Abstract P6-08-13: Statins and breast cancer recurrence: A population-based case-control study

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and a significant number of women experience recurrence. Statins, drugs for lowering cholesterol, were introduced in 1987, and by 2011-12, 27.9% of U.S. adults over the age of 40 reported using cholesterol-lowering medication. Statins may impact other diseases, beyond cardiovascular disease, including cancer. Statin use and breast cancer recurrence or disease-free survival has previously been explored in 8 cohort studies and 1 case-control study with mixed results.

Methods: We designed a nested case-control study with Kaiser Permanente members in NW Oregon and SW Washington to examine the association between statins and breast cancer recurrence.

All subjects were women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from 1980-2010. Subjects were KPNW health plan members at diagnosis, had local or regional stage cancer, were ER and/or PR positive, and were treated with tamoxifen for 180 days or more. Cases had breast cancer recurrence validated by medical record review. Controls were matched on race, SEER stage, age at diagnosis, year of diagnosis and pattern of health plan membership, and were recurrence-free for at least 12 months longer than their matched case (up to 3:1 match). The index date was the recurrence date for the case and the date for an equivalent period after diagnosis for the matched control. We collected data from medical records and from pharmacy, laboratory, tumor registry, and membership health plan databases.

We performed bivariate analysis to look at characteristics associated with recurrence. A priori, we identified potential confounding variables based on literature review and clinical knowledge. Using multivariable logistic regression analysis, we assessed statin use in relation to breast cancer recurrence, accounting for factors that may alter the association.

Results: We identified 306 cases with breast cancer recurrence and 679 matched controls. Thirty-five cases (11.4%) and 67 controls (9.9%) were prescribed statins at any time between their breast cancer diagnosis and index date. Nearly everyone on statins was prescribed lipophilic statins (99%). We calculated dose equivalents for all statins, using 20 mg of simvastatin as one dose. Among those who took statins, the average number of equivalent doses per day after diagnosis was 1.20 (1.19 for cases; 1.21 for controls) and the average duration of taking statins between diagnosis and recurrence was 2.65 years (2.75 for cases; 2.59 for controls). In our preliminary conditional analysis, we found that post-diagnostic statin use was not associated with a decreased odds of breast cancer recurrence (OR 1.37, 95% CI: 0.79-2.36) after adjusting for age, year of diagnosis, race, BMI, menopause status, tamoxifen use, type of surgery, treatment, smoking history, Charlson score, AJCC summary stage, and Nottingham grade.

Conclusions: While other studies have reported that statins may be associated with decreased odds of breast cancer recurrence, our preliminary multivariable analyses that looked at any statin use between diagnosis and index date do not support those results.

Citation Format: Vandermeer ML, Francisco MC, Richert-Boe KE, Jenkins CL, Weinmann S. Statins and breast cancer recurrence: A population-based case-control study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-08-13.

Validation of a Genomic Classifier for Predicting Post-Prostatectomy Recurrence in a Community Based Health Care Setting

PURPOSE

We determined the value of Decipher®, a genomic classifier, to predict prostate cancer outcomes among patients after prostatectomy in a community health care setting.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We examined the experience of 224 men treated with radical prostatectomy from 1997 to 2009 at Kaiser Permanente Northwest, a large prepaid health plan in Portland, Oregon. Study subjects had aggressive prostate cancer with at least 1 of several criteria such as preoperative prostate specific antigen 20 ng/ml or greater, pathological Gleason score 8 or greater, stage pT3 disease or positive surgical margins at prostatectomy. The primary end point was clinical recurrence or metastasis after surgery evaluated using a time dependent c-index. Secondary end points were biochemical recurrence and salvage treatment failure. We compared the performance of Decipher alone to the widely used CAPRA-S (Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment Post-Surgical) score, and assessed the independent contributions of Decipher, CAPRA-S and their combination for the prediction of recurrence and treatment failure.

