Racial differences in mortality among Medicare recipients after treatment for localized prostate cancer

Role of epigenetics in cancer health disparities

Cancer disparities in incidence and death rates exist among various racial and ethnic groups. These disparities are thought to be due to socioeconomic status, culture, diet, stress, the environment, and biology. Biological functions, such as epigenetic processes, are affected by all these causal factors and extend throughout the life course. Epigenetic processes, in particular DNA methylation, may play a role in the induction of phenotypes with increased cancer risk due to exposure to these multiple factors. DNA methylation is known to cause changes in gene expression of key regulatory genes in cancer. There are limited studies in which epigenetic changes have been explored to address cancer disparities in various racial and ethnic populations. These few studies have reported significant epigenetic differences in various racial and ethnic groups that could account for the differences seen in tumor initiation, progression, aggressiveness, and outcome of these cancers. Genes differentially methylated among these racially and ethnically diverse populations were involved in important cellular functions, such as tumor growth, tumor suppression, hormone receptors, and genes involved in tumor metastasis. Epigenetic research with the advancement in technology has helped identify biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and understand cancer causation in the general population. Unfortunately, these advances in technology have not been applied to explore the basis for cancer health disparities. More research in epigenetics is needed that will enhance our understanding of the determinants of cancer across various diverse populations and ultimately reduce cancer health disparities.

Racial differences in presentation, referral and treatment patterns and survival in adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia: a single-institution experience

BACKGROUND

Disease presentation and outcomes differ by race in a number of malignancies, but data in adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are limited.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of pretreatment characteristics, referral and treatment patterns, and outcomes in 548 AML patients evaluated at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, a tertiary care referral center in Baltimore, MD, from 2000 through 2009. Cases were analyzed for time from diagnosis to referral, age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, antecedent hematologic disorder, cytotoxic or radiation therapy for prior malignancy, karyotype, fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor-3 (FLT3) mutations, intensive chemotherapy, clinical trial participation, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Black patients (n=105) were younger than white patients (n=396) (54 vs. 61 years, p<0.001), were more commonly female (55% vs. 45%, p<0.001), and had a lower estimated median household income ($42,677 vs. $53,534 per year, p<0.001). Black patients more frequently had complex karyotypes (26% vs. 12%, p=0.002) and less frequently normal karyotypes (27% vs. 42%, p=0.02). FLT3 mutation frequency was similar. Time to referral and proportion of patients receiving intensive chemotherapy did not differ, but both clinical trial participation (43% vs. 54%, p=0.04) and HSCT (17% vs. 35% for patients ≤70 years old, p=0.001) were less frequent in blacks than whites. Nevertheless, OS was similar in all black and white patients (median 15 vs. 14 months, p=0.23), and when stratified by age, gender and karyotype risk classification.

CONCLUSION

AML presentation and treatment differed in black and white patients, but OS was similar. Black patients appear to have barriers to clinical trial participation and HSCT, and there may be barriers to tertiary care referral for black males.

Impact of gender, partner status, and race on locoregional failure and overall survival in head and neck cancer patients in three radiation therapy oncology group trials

PURPOSE

We investigated the impact of race, in conjunction with gender and partner status, on locoregional control (LRC) and overall survival (OS) in three head and neck trials conducted by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Patients from RTOG studies 9003, 9111, and 9703 were included. Patients were stratified by treatment arms. Covariates of interest were partner status (partnered vs. non-partnered), race (white vs. non-white), and sex (female vs. male). Chi-square testing demonstrated homogeneity across treatment arms. Hazards ratio (HR) was used to estimate time to event outcome. Unadjusted and adjusted HRs were calculated for all covariates with associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and p values.

RESULTS

A total of 1,736 patients were analyzed. Unpartnered males had inferior OS rates compared to partnered females (adjusted HR = 1.22, 95% CI, 1.09-1.36), partnered males (adjusted HR = 1.20, 95% CI, 1.09-1.28), and unpartnered females (adjusted HR = 1.20, 95% CI, 1.09-1.32). White females had superior OS compared with white males, non-white females, and non-white males. Non-white males had inferior OS compared to white males. Partnered whites had improved OS relative to partnered non-white, unpartnered white, and unpartnered non-white patients. Unpartnered males had inferior LRC compared to partnered males (adjusted HR = 1.26, 95% CI, 1.09-1.46) and unpartnered females (adjusted HR = 1.30, 95% CI, 1.05-1.62). White females had LRC superior to non-white males and females. White males had improved LRC compared to non-white males. Partnered whites had improved LRC compared to partnered and unpartnered non-white patients. Unpartnered whites had improved LRC compared to unpartnered non-whites.

CONCLUSIONS

Race, gender, and partner status had impacts on both OS and locoregional failure, both singly and in combination.

Racial/ethnic differences in receipt of pelvic lymph node dissection among men with localized/regional prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Black and Hispanic men have a lower prostate cancer (PCa) survival rate than white men. This racial/ethnic survival gap has been explained in part by differences in tumor characteristics, stage at diagnosis, and disparities in receipt of definitive treatment. Another potential contributing factor is racial/ethnic differences in the timely and accurate detection of lymph node metastases. The current study was conducted to examine the association between race/ethnicity and the receipt of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) among men with localized/regional PCa.

METHODS

Logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds of undergoing PLND among men who were diagnosed during 2000 to 2002 with PCa, who underwent radical prostatectomy or PLND without radical prostatectomy, and who were diagnosed in regions covered by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (n = 40,848).

RESULTS

Black men were less likely to undergo PLND than white men (odds ratio [OR], 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84-0.98). When the analysis was stratified by PCa grade, black men with well differentiated PCa (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.27-0.84) and poorly differentiated PCa (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.60-0.89) were less likely to undergo PLND than their white counterparts, but racial differences were not observed among men with moderately differentiated PCa (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.88-1.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Among men with poorly differentiated PCa, failure to undergo PLND was associated with worse survival. Racial disparities in the receipt of PLND, especially among men with poorly differentiated PCa, may contribute to racial differences in prostate cancer survival.

Prostate cancer incidence and mortality in barbados, west indies

We describe prostate cancer incidence and mortality in Barbados, West Indies. We ascertained all histologically confirmed cases of prostate cancer during the period July 2002 to December 2008 and reviewed each death registration citing prostate cancer over a 14-year period commencing January 1995. There were 1101 new cases for an incidence rate of 160.4 (95% Confidence Interval: 151.0-170.2) per 100,000 standardized to the US population. Comparable rates in African-American and White American men were 248.2 (95% CI: 246.0-250.5) and 158.0 (95% CI: 157.5-158.6) per 100,000, respectively. Prostate cancer mortality rates in Barbados ranged from 63.2 to 101.6 per 100,000, compared to 51.1 to 78.8 per 100,000 among African Americans. Prostate cancer risks are lower in Caribbean-origin populations than previously believed, while mortality rates appeared to be higher than reported in African-American men. Studies in Caribbean populations may assist understanding of disparities among African-origin populations with shared heredity.

