Gender Differences in Recommended Treatment Decisions among Breast Cancer Patients: A Study Using the National Cancer Database

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have explored surgery refusal among female breast cancer patients. However, little attention has been given to other therapies in both females and males. The goal of this study was to determine the potential role of gender on recommended hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery refusal and to describe other determinants of refusal.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study of the National Cancer Database (NCDB) between 2004 and 2016 was conducted. The outcome was whether patients accepted or refused the recommended treatment. We examined four different outcome variables (hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery) relation to gender and other factors.

RESULTS

A total of 906,342 breast cancer patients met the eligibility criteria for hormone therapy, 1,228,132 for surgery, 596,229 for chemotherapy, and 858,050 for radiation therapy. The odds of refusing hormone therapy and surgery in males were 17% (AOR = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.75-0.92) and 33% (AOR=0.67; 95% CI: 0.50-0.90) lower compared to female patients, respectively. The odds of refusing radiation therapy were 14% higher in males compared to females (AOR=1.14; 95% CI:1.03-1.30). Older age and lack of insurance were significantly associated with each treatment refusal.

CONCLUSION

Female patients tend to refuse hormone therapy and surgery compared to males. A marginally statistically significant gender differences was found for radiotherapy refusal. The providers and other stakeholders can utilize the current findings to identify the risk groups and barriers associated with refusal for each treatment and to develop interventions.

The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and adult mortality: A replication study of HIV development assistance effects in Sub-Saharan African countries

The US budget for global health funding, which was by far the largest of similar funding in the world, increased from US $1.3 billion in 2001 to more than US $10 billion in recent years. More than 54% of this funding was allocated to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS through the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Africa. However, recent studies indicate contradictory results regarding the effectiveness of PEPFAR. One by Bendavid, Holmes, Bhattacharya, and Miller shows positive effects of PEPFAR in reducing adult mortality in Africa, while another by Duber, Coates, Szekeras, Kaji, and Lewis finds that there are no significant differences in reducing adult mortality in countries that received PEPFAR funding vs countries that did not. Due to their potential impact on policy decisions regarding critical global health funding, we wanted to assess why the results are discrepant. To do this, we replicated the Bendavid study. The replication provides verification that the study replicable and that the analytic choices of the authors are robust to different assumptions or restrictions. This allows us to assess the different choices and data available to the two research groups and draw some conclusions about why the results may be different. Then, focusing on two of the prominently discrepant studies, i.e., the Bendavid study (1998-2008) and the Duber study (2000-2006), we establish why the two studies are in disagreement. We apply appropriate individual-level and country-level analytical methodology as used by Bendavid over the analytical time period used for the Duber study (2000-2006), which originally focused on nationally aggregated data and differed in some key focus countries. For our first objective, we replicated the original Bendavid study findings and our findings support their conclusion that between 1998-2008 all-cause mortality decreased significantly more (OR = 0.84, CI, 0.72-0.99) in countries that implemented PEPFAR. For our second objective (Bendavid's data and methodology applied to Duber's study period), we found reduction in all cause adult mortality to be borderline insignificant (OR = 0.87 CI, 0.75-1.01, p = 0.06), most possibly reflecting the abbreviated fewer number of events and sample size over a shorter period. Therefore, our overall analyses are consistent with the conclusion of positive impact of the PEPFAR program in reducing adult mortality. We believe that the discrepancy observed in the original studies mainly a reflection of shortcomings in the analytical approach necessitated by the Duber study's nationally aggregated dataset or "may reflect a lack of data quality" in the Duber study (Duber, et al. 2010).

Preventing HIV and HSV-2 through knowledge and attitudes: A replication study of a multi-component community-based intervention in Zimbabwe

INTRODUCTION

Approximately two-thirds of HIV-infected individuals reside in sub-Saharan Africa. The region accounts for 68% of the new HIV infections occurring worldwide with almost one-half of these infections being among young adults aged 12-24 years. Cowan and colleagues conducted a community-based, multi-component HIV intervention aimed at youth in rural Zimbabwe. Despite some changes in knowledge and attitudes, the community-based intervention did not affect the prevalence of HIV or HSV-2. We selected this frequently cited study for replication since it incorporates individual-, community-, and structural- level intervention components that are often considered in global HIV/AIDS prevention programs. Additionally, the intervention could be easily scaled-up, which is especially important in the context of limited resources. Although this study indicated no intervention effects in reducing HIV, the authors acknowledged some key methodological challenges. Our replication analysis provided important insights regarding the impact of these challenges to the interpretation of the results of this study.

METHODS

Our replication study focused on replicating Cowan's findings and assessing the robustness of Cowan's results to alternative analytical models based on their study design. We determined how out-migration occurring during Cowan's study may have affected the population characteristics, the intervention exposure level, and the study findings. While the original intervention targeted knowledge and attitudes as a mechanism to decrease HIV/HSV-2, the Cowan study evaluated the intervention effects on knowledge, attitudes, and prevalence of HIV or HSV-2 separately. To better identify the pathway describing the interrelationship among the intervention and knowledge, attitudes, and prevalence of HIV or HSV-2, we assessed whether increases in knowledge or attitudes were associated with decreased HIV or HSV-2 prevalence.