RESULTS

Of the 224 patients treated 12 experienced clinical recurrence, 68 had biochemical recurrence and 34 experienced salvage treatment failure. At 10 years after prostatectomy the recurrence rate was 2.6% among patients with low Decipher scores but 13.6% among those with high Decipher scores (p=0.02). When CAPRA-S and Decipher scores were considered together, the discrimination accuracy of the ROC curve was increased by 0.11 compared to the CAPRA-S score alone (combined c-index 0.84 at 10 years after radical prostatectomy) for clinical recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Decipher improves our ability to predict clinical recurrence in prostate cancer and adds precision to conventional pathological prognostic measures.

Development of an algorithm to identify metastatic prostate cancer in electronic medical records using natural language processing

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Background: Prostate cancer patients who develop metastases are a difficult population to identify through administrative diagnostic codes, due to their protracted time to metastases, limited survival and the inconsistent use of specific codes. As a result, research that is needed to inform the delivery of high-quality care in this setting is limited. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop an algorithm, which utilizes EMR data to identify men who progress to metastatic prostate cancer after diagnosis using natural language processing (NLP). Methods: An electronic algorithm was developed to search unstructured text using NLP to identify progression to metastases among men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer between 1992 and 2010 in a large, diverse cohort of men who were part of an ongoing study focused on prostate cancer mortality. A training set of 449 men who were diagnosed as early stage prostate cancer was used for development. Pathology, radiology and clinic notes were searched from diagnosis until death or loss to follow-up. Pathology reports were searched for mention of adenocarcinoma in the metastatic lesion, radiology reports were searched for abnormal findings consistent with metastases, and clinic notes were searched for mentions of increasing pain or narcotic use related to metastases. Each NLP component was validated against manual review of the corresponding records. Results: Of the 449 men in the training set, 40 (8.9%) were found to have metastatic prostate cancer. The majority of cases had evidence of metastases in their clinic notes (98%). Radiology reports identified 18% of cases, and pathology reports identified 5%. Of the 40 cases identified, 25% did not have a corresponding ICD-9 codes for metastatic cancer. However, 7.5% used ADT, 37.5% had increasing oncology visits and 22.5% had rapidly rising PSA levels. Conclusions: Our results suggest that NLP can be used to identify men with metastatic prostate cancer in the EMR more accurately than diagnosis codes alone. The automated identification of patients with metastatic cancer facilitates quality of care research in this setting to ensure the delivery of appropriate and high-quality care.

Use of intravenous bisphosphonates in patients with breast, lung, or prostate cancer and metastases to bone: a 15-year study in two large US health systems

PURPOSE

The purpose of this paper is to document the use of intravenous (IV) bisphosphonates for prevention of skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with bone metastases (BM) due to breast cancer (BC), lung cancer (LC), or prostate cancer (PC).

METHODS

Using data from two large US health systems, we identified all patients aged ≥ 18 years with primary BC, LC, or PC and newly diagnosed BM between 1/1/1995 and 12/31/2009. Starting with the diagnosis of BM, we reviewed medical and administrative records for evidence of receipt of IV bisphosphonates (zoledronic acid or pamidronate) and occurrence of SREs. Initiation of IV bisphosphonates prior to occurrence of an SRE was designated "primary prophylaxis"; use following an SRE was designated "secondary prophylaxis".

RESULTS

We identified a total of 1,193 patients with newly diagnosed BM, including 400 with BC, 332 with LC, and 461 with PC. Use of IV bisphosphonates was substantially higher in BC (55.8 % of all patients) than in LC (14.8 %) or PC (20.2 %). Use of IV bisphosphonates was fairly evenly split between primary and secondary prophylaxis in BC (26.3 vs. 29.5 %, respectively) and PC (10.6 vs 9.5 %); in LC, however, primary prophylaxis was much less common than secondary prophylaxis (4.8 vs 9.9 %).

CONCLUSIONS

Almost one half of all patients with BM due to BC, and substantially more with LC and PC, do not receive IV bisphosphonates. Among patients receiving such therapy, treatment often is not initiated until after the occurrence of an SRE. Our study suggests that IV bisphosphonates may be substantially underutilized in patients with BM due to these common cancers.

Natural history of skeletal-related events in patients with breast, lung, or prostate cancer and metastases to bone: a 15-year study in two large US health systems

PURPOSE

To document the risk of skeletal complications in patients with bone metastases from breast cancer (BC), lung cancer (LC), or prostate cancer (PC) in routine clinical practice.

