Inequality in cancer survival rates among industrial sectors in Japan: an analysis of two large merged datasets

Primary care practitioners’ diagnostic action when the patient may have cancer: an exploratory vignette study in 20 European countries

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035678 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. e035678

Author(s):

Michael Harris ◽

Mette Brekke ◽

Geert-Jan Dinant ◽

Magdalena Esteva ◽

Robert Hoffman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Diagnostic Test ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

European Countries ◽

Survey Question ◽

Referral Decisions ◽

Physician Characteristics ◽

Care Survey ◽

Primary Care Practitioners

ObjectivesCancer survival rates vary widely between European countries, with differences in timeliness of diagnosis thought to be one key reason. There is little evidence on the way in which different healthcare systems influence primary care practitioners’ (PCPs) referral decisions in patients who could have cancer.This study aimed to explore PCPs’ diagnostic actions (whether or not they perform a key diagnostic test and/or refer to a specialist) in patients with symptoms that could be due to cancer and how they vary across European countries.DesignA primary care survey. PCPs were given vignettes describing patients with symptoms that could indicate cancer and asked how they would manage these patients. The likelihood of taking immediate diagnostic action (a diagnostic test and/or referral) in the different participating countries was analysed. Comparisons between the likelihood of taking immediate diagnostic action and physician characteristics were calculated.SettingCentres in 20 European countries with widely varying cancer survival rates.ParticipantsA total of 2086 PCPs answered the survey question, with a median of 72 PCPs per country.ResultsPCPs’ likelihood of immediate diagnostic action at the first consultation varied from 50% to 82% between countries. PCPs who were more experienced were more likely to take immediate diagnostic action than their peers.ConclusionWhen given vignettes of patients with a low but significant possibility of cancer, more than half of PCPs across Europe would take diagnostic action, most often by ordering diagnostic tests. However, there are substantial between-country variations.

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Challenges and Perspectives on Breast Cancer Survivorship: The Journey Continues

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.317 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 96-96

Author(s):

Victoria Raveis ◽

Simona Kwon

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Cancer Survivor ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Extended Period ◽

Health Issues ◽

Age Related

Abstract Women have a 1-in-8 lifetime risk of breast cancer. Earlier diagnosis and treatment advances have improved 15- and 20-year survival rates. Increased survival can mean coping with the effects of cancer and its treatment over an extended period of time, while experiencing age-related changes in functioning and the emergence of other health issues. To explore breast cancer survivors’ perspectives on their issues and concerns across the life-course, focus groups were conducted with a culturally diverse sample (N=18) of survivors (72% white, 28% Black, 11% Hispanic). Participants were 44-82 years old. Most, 83% were 50 and older, 56% were 60 and older. The majority (83%) were diagnosed in their 40’s and 50’s. Two were diagnosed in their early 30’s and one at age 68. Participants reaffirmed the necessity, as a breast cancer survivor, of being a life-long health advocate on their own behalf, and the importance of being self-informed. As one woman commented: “Knowledge is power”. Survivors shared that their emergent health issues were complicated by their cancer history, and, that, as a cancer survivor, “I never stop worrying”. A widespread concern was not knowing if the health issues and co-morbidities they experienced (such as joint pain, neuropathy, tendinitis, heart disease), were age-related, a consequence of their cancer, or a late treatment effect. An overriding sentiment expressed was that clinicians have not recognized the importance of quality of life in cancer survival. As a survivor succinctly stated: “We are living longer, but we need to live long with quality of life.”

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Chromosomal copy number heterogeneity predicts survival rates across cancers

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-23384-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Erik van Dijk ◽

Tom van den Bosch ◽

Kristiaan J. Lenos ◽

Khalid El Makrini ◽

Lisanne E. Nijman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Copy Number ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Cancer Prognosis ◽

Disease Outcomes ◽

Distinct Disease ◽

Cancer Types ◽

Chromosomal Copy Number ◽

Chromosomal Copy ◽

Pan Cancer

AbstractSurvival rates of cancer patients vary widely within and between malignancies. While genetic aberrations are at the root of all cancers, individual genomic features cannot explain these distinct disease outcomes. In contrast, intra-tumour heterogeneity (ITH) has the potential to elucidate pan-cancer survival rates and the biology that drives cancer prognosis. Unfortunately, a comprehensive and effective framework to measure ITH across cancers is missing. Here, we introduce a scalable measure of chromosomal copy number heterogeneity (CNH) that predicts patient survival across cancers. We show that the level of ITH can be derived from a single-sample copy number profile. Using gene-expression data and live cell imaging we demonstrate that ongoing chromosomal instability underlies the observed heterogeneity. Analysing 11,534 primary cancer samples from 37 different malignancies, we find that copy number heterogeneity can be accurately deduced and predicts cancer survival across tissues of origin and stages of disease. Our results provide a unifying molecular explanation for the different survival rates observed between cancer types.

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No evidence to support the impact of migration background on treatment response rates and cancer survival: a retrospective matched-pair analysis in Germany

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-021-08141-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Roman Rüdiger ◽

Franziska Geiser ◽

Manuel Ritter ◽

Peter Brossart ◽

Mignon-Denise Keyver-Paik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Treatment Response ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Migration Background ◽

Comprehensive Cancer Center ◽

Matched Pair ◽

Cancer Center ◽

German Population ◽

Matched Pair Analysis ◽

Immigrant Background

Abstract Background Immigration has taken the central stage in world politics, especially in the developed countries like Germany, where the continuous flow of immigrants has been well documented since 1960s. Strikingly, emerging data suggest that migrant patients have a poorer response to the treatment and lower survival rates in their new host country, raising concerns about health disparities. Herein, we present our investigation on the treatment response rate and cancer survival in German patients with and without an immigrant background that were treated at our comprehensive cancer center in Germany. Methods Initially, we considered 8162 cancer patients treated at the Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), University Hospital Bonn, Germany (April 2002–December 2015) for matched-pair analysis. Subsequently, the German patients with a migration background and those from the native German population were manually identified and catalogued using a highly specific name-based algorithm. The clinical parameters such as demographic characteristics, tumor characteristics, defined staging criteria, and primary therapy were further adjusted. Using these stringent criteria, a total of 422 patients (n = 211, Germans with migration background; n = 211, native German population) were screened to compare for the treatment response and survival rates (i.e., 5-year overall survival, progression-free survival, and time to progression). Results Compared to the cohort with migration background, the cohort without migration background was slightly older (54.9 vs. 57.9 years) while having the same sex distribution (54.5% vs. 55.0% female) and longer follow-up time (36.9 vs. 42.6 months). We did not find significant differences in cancer survival (5-year overall survival, P = 0.771) and the response rates (Overall Remission Rate; McNemar’s test, P = 0.346) between both collectives. Conclusion Contrary to prior reports, we found no significant differences in cancer survival between German patients with immigrant background and native German patients. Nevertheless, the advanced treatment protocols implemented at our comprehensive cancer center may possibly account for the low variance in outcome. To conduct similar studies with a broader perspective, we propose that certain risk factors (country-of-origin-specific infections, dietary habits, epigenetics for chronic diseases etc.) should be considered, specially in the future studies that will recruit new arrivals from the 2015 German refugee crisis.

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Vaginal hysterectomy with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy may be an alternative treatment for endometrial cancer patients with medical co-morbidities precluding standard surgical procedures: a systematic review

International Journal of Gynecological Cancer ◽

10.1136/ijgc-2018-000015 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 299-304 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Arnold-Jan Kruse ◽

Henk G ter Brugge ◽

Harm H de Haan ◽

Hugo W Van Eyndhoven ◽

Hans W Nijman

Keyword(s):

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Endometrial Cancer ◽

Vaginal Hysterectomy ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Survival Outcomes ◽

Ovarian Malignancy ◽

Post Menopausal ◽

Ovarian Cancer Survival ◽

Overall Survival Rates

ObjectiveVaginal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy may be an alternative strategy for patients with low-risk endometrial cancer and medical co-morbidities precluding laparoscopic or abdominal procedures. The current study evaluates the prevalence of co-existent ovarian malignancy in patients with endometrial cancer and the influence of bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy on survival outcomes in these patients.MethodsMedline and EMBASE were searched for studies published between January 1, 2000 and November 20, 2017 that investigated (1) the prevalence of co-existing ovarian malignancy (either metastases or primary synchronous ovarian cancer in women with endometrial cancer, and (2) the influence of bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy on recurrence and/or survival rates.ResultsOf the pre-menopausal and post-menopausal patients (n=6059), 373 were identified with metastases and 106 were identified with primary synchronous ovarian cancer. Of the post-menopausal patients (n=6016), 362 were identified with metastases and 44 were identified with primary synchronous ovarian cancer. Survival outcomes did not differ for pre-menopausal patients with endometrial cancer with and without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (5-year overall survival rates were 89–94.5% and 86–97.8%, respectively).ConclusionBilateral salpingo-oophorectomy during vaginal hysterectomy seems to have a limited impact on disease outcome in patients with endometrial cancer. These results support the view that vaginal hysterectomy alone or with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy may be an option for patients with endometrial cancer who are not ideal surgical candidates.

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Vitamin D Levels Affect Breast Cancer Survival Rates

Annals of Surgical Oncology ◽

10.1245/s10434-017-6159-x ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (S3) ◽

pp. 570-571

Author(s):

William B. Grant

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Vitamin D ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Breast Cancer Survival ◽

Vitamin D Levels

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Breast cancer survival rates among Chinese women born in East Asia and the United States

Annals of Epidemiology ◽

10.1016/j.annepidem.2005.06.013 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 15 (8) ◽

pp. 634-634

Author(s):

S CHUANG ◽

W CHEN ◽

M HASHIBE ◽

G LI ◽

P GANZ ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

United States ◽

East Asia ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Chinese Women ◽

Survival Rates ◽

The United States ◽

Breast Cancer Survival

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Acute de novo Leukemia in Estonia and Western Sweden 1982-2006: Positive Trend in the Survival of Acute Leukemia over 25 Years

Acta Haematologica ◽

10.1159/000446525 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 136 (3) ◽

pp. 167-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Erik Hulegårdh ◽

Mari Punab ◽

Erik Holmberg ◽

Katrin Palk ◽

Edward Laane ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Leukemia ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

De Novo ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Relative Survival ◽

West Germany ◽

Eastern Bloc ◽

Positive Trend ◽

The European Union ◽

Hematopoietic Stem

This study focuses on the incidence, treatment, and survival of de novo acute leukemia in a 25-year perspective in western Sweden and Estonia. At the beginning of our study, Estonia was a part of the Eastern bloc with planned economy, but since 1991 it is a member of the European Union and transforming into a market economy. Survival rates have steadily increased in both countries. However, a gap between their survival curves remains. Based on our data, it is difficult to explain the big difference in the 5-year relative survival in favor of western Sweden (55 vs. 22%). In Germany, there was a big difference in overall cancer survival between East and West Germany after the fall of the iron curtain, but today no difference is seen. Differences in survival are probably due to a higher proportion of intense chemotherapy regimens and a higher rate of hematopoietic stem cell transplantations in Sweden. Other important factors might be better supportive care and diagnostics as well as better adjuvant therapy. Better staff training and conditions in wards are also factors that might play an essential role.

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