Use and assessment of PSA in prostate cancer

Since the introduction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in the late 1980s, more prostate cancers have been detected, and at an earlier stage. As a consequence, the majority of prostate cancers are now detected years before the emergence of clinically evident disease, which usually represents locally advanced or metastatic cancer. PSA screening has remained controversial, because many of the prostate cancers detected are low grade and slow growing. With this long natural history and a median survival without treatment that often approaches at least 15 to 20 years, many clinicians and researchers have questioned if prostate cancer screening and treatment actually improves survival, as many patients will die with prostate cancer rather than of prostate cancer. In this review, the authors discuss the rationale for prostate cancer screening and present the current guidelines for the use of PSA.

Variation in quality of care among older men with localized prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to assess the racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes and their association with process-of-care measures for elderly Medicare recipients with localized prostate cancer.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare databases for the period from 1995 to 2003 were used to identify African-American men, non-Hispanic white men, and Hispanic men with localized prostate cancer, and data were obtained for the 1-year period before the diagnosis of prostate cancer and up to 8 years postdiagnosis. The short-term outcomes of interest were complications, emergency room visits, readmissions, and mortality; the long-term outcomes of interest were prostate cancer-specific mortality and all-cause mortality; and process-of-care measures of interest were treatment and time to treatment. Cox proportional hazards regression, logistic regression, and Poisson regression were used to study the racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes and their association with process-of-care measures.

RESULTS

Compared with non-Hispanic white patients, African-American patients (Hazard ration [HR], 1.43; 95% confidence interval [CE], 1.19-1.86) and Hispanic patients (HR=1.39; 95% CI, 1.03-1.84) had greater hazard of long term prostate specific mortality. African-American patients also had greater odds of emergency room visits (odds ratio, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2-1.7) and greater all-cause mortality (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.3-1.5) compared with white patients. The time to treatment was longer for African-American patients and was indicative of a greater hazard of all-cause, long-term mortality. Hispanic patients who underwent surgery or received radiation had a greater hazard of long-term prostate-specific mortality compared with white patients who received hormone therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes were associated with process-of-care measures (the type and time to treatment). The current results indicated that there is an opportunity to reduce these disparities by addressing these process-of-care measures.

Racial/ethnic disparities in survival among men diagnosed with prostate cancer in Texas

BACKGROUND

To the authors' knowledge, few studies to date have examined racial differences in prostate cancer survival while controlling for socioeconomic status (SES). No such studies have examined this association in Texas, a large state with significant ethnic and racial diversity. The objective of this analysis was to determine whether racial disparities in survival for men diagnosed with prostate cancer in Texas from 1995 through 2002 remained after adjusting for SES, rural residence, and stage of disease.

METHODS

A cohort of 87,449 men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer was identified from the Texas Cancer Registry. The SES measure was based on census tract data reflecting median household income, median home value, and percentages of men living below poverty, with a college education, and with a management or professional occupation. The 5-year survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for race and all-cause and disease-specific mortality.

RESULTS

After adjusting for SES, age, stage of disease, tumor grade, year of diagnosis, and rural residence, both black and Hispanic men were more likely (adjusted HR [aHR], 1.70 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.58-1.83] and aHR, 1.11 [95% CI, 1.02-1.20], respectively) to die of prostate cancer compared with white men. The pattern of survival disadvantage for black men held for those diagnosed with localized disease and advanced disease, and for those with an unknown stage of disease at diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Substantial racial disparities in prostate cancer survival were found for men in Texas. Future studies should incorporate treatment data as well as comorbid conditions because this information may explain noted survival disparities.

Association between ethnicity and prostate cancer outcomes across hospital and surgeon volume groups

OBJECTIVE

We analyzed the association between ethnicity and outcomes among prostate cancer patients across hospital and surgeon volume groups.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study using SEER-Medicare databases for the period between 1995 and 2003, prostate cancer cases were identified and retrospectively followed for one year pre- and up to eight years post-diagnosis. Based on volume, hospitals and surgeons were divided into three groups each. For each group, we fitted separate models to analyze the association between ethnicity and outcomes such as complications, eight-year mortality and cost, adjusting for covariates. Poisson (zero inflation), generalized linear model (log-link), and Cox regression models were used.

RESULTS

African American ethnicity was associated with 30-day complications among medium volume hospital group. African American patients receiving care at medium volume hospitals and from medium volume surgeons had higher costs. Hispanic patients receiving care at low and medium volume hospitals had lower cost compared to white patients. Hispanic patients receiving care from a high-volume surgeon experienced increased hazard of long-term mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Association between ethnicity and outcomes varies across hospital and surgeon volume groups. Thus, volume based policy measures may need further exploration for understanding the interaction between structure, process, volume and outcomes.

Race versus place of service in mortality among medicare beneficiaries with cancer

BACKGROUND

Evidence suggests that excess mortality among African-American cancer patients is explained in part by the healthcare setting. The objective of this study was to compare mortality among African-American and Caucasian cancer patients and to evaluate the influence of attendance at a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive or clinical cancer center.

METHODS

The authors conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of Medicare beneficiaries with an incident diagnosis of lung, breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer between 1998 and 2002 who were identified from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the impact of NCI cancer center attendance and race on all-cause and cancer-specific mortality at 1 year and 3 years after diagnosis.

RESULTS

The likelihood of 1-year and 3-year all-cause and cancer-specific mortality was higher for African Americans than for Caucasians in crude and adjusted models (cancer-specific adjusted: Caucasian referent, 1-year odds ratio [OR], 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.19; 3-year OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17-1.30). By cancer site, cancer-specific mortality was higher among African Americans at 1 year for breast and colorectal cancers and for all cancers at 3 years. NCI cancer center attendance was associated with significantly lower odds of mortality for African Americans (1-year OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.56-0.76; 3-year OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.62-0.81). With Caucasians as the referent group, the excess mortality risk among African Americans no longer was observed for all-cause or cancer-specific mortality risk among patients who attended NCI cancer centers (cancer-specific mortality:1-year OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.76-1.19; 3-year OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.82-1.21).

CONCLUSIONS

African-American Medicare beneficiaries with lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers had higher mortality compared with their Caucasian counterparts; however, there were no significant differences in mortality by race among those who attended NCI cancer centers. The results of this study suggested that place of service may explain some of the cancer mortality excess observed in African Americans.

Racial variation in the pattern and quality of care for prostate cancer in the USA: mind the gap

OBJECTIVE

To review the literature on racial variation in the pattern of care (PoC) and quality of care (QoC) for prostate cancer, as there are known racial disparities in the incidence and outcomes of prostate cancer. While there are some biological explanations for these differences, they do not completely explain the variation. Differences in the appropriateness and QoC delivered to men of different racial groups may contribute to disparities in outcome.

METHODS

We searched the USA National Library of Medicine PubMed system for articles pertaining to quality indicators in prostate cancer and racial disparities in QoC for prostate cancer.

RESULTS

While standards for appropriate treatment are not clearly defined, racial variation in the PoC has been reported in several studies, suggesting that African-American men may receive less aggressive treatment. There are validated QoC indicators in prostate cancer, and researchers have begun to evaluate racial variation in adherence to these quality indicators. Further quality comparisons, particularly in structural measures, may need to be performed to fully evaluate differences in QoC.