METHODS

We used data from two large US health systems to identify patients aged ≥18 years with primary BC, LC, or PC and newly diagnosed bone metastases between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2009. Beginning with the date of diagnosis of bone metastasis, we estimated the cumulative incidence of skeletal-related events (SREs) (spinal cord compression, pathologic fracture, radiation to bone, bone surgery), based on review of medical records, accounting for death as a competing risk.

RESULTS

We identified a total of 621 BC, 477 LC, and 721 PC patients with newly diagnosed bone metastases. SREs were present at diagnosis of bone metastasis in 22.4, 22.4, and 10.0 % of BC, LC, and PC patients, respectively. Relatively few LC or PC patients received intravenous bisphosphonates (14.8 and 20.2 %, respectively); use was higher in patients with BC, however (55.8 %). In BC, cumulative incidence of SREs during follow-up was 38.7 % at 6 months, 45.4 % at 12 months, and 54.2 % at 24 months; in LC, it was 41.0, 45.4, and 47.7 %; and in PC, it was 21.5, 30.4, and 41.9 %. More than one half of patients with bone metastases had evidence of SREs (BC: 62.6 %; LC: 58.7 %; PC: 51.7 %), either at diagnosis of bone metastases or subsequently.

CONCLUSIONS

SREs are a frequent complication in patients with solid tumors and bone metastases, and are much more common than previously recognized in women with BC.

Trends in use of intravenous bisphosphonates in patients with prostate cancer and newly diagnosed metastases to bone in two large U.S. integrated health systems

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Background: Bone is a common site of metastatic involvement in patients (pts) with prostate cancer (PC). Bony metastases (mets) are associated with skeletal complications, which can cause significant morbidity and mortality. Intravenous bisphosphonates (IV BPs) have been proven to reduce the incidence and onset of skeletal complications. Patterns of use of IV BPs in clinical practice in pts with bone mets due to PC are largely unknown. Methods: Using the tumor registries and electronic data stores at two large US integrated health systems that serve a total of approximately 1.3 million persons, we retrospectively identified all pts aged ≥18 yrs with primary PC and newly diagnosed bone mets between 1/1/95 and 12/31/09. Information on all administrations of IV BPs between date of diagnosis of bone mets and death, loss to follow-up, or end of study was extracted from administrative data stores and electronic medical records, which also were reviewed by trained medical abstractors for evidence of skeletal-related events (SREs) (spinal cord compression, pathologic fracture, surgery to bone, radiation to bone). Results: We identified a total of 461 pts with primary PC and newly diagnosed bone mets. Mean (SD) age was 72.8 yrs (10.7 yrs); 75% were Caucasian, and 21% were African-American. Median duration of follow-up after diagnosis of bone mets was 1.3 yrs. One-fifth (20.2%) of study subjects received IV BPs (92% zoledronic acid, 8% pamidronate) during follow-up--10.8% prior to, and 9.3% after, first on-study SRE. Median time from diagnosis of bone mets to first administration of IV BPs was 1.7 yrs, and the median number of administrations was 3. The percentage of study subjects receiving IV BPs increased steadily over the 15-yr study period--from 7.5% among those newly diagnosed with bone mets in 1995-1999, to 19.8% among those newly diagnosed with bone mets in 2000-2004, to 27.5% among those newly diagnosed with bone mets in 2005-2009. Conclusions: Despite a high risk of SREs in pts with PC and bone mets, most such pts still do not receive IV BPs.

Risk of skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with breast cancer (BC) and newly diagnosed metastases to bone

