Expected survival compared with survival of peptic ulcer patients

Risk of total hip arthroplasty after elite sport: linking 3304 former world-class athletes with the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register

OBJECTIVES

At present, there is no cure for osteoarthritis (OA), but severe hip joint degeneration can require total hip arthroplasty (THA). The literature on OA after elite sport is limited. We hypothesise that elite athletic activity increases the risk of receiving a THA later in life.

METHODS

We linked a cohort of former Norwegian world-class athletes (1402 females and 1902 males, active 1936-2006) to the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register (THA performed 1987-2020). We used standardised incidence ratio (SIR), one-minus Kaplan-Meier and relative Cox regression (relative HR, RHR), with 95% CIs, and funnel plots at age 75, to assess THA risk for different sport disciplines, joint impact categories of sport disciplines and sex. The risk of THA for the corresponding general Norwegian population was used as reference.

RESULTS

We found an overall increased risk for THA for the former elite athletes (SIR 2.11, 95% CI 1.82 to 2.40) at age 75 years, compared with the general population. THA risk at age 75 years was 11.6% for female athletes and 8.3% for male athletes. SIR was 1.90 (95% CI 1.49 to 2.31) for female and 2.28 (95% CI 1.87 to 2.70) for male athletes. Among males, high joint impact sport disciplines were associated with increased risk compared with low-impact sport disciplines (RHR 1.81, 95% CI 1.06 to 3.08, p=0.029).

CONCLUSION

Having been an elite athlete was associated with a doubling of THA risk compared with the general population for both sexes. High joint impact sport disciplines were associated with subsequent THA for male athletes.

A prospective study on cancer risk after total hip replacements for 41,402 patients linked to the Cancer registry of Norway

BACKGROUND

Concerns have been raised that implants used in total hip replacements (THR) could lead to increased cancer risk. Several different materials, metals and fixation techniques are used in joint prostheses and different types of articulation can cause an increased invasion of particles or ions into the human body.

METHODS

Patients with THR registered in the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register during 1987-2009 were linked to the Cancer registry of Norway. Patients with THR due to osteoarthritis, under the age of 75 at time of surgery, were included. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were applied to compare cancer risk for THR patients to the general population. Types of THR were divided into cemented (both components), uncemented (both components), and hybrid (cemented femoral and uncemented acetabular components). To account for selection mechanisms, time dependent covariates were applied in Cox-regression, adjusting for cancer risk the first 10 years after surgery. The analyses were adjusted for age, gender and if the patient had additional THR-surgery in the same or the opposite hip. The study follows the STROBE guidelines.

RESULTS

Comparing patients with THR to the general population in Norway we found no differences in cancer risk. The overall SIR for the THR-patients after 10 years follow-up was 1.02 (95% CI: 0.97-1.07). For cemented THR, the SIR after 10 years follow-up was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.94-1.05), for uncemented, 1.16 (95% CI: 1.02-1.30), and for hybrid 1.12 (95% CI: 0.91-1.33). Adjusted Cox analyses showed that patients with uncemented THRs had an elevated risk for cancer (hazard ratio: HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05-1.46, p = 0.009) when compared to patients with cemented THRs after 10 years follow-up. Stratified by gender the increased risk was only present for men. The risk for patients with hybrid THRs was not significantly increased (HR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.85-1.35, p = 0.55) compared to patients with cemented THRs.

CONCLUSIONS

THR patients had no increased risk for cancer compared to the general population. We found, however, that receiving an uncemented THR was associated with a small increased risk for cancer compared to cemented THR in males, but that this may be prone to unmeasured confounding.

Long-term survival from adenocarcinoma of the esophagus after transthoracic and transhiatal esophagectomy

BACKGROUND

The effects of transthoracic or transhiatal esophagectomy on the long-term survival of patients who had adenocarcinoma of the esophagus were compared, as were factors applicable in preoperative stratification of patient treatment.

METHODS

A cohort of 147 consecutive patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus was evaluated for esophagectomy between 1984 and 2000. The patients were followed prospectively and observed survival rates of patients with a transthoracic or transhiatal approach to esophagectomy were compared by standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and relative mortality ratio (RMR) using the expected survival of a matched Norwegian population.