CONCLUSIONS

There is mounting evidence for racial variation in the PoC and QoC for prostate cancer, which may contribute to observed differences in outcome. While some of the sources of racial variation in quality and outcome have been identified through the development of evidence-based guidelines and validated quality indicators, opportunities exist to identify, study and attempt to resolve other components of the quality gap.

Do African American Men Have Lower Survival From Prostate Cancer Compared With White Men? A Meta-analysis

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men. This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between race and survival from prostate cancer. A systematic review of articles published from 1968 to 2007 assessing survival from prostate cancer was conducted. Analysis of unadjusted studies reported that African American men have an increased risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31-1.65, p < .001). However, examination of adjusted studies identified no difference (HR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.94-1.22, p = .308). No statistically significant difference was observed in prostate cancer—specific survival in both analyses using unadjusted (HR = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.94-1.31, p = .209) and adjusted studies (HR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.95-1.41, p = .157). This meta-analysis concludes that there are no racial differences in the overall and prostate cancer—specific survival between African American and White men.

Trends and racial differences in the use of androgen deprivation therapy for metastatic prostate cancer

CONTEXT

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is widely used to manage the symptoms of advanced prostate cancer and has been shown to slow the progression of the disease. Previous research investigating racial differences in the use of ADT has reported inconsistent findings.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to assess use trends for ADT overall and by type (orchiectomy and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone [LHRH] agonists) and the factors associated with time to receipt for metastatic prostate cancer.

METHODS

Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry and Medicare claims database were obtained for 5,273 men, aged 65 years and older and diagnosed with Stage IV prostate cancer during 1991-1999 from seven SEER regions. An accelerated failure time regression model with log-normal distribution was used to examine factors associated with mean time to receipt of ADT.

RESULTS

African-American men were less likely than white men to receive any ADT after diagnosis (P<0.001). Differences were noted in the time to receipt of ADT, with African-American men having a longer mean time to receipt of orchiectomy (time ratio [TR]=1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.03, 2.17) or LHRH agonist (TR=1.42; 95% CI=1.06, 1.89) than white men.

CONCLUSION

African-American men with metastatic prostate cancer were significantly less likely to receive ADT and, when treated, had a slightly longer time to receipt than white men, which has implications for patients and physicians involved in the palliative management of metastatic prostate cancer.

Factors associated with initial treatment and survival for clinically localized prostate cancer: results from the CDC-NPCR Patterns of Care Study (PoC1)

BACKGROUND

Despite the large number of men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, there is as yet no consensus concerning appropriate treatment. The purpose of this study was to describe the initial treatment patterns for localized prostate cancer in a population-based sample and to determine the clinical and patient characteristics associated with initial treatment and overall survival.

METHODS

The analysis included 3,300 patients from seven states, diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer in 1997. We examined the association of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics with four treatment options: radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and watchful waiting. Diagnostic and treatment information was abstracted from medical records. Socioeconomic measures were derived from the 2000 Census based on the patient's residence at time of diagnosis. Vital status through December 31, 2002, was obtained from medical records and linkages to state vital statistics files and the National Death Index. Multiple logistic regression analysis and Cox proportional hazards models identified factors associated with initial treatment and overall survival, respectively.

RESULTS

Patients with clinically localized prostate cancer received the following treatments: radical prostatectomy (39.7%), radiation therapy (31.4%), hormone therapy (10.3%), or watchful waiting (18.6%). After multivariable adjustment, the following variables were associated with conservative treatment (hormone therapy or watchful waiting): older age, black race, being unmarried, having public insurance, having non-screen detected cancer, having normal digital rectal exam results, PSA values above 20, low Gleason score (2-4), comorbidity, and state of residence. Among patients receiving definitive treatment (radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy), older age, being unmarried, PSA values above 10, unknown Gleason score, state of residence, as well as black race in patients under 60 years of age, were associated with receipt of radiation therapy. Overall survival was related to younger age, being married, Gleason score under 8, radical prostatectomy, and state of residence. Comorbidity was only associated with risk of death within the first three years of diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

In the absence of clear-cut evidence favoring one treatment modality over another, it is important to understand the factors that inform treatment selection. Since state of residence was a significant predictor of both treatment as well as overall survival, true regional differences probably exist in how physicians and patients select treatment options. Factors affecting treatment choice and treatment effectiveness need to be further explored in future population-based studies.

Health disparities in staging of SEER-medicare prostate cancer patients in the United States

OBJECTIVES

To examine whether race or age disparities affected the odds of being staged among prostate cancer (PC) patients. Accurate staging is critical for determining treatment for PC.

METHODS

Multivariable logistic regression models examined race and age disparities with respect to the odds of being staged among PC patients using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data. Similar analyses were performed to estimate the adjusted odds of being staged with distant metastatic vs in situ or local/regional disease.

RESULTS

The proportion of patients without staging ranged between 3% and 16% by age and between 6% and 8% by race. Adjusted results demonstrated statistically significant lower odds ratios (P <.05) for 70-74, 75-79, and 80+-year-olds of 0.76, 0.52, and 0.23, respectively, relative to PC patients aged 65-69. The odds of being staged for African Americans are 0.78 times that of non-Hispanic Whites (95% confidence interval = 0.72-0.86). The adjusted probability of distant metastatic disease at initial diagnosis is higher for African Americans (odds ratio = 1.61; 95% confidence interval = 1.47-1.76) and older men with odds ratios of 1.25, 1.85, and 4.33 for ages 70-74, 75-79, and 80+, respectively, compared with 65-69-year-olds (all P <.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Even though the overall odds of being staged increased over time, race and age disparities persisted. When staging did occur, the probability of distant metastatic disease was high for African Americans, and there were increasing odds of metastatic disease for all men with advanced age.

Racial and ethnic variation in health resource use and cost for prostate cancer

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the racial and ethnic variation in health resource use (HRU) and direct medical care (DMC) cost in elderly men with prostate cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective case-control study using the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Medicare database. Patients with prostate cancer diagnosed between 1995 and 1998 (50 147 men) were identified and followed retrospectively for 1 year before and 5 years after the diagnosis. Phase-specific HRU and DMC costs were compared between racial and ethnic groups using parametric and nonparametric analysis. To compute the incremental cost of prostate cancer, a matched non-cancer control group was extracted from Medicare database. Poisson and general linear models (log-link) were used to identify the association of race and ethnicity with HRU and DMC cost, after controlling for potentially influential clinical and demographic covariates.

RESULTS

The African-American group was more likely to have emergency-room visits (odds ratio 1.19, 95% confidence interval 1.12-1.28) and less likely to have outpatient visits (0.96, 0.96-0.97) than whites. However, the Hispanic group was more likely to have inpatient and outpatient visits (odds ratio 0.88, 0.83-0.91; and 0.93, 0.91-0.95) than whites. Adjusted DMC cost showed racial and ethnic variation in all phases except the treatment and terminal phases. Factors associated with DMC cost varied among racial and ethnic groups.

