Is Season of Diagnosis a Predictor of Cancer Survival? Results from the Zurich Cancer Registry

In Switzerland, there is a large seasonal variation in sunlight, and vitamin D deficiency is relatively common during winter. The season of diagnosis may be linked to cancer survival via vitamin D status. Using data from the Cancer Registry of Zurich, Zug, Schaffhausen, and Schwyz with more than 171,000 cancer cases registered since 1980, we examined the association of the season of diagnosis with survival for cancers including prostate (ICD10 code C61; International Categorization of Diseases, version 10), breast (C50), colorectal (C18-21), lung (C34), melanoma (C43), and all sites combined. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the differences in the all-cause mortality by the season of the diagnosis. Winter was used as the reference season. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for all the cancers combined (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) and for prostate (in men), breast (in women), colorectal, lung cancer, and melanomas, separately. A diagnosis in summer and/or autumn was associated with improved survival in all the sites combined for both sexes (men: HR 0.97 [95% CI 0.96-0.99]; women: HR 0.97 [95% CI 0.94-0.99]) and in colorectal (HR 0.91 [95% CI 0.84-0.99]), melanoma (HR 0.81 [95% CI 0.65-1.00]), and breast cancer (HR 0.91 [95% CI 0.94-0.99]) in women. Our study results suggest that a cancer diagnosis in summer and/or autumn is associated with a better prognosis. The improved seasonal survival coincides with the seasonal variation of sun-induced vitamin D, and vitamin D may play a protective and beneficial role in cancer survival

Retrospective analysis of the uptake of active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer in Zurich, Switzerland

OBJECTIVES Active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer closely monitors patients conservatively instead of the pursuit of active treatment to reduce overtreatment of insignificant disease. Since 2009, active surveillance has been recommended as the primary management option in the European Association of Urology guidelines for low-risk disease. The present study aimed to investigate the use and uptake of active surveillance over 10 years in our certified prostate cancer centre (University Hospital of Zurich) compared with those derived from the cancer registry of the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively identified all men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer at our institution and from the cancer registry of the canton of Zurich from 2009 to 2018. The primary treatment of each patient was recorded. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the use of different treatments in our centre. The results were compared with those derived from the cancer registry. RESULTS A total of 3393 men with low-risk prostate cancer were included in this study (University Hospital of Zurich: n = 262; cancer registry: n = 3131). In the University Hospital of Zurich and cancer registry cohorts, 146 (55.7%) and 502 (16%) men underwent active surveillance, respectively. The proportions of local treatment [115 (43.9%) vs 2220 (71%)] and androgen deprivation therapy [0 (0%) vs 43 (1.4%)] were distinctly lower in the University Hospital of Zurich cohort than in the cancer registry cohort. The uptake of active surveillance over the years was high in the University Hospital of Zurich cohort (35.4% in 2009 and 88.2% in 2018) but only marginal in the cancer registry cohort (12.2% in 2009 and 16.2% in 2018). CONCLUSION Despite clear guideline recommendations, active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer is still widely underused. Our analysis showed that access to a certified interdisciplinary tumour board significantly increases the use of active surveillance

31 years of lung cancer in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland: incidence trends by sex, histology and laterality

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY Lung cancer belongs to the most common cancers in Switzerland. We examined trends in lung cancer incidence, with focus on sex, histology and laterality, in the Canton of Zurich since 1980. MATERIAL AND METHODS Registry data consisting of 16 798 lung cancer cases from 1980 to 2010 were analysed. Cases were classified into adenocarcinoma (ADC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), small-cell carcinoma (SCLC), large cell tumour and carcinoid tumour. Age-standardised (European standard) incidence rates (IR) per 100 000 person-years, male-to-female incidence-rate ratio (M/F-IRR), and left-to-right lung incidence-rate ratio (L/R-IRR) were calculated. RESULTS Over the study period, ADC occurred most frequently (31.9%), followed by SCC (29.1%), SCLC (15.4%), large cell carcinoma (6.3%), and carcinoid tumour (1.5%). Other/unspecified subtypes accounted for 15.7%. In men, the IR of SCC decreased from 34.2/100 000 (95% confidence interval [CI] 32.5-35.9) in 1980 to 12.8/100 000 (12.0-13.6) in 2010, but increased in women from 3.4/100 000 (2.7-4.0) to 4.0/100 000 (3.4-4.5). The IR of ADC increased in women from 5.1/100 000 (4.1-5.8) to 12.6/100 000 (11.8-13.4) and in men from 15.1/100 000 (14.0-16.3) to 19.4/100 000 (18.4-20.4). Overall M/F-IRR was 2.61; the highest ratio (5.8) was seen for SCC and the lowest (0.77) for carcinoid tumour. All histological subtypes showed a higher susceptibility of the right lung. CONCLUSION Our data reflect the global increase of lung cancer in women. ADC increased over time in women and men, whereas SCC decreased markedly among men. These trends may have occurred owing to changes in smoking behaviour and cigarette composition

Expression of MAGE-C1/CT7 and selected cancer/testis antigens in ovarian borderline tumours and primary and recurrent ovarian carcinomas