RESULTS

A R0 resection was performed by transthoracic (n = 33) or a transhiatal (n = 55) esophagectomy in 88 (60%) patients with a median age of 61 (range: 35-77) and 70 (42-88) years, respectively (P <0.001). Tumor stages and other possible risk factors were similar in the two groups. Transthoracic or transhiatal esophagectomy resulted in a median survival time of 20.5 (95% confidence interval (CI): 10.4-57.6) and 16.4 (10.6-28.7) months, respectively. The respective survival rates were 31.2% and 27.8% by 5 years, and 21.3% and 16.6% by 10 years with an overall RMR of 1.14 (P = 0.63). Median survival time in the absence or presence of lymph node metastases was 74.0 (95% CI: 17.5-166.4) and 10.7 (7.9-14.9) months. The corresponding survival rates by 10 years with non-involved or involved nodes were 48.9% and 3.8% respectively (RMR 2.22, P = 0.007). Patients with a pT1-tumor were few and the survival rate was not very different from that of the general population (SMR = 1.7, 95% CI: 0.7-4.1). The median survival time of patients with a pT2-tumor was 30.4 (95% CI: 9.0-142) months and with a pT3-tumor 14 (9.2-16.4) months. The survival rates by 10 years among patients with a pT1 tumor were 57.0% (95% CI: 14.9-78.9), pT2 33.3% (11.8-52.2), and pT3 7.1% (1.9-15.5). The relative mortality for T3 stages compared to T1 stages was statistically significant (RMR = 3.22, P = 0.024).

CONCLUSION

Transthoracic and transhiatal esophagectomy are both effective approaches for treatment of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and survival of more than 10 years can be expected without adjuvant chemotherapy. However, increasing depth of tumor invasion and lymph node metastases reduce life expectancy.

Relative survival after CABG surgery is poorer in women and in patients younger than 70 years at surgery

OBJECTIVE

The difference in survival between genders after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) have been studied with varying results. We wanted to investigate gender and age specific relative survival in the CABG population. Risk factors increasing hazard of death in female patients were isolated.

DESIGN

Retrospectively, 6699 primary isolated CABG procedures were investigated. Long-term survival compared to expected survival in the background population was described through Kaplan-Meier plots. Two subgroups of female patients were described through baseline characteristics, t-tests, odds ratio and multivariate analysis to investigate risk factors for death within one year after surgery.

RESULTS

Women had significantly decreased relative long-term survival compared to men in this study. Relative survival was lower in patients below 70 years of age at surgery with about the same gender difference. Low ejection fraction, left main stem stenosis and reduced renal function were found to increase risk of death within one year after CABG in women, while body size quantified by body surface area (BSA) did not.

CONCLUSION

Relative long-term survival after CABG was poorer in female compared to male patients. This tendency was kept or strengthened when only those less than 70 years of age at surgery were investigated. Lower female survival was most likely due to more comorbidity in female patients. Relative survival was lower in patients <70 years.

Patient-reported outcomes as predictors of 10-year survival in women after acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Patient-reported outcomes are increasingly seen as complementary to biomedical measures. However, their prognostic importance has yet to be established, particularly in female long-term myocardial infarction (MI) survivors. We aimed to determine whether 10-year survival in older women after MI relates to patient-reported outcomes, and to compare their survival with that of the general female population.

METHODS

We included all women aged 60-80 years suffering MI during 1992-1997, and treated at one university hospital in Norway. In 1998, 145 (60% of those alive) completed a questionnaire package including socio-demographics, the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29), the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument Abbreviated (WHOQOL-BREF) and an item on positive effects of illness. Clinical information was based on self-reports and hospital medical records data. We obtained complete data on vital status.

RESULTS

The all-cause mortality rate during the 1998-2008 follow-up of all patients was 41%. In adjusted analysis, the conventional predictors s-creatinine (HR 1.26 per 10% increase) and left ventricular ejection fraction below 30% (HR 27.38), as well as patient-reported outcomes like living alone (HR 6.24), dissatisfaction with self-rated health (HR 6.26), impaired psychological quality of life (HR 0.60 per 10 points difference), and experience of positive effects of illness (HR 6.30), predicted all-cause death. Major adverse cardiac and cerebral events were also significantly associated with both conventional predictors and patient-reported outcomes. Sense of coherence did not predict adverse events. Finally, 10-year survival was not significantly different from that of the general female population.

CONCLUSION

Patient-reported outcomes have long-term prognostic importance, and should be taken into account when planning aftercare of low-risk older female MI patients.

Survival and cause of death in multiple sclerosis: results from a 50-year follow-up in Western Norway

Background

Survival time among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has varied considerably according to previous reports.

Objectives

Survival and cause of death were analyzed among all patients with MS (878) with onset of MS in Hordaland County, Western Norway during 1953–2003, of whom 198 were dead at follow-up on January 1, 2005.

Methods

Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and relative mortality ratios (RMRs) were calculated based on observed mortality in MS and expected mortality.

Results

Median survival from onset was 41 years versus 49 years in the corresponding population, and mortality (SMR) was 2.7-fold increased in MS. The median survival was 43 years among women and 36 years among men, but women had higher relative mortality, when compared with the corresponding population, than men (RMR = 1.40). The median survival time was 45 years among young-onset patients (21–30 years) and 23 years among older-onset patients (51–60 years), but young-onset patients had higher relative mortality than older-onset patients, as shown by a significant reduction by 10-year interval of age at onset (RMR = 0.65). Median survival from onset was longer (43 years) among relapsing–remitting MS than primary progressive MS ([PPMS]; 49 years), and the relative mortality was higher in the PPMS group, (RMR = 1.55). According to death certificates, 57% died from MS.