CONCLUSION

The incremental burden of prostate cancer remains significant in the long term. Overall, the cost of prostate cancer care was higher among African-American men than white and Hispanic men. This indicates the need for further research on care-level factors to comprehend the racial and ethnic disparity in HRU and cost.

Interplay of race, socioeconomic status, and treatment on survival of patients with prostate cancer

OBJECTIVES

To compare overall and prostate cancer-specific survival, using the Detroit Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry data, among 8679 Detroit area black and white men with localized or regional stage prostate cancer diagnosed from 1988 to 1992 to determine whether racial disparities in long-term survival remained after adjusting for treatment type and socioeconomic status (SES).

METHODS

The cases were geocoded to the census block-group, and SES data were obtained from the 1990 U.S. Census. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate the hazard ratio of death from any cause. The median follow-up was 16.5 years.

RESULTS

Of the 7770 localized stage cases (22% black and 78% white) and 909 regional cases (24% black and 76% white), black men were more likely to receive nonsurgical treatment (P < .001) and to be of low SES (P < .0001). The survival analyses were stratified by stage. For both stages, black men had poorer survival than white men in the unadjusted model. The adjustment for age and tumor grade had little effect on the survival differences, but adjustment for SES and treatment removed the survival differences.

CONCLUSIONS

Low SES and nonsurgical treatment were associated with a greater risk of death among men with prostate cancer, explaining much of the survival disadvantage for black men with prostate cancer.

A computer-tailored intervention to promote informed decision making for prostate cancer screening among African American men

African American men experience a disproportionate burden of prostate cancer (CaP) morbidity and mortality. National screening guidelines advise men to make individualized screening decisions through a process termed informed decision making (IDM). In this pilot study, a computer-tailored decision-aid designed to promote IDM was evaluated using a pre-/posttest design. African American men aged 40 years and older were recruited from a variety of community settings (n = 108). At pretest, 43% of men reported having made a screening decision; at posttest 47% reported this to be the case (p = .39). Significant improvements were observed between pre- and posttest on scores of knowledge, decision self-efficacy, and decisional conflict. Men were also more likely to want an active role in decision making after using the tool. These results suggest that use of a computer-tailored decision aid is a promising strategy to promote IDM for CaP screening among African American men.

Race and the likelihood of localized prostate cancer at diagnosis among men in 4 southeastern states

OBJECTIVES

To assess the statistical relationship between stage at diagnosis of prostate cancer and racial category in 4 southeastern states.

METHODS

Data from state cancer registries in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Maryland were analyzed using a hierarchical generalized linear model to adjust for both patient-level characteristics and area-based measures of socioeconomic status.

RESULTS

African American men had lower odds of being diagnosed with localized disease than white men in 3 of the 4 state populations. After adjusting for patient- and area-level characteristics, the difference is that odds were statistically significant for men living in Florida (OR, 0.79, 95% CI, 0.73-0.85) but not in Georgia (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.70-1.01), Kentucky (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.82-1.27) or Maryland (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.74-1.12).

DISCUSSION

Differences in the likelihood of localized prostate cancer diagnosis between African American and white men in 4 states were not statistically different in 3 states after adjustments for individual and census-level characteristics. Variation in the proportion of men diagnosed with localized disease across states may reflect differences in sample size or real differences between the populations of these states.

Improving clinical research and cancer care delivery in community settings: evaluating the NCI community cancer centers program

BACKGROUND

In this article, we describe the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) pilot and the evaluation designed to assess its role, function, and relevance to the NCI's research mission. In doing so, we describe the evolution of and rationale for the NCCCP concept, participating sites' characteristics, its multi-faceted aims to enhance clinical research and quality of care in community settings, and the role of strategic partnerships, both within and outside of the NCCCP network, in achieving program objectives.

DISCUSSION

The evaluation of the NCCCP is conceptualized as a mixed method multi-layered assessment of organizational innovation and performance which includes mapping the evolution of site development as a means of understanding the inter- and intra-organizational change in the pilot, and the application of specific evaluation metrics for assessing the implementation, operations, and performance of the NCCCP pilot. The assessment of the cost of the pilot as an additional means of informing the longer-term feasibility and sustainability of the program is also discussed.

SUMMARY

The NCCCP is a major systems-level set of organizational innovations to enhance clinical research and care delivery in diverse communities across the United States. Assessment of the extent to which the program achieves its aims will depend on a full understanding of how individual, organizational, and environmental factors align (or fail to align) to achieve these improvements, and at what cost.

Race, healthcare access and physician trust among prostate cancer patients

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of healthcare access and other characteristics on physician trust among black and white prostate cancer patients.

METHODS

A three-timepoint follow-up telephone survey after cancer diagnosis was conducted. This study analyzed data on 474 patients and their 1,320 interviews over three time periods.

RESULTS

Among other subpopulations, black patients who delayed seeking care had physician trust levels that were far lower than that of both Caucasians as well as that of the black patients overall. Black patients had greater variability in their levels of physician trust compared to their white counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS

Both race and access are important in explaining overall lower levels and greater variability in physician trust among black prostate cancer patients. Access barriers among black patients may spill over to the clinical encounter in the form of less physician trust, potentially contributing to racial disparities in treatment received and subsequent outcomes. Policy efforts to address the racial disparities in prostate cancer should prioritize improving healthcare access among minority groups.

Racial differences in the impact of comorbidities on survival among elderly men with prostate cancer

This study investigates differences in the effects of comorbidities on survival in Medicare beneficiaries with prostate cancer. Medicare data were used to assemble a cohort of 65- to 76-year-old Black (n = 6,402) and White (n = 47,458) men with incident localized prostate cancer in 1999 who survived >or=1 year postdiagnosis. Comorbidities were more prevalent among Blacks than among Whites. For both races, greater comorbidity was associated with decreasing survival rates; however, the effect among Blacks was smaller than in Whites. After adjusting for age, socioeconomic status, and community characteristics, the association between increasing comorbidities and survival remained weaker for Blacks than for Whites, and racial disparity in survival decreased with increasing number of comorbidities. Differential effects of comorbidities on survival were also evident when examining different classes of comorbid conditions. Adjusting for treatment had little impact on these results, despite variation in the racial difference in receipt of prostatectomy with differing comorbidity levels.

Are outcomes and care processes for preterm neonates influenced by health insurance status?

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this work was to compare the processes of care and to evaluate outcomes of premature neonates delivered to women with Medicaid managed care versus private insurance.

DESIGN/METHODS

All of the infants born at <37 weeks' gestation between January 2001 and August 2005 in the ParadigmHealth database were included in these analyses (n = 24151). Infants were categorized by maternal health insurance status as private insurance or Medicaid managed care and analyzed for differences in demographic data and length of stay. For survivors, differences in respiratory care, nutritional, and maturational milestones were assessed. In addition, age to wean to open crib, weight gain, home oxygen, and apnea monitor use were compared. Adverse outcomes, including necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, severe intraventricular hemorrhage, severe retinopathy of prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, apnea, and mortality, were compared. Statistical tests used were Students t test, chi(2), and Kruskall-Wallis test. Multiple logistic regression was performed after controlling for demographic variables.