MAGE-C1/CT7, NY-ESO-1, GAGE and MAGE-A4 are members of the cancer/testis (CT) antigen family, which have been proposed as potential targets for cancer immunotherapy. To determine the prevalence and biologic relevance of the novel CT antigen MAGE-C1/CT7 and other antigens, 36 ovarian borderline tumours (BTs), 230 primary ovarian carcinomas (OCs) and 80 recurrent OCs were immunohistochemically analysed using the monoclonal antibodies CT7-33 (MAGE-C1/CT7), E978 (NY-ESO-1), clone 26 (GAGE) and 57B (MAGE-A4). Positivity of at least one CT antigen was present in 39.5% (81/205) of primary OC and in 50% (26/52) of all recurrences. Expression of the novel CT antigen MAGE-C1/CT7 was most commonly seen with positivity in 24.5% of primary and 35.1% of recurrent OC. MAGE-A4, GAGE and NY-ESO-1 expressions were seen in 22.7, 13.9 and 7.1% of primary and 22.6, 17.5 and 8.9% of recurrent OC, respectively. Analysis of histological subtypes (serous, endometrioid, clear cell, mucinous and transitional) exhibited variable expression with negativity in all mucinous OC. High-grade serous OC revealed CT antigen expression in 5.6 to 28% with MAGE-C1/CT7 being the most frequent, but without correlation with stage or overall survival. MAGE-C1/CT7 expression and coexpression of CT antigens were significantly correlated with grade of endometrioid OC. None of the BT showed CT antigen expression. No significant correlation was seen with stage, overall survival or response to chemotherapy. In summary, CT antigens are expressed in a certain subset of OC with no expression in BT or OC of mucinous histology. These findings may have implications for the design of polyvalent vaccination strategies for ovarian carcinoma

Increasing trends in in situ breast cancer incidence in a region with no population-based mammographic screening program: results from Zurich, Switzerland 2003-2014

PURPOSE Increase in in situ breast cancer (BCIS) incidence has been reported across Europe and the USA. However, little is known about the trends in BCIS incidence in regions without population-based mammographic screening programs. We set out to investigate these trends in Zurich, Switzerland, where only opportunistic mammographic screening exists. METHODS Data from 989 women diagnosed with a primary BCIS between 2003 and 2014 were used in our analyses. Age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 person-years (ASR) were computed per year. Additional analyses by BCIS subtype, by age group at diagnosis and by incidence period were conducted. Incidence trends over time were assessed using joinpoint regression analysis. RESULTS The overall BCIS ASR was 10.7 cases per 100,000 person-years with an increasing trend over the study period. A similar trend was observed for the ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) ASR, while the lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) ASR decreased. Age-specific analyses revealed that the 50-59 year age group had the highest BCIS ASR. The highest increase in BCIS ASR, even though not statistically significant, was observed for the < 40 year age group. CONCLUSIONS BCIS ASR increased linearly over a 12-year period. The increase was reflected by an increase in DCIS ASR, whereas LCIS ASR decreased over time. The highest increase in BCIS ASR over the study period was observed for the < 40 year age group, even though not statistically significant. Patient and tumor characteristics of this group that may be associated with BCIS development warrant further investigation

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Impacts of the Tropical Pacific/Indian Oceans on the Seasonal Cycle of the West African Monsoon

The current consensus is that drought has developed in the Sahel during the second half of the twentieth century as a result of remote effects of oceanic anomalies amplified by local land–atmosphere interactions. This paper focuses on the impacts of oceanic anomalies upon West African climate and specifically aims to identify those from SST anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Oceans during spring and summer seasons, when they were significant. Idealized sensitivity experiments are performed with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). The prescribed SST patterns used in the AGCMs are based on the leading mode of covariability between SST anomalies over the Pacific/Indian Oceans and summer rainfall over West Africa. The results show that such oceanic anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Ocean lead to a northward shift of an anomalous dry belt from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel as the season advances. In the Sahel, the magnitude of rainfall anomalies is comparable to that obtained by other authors using SST anomalies confined to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The mechanism connecting the Pacific/Indian SST anomalies with West African rainfall has a strong seasonal cycle. In spring (May and June), anomalous subsidence develops over both the Maritime Continent and the equatorial Atlantic in response to the enhanced equatorial heating. Precipitation increases over continental West Africa in association with stronger zonal convergence of moisture. In addition, precipitation decreases over the Gulf of Guinea. During the monsoon peak (July and August), the SST anomalies move westward over the equatorial Pacific and the two regions where subsidence occurred earlier in the seasons merge over West Africa. The monsoon weakens and rainfall decreases over the Sahel, especially in August.Peer reviewe

Search for heavy resonances decaying to two Higgs bosons in final states containing four b quarks

A search is presented for narrow heavy resonances X decaying into pairs of Higgs bosons (H) in proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at root s = 8 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb(-1). The search considers HH resonances with masses between 1 and 3 TeV, having final states of two b quark pairs. Each Higgs boson is produced with large momentum, and the hadronization products of the pair of b quarks can usually be reconstructed as single large jets. The background from multijet and t (t) over bar events is significantly reduced by applying requirements related to the flavor of the jet, its mass, and its substructure. The signal would be identified as a peak on top of the dijet invariant mass spectrum of the remaining background events. No evidence is observed for such a signal. Upper limits obtained at 95 confidence level for the product of the production cross section and branching fraction sigma(gg -> X) B(X -> HH -> b (b) over barb (b) over bar) range from 10 to 1.5 fb for the mass of X from 1.15 to 2.0 TeV, significantly extending previous searches. For a warped extra dimension theory with amass scale Lambda(R) = 1 TeV, the data exclude radion scalar masses between 1.15 and 1.55 TeV

Measurement of the top quark mass using charged particles in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

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Search for supersymmetry in events with one lepton and multiple jets in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

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