Differences in pathological and clinical features of breast cancer in Arab as compared to Jewish women in Northern Israel

Breast cancer (BC) does not affect ethnic groups equally. BC mortality is higher in Israeli Palestinian Arab women than among Israeli Jewish women. This study aims to compare clinical, biological and pathological characteristics of breast cancer in the two populations. Records of 1,140 women with BC treated at Northern Israel between 2002 and 2007 were reviewed: 872 Jews and 268 Arabs. Age at diagnosis, tumor stage, pathological differentiation, estrogen receptor (ER) and HER-2 expression were evaluated. The main age at diagnosis was 49.9 years for Arabs and 59.4 years for Jews (p < 0.0001). Mean tumor size was < 2 cm in 25% of Arabs and 53% of Jews (p < 0.0001). Lymph node metastases presented in 64.6% of Arabs and 37.2% of Jews (p < 0.0001). Stage I disease was 19% in Arab and 49.2% in Jewish women while Stages III and IV disease was 42% and 11.3% respectively (p < 0.001). ER was positive in 69% of Arabs and in 78.5% of Jews (p < 0.001). Poorly differentiated tumors were found in 28.8% of Arabs vs. 12.8% in Jews (p < 0.0001). Overexpression of HER-2 was present in 35.4% of Arab and 22% of Jewish women (p < 0.001). We found that race is an important predictive factor for breast cancer. Arab women are diagnosed at younger age, with more advanced stage and biologically more aggressive disease than in Jewish women. Socioeconomic factors alone are not sufficient to explain significant effects of race on tumor characteristics. Findings suggest a different genetic susceptibility in the two populations which needs further research.     

Long-term outcomes following intraosseous basivertebral nerve ablation for the treatment of chronic low back pain: 5-year treatment arm results from a prospective randomized double-blind sham-controlled multi-center study

Background

Damaged or degenerated vertebral endplates are a significant cause of vertebrogenic chronic low back pain (CLBP). Modic changes are one objective MRI biomarker for these patients. Prior data from the treatment arm of a sham-controlled, RCT showed maintenance of clinical improvements at 2 years following ablation of the basivertebral nerve (BVN). This study reports 5-year clinical outcomes.

Methods

In total, 117 US patients were treated successfully with BVN ablation. Patient-reported outcomes of ODI, VAS, postablation treatments, and patient satisfaction were collected at a minimum of 5-years following BVN ablation. Primary outcome was mean change in ODI. Comparisons between the postablation and baseline values were made using an analysis of covariance with alpha 0.05.

Results

Of the 117 US treated patients 100 (85%) were available for review with a mean follow-up of 6.4 years (5.4–7.8 years). Mean ODI score improved from 42.81 to 16.86 at 5-year follow-up, a reduction of 25.95 points (p < 0.001). Mean reduction in VAS pain score was 4.38 points (baseline of 6.74, p < 0.001). In total, 66% of patients reported a > 50% reduction in pain, 47% reported a > 75% reduction in pain, and 34% of patients reported complete pain resolution. Composite responder rate using thresholds of ≥ 15-point ODI and ≥ 2-point VAS for function and pain at 5 years was 75%.

Conclusion

CLBP patients treated with BVN ablation exhibit sustained clinical improvements in function and pain with high responder rates at a mean of 6.4 years following treatment. BVN ablation is a durable, minimally invasive treatment for vertebrogenic CLBP.