RESULTS

Of the 24151 infants studied, 19046 (78.9%) had private insurance, and 5105 (21.1%) had Medicaid managed care. There were no differences in gestational age at birth; however, Medicaid managed care infants had lower birth weight, lower Apgar score at 5 minutes, increased incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and bacterial sepsis, and longer length of stay. Of the surviving infants, more neonates with private insurance went home on oxygen and apnea monitors despite no differences found in the incidences of apnea or bronchopulmonary dysplasia between the groups. There were no differences in processes of care for feeding and respiratory milestones, but infants with Medicaid managed care weaned to an open crib later and had greater overall weight gain compared with infants with private insurance.

CONCLUSIONS

We speculate that, in addition to the known impact of insurance status on well-being at birth, Medicaid managed care is independently associated with adverse neonatal outcomes in preterm infants, as well as differences in neonatal intensive care discharge processes.

Impact of androgen deprivation therapy on racial/ethnic disparities in the survival of older men treated for locoregional prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Racial disparities persist in prostate cancer (CaP) treatment and survival, but disparities in androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and the degree to which it affects racial differences in survival remains to be fully assessed.

METHODS

Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare linked data, we examined a large cohort of men (N = 64,475) diagnosed with locoregional CaP during 1992 to 1999 and followed through 2003. The effects of ADT and race on survival were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

The receipt of ADT was significantly lower in African Americans (24%) relative to Caucasians (27%), Asians (34%), and Hispanics (28.7%) (P < .05). Compared with Caucasian race, African American race was associated with a statistically significant increased mortality (HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.21-1.32), which remained significant after adjusting for ADT but was substantially decreased after controlling for primary therapies such as radical prostatectomy, radiation, and watchful waiting (HR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01-1.10) and was no longer statistically significant after controlling for comorbidities (HR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.94-1.03).

CONCLUSIONS

There were marked racial variations in the receipt of ADT, primary therapies (namely surgery and surgery combined with radiation), and comorbidities. However, racial disparities in survival were not affected by racial variations in ADT but were explained by racial variations in primary therapies and by racial differences in comorbidities.

Effect of socioeconomic factors on long-term mortality in men with clinically localized prostate cancer

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effect of socioeconomic factors on survival in black and white patients with local or regional prostate cancer.

METHODS

All cases (n = 2046) of clinically localized prostate cancer diagnosed from 1990 to 2000 at the Henry Ford Health System and the Henry Ford Medical Group, equal access health centers, were included. Data on the stage, grade, age at diagnosis, socioeconomic status, treatment given, comorbidities, and vital statistics were gathered from the Henry Ford Medical Group tumor registry and computerized databases, pathologic reports, patient charts, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, and the national death registry. The endpoints were the overall and cancer-specific survival. Survival was calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

RESULTS

Of the 2046 cases, 1243 were white and 803 were black. Black patients were more likely to have lower incomes, a greater baseline prostate-specific antigen level, and greater comorbidities. They were also more likely to undergo radiotherapy and less likely to undergo radical prostatectomy. Univariate analysis, with white race as the baseline hazard, showed that black patients had significantly increased cancer-specific (hazard ratio [HR] 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-2.13) and overall (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.09-1.53) mortality. However, adjusting for insurance status and income on multivariate analysis revealed no significant differences in cancer-specific (HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.66-1.64) and overall (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.78-1.18) survival.

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort, socioeconomic factors were sufficient to explain the disparity in survival between white and black patients. Survival differences disappeared after adjusting for income status on multivariate analysis.

The effect of hospital and surgeon volume on racial differences in recurrence-free survival after radical prostatectomy

OBJECTIVE

This study investigates associations between hospital and surgeon volume, and racial differences in recurrence after surgery for prostate cancer.

METHODS

Data from the 1991 to 2002 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results-Medicare database were examined for 962 black and 7387 white men who received surgery for prostate cancer within 6 months of diagnosis during 1993-1999. Cox regression models were used to estimate the relationships between volume (grouped in tertiles), recurrence or death, and race, controlling for age, Gleason grade, and comorbidity score.

RESULTS

Prostate cancer recurrence-free survival rates improved with hospital and surgical volume. Black men were more likely to experience recurrence than white men [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20-1.50]. Stratification by hospital volume revealed that racial differences persisted for medium and high volume hospitals, even after covariate adjustments (medium HR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.04-1.61; high HR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.07-1.73). Racial differences persisted within medium and high levels of surgeon volume as well (medium HR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.10-1.85; high HR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.14-2.16).

CONCLUSIONS

High hospital and physician volumes were not associated with reduced racial differences in recurrence-free survival after prostate cancer surgery, contrary to expectation. This study suggests that social and behavioral characteristics, and some aspects of access, may play a larger role than organizational or systemic characteristics with regard to recurrence-free survival for this population.

Race and surgical outcomes: it is not all black and white

BACKGROUND

Studies using Medicare data have suggested that African American race is an independent predictor of death after major surgery. We hypothesized that the apparent adverse effect of race on surgical outcomes is due to confounding by comorbidity, not race itself.

METHODS

We identified all non-Hispanic white and African American general surgery, private sector patients included in the National Surgery Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Patient Safety in Surgery Study (2001-2004). Patient characteristics, comorbidities, and postoperative outcomes were collected/analyzed using NSQIP methodology. Characteristics between races were compared using Student t and chi(2) tests. Odds ratios (OR) for 30-day morbidity and mortality were calculated using multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

We identified 34,141 white and 5068 African American patients. African Americans were younger but more likely to undergo emergency surgery and present with hypertension, dyspnea, diabetes, renal failure, open wounds/infection, or advanced American Society of Anesthesiology class (all P < 0.001). African Americans underwent less complex procedures but had higher unadjusted 30-day morbidity (14.33% vs. 12.35%; P < 0.001) and mortality (2.09% vs. 1.65%; P = 0.02). After controlling for comorbidity, African American race had no independent effect on mortality (OR 0.95, (0.74-1.23)) but was associated with a higher risk of postoperative cardiac arrest (OR 2.49, (1.80-3.45)) and renal insufficiency/failure (OR 1.70 (1.32-2.18)).

CONCLUSION

African American race is associated with greater comorbidity and cardiac/renal complications but is not an independent predictor of perioperative mortality after general surgery. Efforts to improve postoperative outcomes in African Americans should focus on reducing the need for emergency surgery and improving perioperative management of comorbid conditions.

Prostate cancer, serum parathyroid hormone, and the progression of skeletal metastases

Bony metastases from prostate cancer are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. These metastases are predominantly blastic (bone-forming) and commonly cause increased serum levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) as calcium ions are transferred from serum into blastic bone. The epidemiologic and clinical significance of secondary hyperparathyroidism in advanced prostate cancer have not been widely appreciated. Prostate cancer bony metastases show increased expression of the PTH receptor (PTH-IR) and PTH promotes the growth and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells in bone. Thus, blastic metastases appear to induce a "vicious cycle" in which PTH resorbs normal bone to support the growth of blastic bone. Recognition of the potential role of PTH in the progression of skeletal metastases suggests novel opportunities for prostate cancer secondary prevention. In particular, we propose that suppressing serum PTH in advanced prostate cancer may reduce morbidity by decreasing fractures and pain caused by bone resorption and may reduce mortality by retarding the progression of metastatic disease.

Racial disparity in surgical mortality after major hepatectomy

BACKGROUND

The relationship between surgical mortality and race has not been studied for major hepatectomy. We sought to quantify and explore the nature of racial disparities in surgical mortality after major hepatectomy in a nationally representative cohort of patients.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (1998 to 2005). Adult patients undergoing major hepatectomy within 1 day of nontrauma admission were included. Logistic regression models were used to assess the variation of in-hospital mortality by race after adjustment for other risk factors.

RESULTS

The study cohort consisted of 3,552 observations representing 17,794 patients undergoing major hepatectomy. Unadjusted analyses revealed that African-American patients had a two-fold increased odds of surgical mortality (odds ratio 2.22, 95% CI 1.38 to 3.57) relative to Caucasians. Even after adjustment for other risk factors, African Americans had a two-fold increased odds of surgical mortality (odds ratio 2.15, 95% CI 1.28 to 3.61) relative to Caucasians. Stratified analyses restricting the cohort to patients without comorbidities, those with neoplasms, those with private insurance, or those treated at high-volume hospitals all demonstrated racial disparities in surgical mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

In-hospital mortality after major hepatectomy varies substantially by race. After adjustment for potential confounders, African-American patients have two-fold higher population-level odds of surgical mortality than Caucasian patients do. Our analyses suggest that clinical factors, insurance status, and hospital factors do not account for these differences. Additional studies to clarify the nature of this disparity and identify targets for intervention are warranted.

Ethnic differences in prostate cancer survival in New Zealand: a national study

OBJECTIVE

To examine disease-specific survival from prostate cancer by ethnic group in New Zealand.

METHODS

Analyses were based on the 7,733 men with histologically confirmed prostate cancer diagnosed from the start of 1996 to the end of 1999 in New Zealand. Five-year adjusted prostate-specific mortality rates and hazard ratios were calculated for Maori, Pacific, and European men.

RESULTS

In univariate analyses, Maori and Pacific men had higher mortality particularly in the first year after a diagnosis of prostate cancer than did European men. The strongest prognostic factors for prostate cancer were Gleason score and age. When survival analyses by ethnic group were adjusted for age and Gleason score the disparities in survival for Maori men and Pacific men with low-grade prostate cancers remained, with European men having the best survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Several possible explanations have been proposed to explain the survival disparities by ethnicity in New Zealand. Differentials in Gleason grade of disease by ethnic group explain a lot of these disparities. Further data on stage of disease at diagnosis, co-morbidity, treatment, access to health services, and behavioral and environmental factors are needed to resolve these issues.

Rates of biochemical remission remain higher in black men compared to white men after radical prostatectomy despite similar trends in prostate specific antigen induced stage migration

PURPOSE

We evaluated biochemical relapse-free survival after surgery for localized prostate cancer, comparing rates between black and white men in the early and late prostate specific antigen eras. Our hypothesis was that the gap in biochemical relapse-free survival between these groups would lessen in the later prostate specific antigen era due to catch-up awareness/availability of screening and treatment in the black population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data on 2,910 men treated with prostatectomy from 1987 to 2004 were evaluated. The primary end points were 1) rates of organ confined disease and 2) biochemical relapse-free survival after prostatectomy in the early (1987 to 1997) and late (1998 to 2004) prostate specific antigen eras. Rates of organ confined disease were compared using the chi-square test. Biochemical failure was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS

Median followup for the early and late prostate specific antigen periods was 9.8 (range 1.2 to 18.2) and 3.3 years (range 1.0 to 7.7), respectively. Based on rates of organ confined disease in the early vs late periods black and white men had significant gains in the number presenting with favorable disease at diagnosis in the late prostate specific antigen period (54% vs 76% and 49% vs 71%, respectively, each p <0.01). Despite gains of similar magnitude in favorable features at presentation biochemical relapse-free survival for black men lagged behind white men by 11% at 5 years in the early era and by 12% in the late era. Race was a significant predictor of biochemical relapse-free survival on multivariate analysis in each era.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite similar increases in the rate of organ confined disease between black and white men in the late vs early prostate specific antigen eras black men continue to show higher rates of biochemical failure after surgery.

Referral patterns, treatment choices, and outcomes in locoregional esophageal cancer: a population-based analysis of elderly patients

PURPOSE To determine the impact of demographics and comorbidity on access to specialists' services, treatment, and outcome for patients with locoregional esophageal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort study of 3,538 patients older than age 65 years who were diagnosed with locoregional esophageal cancer between 1991 and 1999 in one of 11 regions monitored by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results tumor program. We examined linked Medicare claims for assessment by a surgeon, radiation oncologist, or medical oncologist and subsequent treatment with surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. Logistic regression analyses were performed for seeing a specialist and for undergoing treatment according to age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, geographic region, and presence of comorbidities. Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for survival with and without adjustment for treatment received. Results Seeing a cancer specialist depended especially on age and region of diagnosis. These same factors were also related to subsequent treatment decisions, but associations were reversed in some regions, such that treatment depended less on region. Older patients had poorer survival (HR = 2.0 for 85+ v 65 to 69 years), which was partly explained by treatment received (HR decreased to 1.5 when adjusted for treatment). CONCLUSION Older patients have less intensive treatment of esophageal cancer, which is explained by both a lower rate of seeing a cancer specialist and by less intensive treatment once seen. Referring physicians and treating specialists must ensure that elderly patients are not deprived of the opportunity to consider all of their treatment options.

High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Plus External Beam Radiotherapy for T1 to T3 Prostate Cancer: An Experience in Taiwan

OBJECTIVES

To report outcomes for localized prostate cancer patients treated with the combination of high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).

METHODS

Eighty-five Stage T1c to T3b prostate cancer patients treated with HDR brachytherapy plus EBRT were included. An HDR dose of 16.5 Gy in 3 fractions over 24 hours was given 2 weeks before EBRT. An EBRT dose of 50.4 Gy was administered to the prostate and seminal vesicles. Younger patients (aged less than 75 years) with greater than 15% risk of nodal metastasis received whole-pelvis RT (45 Gy in 25 fractions) as part of EBRT.

RESULTS

Fifty percent of patients belonged to the high-risk (T3a or Gleason score 8-10 or prostate-specific antigen greater than 20 ng/mL) or very-high-risk (T3b) groups. After a median follow-up of 49 months (range, 24 to 70 months), 4-year biochemical control survival (less than nadir + 2) was 86% (100%, 91%, and 81% for patients in the low, intermediate, and high-risk groups, respectively. Three of four T3b patients experienced early biochemical failure. Four patients (5%) had grade 3 implant-related urinary retention. Chronic gastrointestinal toxicities were limited, but four grade 3 chronic genitourinary toxicities (5%) were noted in relation to urethral stricture and severe hematuria. Whole-pelvis EBRT was a major contributing factor to acute but not to chronic gastrointestinal toxicities. Among 60 patients with pretreatment sexual potency, 17 (26%) retained capability after 4 years. Six patients (10%) lost potency merely as a result of salvage hormone therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

High-dose-rate brachytherapy plus EBRT can achieve satisfactory biochemical control with acceptable complications for T1c to T3a prostate cancer patients.