RESULTS

We replicated the original findings with minor discrepancies during the pure replication. Our additional analyses revealed that the study population characteristics changed over time in ways that may have affected outcomes. These changes also affected the levels of intervention exposure, with 48.7% males and 75.5% females of the intervention group receiving low-level exposure. Both genders with higher level intervention exposure experienced higher increments in multiple knowledge, attitude, and sexual risk behavior outcomes. Unfortunately, these did not translate to a significant reduction in HIV or HSV-2 regardless of the level and combination of knowledge and attitude domains. However, males receiving high-level intervention exposure compared to control indicated significantly lower odds of having HIV or HSV-2 under a Bayesian modeling paradigm.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest a more robust conclusion on the study intervention effects. Further study based on a design that more consistently maximizes the exposure level of the intervention is necessary and should ideally be an evaluated goal in similar studies. Evaluation of the intervention impact for key subgroups of the target population is important and would better advise the use and scale-up of the evaluated interventions in various contexts. Our observation of a consistent lack of relationship between knowledge/attitudes and HIV/HSV-2 suggests a need to explore and include relevant additional and or complementary interventions, e.g., promoting effective skills in reducing risky sexual behaviors and addressing cultural and structural bottlenecks that may reduce HIV/HSV-2 risk among youth.

Association of the Quick Sequential (Sepsis-Related) Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) Score With Excess Hospital Mortality in Adults With Suspected Infection in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Importance

The quick Sequential (Sepsis-Related) Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score has not been well-evaluated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Objective

To assess the association of qSOFA with excess hospital death among patients with suspected infection in LMICs and to compare qSOFA with the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria.

Design, Settings, and Participants

Retrospective secondary analysis of 8 cohort studies and 1 randomized clinical trial from 2003 to 2017. This study included 6569 hospitalized adults with suspected infection in emergency departments, inpatient wards, and intensive care units of 17 hospitals in 10 LMICs across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Exposures

Low (0), moderate (1), or high (≥2) qSOFA score (range, 0 [best] to 3 [worst]) or SIRS criteria (range, 0 [best] to 4 [worst]) within 24 hours of presentation to study hospital.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Predictive validity (measured as incremental hospital mortality beyond that predicted by baseline risk factors, as a marker of sepsis or analogous severe infectious course) of the qSOFA score (primary) and SIRS criteria (secondary).

Results

The cohorts were diverse in enrollment criteria, demographics (median ages, 29-54 years; males range, 36%-76%), HIV prevalence (range, 2%-43%), cause of infection, and hospital mortality (range, 1%-39%). Among 6218 patients with nonmissing outcome status in the combined cohort, 643 (10%) died. Compared with a low or moderate score, a high qSOFA score was associated with increased risk of death overall (19% vs 6%; difference, 13% [95% CI, 11%-14%]; odds ratio, 3.6 [95% CI, 3.0-4.2]) and across cohorts (P < .05 for 8 of 9 cohorts). Compared with a low qSOFA score, a moderate qSOFA score was also associated with increased risk of death overall (8% vs 3%; difference, 5% [95% CI, 4%-6%]; odds ratio, 2.8 [95% CI, 2.0-3.9]), but not in every cohort (P < .05 in 2 of 7 cohorts). High, vs low or moderate, SIRS criteria were associated with a smaller increase in risk of death overall (13% vs 8%; difference, 5% [95% CI, 3%-6%]; odds ratio, 1.7 [95% CI, 1.4-2.0]) and across cohorts (P < .05 for 4 of 9 cohorts). qSOFA discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC], 0.70 [95% CI, 0.68-0.72]) was superior to that of both the baseline model (AUROC, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.53-0.58; P < .001) and SIRS (AUROC, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.57-0.62]; P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

When assessed among hospitalized adults with suspected infection in 9 LMIC cohorts, the qSOFA score identified infected patients at risk of death beyond that explained by baseline factors. However, the predictive validity varied among cohorts and settings, and further research is needed to better understand potential generalizability.

The long-term effectiveness of generic adult fixed-dose combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected Ugandan children

BACKGROUND

Access to pediatric antiretroviral formulations is increasing in resource-limited countries, however adult FDCs are still commonly used by antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs.

OBJECTIVE

To describe long-term effectiveness of using adult FDC of d4T+3TC+NVP (Triomune) in children for HIV treatment.

METHODS

Clinical, immunologic, and virologic outcomes of HIV-infected ART-naïve children aged six months to 12 years, were evaluated up to 96 weeks post-ART initiation.

RESULTS

From March 2004 to June 2006, 104 children were followed with a median age of 5.4 years, median CD4 cell percent and HIV-1 RNA were 11.0% (IQR 6.7-13.9) and 348,846copies/mL (IQR 160,941-681,313) respectively at baseline. Using Kaplan-Meir estimates, 75% of children had undetectable viral loads (<400copies/mL) at 96 weeks of ART. Children with a baseline CD4 cell percent >15% were 3 times more likely to achieve viral load <400copies/mL than those with baseline CD4 cell percent <5% after adjusting for baseline age {aHR = 3.03 (1.10-8.32), p=0.03}; no difference was found among those with CD4 cell percent >5-14.9% and <5%.

CONCLUSION

Treatment with generic adult FDC for HIV-infected Ugandan children led to sustained clinical, immunologic and virologic response during 96 weeks of ART. Early initiation of ART is key to achieving virological success.