Conclusion

Female patients and patients with young onset had longer median time to death but higher relative risk of dying compared with the corresponding population. PPMS had both shorter median time to death from onset and a higher relative risk of dying.

Unexpected mortality in patients discharged from the emergency department following an episode of nontraumatic chest pain

BACKGROUND

Chest pain is the second most common presenting complaint seen in the emergency department. Following evaluation in the emergency department, many of these patients are discharged with a diagnosis of nonspecific chest pain. Our hypothesis is that this group of patients has a high prevalence of ischaemic heart disease.

METHODS

This was a prospective follow-up study of mortality in 786 patients who presented to an emergency department in the UK with an episode of nontraumatic chest pain and were discharged without further inpatient assessment. Observed mortality was compared with expected mortality in age-matched and sex-matched local population.

RESULTS

The observed mortality of the study group was consistently higher than expected throughout the study period. The 5-year mortality rates for men and women under the age of 65 years were more than double the expected rates for the local population [relative risk of 2.1 (95% confidence interval: 1.4-2.8) and 2.6 (1.4-3.8), respectively]. This increase was less marked in male and female patients aged 65 years or more [relative risk of 1.2 (0.9-1.5) and 1.5 (1.2-1.8), respectively]. Ischaemic heart disease accounted for almost 50% of male deaths in the study group. This compared with an expected rate of less than 30% of male deaths in the local population. An excess of cardiac deaths was not seen in women.

INTERPRETATION

Patients discharged from the emergency department following an episode of acute chest pain have significantly reduced 5-year survival. We conclude that further evaluation of this group to establish the prevalence of risk factors is important to support the strategic implementation of appropriate prevention programmes.

The female gender has a positive effect on survival independent of background life expectancy following surgical resection of primary non-small cell lung cancer: a study of absolute and relative survival over 15 years

Surgical resection is the treatment of choice for non-advanced lung cancer, but is encumbered with an overall relative poor long time prognosis. The purpose of this study was to examine if long time survival for patients operated for non-small cell lung cancer have changed over a 15 years period. We retrospectively studied hospital records of the 351 patients operated, with the intention to cure, for a primary non-small cell carcinoma (NSCLC) in our department between 1 January 1988 and 31 December 2002. Preoperative clinical variables were noted together with variables allowing staging based on pathological examination. Absolute survival and survival relative to expected was studied for the whole group using uni- and multivariate Cox analyses. Early 30 days mortality was 2.0%. The 5-year absolute and relative survivals for all patients were 46.3% and 52.6%, respectively. After 10 years corresponding values were 32.9% and 44.6%. At the end of the study, the 15-year absolute survival was 27.8% with a relative survival of 46.2%. Univariate analysis revealed that age, gender, nodular stage, tumour size, p-stage, type of resection, time of operation and additional cardiovascular disease at the time of operation significantly influenced survival. Multivariate analysis for all patients revealed that low age, female gender, low nodular stage, and operation late in the study period were significant prognostic factors predicting improved survival. When including a population based age- and gender-adjusted median expected life time for every patient as a predictor for survival, only female gender and low nodular stage were additional significant and independent positive prognostic factors.

Mortality after total hip replacement: 0-10-year follow-up of 39,543 patients in the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register

We have studied the mortality after total hip replacement (THR) of 39,543 patients, having a mean age of 69 years, who were reported to the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register. The median follow-up time was 5.2 (0-10.4) years. 323 of 6201 deaths occurred during the first 60 postoperative days. The patient mortality was compared with the mortality in the Norwegian population, using standardized mortality ratios (SMR). The SMRs were compared and adjusted for age, gender, and other possible confounders in a Cox regression model incorporating the population mortality. We observed a lower mortality in patients with THR than in the Norwegian population (8-year patient mortality was 25%, versus 30% in the corresponding Norwegian population. SMR = 0.81). There was an increased standardized mortality ratio in patients less than 50 years (SMR = 2.50), patients 50-59 years (SMR = 1.16), patients with THR due to rheumatoid arthritis (SMR = 1.48), and patients with femoral neck fracture (SMR = 1.11). The SMR decreased with increasing age at the time of THR surgery. After revision surgery, the SMR was similar to that after the first primary operation, whereas a second primary operation in the opposite hip was associated with a further reduction in the SMR (SMR = 0.65). During the first 60 postoperative days, all patient categories had a higher mortality than the general population (0.8% mortality, SMR = 1.39).