Hidden barriers between knowledge and behavior: the North Carolina prostate cancer screening and treatment experience

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer (PC) mortality is much greater for African American than for Caucasian men. To identify patient factors that might account for some of this disparity, men within 6 months of diagnosis were surveyed about health attitudes and behavior.

METHODS

Using Rapid Identification in the North Carolina Cancer Registry, 207 African American and 348 Caucasian recently diagnosed PC patients were identified and surveyed.

RESULTS

African American men were younger and less often currently married, and had lesser education, job status, and income than Caucasian men (all P < .001). African American men were at no greater distance to medical care, but had less access: poorer medical insurance coverage, more use of public clinics and emergency wards, less continuity with a primary physician, and more often omitted physician visits they felt they needed. They also expressed less trust in physicians. African American men acknowledged their greater risk of PC, accepted greater responsibility for their health, and reported more personal failures that delayed diagnosis. African American men more often requested the tests that diagnosed their cancers, which resulted more often from routinely ordered screening tests for Caucasian men. African American men expressed less interest in nontraditional treatments.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite lesser education, African American men in North Carolina are aware of their increased risk of cancer, the importance of treatment, and their responsibility for their health. Obstacles to timely diagnosis and appropriate care, including greater physician distrust, appear more likely to arise from reduced access and continuity of medical care arising from their worse socioeconomic position.

Racial differences in clinical progression among Medicare recipients after treatment for localized prostate cancer (United States)

OBJECTIVE

Prostate cancer recurrence impacts patient quality of life and risk of prostate-cancer specific death following definitive treatment. We investigate differences in disease-free survival among white, black, Hispanic, and Asian patients in a large, population-based database.

METHODS

Merged Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) and Medicare files provided data on 23,353 white patients, 2,814 black patients, 480 Hispanic patients, and 566 Asian patients diagnosed at age 65-84 years with clinically localized prostate cancer between 1986 and 1996 in five SEER sites. Patients were followed through 1998. Racial differences in disease-free survival were assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression models.

RESULTS

The 75th percentile disease-free survival time for black patients was 13 months less than that for white patients (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.2-19.8 months), 29.7 months less than that for Hispanic patients (95% CI: 4.4-55.0 months), and 39.1 months less than that for Asian patients (95% CI: 12.1-66.1 months). In multivariate analysis, black race predicted shorter disease-free survival among surgery patients, but not among radiation patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Black patients experienced shorter disease-free survival compared to white, Hispanic, and Asian patients, and the disease-free survival of white, Hispanic, and Asian patients were not statistically different. Earlier recurrence of prostate cancer may help explain black patients' increased risk of mortality from prostate cancer.

Polymorphisms in the glutathione S-transferase M1, T1, and P1 genes and prostate cancer prognosis

BACKGROUND

Polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes can increase oxidative stress, which may affect cancer prognosis. The aim of this study was to examine associations between GSTM1, T1, or P1 genetic variants and prostate cancer outcomes.

METHODS

A population-based cohort of men (n = 752) from King County, Washington, diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1993-1996, and under long-term surveillance for mortality completed a follow-up survey about prostate cancer recurrence/progression. Cox PH models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for deaths from prostate cancer or other causes and prostate cancer recurrence/progression.

RESULTS

There were 50 prostate cancer-specific deaths, 65 deaths from other causes, and 143 recurrence/progressions events during an average 9.6 years of follow-up. The adjusted HR for prostate cancer mortality was 3.8 (95% CI 1.6-8.9) among Caucasian men with the GSTM1-null genotype. There were no differences, however, in mortality from other causes or prostate cancer recurrence/progression between men with GSTM1-null versus not-null genotypes. The GSTT1 and GSTP1 genotypes were not associated with any of these outcomes.

DISCUSSION

Results suggest that the GSTM1 genotype may be a useful biomarker to identify patients at higher risk for fatal prostate cancer.

Disadvantage of Men Living Alone Participating in Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Head and Neck Trials

Purpose

This study evaluated whether males without partners were disadvantaged for survival in Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) head and neck cancer clinical trials.

Methods

Patients treated on three RTOG trials were studied. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine if sex and the interaction between sex and marital/partner status were independent prognostic variables for overall survival controlling for Karnofsky performance status, tumor stage, nodal stage, primary site, and protocol treatment.

Results

A total of 1,901 patients (1,509 men) were entered onto the three RTOG trials, with 1,822 (1,438 men) analyzable patients. Prognostic variables independent of disease-related variables for survival in multivariate analyses restricted to men were age, marital/partner status, and income.

Conclusion

The apparent disadvantage of unpartnered men is striking, even after controlling for disease and other demographic variables. Possible explanations could easily be tested in observational studies, leading to evaluation of simple interventions to improve their outcome.

The North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP): methods and design of a multidisciplinary population-based cohort study of racial differences in prostate cancer outcomes

BACKGROUND

The North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP) is a multidisciplinary study of social, individual, and tumor-level causes of racial differences in prostate cancer aggressiveness.

METHODS

A population-based sample of incident prostate cancer cases from North Carolina and Louisiana will include 1,000 African Americans and 1,000 Caucasian Americans. Study nurses administer structured questionnaires and collect blood, adipose tissue, urine, and toenail samples during an in-home visit. Clinical data are abstracted from medical records, diagnostic biopsies are reviewed and assayed, and tissue microarrays are constructed from prostatectomy samples. Prostate cancer aggressiveness is classified based on PSA, clinical stage, and Gleason grade.

RESULTS

Preliminary data demonstrate between- and within-group differences in patient characteristics, screening, and treatment by race and state. Participation exceeds 70% in all groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Preliminary data support the feasibility of this comprehensive study to help determine the focus of public health efforts to reduce racial disparities in prostate cancer mortality.

Demographic and biologic influences on survival in whites and blacks: 40 years of follow-up in the Charleston Heart Study

BACKGROUND

In the United States, life expectancy is significantly lower among blacks than whites. We examined whether socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors may help explain this disparity.

METHODS

Forty years (1961 through 2000) of all-cause mortality data were obtained on a population-based cohort of 2,283 subjects in the Charleston Heart Study (CHS). We examined the influence of SES and CVD risk factors on all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

Complete data were available on 98% of the original sample (647 white men, 728 white women, 423 black men, and 443 black women). After adjusting for SES and CVD risk factors, the hazard ratios (HRs) for white ethnicity were 1.14 (0.98 to 1.32) among men and 0.90 (0.75 to 1.08) among women, indicating that the mortality risk was 14% greater for white men and 10% lower for white women compared to their black counterparts. However the differences were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

While there are marked contrasts in mortality among blacks and whites in the CHS, the differences can be largely explained by SES and CVD risk factors. Continued focus on improving and controlling cardiovascular disease risk factors may reduce ethnic disparities in survival.

