Cardiovascular disease diagnoses among older women with endometrial cancer

Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) shares risk factors (e.g. obesity) with cardiovascular disease (CVD), yet little research has investigated CVD diagnoses among EC survivors. We aimed to describe the burden of CVD diagnoses among older women with EC compared to women without a cancer history. Methods: Women aged 66+ years with an EC diagnosis during 2004–2017 (N = 44,386) and matched women without cancer (N = 221,219) were identified in the SEER-Medicare linked data. An index date was defined as the cancer diagnosis date of the EC case in that matched set. ICD-9/10 diagnosis codes were used to define CVD outcomes in the Medicare claims. Prevalent CVD was identified using diagnosis codes in the year before the index date. Hazard ratios (HRs) for incident CVD diagnoses after the index date were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. Women with a prevalent CVD were excluded from incidence analyses for that outcome. Results: Compared to women without cancer, women with EC had a higher prevalence of CVD diagnoses at the index date. In analyses beginning follow-up at 1 year post-index date, EC survivors had an increased risk of incident CVD diagnoses including ischemic heart diseases (HR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.69–1.78), pulmonary heart disease (HR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.88–2.02), and diseases of the veins and lymphatics (HR = 2.71; 95% CI: 95% CI: 2.64–2.78). Risk of CVD diagnoses among women with EC was also elevated within the first year post-index date. Conclusions: Management of pre-existing CVD and monitoring for incident CVD may be critical during EC treatment and throughout long-term survivorship

Adjuvant radiation therapy and health-related quality of life among older women with early-stage endometrial cancer: an analysis using the SEER-MHOS linkage

Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) has been associated with decreased health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in clinical trials of early-stage endometrial cancer (EC), but few studies have examined the association in real-world settings. We assessed HRQOL associated with adjuvant RT for older women with early-stage EC within a large U.S. population-based registry resource. Methods: The Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results and the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey linkage (1998–2017) was used to identify women with early-stage EC aged ≥ 65 years at survey who received surgery and were diagnosed ≥ 1-year prior (n = 1,140). HRQOL was evaluated with the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) until 2006 and the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12) post 2006. Ordinary least squares regression was used to estimate mean difference (MD) in T scores and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing treatment groups (surgery alone, adjuvant external beam radiation therapy [EBRT], or adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy [VBT]) after accounting for confounders using propensity score weighting. Results: Overall, RT was not associated with physical health (MD = 0.97; 95% CI = − 1.13, 3.07) or mental health (MD = − 0.78; 95% CI = − 2.60, 1.05) relative to surgery alone. In analyses by RT type, adjuvant VBT was associated with better general health on the SF-36/VR-12 subscale (MD = 3.59; 95% CI = 0.56, 6.62) relative to surgery alone. No statistically significant associations were observed for adjuvant VBT and physical or mental health, or for adjuvant EBRT and any HRQOL domain. Conclusion: Older women with early-stage EC treated with adjuvant RT did not report worse physical and mental HRQOL scores compared to those treated with surgery alone, though relevant symptoms should be evaluated further to fully understand the disease and treatment specific aspects of the HRQOL

Patient characteristics and health system factors associated with adjuvant radiation therapy receipt in older women with early-stage endometrial cancer

Introduction: Among women with early-stage endometrial cancer (EC), age, stage, grade, and histology are used to determine fitness for adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) administration. We examined non-cancer factors associated with adjuvant RT receipt in older women with early-stage EC. Materials & methods: Using data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results cancer registry program linked with Medicare claims, we identified 25,654 women (aged ≥66 years) diagnosed with first primary stage I-II EC during 2004–2017 who underwent a hysterectomy. Diagnosis and procedure codes were used to identify adjuvant RT claims filed for the seven-month period post-hysterectomy. Multivariable log-binomial regression was used to estimate adjuvant RT prevalence associated with patient characteristics and health system factors after adjustment for age, frailty, and endometrial factors. Results: Adjuvant RT was less commonly administered to Asian American and Pacific Islander patients than non-Hispanic White patients (Prevalence ratio [PR], 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73 to 0.97). Compared to women treated in the Northeast region, women treated other regions of the US were less likely to undergo adjuvant RT (PR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.79). Residing in rural or high neighborhood-poverty counties was associated with lower adjuvant RT administration. Higher comorbidity score was not associated with reduced prevalence of adjuvant RT receipt; however, women with high probability of predicted probability of frailty were less likely to undergo adjuvant RT (PR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.81) compared to women with low probability of frailty. Women who received lymph node assessment were more likely to undergo adjuvant RT compared to women who did not (PR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.34 to 1.51). Women treated by a gynecologic oncologist were more likely to undergo adjuvant RT compared to women treated by a non-gynecologic oncologist (PR 1.09; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.14). Adjuvant RT was more commonly administered to women treated in larger academic hospitals. Discussion: Findings suggest that various non-cancer factors affect the delivery of adjuvant RT to older women with early-stage EC in real-world oncology practice. Advancing our understanding of factors associated with adjuvant RT administration may help expand equitable access to RT

