Cancer

The association between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and mortality after a colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis was investigated among women in the California Teachers Study cohort. A total of 621 CRC cases were identified for analysis. Among CRC cases, prediagnosis regular NSAID use and prediagnosis prolonged NSAID duration independently predicted decreased CRC-specific mortality after adjustment for relevant clinical factors.

Although the true benefits and disadvantages of prostate cancer screening are still not known, the analysis of fatal cases is important for contributing to the knowledge of the effects of prostate cancer screening on mortality. The Swedish branch of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer found that nonattendees in prostate cancer screening constitute a high-risk group for death from both prostate cancer and other unrelated causes.

Lymph node stage is an important predictor of survival in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (MRCC) who are treated with cytoreductive nephrectomy. Therefore, it should be included in future prognostic models designed for MRCC patients.

Earlier work revealed a significant association of SPAG9 expression in the early spread of cervical cancer, making it an attractive therapeutic target. A small interfering RNA approach was used to specifically knock down the expression of SPAG9. Findings demonstrated that knockdown of SPAG9 expression by small interfering RNA significantly suppressed cellular motility and tumor growth of cervical squamous cell carcinoma in vivo. Small interfering RNA-mediated down-regulation of SPAG9 represents a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of cervical cancer.

In the current study, the authors evaluated the utility of lymph node density (LND) as an alternative method for predicting survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that LND is superior to the conventional lymph node staging system in predicting outcome.

The objective of this study was to compare the survival outcomes of the 2 traditional treatments for cancer of the hypopharynx. Contrary to the observational study literature, the authors found no survival advantage comparing primary surgery ± radiotherapy with primary radiotherapy with surgical salvage.

Age, disease-free interval, recurrent tumor stage, recurrent neck disease, and surgical margins influenced overall survival after surgical salvage in patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (SCCOP). Only a select group of patients with recurrent SCCOP were able to achieve long-term survival after salvage surgery, and favorable candidates were patients who were younger, had a disease-free interval after receiving definitive therapy, had small recurrent tumors for which negative surgical margins could be obtained, and had no recurrent neck disease.

This Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database review of patients with plasma cell leukemia between 1973 and 2004 revealed that those with this disease had a dismal prognosis. Unlike survival with multiple myeloma, there was no evidence of improvement in the survival of patients with plasma cell leukemia over the decades that were studied.

In this large study of 407 patients with low-risk essential thrombocythemia or polycythemia vera, leukocytosis at the time of diagnosis was not found to predict subsequent thrombotic complications. Advanced age was found to be significantly associated with arterial thrombosis in patients with polycythemia vera and a higher hemoglobin level with venous thrombosis in patients with essential thrombocythemia.

The outcome of patients with acute myeloid leukemia and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome with chromosome 5 and 7 abnormalities has been traditionally poor because of their inherent resistance to chemotherapy. Treatment with hypomethylating agents appears to be associated with a better overall survival, particularly for those patients with a lower presenting white cell count.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy for clinically lymph node-negative T4 melanoma is strongly indicated regardless of Breslow depth, as SLN status is the most significant prognostic sign among these patients. Nonulcerated T4 patients with a negative SLN have an excellent prognosis and should not be considered candidates for adjuvant high-dose interferon.

In an analysis of 6212 patients younger than 20 years at diagnosis of glioma (1973-2005), tumor grade was the most significant independent prognostic factor except among patients younger than 1 year, in whom extent of resection was most significant. Despite its limitations, the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database provides a useful tool for studies of rare tumors such as pediatric gliomas.

In analyses of 87 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy associated with a low-grade brain tumor, the actuarial seizure and tumor control rates at the fifth year postoperatively were 79% and 90%, respectively. Complete resection of the tumor was important for both seizure and tumor control. For tumors confined to the amygdala or the parahippocampal gyrus, tailored resection focusing on the tumor resulted in a favorable outcome.

Mammographic breast density is an important risk factor for local breast cancer recurrence. Mammographic density should be taken into consideration when stratifying patients for clinical trials of partial breast radiotherapy. If confirmed, mammographic density might be used to help decide which patients might benefit from radiotherapy.

In a cohort of economically disadvantaged women, after accounting for the total time to the completion of procedures for the follow-up of abnormal mammography findings, African-American women were less likely than European-American women to complete the recommended procedures. These findings suggest the importance of developing interventions aimed at increasing the timeliness of recommended mammography follow-up among African-American women.

Comorbidity and body mass index (BMI) were associated independently with mortality after surgery for colon cancer. However, neither comorbidity nor BMI could account for the increased risk of death among African Americans relative to Caucasians.

The addition of different dose regimens of the neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist casopitant to standard ondansetron/dexamethasone antiemetic prophylaxis increased the proportion of patients that achieved a complete response over the first 5 days after moderately emetogenic chemotherapy.

Controlling for chemotherapy and socioeconomic factors, radiation exposure of ≥20 Gray to dentition was associated significantly with an increased risk of >1 dental abnormality. Dose-dependent alkylating agent therapy significantly increased the risk of >1 anatomic/developmental dental abnormalities in survivors who were diagnosed at ages <5 years (odds ratios, 1.7, 2.7, and 3.3 for alkylating agent scores of 1, 2, and 3, respectively).

Amifostine in the doses and schedule used in Children's Oncology Group Study P9645 failed to significantly reduce the incidence of hearing loss and other platinum-induced toxicities in patients with hepatoblastoma.

Adjuvant radiation therapy was associated with improved regional lymph node basin control compared with therapeutic lymphadenectomy alone for patients who had high-risk, clinically advanced, lymph node-metastatic melanoma. The current results indicated that, although it is a regional therapy, adjuvant radiation therapy also may have an impact on disease-specific survival.