International Journal of Cancer

ObjectiveTo evaluate risk of early-onset dementia (EOD) after diagnosis of cancer among Medicaid beneficiaries. DesignLongitudinal observational study of Medicaid enrollment, inpatient, and outpatient claims data from 26 states and Washington, DC, 2001-2019. MethodsBeneficiaries aged 18-64 with [≥]6 months of enrollment were matched 1:1 on cancer status (lung, colon, breast, prostate) by age, sex, race, year and state. We estimated the weighted cumulative incidence functions of EOD at 1, 2,...

While the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is a widely used prostate cancer screening tool, its application remains controversial. Opportunistic PSA testing generates complex data in which testing intensities, PSA levels, and prostate cancer diagnosis are interdependent. Conventional analyses rarely model these processes jointly. The objective of this study was to develop a population-based joint model to analyse PSA dynamics, retesting patterns, and prostate cancer risk. We used the Stockho...

BackgroundPeople with HIV (PWH) experience higher cancer-specific mortality and may have worse surgical outcomes than people without HIV (PWoH), though the limited prior evidence largely predates the treat-all antiretroviral therapy (ART) era. We examined postoperative outcomes among PWH and PWoH enrolled in Medicaid in 26 states and Washington, D.C. from 2001-2021. MethodsWe identified the first inpatient/outpatient surgery for anal, bladder, breast, colorectal, female genitourinary, gastroeso...

IntroductionSporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a significant driver of worldwide morbidity and mortality. Environmental factors associated with CRC are increasingly well-described and now include generalized colonic dysbiosis and individual enteric bacteria. Clostridioides difficile is one such species, with recent mouse model work suggesting prolonged exposure to C. difficile toxin B is conducive to colonic tumorigenesis. However, there is a dearth of real-world human evidence linking C. ...

BackgroundHelicobacter pylori infection accounts for 98% of gastric cancer (GC) cases in Japan. Since 2013, the nationwide expansion of H. pylori eradication therapy to chronic gastritis patients has created a unique opportunity to evaluate its population-level impact on GC primary prevention. However, short-term reductions in GC deaths are difficult to interpret given the long natural history of gastric carcinogenesis. This study aimed to assess the early impact of population-level eradication ...

BackgroundPlatelet count and C-reactive protein (CRP) are blood tests commonly used in primary care as part of diagnostic work up for symptomatic patients. Abnormal results of these tests can indicate an undetected cancer; however, it is not known whether the association between an abnormal test result and cancer risk varies by patient ethnicity. MethodsThis cohort study used routinely collected primary and secondary health care records in England with linkage to national cancer registry data. ...

BackgroundNo randomized clinical trial comparing the most established new modalities of treatment for patients with localized prostate cancer has been published, and there is scarce comparative effectiveness research assessing Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). Objectiveto compare the impact of active surveillance, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), and real-time brachytherapy on patients, through PROMs, from pre-treatment to five years...

ImportancePersistent racial and ethnic disparities in breast and prostate cancer mortality are well documented. Most prior studies emphasize between-group differences and rely on population averages or single composite measures of social disadvantage, which can obscure high-need communities within groups. How socio-behavioral determinants of health vary within groups across local gradients of cancer mortality remains incompletely characterized. A framework that combines race- and cancer-specific...

IntroductionBRCA1/2 alterations are increasingly recognized as biologically and clinically relevant features in prostate cancer, yet the prognostic and therapeutic significance of zygosity status remains uncertain. Understanding differences between monoallelic and biallelic inactivation may refine risk stratification and guide therapeutic decision-making. Materials and MethodsA retrospective, desk-based observational analysis was performed using publicly accessible datasets from TCGA-PRAD (prim...

BackgroundThe dynamic associations of lifestyle factors with fatigue and work ability in colorectal cancer (CRC) from pre-diagnosis, over rehabilitation until convalescence in the first year after rehabilitation are largely unexplored. MethodsN = 682 CRC patients were recruited for the MIRANDA cohort study in 4 German rehabilitation clinics. The five-component Healthy Lifestyle Score (HLS; smoking, alcohol, diet, physical activity, BMI) was assessed pre-diagnosis, during rehabilitation (which w...

The gut microbiome has been linked to breast cancer, largely through microbial functions involved in estrogen metabolism (the "estrobolome"); however, specific microbial targets remain poorly defined in human studies. Here, we profiled the gut microbiome using whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing, and plasma and stool metabolites were quantified using targeted metabolomics, in a study of 70 postmenopausal female cases with treatment-naive ER-positive breast cancer and 70 controls. Reduced species...

BackgroundCurrent British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) guidelines misclassify metachronous lesion risk after polypectomy in approximately 40% of patients. Building on evidence that immune exclusion drives progression of adenomas to colorectal cancer, this study examined immune profiles in screen-detected adenomas as a predictive biomarker for metachronous lesion risk. MethodsPatients undergoing polypectomy within the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme, with surveillance colonoscopy between...

There is an unmet need to identify biomarkers of active thyroid eye disease (TED). scRNAseq revealed that orbital fibroblasts from orbital decompressions in people with TED express high levels of thyroid hormone receptors, growth factor receptors, including insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), and extracellular matrix proteins including SPARC (osteonectin), whereas orbital fat endothelial cells expressed thyroid peroxidase (TPO). SPARC was significantly raised in the serum of people w...

BackgroundThe NHS-Galleri trial reported a substantial reduction in Stage IV cancer diagnoses and a four-fold increase in cancer detection rates, but did not meet its primary endpoint of reducing combined Stage III+IV diagnoses in a prespecified group of 12 cancers. We hypothesize that stage slip-- progression of cancers from Stage I/II to Stage III during diagnostic workup--is the primary mechanism behind this statistical masking. MethodsWe developed a Monte Carlo simulation of 142,000 partici...

BackgroundThe Most Favored Nation (MFN) policy is a mechanism that incorporates foreign prices to determine the maximum allowable net price for any branded drug within US government-funded healthcare. Two proposed rules, the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing ("GLOBE") (90 Fed. Reg. 60,244) for Medicare Part B and the Guarding US Medicare Against Rising Drug Costs ("GUARD") (90 Fed. Reg. 60,338) for Medicare Part D, invoke the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Centers payment ...

BackgroundLung cancer compensation systems for occupational exposure to asbestos commonly apply Helsinki criteria, which assume 4% excess lung cancer risk per fibre-year of asbestos exposure. The Probability of Causation (PoC) is [≥]50% at 25 fibre-years (risk doubling threshold). Large case-control studies have suggested steeper exposure-response relations at lower exposures. We aimed to estimate PoC of asbestos-related lung cancer to evaluate exposure thresholds for compensation of lung ca...

While most individuals with familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (fMTC) carry RET mutations, in some instances the causative mutations remain unknown. We studied two related families with RET-negative fMTC in 21 affected individuals through linkage analysis, exome/genome sequencing, and high-density array comparative genomic hybridization. We identified a novel heterozygous 40kb intragenic SLC30A9 deletion which segregated with the disease in all affected individuals. The mutant transcript escap...

BackgroundCervical cancer remains a significant global public health challenge, with the overwhelming majority of its burden borne by low- and middle-income countries. Globally, an estimated 660,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths occur each year, with more than 90% of cervical cancer-related mortality concentrated in resource-limited settings. In Africa, limited access to organized screening programs and early detection services continues to contribute to persistently high incidence and mortality ...

PurposePrognosis in metastatic non-seminomatous germ cell tumors (mNSGCT) is currently guided by the IGCCCG classification, which incorporates tumor markers, organs involved with metastatic disease, and primary site but not histologic subtype. We aimed to evaluate whether specific histological components provide additional prognostic information in a large international mNSGCT cohort. Patient and MethodsWe analyzed clinical, pathologic, and outcome data from 662 patients with mNSGCT across mult...

PurposeThis study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of an intraoral light-emitting diode (LED)-based photobiomodulation (PBM) device to reduce the incidence and severity of oral mucositis (OM) from intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer (HNC). MethodsThis randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial enrolled patients with HNC undergoing high-dose IMRT over 6-8 weeks, with or without concurrent chemotherapy. Participants received daily 10-minute PBM or sham...