder cancer were compared between different races, ethnicities, and community poverty levels.

RESULTS:

A total of 31,100 people with bladder cancer were identified. Overall median survival time was 62.7 months. Statistically significantly longer survival times were observed in men (62.8 months vs 62.3 months for women), whites (63.0 months vs 39.6 months for African Americans [AAs], P < .001), non‐Hispanics (62.9 months vs 56.4 months for Hispanics, P < .001), and patients from more affluent communities (74.0 months where <5% live in poverty vs 53.0 months where >15% live in poverty, P < .001). Surgery was associated with dramatically improved survival. AA women diagnosed with bladder cancer were significantly less likely to have endoscopic surgical resection compared with white women (P < .001). On multivariate analysis, independent predictors of poorer outcomes were older age, AA race, female sex, degree of community poverty, histologic tumor grade, advanced tumor stage, and lack of surgical treatment.

CONCLUSIONS:

Racial and SES disparities in bladder cancer survival were not fully explained by late‐stage presentation and undertreatment. Although earlier diagnosis and greater access to surgery would likely yield some improvement in outcomes for AA women, more research is needed to understand the remaining survival gap for this population. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.     

Utilization and expense of adjuvant cancer therapies following radical prostatectomy

BACKGROUND:

We sought to identify the costs of adjuvant therapies following radical prostatectomy (RP) and factors associated with their receipt.

METHODS:

We used SEER‐Medicare data from 2004‐2006 to identify 4247 men who underwent RP, of whom 600 subsequently received adjuvant therapies. We used Cox regression to identify factors associated with receipt of adjuvant therapies. Health care expenditures within 12 months of diagnosis were compared for RP alone versus RP with adjuvant therapies.

RESULTS:

Biopsy Gleason score, prostate‐specific antigen, risk group, and SEER region were significantly associated with receipt of adjuvant treatments (all P<.001). Higher surgeon volume was associated with lower odds of receiving adjuvant therapies (hazard ratio [HR], 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46‐0.78 [P<.001]). Factors associated with increased receipt of adjuvant therapies were positive surgical margins (HR, 3.02; 95% CI, 2.55‐3.57 [P<.001]), high‐risk group versus low‐risk group (HR, 7.65; 95% CI, 5.64‐10.37 [P<.001]), lymph node–positive disease (HR, 5.36; 95% CI, 3.71‐7.75 [P<.001]), and treatment in Iowa (HR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.12‐3.32 [P = .019]) and New Mexico/Georgia/Hawaii (HR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.09‐3.39 [P = .025]) versus San Francisco SEER regions (baseline). Age, race, comorbidities, and surgical approach were not associated with use of adjuvant therapies. The median expenditures attributable to postprostatectomy hormonal therapy, radiation therapy, and radiation with hormonal therapy versus were $1361, $12,040, and $23,487.

CONCLUSIONS:

Men treated by high‐volume surgeons were less likely to receive adjuvant therapies. Regional variation and high‐risk disease characteristics were associated with increased receipt of adjuvant therapies, which increased health care expenditures by 2‐ to 3‐fold when radiotherapy was administered. Cancer 2011. © 2011 American Cancer Society.