Differences in clinicopathologic features of prostate cancer between black and white patients treated in the 1990s and 2000s

OBJECTIVES

We have previously reported on the disparity in the clinicopathologic features of prostate cancer between black and white patients at our equal-access institution during the 1990s. The goal of this study was to determine whether the worse clinicopathologic features of prostate cancer in black patients have persisted in the 2000s.

METHODS

We examined 362 men (224 black and 138 white) treated with radical prostatectomy at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New York. We compared the clinicopathologic variables between 227 patients treated during the 1990s (group 1) and 135 treated in the 2000s (group 2).

RESULTS

In group 1, black patients were significantly younger (P < 0.001) and had a greater prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level (P = 0.001), Gleason score (P = 0.005), and stage (P = 0.03) than white patients. In group 2, black patients continued to have significantly greater PSA levels (P = 0.04) and Gleason scores (P = 0.005) than white patients. Comparing only the black patients, those in group 2 had significantly lower PSA levels (P < 0.001) and stage (P = 0.03), but had worse Gleason scores (P = 0.03) than those in group 1. On multivariate analysis, black patients were significantly more likely to have a worse Gleason score (P = 0.005) than white patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data have demonstrated a narrowing of the differences in pathologic stage between black and white patients in the 2000s. However, black men have continued to have worse Gleason scores and greater PSA levels than white patients. These findings suggest that there may be different patterns of molecular alterations in black men that may contribute to the poor tumor differentiation. Additional research is underway to better characterize these underlying molecular mechanisms.

Racial comparison of outcomes and costs for inpatient neutropenic patients: a multicenter evaluation

PURPOSE

Racial disparities have been reported in the care and outcome of cancer patients. We evaluated whether race would influence the cost and outcomes of inpatient neutropenic cancer patients in a multicenter study from a large health care system in the southern United States.

METHODS

Data was collected on all cancer inpatients with a diagnosis code for neutropenia in a 16-hospital system between October 1, 2002, and September 30, 2003. Demographics, treatment outcomes, and costs were compared between white and minority patients. A P value less than .05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Two hundred seventy-nine cancer patients (0.29% of all admits) had a diagnosis of neutropenia. Demographics were similar between white and minority patients. However, minorities were more likely to be younger than whites (P = .002). With regards to outcomes, length of stay (LOS), LOS in the intensive care unit, and discharge status were not statistically different. Total hospital, medication, laboratory, radiation, surgery, and respiratory costs were also similar (P > .05), although minorities were less likely to receive myeloid colony-stimulating factors (P = .032) and more likely to have higher nursing care costs (P = .048).

CONCLUSION

In light of the escalating reports of racial disparities in cancer care, these minimal differences are encouraging.

Race and surgical mortality in the United States

OBJECTIVE

This study describes racial differences in postoperative mortality following 8 cardiovascular and cancer procedures and assesses possible explanations for these differences.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Although racial disparities in the use of surgical procedures are well established, relationships between race and operative mortality have not been assessed systematically.

METHODS

We used national Medicare data to identify all patients undergoing one of 8 cardiovascular and cancer procedures between 1994 and 1999. We used multiple logistic regression to assess differences in operative mortality (death within 30 days or before discharge) between black patients and white patients, controlling for patient characteristics. Adding hospital indicators to these models, we then assessed the extent to which racial differences in operative mortality could be accounted for by the hospital in which patients were cared for.

RESULTS

Black patients had higher crude mortality rates than white patients for 7 of the 8 operations, including coronary artery bypass, aortic valve replacement, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, carotid endarterectomy, radical cystectomy, pancreatic resection, and esophagectomy. Among these 7 procedures, odds ratios of mortality (black versus white) ranged from 1.23 (95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.29) for CABG to 1.61 (95% confidence interval, 1.28-2.03) for esophagectomy. Adjusting for patient characteristics had modest or no effect on odds ratios of mortality by race. However, there remained few clinically or statistically significant differences in mortality by race after we accounted for hospital. Hospitals that treated a large proportion of black patients had higher mortality rates for all 8 procedures, for white as well as black patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Black patients have higher operative mortality risks across a wide range of surgical procedures, in large part because of higher mortality rates at the hospitals they attend.

The role of cardiopulmonary fitness and its genetic influences on surgical outcomes

Background

Outcome after major surgery remains poor in some patients. There is an increasing need to identify this cohort and develop strategies to reduce postsurgical morbidity and mortality. Central to outcome is the ability to mount cardiovascular output in response to the increased oxygen demand associated with major surgery.

Methods

A medline search was performed using keywords to identify factors that affect, and genetic influences in, disease and outcome from surgery, and all relevant English language articles published between 1980 and 2005 were retrieved. Secondary references were obtained from key articles.

Results

Preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing assesses patient fitness, highlights those at particular risk and, combined with triage to critical care, facilitates significant improvement in surgical outcome. However, genetic factors also influence responses to increased oxygen demand, and some patients are genetically predisposed to mounting increased inflammatory responses, which raise oxygen demand further. Polymorphisms in genes influencing fitness (angiotensin converting enzyme) and immune and inflammatory responses (such as interleukin 6) may associate with surgical outcome.

Conclusions

Development of preoperative screening methods like cardiopulmonary exercise testing and genotype analysis to identify index factors may permit better patient stratification, provide targets for future tailored treatments and so improve surgical outcome.

Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, 1975-2002, featuring population-based trends in cancer treatment

BACKGROUND

The American Cancer Society (ACS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) collaborate annually to provide information on cancer rates and trends in the United States. This year's report updates statistics on the 15 most common cancers in the five major racial/ethnic populations in the United States for 1992-2002 and features population-based trends in cancer treatment.

METHODS

The NCI, the CDC, and the NAACCR provided information on cancer cases, and the CDC provided information on cancer deaths. Reported incidence and death rates were age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population, annual percent change in rates for fixed intervals was estimated by linear regression, and annual percent change in trends was estimated with joinpoint regression analysis. Population-based treatment data were derived from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program registries, SEER-Medicare linked databases, and NCI Patterns of Care/Quality of Care studies.

RESULTS

Among men, the incidence rates for all cancer sites combined were stable from 1995 through 2002. Among women, the incidence rates increased by 0.3% annually from 1987 through 2002. Death rates in men and women combined decreased by 1.1% annually from 1993 through 2002 for all cancer sites combined and also for many of the 15 most common cancers. Among women, lung cancer death rates increased from 1995 through 2002, but lung cancer incidence rates stabilized from 1998 through 2002. Although results of cancer treatment studies suggest that much of contemporary cancer treatment for selected cancers is consistent with evidence-based guidelines, they also point to geographic, racial, economic, and age-related disparities in cancer treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Cancer death rates for all cancer sites combined and for many common cancers have declined at the same time as the dissemination of guideline-based treatment into the community has increased, although this progress is not shared equally across all racial and ethnic populations. Data from population-based cancer registries, supplemented by linkage with administrative databases, are an important resource for monitoring the quality of cancer treatment. Use of this cancer surveillance system, along with new developments in medical informatics and electronic medical records, may facilitate monitoring of the translation of basic science and clinical advances to cancer prevention, detection, and uniformly high quality of care in all areas and populations of the United States.