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Background: Bone is a common site of metastatic involvement in patients (pts) with BC. Bony metastases (mets) are often associated with SREs (spinal cord compression [SCC], pathologic fracture [PF], surgery to bone [SB], radiotherapy to bone [RT]). Skeletal complications cause significant morbidity and mortality. Current estimates of SRE risk come principally from randomized clinical trials. Information from routine clinical practice is limited. Methods: Using the tumor registry and electronic data stores at a large U.S. Midwest healthcare system that serves approximately 800,000 persons, we retrospectively identified all pts aged ≥18 yrs with primary BC and newly diagnosed bone mets between 1/1/95 and 12/31/09. Electronic medical records were reviewed by trained abstractors for evidence of SREs between date of bone mets diagnosis and death, loss to follow-up, or end of study. Cumulative incidence of SREs was estimated in the presence of competing risk of death. Results: We identified a total of 378 pts with primary BC and newly diagnosed bone mets; 87 pts had evidence of SREs at initial diagnosis of bone mets and were excluded from the analyses. Among the remaining 291 pts, mean (SD) age was 58.2 yrs (14.3 yrs), and 99% were women; 48% were African-American and 46% were Caucasian. Median duration of follow-up after diagnosis of bone mets was 16.1 months (mos). At 12 mos, cumulative incidence of SREs was 44.5% (SCC, 5.2%; PF, 21.0%; SCC and/or PF, 23.3%; SB, 7.6%; RT, 34.3%) (Table). Corresponding figures at 24 mos were 53.8% (SCC, 7.5%; PF, 29.3%; SCC and/or PF, 32.5%; SB, 9.4%; RT, 41.7%). Approximately one-half (45.0%) of study subjects received intravenous bisphosphonates prior to SRE. Conclusions: Pts with BC in routine clinical practice are at high risk of SREs following initial diagnosis of bone mets. [Table: see text]

Risk of skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with prostate cancer (PC) and newly diagnosed metastases to bone

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Background: Bone is a common site of metastatic involvement in patients (pts) with PC. Bony metastases (mets) are often associated with SREs (spinal cord compression [SCC], pathologic fracture [PF], surgery to bone [SB], radiotherapy to bone [RT]). Skeletal complications cause significant morbidity and mortality. Current estimates of SRE risk come principally from randomized clinical trials. Information from routine clinical practice is limited. Methods: Using the tumor registry and electronic data stores at a large U.S. Midwest healthcare system that serves approximately 800,000 persons, we retrospectively identified all pts aged ≥18 yrs with primary PC and newly diagnosed bone mets between 1/1/95 and 12/31/09. Electronic medical records were reviewed by trained abstractors for evidence of SREs between date of bone mets diagnosis and death, loss to follow-up, or end of study for evidence of first SRE. Cumulative incidence of SREs was estimated in the presence of competing risk of death. Results: We identified a total of 420 men with primary PC and newly diagnosed bone mets; 42 pts had evidence of SREs at initial diagnosis of bone mets and were excluded from the analyses. Among the remaining 378 pts, mean (SD) age was 72.7 yrs (9.8 yrs); 38% were Caucasian and 58% were African-American. Median duration of follow-up after diagnosis of bone mets was 17.1 months (mos). At 12 mos, cumulative incidence of SREs was 31.6% (SCC, 6.1%; PF, 15.0%; SCC and/or PF, 19.1%; SB, 3.9%; RT, 24.4%) (Table). Corresponding figures at 24 mos were 45.3% (SCC, 12.5%; PF, 22.2%; SCC and/or PF, 30.2%; SB, 6.2%; RT, 34.9%). Relatively few pts (14.6%) received intravenous bisphosphonates prior to SRE. Conclusions: Pts with PC in routine clinical practice are at high risk of SREs following initial diagnosis of bone mets. [Table: see text]

Risk of skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with lung cancer (LC) and newly diagnosed metastases to bone

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Background: Bone is a common site of metastatic involvement in patients (pts) with LC. Bony metastases (mets) are often associated with SREs (spinal cord compression [SCC], pathologic fracture [PF], surgery to bone [SB], radiotherapy to bone [RT]). Skeletal complications cause significant morbidity and mortality. Current estimates of SRE risk come principally from randomized clinical trials. Information from routine clinical practice is limited. Methods: Using the tumor registry and electronic data stores at a large U.S. Midwest healthcare system that serves approximately 800,000 persons, we retrospectively identified all pts aged ≥18 yrs with primary LC and newly diagnosed bone mets between 1/1/95 and 12/31/09. Electronic medical records were reviewed by trained abstractors for evidence of SREs between date of bone mets diagnosis and death, loss to follow-up, or end of study. Cumulative incidence of SREs was estimated in the presence of competing risk of death. Results: We identified a total of 272 pts with primary LC and newly diagnosed bone mets; 66 pts had evidence of SREs at initial diagnosis of bone mets and were excluded from the analyses. Among the remaining 206 pts, mean (SD) age was 65.7 yrs (10.5 yrs) and 66% were male; 47% were Caucasian and 50% were African-American. Median duration of follow-up after diagnosis of bone mets was 3.0 months (mos). At 6 mos, cumulative incidence of SREs was 45.6% (SCC, 6.9%; PF, 20.6%; SCC and/or PF, 25.0%; SB, 4.1%; RT, 34.7%) (Table). Corresponding figures at 12 mos were 50.8% (SCC, 6.9%; PF, 24.1%; SCC and/or PF, 28.3%; SB, 4.1%; RT, 39.8%). Relatively few pts (17.5%) received intravenous bisphosphonates prior to SRE. Conclusions: Pts with LC in routine clinical practice are at high risk of SREs following initial diagnosis of bone mets. [Table: see text]

Risk of skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with breast cancer (BC) and newly diagnosed metastases to bone

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Background: Bone is a common site of metastatic involvement in patients (pts) with BC. Bony metastases (mets) are often associated with SREs (spinal cord compression [SCC], pathologic fracture [PF], surgery to bone [SB], radiotherapy to bone [RT]). Skeletal complications cause significant morbidity and mortality. Current estimates of SRE risk come principally from randomized clinical trials. Information from routine clinical practice is limited. Methods: Using the tumor registry and electronic data stores at a large US Midwest healthcare system that serves approximately 800,000 persons, we retrospectively identified all pts aged ≥18 yrs with primary BC and newly diagnosed bone mets between 1/1/95 and 12/31/09. Electronic medical records were reviewed by trained abstractors for evidence of SREs between date of bone mets diagnosis and death, loss to follow-up, or end of study. Cumulative incidence of SREs was estimated in the presence of competing risk of death. Results: We identified a total of 378 pts with primary BC and newly diagnosed bone mets; 87 pts had evidence of SREs at initial diagnosis of bone mets and were excluded from the analyses. Among the remaining 291 pts, mean (SD) age was 58.2 yrs (14.3 yrs), and 99% were women; 46% were Caucasian and 48% were African-American. Median duration of follow-up after diagnosis of bone mets was 16.1 months (mos). At 12 mos, cumulative incidence of SREs was 44.5% (SCC, 5.2%; PF, 21.0%; SCC and/or PF, 23.3%; SB, 7.6%; RT, 34.3%) (Table). Corresponding figures at 24 mos were 53.8% (SCC, 7.5%; PF, 29.3%; SCC and/or PF, 32.5%; SB, 9.4%; RT, 41.7%). Approximately one-half (45.0%) of study subjects received intravenous bisphosphonates prior to SRE. Conclusions: Pts with BC in routine clinical practice are at high risk of SREs following initial diagnosis of bone mets. [Table: see text]

Risk of skeletal-related events (SREs) following initial diagnosis of bony metastases in breast, lung, and prostate cancer

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Background: Bony metastases (mets) are a common source of morbidity in patients (pts) with cancer, cause spinal cord compression (SCC), pathological fracture (PF), and bone pain, and often require radiotherapy (RT) and/or surgery to bone (SB). Methods: Using the tumor registry and electronic data stores at a large U.S. Midwest healthcare system that serves approximately 800,000 persons, we retrospectively identified all pts aged ≥18 years with primary breast, lung, or prostate cancer diagnosed between 1995 and 2009. Registry and electronic medical records were then used to identify pts with diagnosis of bone mets at initial cancer diagnosis or at recurrence. Trained technicians reviewed medical records for occurrence of SCC, PF, RT and SB—outcomes that have been collectively referred to as SREs. Cumulative incidence of these events was calculated in the presence of competing risk of death. Results: We identified 378 pts with breast cancer and bone mets, 272 with lung cancer and bone mets, and 420 with prostate cancer and bone mets. SREs were present at initial diagnosis of bone mets in 23% of breast cancer pts, 24% of lung cancer pts, and 10% of prostate cancer pts (Table). At 12 months, cumulative incidence of SREs was 57.3% for breast cancer (SCC, 5.1%; PF, 37.9%; SCC and/or PF, 40.2%; SB, 5.9%; RT, 27.4%), 62.7% for lung cancer (SCC, 8.9%; PF, 37.8%; SCC and/or PF, 43.3%; SB, 3.5%; RT, 32.4%), and 38.4% for prostate cancer (SCC, 7.9%; PF, 21.3%; SCC and/or PF, 26.7%; SB, 4.0%; RT, 22.9%). Use of bisphosphonates was largely confined to pts with breast cancer. Conclusions: Though breast, lung, and prostate cancers differ considerably in presentation, clinical course, and treatment, SREs are a common and serious problem in all three cancers among patients with bone mets. [Table: see text]

