BACKGROUND Adjuvant endocrine therapy reduces breast cancer recurrence, but symptom burden contributes to nonadherence, particularly among Black women. We examined how patient sociodemographic factors and perceived discrimination are associated with symptoms and Black-White differences in symptoms during early treatment course of adjuvant endocrine therapy. METHODS We conducted a post hoc analysis

Nivolumab 1 mg/kg plus ipilimumab 3 mg/kg (NIVO1+IPI3) was approved for advanced melanoma in 2016. The CheckMate 511 trial demonstrated improved tolerability with the flipped dose, NIVO3+IPI1, but this regimen has not been approved in melanoma by regulatory authorities. In this study, patients with advanced unresectable melanoma treated with NIVO3+IPI1 or NIVO1+IPI3 were included. The objective response

Background Partial breast irradiation (PBI) is an effective treatment for early-stage breast cancer. However, evidence comparing different PBI modalities is limited. Methods This trial emulation uses electronic health records from a multi-state large tertiary health system. Three PBI modalities were compared proton radiation therapy, photon radiation therapy, and applicator-based brachytherapy. Inverse

BACKGROUND patients with advanced cancer are at risk for unplanned Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospital stays (HS). The purpose was to develop and validate a risk prediction model to identify patients at the highest risk for acute care use. METHODS We identified advanced cancer patients ≥65 years treated on SWOG trials from 1999-2014 using data linked to Medicare claims. The primary outcome

BACKGROUND Cisplatin remains the cornerstone radiosensitizer for definitive and adjuvant chemoradiation in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). However, despite decades of clinical use, many practical aspects of cisplatin administration remain unstandardized in clinical practice and trials. METHODS AND FINDINGS Drawing on the collective experience

Background NAD(P)H Quinone Dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1), a detoxification enzyme regulated by the Nrf2 cytoprotective pathway, is overexpressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). NQO1 levels are also influenced by the C609T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). We hypothesised that elevated NQO1 would confer chemoresistance in PDAC and predict poor patient outcome. Methods NQO1 tumor levels and

The May 2021 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) coverage determination allowed reimbursement for blood-based biomarker tests and other tests for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening that meet minimum 74% sensitivity and 90% specificity thresholds. However, these performance benchmarks fail to account for the importance of detecting precancerous lesions and the impact of the recommended testing

Background Elevated absolute lymphocyte cell (ALC) count is often used as a first indication for diagnostic investigation of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The absolute risk of CLL as a function of age, sex and ALC has not been described. Methods We used information on pre-diagnostic ALC on 475,399 longitudinally followed research participants from UK Biobank, with a median follow-up of 11.6

Background Neighborhood characteristics can affect aging and health. We tested effects of neighborhood deprivation on deficit accumulation frailty scores in a prospective cohort of breast cancer survivors vs. controls aged 60-98. Methods Newly diagnosed, non-metastatic breast cancer survivors (477) and frequency-matched controls (434) were enrolled from 2010-2023, with up to 5-year follow-up through

Background The SONIA trial demonstrated that addition of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) to first-line endocrine therapy (aromatase-inhibitor) was not superior in terms of progression-free survival after two treatment lines (PFS2) compared to addition to second-line (fulvestrant), while first-line use increased toxicity (74% more grade ≥3 adverse events) and costs. Understanding

BACKGROUND Cancer in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) emerges during critical transitional phases, resulting in lasting effects on financial well-being. It remains uncertain whether cancer in AYAs exhibits differences in financial impact on income based on gender and diagnosis age over time. METHODS We linked Canada's national cancer registry to personal tax records to identify AYAs (15-39 years)

Background With the increasing popularity of decorative tattooing, which entails the intradermal injection of inks that may contain carcinogens, investigating the related potential skin cancer risk is a public health priority. Methods We used data from the Cancer Risk Attributable with the Body Art of Tattooing (CRABAT) study, nested in the French national cohort Constances (adults aged 18–69 years

Background Biologics have greatly improved cancer management but are costly. Biosimilars cost less and have no clinically meaningful differences compared to reference products. However, they are not identical, leading to hesitation among clinicians and patients to use them. Objective To measure the uptake of oncology-related biosimilars versus reference products in the USA and countries with similar

Background Observational data on the synergy between HPV infection and risk for HIV acquisition are needed. HPV clearance, associated with an influx of cells targeted by HIV, may increase HIV risk. This study examined the association between HPV and HIV acquisition using endocervical swabs collected in MTN-020/ASPIRE. Methods Healthy, sexually active women without HIV participating in the ASPIRE dapivirine

Background Humans age at different rates and facial characteristics may yield insight into biological age and physiologic health. FaceAge, a deep learning system estimating biological age from facial photographs, has shown potential as a biomarker for cancer prognosis. This study investigates the prognostic value of extreme discordance between FaceAge and chronological age (FaceAge–Age) in predicting

