A Novel Colorectal and Cervical Cancer Education Program: Findings from the Community Network for Cancer Prevention Forum Theater Program

Medically underserved populations continue to be disproportionately burdened by cancer. The exact reason for this disparity has not been fully elucidated, but likely involves multiple factors. We explored the potential utility of a novel community-based cancer education program called Forum Theater (FT), aimed at raising awareness about colorectal (CRC) and cervical cancer (CxC) screening among African–American, Hispanic, and Vietnamese populations. We also determined audience likelihood of obtaining CRC and CxC screening in the 6 months following performances. Thirty FT performances were held between September 2011 and July 2012. A brief survey was administered at each performance, eliciting responses on key CRC and CxC screening questions. A total of 662 community residents (316 Hispanic, 165 African–American, and 181 Vietnamese; overall mean age 50.3?±?16.4) participated in performances. The survey response rate was 71.1 %. After seeing FT performances, the majority responded correctly (>70 %) on CRC and CxC screening questions. In comparison to Hispanic and Vietnamese participants, African–Americans were less likely to report that CRC and CxC are preventable (p?<?0.05), that timely and regular screening saves lives (p?=?0.05), and that CxC screening should begin at age 21 for most women (p?<?0.05). Our findings suggest that FT may be an effective strategy to disseminate cancer screening information. Lack of awareness that CRC/CxC screening saves lives and that CRC/CxC is preventable, as reported by African–Americans, may not stem from lack of knowledge or misconceptions alone, but may be influenced by a sense of fatalism regarding cancer outcomes in this population.     

Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma: A comprehensive review

Acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) is a rare pancreatic malignancy with distinctive clinical, molecular, and morphological features. The long-term survival of ACC patients is substantially superior to that of pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients. As there are no significant patient series about ACCs, our understanding of this illness is mainly based on case reports and limited patient series. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice for patients with the disease restricted to one organ; however, with recent breakthroughs in precision medicine, medicines targeting the one-of-a-kind molecular profile of ACC are on the horizon. There are no standard treatment protocols available for people in which a total surgical resection to cure the condition is not possible. As a result of shared genetic alterations, ACCs are chemosensitive to agents with activity against pancreatic adenocarcinomas and colorectal carcinomas. The role of neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemoradiotherapy has not been established. This article aims to do a comprehensive literature study and present the most recent information on acinar cell cancer.     

Blood salvage and cancer surgery: a meta‐analysis of available studies

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative blood salvage (IBS) is a technique that is frequently used in major blood loss surgery. Classically, it is avoided during cancer surgery where a fear exists of entraining cancer cells into the shed blood. In this study, all reports of this practice were collected to determine if this fear is warranted. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A literature search was performed including the search phrases “blood salvage,”“intraoperative blood salvage,”“cell salvage,”“cell saver,”“cell saving,”“autotransfusion,” and “autologous transfusion.” Data extracted from suitable papers included the authors' names, publication year, cancer type, exclusion criteria, sample size, length of follow‐up, and the mean patient age. The primary endpoint of this meta‐analysis was a comparison of the odds ratio (OR) for cancer recurrence or the development of metastases. RESULTS: Eleven studies were included in the analysis. The pooled summary of the OR was 0.65 (95% confidence interval, 0.43‐0.98; p = 0.0391) using a random‐effects model. Measures of heterogeneity, Q‐statistics (p = 0.1615) and I² (30.90%), did not indicate a high degree of between‐study variability. CONCLUSIONS: While significant variability existed between studies, this meta‐analysis suggests that outcomes after the use of IBS are not inferior to traditional intraoperative allogeneic transfusion. An adequately powered prospective, randomized trial of IBS use is required to determine its true risk during cancer surgery.