Abstract P3-12-12: HER2 Evaluation in Relation to Breast Cancer Treatment Decisions in a Managed Care Plan

Background: In 18-20% of breast cancer tumors, the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) gene is abnormally amplified with increased expression of the associated protein. HER2 amplification is associated with rapid tumor proliferation, shorter disease-free survival, and poorer overall survival. Because women with HER2 amplification are more likely to benefit from treatment with the drug trastuzumab, testing for HER2 is recommended to guide therapy. However, little is known about HER2 testing practices and associated treatment in real-world settings. This study examined uptake, use, and appropriateness of HER2 testing, and the relationship between HER2 test results and treatment decisions in a large integrated health system.

Methods: We identified 3,634 patients with primary breast cancer diagnosed from 1998-2007 who were members of the Kaiser Permanente Northwest health plan. We collected data on patient and tumor characteristics, HER2 testing status, test results, and trastuzumab treatment from tumor registry and pharmacy datasets. We defined women as evaluated for HER2 if they received HER2 testing by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH). We manually abstracted medical charts for a subset of patients to verify findings and investigate anomalies. We compared testing and treatment results to professional guidelines. Results: From 1998-2000, the percentage of patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent HER2 evaluation increased from 12% to 94%; from 2000-2007, 94% (2304/2461) received HER2 testing over all years combined. In most cases, an equivocal or positive IHC test was followed by FISH. Only 2.4% of women with ductal carcinoma in situ (13/538), for whom HER2 testing is not recommended, were tested, and the proportion remained consistently low over the entire study period. Trastuzumab use increased five-fold after 2004, when guidelines expanded to include recommending adjuvant treatment for early-stage breast cancer in addition to metastatic treatment. Ninety-five percent of women receiving trastuzumab had a positive HER2 result, while the remainder had equivocal HER2 results or received treatment outside thedelivery system. After 2004, 55% of women with invasive breast cancer and overexpression of HER2 received trastuzumab treatment; this ranged from 44% of women with localized breast cancer to 80% of women with distant metastatic disease. We estimate that, after correcting for errors in the datasets, professional guidelines were followed for over 97% of patients diagnosed since 2000.

Conclusions: Kaiser Permanente Northwest is systematically performing HER2 evaluation on patients with invasive breast cancer, and the information is used to make appropriate treatment decisions. This information should be gathered in other health care settings for comparison.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-12-12.

Medical history, body size, and cigarette smoking in relation to fatal prostate cancer

OBJECTIVES

Prostate cancer has few known risk factors. As part of a population-based case-control study conducted in four health maintenance organizations, the authors examined the associations between fatal prostate cancer and several medical and behavioral characteristics.

METHODS

Cases were 768 health plan members who died of prostate adenocarcinoma during the period 1997-2001. We randomly selected controls (929) from the health plan membership and matched them to cases on health plan, age, race, and pattern of health plan membership. We examined medical records to obtain information on potential risk factors during the 10 years before the date on which prostate cancer was first suspected; the same reference date was used for the matched controls.

RESULTS

Anthropometric characteristics, as well as personal histories of benign prostatic hypertrophy, transurethral prostatectomy, cancer, diabetes, prostatitis, hypertension, and vasectomy were largely similar for cases and controls. Men who died from prostate cancer were more likely than controls to have been cigarette smokers according to the most recent smoking notation before the reference date (odds ratio 1.5, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.0).

CONCLUSIONS

The observed increase in risk associated with recent cigarette smoking is consistent with the findings of several other studies. However, in contrast with some reports, we observed no connection between fatal prostate cancer and some prior health conditions or measures of body size.