Cancer survival in Australia has improved over time, but disparities by socioeconomic status (SES) persist. We analyzed data from the population-wide New South Wales Cancer Registry, including 942,241 individuals with invasive solid cancers diagnosed 1980-2019. We examined cancer-specific and all-cause deaths by area-based SES for all solid cancers and 12 common cancers, using competing risks regression

Background Advance care planning (ACP) may improve outcomes for patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers, but the optimal approach is not known. This study compared the impact of facilitated vs patient-directed ACP on caregiver psychological symptoms and perceptions of goal-concordant EOL care. Methods Adult patients with advanced solid tumors and their caregivers were recruited from

Background This study aimed to investigate the association of prediagnostic phytosterol intake (total phytosterols, β-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, β-sitostanol, and campestanol) with colorectal cancer (CRC)-specific and overall survival, and to explore the potential mediating role of systemic inflammation. Methods This study included 2,799 incident CRC patients enrolled in the Guangdong Colorectal

Background In 2021, the United States Preventive Services Task Force lowered the recommended starting age for CRC screening from 50 to 45 for average-risk individuals. However, screening uptake among younger adults has been slow, and little is known about how social factors influence screening behaviors in this early-midlife cohort. This study examined associations between unmet social needs and CRC

Introduction Although myeloma represents a key success story in oncology, some drugs have failed to meet primary endpoints in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), despite promising early-phase activity. This analysis aimed to understand factors that increase the likelihood of meeting primary endpoints in myeloma RCTs. Methods Myeloma RCTs published through October 2023 were identified using MEDLINE

De-escalation trials in oncology have received increased attention recently because there is a growing concern that patients with cancer are being overtreated—more patients (than would benefit) are being treated, earlier in the disease course, at a higher dose, for a longer duration, at a higher frequency. Thus, it is important to understand if less treatment allows us to achieve similar outcomes,

Background Targeted treatment or immunotherapy may yield increased, durable responses for melanoma patients. Whether patient-level benefits translate to population health is unknown. This study sought to estimate patient and population impacts of a cancer control policy that reimbursed multi-gene panel testing and pembrolizumab for metastatic melanoma in British Columbia, Canada. Methods This retrospective

Rural health disparities in the United States remain poorly understood, in part due to inconsistent definitions of “rurality” and the failure to integrate both geographic and socially constructed dimensions of place. This commentary draws from insights shared during the panel “Addressing Diversity in Cancer Prevention, Control, and Survivorship Within Rural Communities” at the 2024 Transforming Community

Background The associations between different types of diabetes, characterized by distinct pathophysiology and genetic architecture, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) risk are not understood. Methods We investigated associations of genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D), eight T2D mechanistic clusters, type 1 diabetes (T1D), and maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) with PDAC

Background Liver fat accumulation has been associated with impaired colorectal cancer prognosis. Associations may differ for colon and rectal cancer due to different disease mechanisms and dissemination patterns. Here, we investigated associations between liver fat and cancer recurrence, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) among 1596 individuals with stage I-III colon or rectal

BACKGROUND We demonstrated that cervical cancer risk following any screening result is lower if there is a known prior negative screening history versus an unknown screening history. We extended these findings to look at how screening performs following repeatedly screening negative. METHODS Approximately 1.7 million women aged 30-64 years underwent triennial human papillomavirus (HPV) and cytology

INTRODUCTION The use of surrogate outcomes to support treatment efficacy and cost-effectiveness in localised prostate cancer has the potential to shorten time to access for new medicines, but may be associated with greater uncertainty. We sought to understand how members of society might trade-off drug efficacy, safety, cost-effectiveness, and evidence strength when asked to consider funding new treatments

BACKGROUND Older women (>65 years) diagnosed with breast cancer may be at risk for chemotherapy dose reductions. We evaluated associations of age at diagnosis with two measures of chemotherapy dose reductions: first cycle dose proportion (FCDP) <90%, and average relative dose intensity (ARDI) <90%. METHODS From the Optimal Breast cancer Chemotherapy Dosing study, we included 10,166 women aged

BACKGROUND There is little guidance on how to personalize recommendations for lung cancer screening (LCS) that accounts for the variation in expected net benefit from LCS. We sought to explore the individual and population implications of identifying net benefit thresholds where LCS could be encouraged, discouraged, or offered as an option through neutral shared decision making due to being highly

Background Experimental models indicate that oxidative stress (OxS) may shift from promoting to suppressing tumor development as cancer progresses. Methods We conducted a nested case-control study within two Shanghai cohorts for primary analysis and one U.S. cohort for replication. Over a median follow-up of 15.1 years in the Shanghai cohorts, 1938 incident colorectal cancer (CRC) cases were identified