Adverse Urinary System Diagnoses among Older Women with Endometrial Cancer

Background: Endometrial cancer and its treatment may impact urinary system function, but few large-scale studies have examined urinary diagnoses among endometrial cancer survivors. We investigated the risk of several urinary outcomes among older women with endometrial cancer compared with similar women without a cancer history. Methods: Women aged 66þ years with an endometrial cancer diagnosis during 2004–2017 (N ¼ 44,386) and women without a cancer history (N ¼ 221,219) matched 1:5 on exact age, race/ ethnicity, and state were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare linked data. ICD-9 and -10 diagnosis codes were used to define urinary outcomes in the Medicare claims. HRs for urinary outcomes were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: Relative to women without cancer, endometrial cancer survivors were at an increased risk of several urinary system diagnoses, including lower urinary tract infection [HR, 2.36; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.32–2.40], urinary calculus (HR, 2.22; 95% CI, 2.13–2.31), renal failure (HR, 2.28; 95% CI, 2.23–2.33), and chronic kidney disease (HR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.81–1.90). Similar associations were observed in sensitivity analyses limited to 1þ and 5þ years after endometrial cancer diagnosis. Black race, higher comorbidity index, higher stage or grade cancer, non-endometrioid histology, and treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiation were often significant predictors of urinary outcomes among endometrial cancer survivors. Conclusions: Our results suggest that, among older women, the risk of urinary outcomes is elevated after endometrial cancer. Impact: Monitoring for urinary diseases may be a critical part of long-term survivorship care for older women with an endometrial cancer history

Establishing nurse-led active surveillance for men with localised prostate cancer: development and formative evaluation of a model of care in the ProtecT trial.

Objectives To develop a nurse-led, urologist-supported model of care for men managed by active surveillance or active monitoring (AS/AM) for localised prostate cancer and provide a formative evaluation of its acceptability to patients, clinicians and nurses. Nurse-led care, comprising an explicit nurse-led protocol with support from urologists, was developed as part of the AM arm of the Prostate testing for cancer and Treatment (ProtecT) trial. Design Interviews and questionnaire surveys of clinicians, nurses and patients assessed acceptability. Setting Nurse-led clinics were established in 9 centres in the ProtecT trial and compared with 3 non-ProtecT urology centres elsewhere in UK. Participants Within ProtecT, 22 men receiving AM nurse-led care were interviewed about experiences of care; 11 urologists and 23 research nurses delivering ProtecT trial care completed a questionnaire about its acceptability; 20 men managed in urology clinics elsewhere in the UK were interviewed about models of AS/AM care; 12 urologists and three specialist nurses working in these clinics were also interviewed about management of AS/AM. Results Nurse-led care was commended by ProtecT trial participants, who valued the flexibility, accessibility and continuity of the service and felt confident about the quality of care. ProtecT consultant urologists and nurses also rated it highly, identifying continuity of care and resource savings as key attributes. Clinicians and patients outside the ProtecT trial believed that nurse-led care could relieve pressure on urology clinics without compromising patient care. Conclusions The ProtecT AM nurse-led model of care was acceptable to men with localised prostate cancer and clinical specialists in urology. The protocol is available for implementation; we aim to evaluate its impact on routine clinical practice

Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995-2009: analysis of individual data for 25,676,887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2)

BACKGROUND: Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. METHODS: Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15-99 years) and 75,000 children (age 0-14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995-2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. FINDINGS: 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005-09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15-19% in North America, and as low as 7-9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10-20% between 1995-99 and 2005-09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995-99 and 2005-09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005-09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005-09 was high (54-58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18-23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. INTERPRETATION: International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries1,2. However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world3 and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health4,5. However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol—which is a marker of cardiovascular risk—changed from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million–4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.</p

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities 1,2 . This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity 3�6 . Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55 of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017�and more than 80 in some low- and middle-income regions�was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing�and in some countries reversal�of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories. © 2019, The Author(s)

A century of trends in adult human height

Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5-22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3-19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8-144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries1,2. However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world3 and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health4,5. However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol�which is a marker of cardiovascular risk�changed from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95 credible interval 3.7 million�4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world. © 2020, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited