Low-dose computed tomography lung cancer screening as a teachable moment for smoking cessation among African American smokers: A feasibility study

Abstract

Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening may be a teachable moment for smoking cessation among African Americans. African Americans have been understudied within the context of LDCT and smoking cessation. The study objective was to evaluate the feasibility of recruiting African Americans to a future longitudinal trial and to obtain sample size estimates for that trial. Participants (N?=?18) were African Americans eligible for LDCT screening who completed a questionnaire at three time points. Self-efficacy and intention to quit smoking were compared. The results of the current study show that it is feasible to recruit African Americans eligible for LDCT.     

High-grade endometrial cancer: Revisiting the impact of tumor size and location on outcomes

Objective

Research on tumor size (TS) and intracavitary tumor location in endometrial cancer has focused primarily on low-grade tumors. Data in patients with high-grade histology are limited. Our goal is to determine if TS or lower uterine segment (LUS) involvement, is associated with nodal disease and recurrence in women with high-grade endometrial cancer.

Methods

This is an IRB-approved, multi-institutional cohort study of patients with clinically early-stage, high-grade endometrial cancer who underwent comprehensive surgical staging. Records were reviewed for demographic, pathologic, and treatment data. Nodal involvement and recurrence as a function of TS and location were estimated with odds ratios and hazard ratios.

Results

From 2005 to 2012, 208 patients were identified. Of these, 188 patients had tumor location and 183 had TS reported. There were 75 endometrioid (36.1%), 35 serous (16.8%), 12 clear cell (5.8%), and 26 carcinosarcoma (12.5%) cases, and 60 (28.8%) undifferentiated or mixed histologies. There were 55 recurrences (median follow up 17.2 mo). LUS tumors were associated with pelvic and para-aortic nodal disease (OR 3.83, 95% CI 1.70–8.60, p < 0.01, OR 5.13, 95% CI 1.96–13.45, p < 0.01). TS ≥ 2 cm was associated with pelvic nodal disease (27.4% vs. 0%, p = 0.01; OR 10.00, p = 0.01). Neither TS nor LUS location was independently associated with recurrence.

Conclusions

In high-grade endometrial cancers, tumor involvement of the LUS and TS > 2 cm was associated with pelvic nodal disease, and LUS involvement was also significantly associated with para-aortic nodal disease. There was no association between LUS involvement or TS > 2 cm and recurrence.     

Characterization of a human tumorsphere glioma orthotopic model using magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the imaging modality of choice by which to monitor patient gliomas and treatment effects, and has been applied to murine models of glioma. However, a major obstacle to the development of effective glioma therapeutics has been that widely used animal models of glioma have not accurately recapitulated the morphological heterogeneity and invasive nature of this very lethal human cancer. This deficiency is being alleviated somewhat as more representative models are being developed, but there is still a clear need for relevant yet practical models that are well-characterized in terms of their MRI features. Hence we sought to chronicle the MRI profile of a recently developed, comparatively straightforward human tumor stem cell (hTSC) derived glioma model in mice using conventional MRI methods. This model reproduces the salient features of gliomas in humans, including florid neoangiogenesis and aggressive invasion of normal brain. Accordingly, the variable, invasive morphology of hTSC gliomas visualized on MRI duplicated that seen in patients, and it differed considerably from the widely used U87 glioma model that does not invade normal brain. After several weeks of tumor growth the hTSC model exhibited an MRI contrast enhancing phenotype having variable intensity and an irregular shape, which mimicked the heterogeneous appearance observed with human glioma patients. The MRI findings reported here support the use of the hTSC glioma xenograft model combined with MRI, as a test platform for assessing candidate therapeutics for glioma, and for developing novel MR methods.     

Pre-diagnosis health-related quality of life,surgery, and survival in women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: A SEER-MHOS study

Objective

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been found to be associated with overall survival in women with ovarian cancer. However, previous studies assessed HRQOL after surgery within clinical trial populations only. The study goal was to determine the association of pre-cancer diagnosis HRQOL with the likelihood of receiving surgery and with overall survival in a national, population-based cohort of older women with advanced ovarian cancer.

Effects of fatty and lean fish intake on blood pressure in subjects with coronary heart disease using multiple medications

BACKGROUND: Intake of fish and long-chain n-3 fatty acids has been of wide interest due to their beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors and lower coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this pilot study was to examine the effects of fatty fish and lean (white) fish on fatty acid composition of serum lipids and cardiovascular risk factors in subjects with CHD using multiple drugs for this condition. METHODS: The study was an 8-week controlled, parallel intervention. Inclusion criteria were myocardial infarction or unstable ischemic attack, age under 70 years, use of betablockers and presence of sinus rhythm. The subjects were randomized to one of the following groups: 4 meals/week fatty fish (n = 11), 4 meals/week lean fish (n = 12) and control diet including lean meat (n = 10). RESULTS: The mean (+/-SD) of reported fish meals per week was 4.3 +/- 0.4, 4.7 +/- 1.1 and 0.6 +/- 0.4 in the groups, respectively. The proportions of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in serum lipids increased in the fatty fish group only (P < 0.05). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels decreased in the lean fish group (0 vs. 8 week: 3.5 +/- 3.2 and 4.6 +/- 3.6%, respectively, P < 0.05). Serum total triglyceride concentration did not significantly change. HDL cholesterol concentration change differed among groups but without significant post hoc differences. Apolipoprotein A-1 concentration decreased in the control group (0 vs. 8 week, P < 0.05). Coagulation factors, 25-hydroxy vitamin D, and heart rate variability (24 h Holter) did not change among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that intake of lean fish at least four times per week could reduce blood pressure levels in CHD patients.