Screening by Prostate-Specific Antigen and Digital Rectal Examination in Relation to Prostate Cancer Mortality

BACKGROUND

The potential role of prostate cancer screening in reducing mortality is uncertain. To examine whether screening with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test or digital rectal examination is associated with reduced prostate cancer mortality, we conducted a population-based case-control study in 4 health maintenance organizations.

METHODS

Cases were 769 health plan members who died because of prostate adenocarcinoma during the years 1997-2001. We randomly selected 929 controls from the health plan membership and matched them to cases on health plan, age, race, and membership history. Medical records were used to document all screening tests in the 10 years before and including the date on which prostate cancer was first suspected.

RESULTS

Among white participants, 62% of cases and 69% of controls had a least 1 screening PSA test or digital rectal examination (odds ratio = 0.73; 95% confidence interval = 0.55-0.97). The corresponding proportions for blacks were 59% and 61% (1.0; 0.59-1.4). Most screening tests were digital rectal examinations; therefore, in the subgroup with no history of PSA screening, the association between digital rectal screening and prostate cancer mortality was similar to the overall association (0.65 [0.48-0.88] among whites; 0.86 [0.53-1.4] among blacks). Very few men received screening PSA without screening digital rectal examination (6% of cases and 7% of controls among whites).

CONCLUSIONS

Digital rectal screening was associated with a reduced risk of death due to prostate cancer in our population. Because of several data limitations, this study could not accurately estimate the effect of PSA screening separate from digital rectal examination.

The incidence of colorectal cancer following a negative screening sigmoidoscopy: implications for screening interval

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Current guidelines recommend a 5-year interval for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening by sigmoidoscopy. However, the optimal screening interval is uncertain. We estimated the annual incidence of distal and proximal CRC in the first 5 years following a negative sigmoidoscopy examination to gauge the potential benefit of rescreening in <5 years.

METHODS

A cohort of 72,483 participants in the Colon Cancer Prevention program of Kaiser Permanente of Northern California (KP) was defined using computerized databases. Men and women aged 50 years and older who had a negative screening flexible sigmoidoscopy examination between 1994 and 1996 and were considered not to be at high risk for developing CRC were included. Subjects were censored at the time of diagnosis (for cases), death, termination of KP membership, or subsequent colon examination.

RESULTS

Thirty cases of distal and 80 cases of proximal CRC occurred. Age-adjusted incidence rates of distal CRC ranged from a low of 2.8 per 100,000 person-years in the first year of follow-up to a high of 13.0 per 100,000 in the fourth year (rate difference, 10.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-19.3). However, for the entire follow-up period, incidence of distal CRC remained much lower than age-adjusted rates of 70.6 in the general population (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry). The incidence of proximal CRC was also decreased modestly over population rates of disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Screening by sigmoidoscopy more frequently than every 5 years would likely lead, at best, to only modest improvements as compared with a 5-year screening interval.

Screening digital rectal examination and prostate cancer mortality: a case-control study

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer in men in the United States. Digital rectal examination is the oldest and most commonly used screening test for prostate cancer, but as yet there are no studies which demonstrate its effectiveness.

METHODS

A case-control study was conducted among members of a large health maintenance organisation to estimate the effect of screening digital rectal examination on mortality from prostate cancer. 150 men, aged 40-84 when cancer was diagnosed, who developed fatal prostate cancer, and 299 male controls matched for age who did not die from prostate cancer were studied. A history of screening digital rectal examination during the 10 years before the date on which cancer was-diagnosed was determined from medical records.

RESULTS

A similar proportion of men who died from prostate cancer and controls had undergone at least one screening digital rectal examination during the 10 year interval (odds ratio = 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.48 to 1.46). Similar results were obtained when a shorter interval (such as five years before diagnosis) during which screening histories were evaluated was considered, or in analyses in which men with a history of benign prostatic hypertrophy were excluded.

CONCLUSIONS

The data suggest that screening digital rectal examination does not reduce mortality from prostate cancer to any appreciable degree.

Glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) deficiency and lung cancer risk

The association between glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) deficiency and lung cancer risk has been controversial in the published literature. To examine this controversy, 12 case-control studies of GSTM1 status and lung cancer risk were identified in the published English literature. These studies included a total of 1593 cases and 2135 controls. We conclude that GSTM1 deficiency is a moderate risk factor for lung cancer development with an odds ratio of 1.41 (95% confidence interval = 1.23-1.61; P < 0.0001) by using Mantel-Haenszel methods for stratified analysis. This increased risk is evident for all the major histological subtypes of lung cancer. Although the increased risk is small, GSTM1 deficiency accounts for approximately 17% of lung cancer cases because of the high prevalence of GSTM1 deficiency.

Heterogeneity of cancer surveillance practices among medical oncologists in Washington and Oregon

BACKGROUND

Medical oncologists provide long term care for patients who have been treated for cancer and are in remission. However, little is known about how physicians use routine laboratory and imaging tests for detecting cancer recurrence in their patients.

METHODS

To assess type and level of their surveillance testing of patients with cancer who are in remission, a cross-sectional survey of medical oncologists was performed. Seventy-three members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology residing in Washington and Oregon participated (70% response rate). Standardized questionnaires were mailed to medical oncologists using a multiple-mailing technique. Three scenarios, each describing a patient with cancer of the breast, colon, or prostate, were included. Participants were asked to indicate the frequency at which they would order seven different diagnostic tests in the routine follow-up of such patients.

RESULTS

Virtually all respondents would practice some level of follow-up testing of their patients. Although testing practices did not vary significantly according to physician age, year of graduation, practice type, or state of residence, there was considerable variability from physician to physician.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that optimal cancer-surveillance testing programs for patients with cancer of the breast, colon, or prostate have not yet been satisfactorily defined.

Phase II study of edatrexate in advanced head and neck cancer. A Southwest Oncology Group study

Fifty-two patients with persistent, recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck were treated with weekly edatrexate, 80 mg/m2. Nine patients had received previous adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Of the 46 eligible patients, two complete responses and one partial response were observed (6%, 95% confidence interval of 1-18%). The most common toxicities were myelosuppression and mucositis, but dermatologic toxicity was also observed in 25% of patients. Edatrexate appears to have limited activity in advanced head and neck cancer.

In vitro hematopoiesis in myelodysplasia: liquid and soft-gel culture studies

In vitro clonogenic assays of bone marrow have provided invaluable information about the complex regulatory mechanisms controlling hematopoiesis, both normal and abnormal, and have led to the discovery of colony stimulating factors. Our understanding of the abnormalities of growth and differentiation characterizing the MDS have been advanced largely through use of these assays. Abnormalities commonly seen in cultures of marrow from patients with MDS include decreased or absent colony growth, abortive cluster formation, and defective maturation of cells within the colonies. Although some investigators have defined growth patterns as "leukemic" and "nonleukemic" and have tried to correlate growth patterns with potential for evolution to acute leukemia, these methods are difficult to apply to any given case. Given the wide variety of techniques used to collect cells and the lack of standard sources for stimulating growth factors, the results, not surprisingly, have been inconclusive in predicting both prognosis and progression to acute leukemia. New methods by which clonogenic assays can be standardized, such as purification of the clonogenic cells and use of recombinant growth factors, should allow these assays to advance our understanding of MDS, develop new therapies, and predict responses to therapy in individual patients.

Hematologic complications of rheumatic disease

The systemic rheumatic diseases are commonly complicated by hematologic abnormalities. Five frequently encountered and clinically relevant complications are reviewed. They include the anemia of chronic disease, neutropenia, autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura, the lupus inhibitor, and hematologic malignancies. The pathophysiology and treatment of each of these conditions are discussed in this review.

Treating acute nonlymphocytic leukemia

Acute leukemia is no longer an uncommon disease among the middle-aged and elderly. In recent years, treatment programs available for acute nonlymphocytic leukemia have improved dramatically. While remission rates in patients over age 50 are not as high as in younger age groups, combination chemotherapy is effective in a significant number of older patients, and complete remissions can be obtained in 20 to 50%. Recent years have also witnessed much progress in the ability to provide essential supportive therapy during periods of marrow hypoplasia. Because acute leukemia is uniformly fatal if untreated, aggressive therapy should be made available to all these patients, regardless of age.