Background Large-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have established compelling evidence that screening by flexible sigmoidoscopy reduces colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence. Reported incidence results include cancers that were already prevalent and yet undiagnosed, but no longer preventable at screening. We aimed to derive, disentangle and fully disclose early-detection and long-term prevention

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer poses a significant burden in the US. State-level decision-makers need to understand the expected benefits of implementing interventions to reduce this burden. This study aims to estimate the long-term state-level benefits of interventions to reduce the burden of cervical cancer. METHODS We used a simulation model to estimate the expected reductions in cervical cancer

Background Patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who undergo curative intent gastrectomy experience a decline in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during adjuvant chemotherapy. The EAGER trial (Electro-Acupuncture in Gastric cancER) sought to evaluate the ability of electro-acupuncture (EA) to preserve HRQOL in these patients. Methods In this open-label, multi-center, parallel controlled

BACKGROUND Gastric-type adenocarcinoma (GAC) is the predominant subtype of HPV-independent endocervical adenocarcinoma, characterized by aggressive clinical behavior and poor prognosis. However, its tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) remains largely unexplored. METHODS We systematically profiled the immune landscape using bulk RNA sequencing and multiplex immunofluorescence staining and comprehensively

BACKGROUND Although there are data describing the onset of neurocognitive toxicity following radiation for patients with brain metastases, less is known about the potential for functional cognitive recovery (CR). This study sought to evaluate CR following neurocognitive function failure (NCF) in patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT), and hippocampal

BACKGROUND Encorafenib is a BRAF inhibitor with a pharmacodynamic profile distinct from that of dabrafenib, including a longer dissociation half-life that may enable more sustained BRAF inhibition. It has been hypothesized that this could translate into superior clinical efficacy. We aimed to determine whether encorafenib plus binimetinib is superior to dabrafenib plus trametinib in terms of clinical

Background Early-onset colorectal cancer (eoCRC) has become a serious public health concern in recent years. This study aims to contribute to the growing body of evidence on the rise in early onset gastrointestinal cancers (eoGIC), anatomical sub-sites of eoCRC, and explore racial and gender disparities in these trends. Methods We analyzed data from the NPCR-SEER database (2001–2021) for people aged

Background Evidence supports a modest positive association between alcohol intake and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), however knowledge regarding mechanisms underlying the association is scarce. Investigation of lipidomic metabolites may provide mechanistic insights into this association. Methods We measured 611 lipid species across 14 lipid classes in serum samples collected up to 24 years

Background Cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12) regulates general gene transcription elongation, and plays multiple roles in RNA splicing, DNA damage-response, cell cycle and genomic stability. However, transcriptional partners that guide CDK12-specific gene programs have not been identified. Genomic alterations in CDK12 have been observed in multiple cancers, exhibiting both pro-tumorigenic and tumor-suppressive

Background Germline multi-gene panel testing (MGPT) is not yet integrated into standard care for patients with sarcoma. This study aimed to assess the frequency and distribution of germline pathogenic variants (gPVs) in patients with sarcoma compared to cancer-free controls and identify differences between patients with and without gPVs. Methods This retrospective cohort included 488 sarcoma patients

Recognizing the need to improve care and outcomes for patients affected by cancer, federal agencies collaborated to identify current efforts and timely actions to support and empower cancer patients and caregivers. One important approach is to capture information directly from patients about their health, such as their symptoms and functioning. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) can be used to inform

Background Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), assessed by visual examination (VE), are prognostic and predictive in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Computational assessment (CA) may provide a complementary approach. We evaluated the prognostic value of TILs by VE and CA. Methods TBCRC 030 was a randomized phase II trial enrolling patients with BRCA1/2-proficient stage I–III TNBC

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of non-cancer mortality in long-term cancer survivors. Population-level assessment of cancer-related exposures is limited with respect to long-term cardiovascular risk in older survivors, who have additional aging-related risks. Methods This was a SEER-Medicare retrospective cohort study of long-term (five-year) survivors of breast, prostate

Early detection is key to improving survival and mortality from pancreatic cancer. Traditional periodic screening for cancer in an asymptomatic population is infeasible and not recommended for this low-incidence disease. We describe a novel approach we call “heuriskance” (hyou-ris-kance) wherein a systematic search for and onetime workup of a “heurisk” (hyou-risk) leads to earlier detection of cancer

While large socioeconomic inequalities in cancer outcomes exist between- and within-countries, financial and human resources are increasingly allocated to medical interventions that have minimal impact or that cause harm, including overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Underuse and overuse of medical cancer care stem from similar underlying mechanisms, including environmental, social, economic, and cultural

Background We examined whether fasting blood glucose (FBG) mediates the associations between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and breast cancer (BC) risk among postmenopausal women, while considering the temporal order of exposure, mediator, and disease onset. Methods Data from 2,093,578 postmenopausal women in the Korean National Breast Cancer Screening Program (2009–2010) were analyzed