Burden of comorbidities is higher among elderly survivors of oropharyngeal cancer compared with controls

Vascular events in patients with head and neck cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To assess the incidence of vascular events in patients with head and neck cancer.

REVIEW METHODS

Primary studies identified through April 2023. Meta-analysis was performed.

RESULTS

There were 146 studies included in the systematic review. Rates of events were collected in the overall group, those with chemoprophylaxis, and those that underwent surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. Of 1 184 160 patients, 4.3% had a vascular event. Radiation therapy had highest risk of overall events and stroke when compared to surgery and chemotherapy. Chemotherapy had a higher risk of stroke and overall events when compared to surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Vascular events occur in 4%-5% of patients with head and neck cancer. Our data does not support the use of routine anticoagulation. Patients undergoing radiation therapy had the highest frequency of events.

Temporal trends in oropharyngeal cancer incidence, survival, and cancer-directed surgery among elderly Americans

OBJECTIVE

This study assesses longitudinal epidemiologic trends in the oldest head and neck cancer (HNC) patients, comparing the oropharynx to other mucosal HNC sites.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, trends in incidence, two-year cancer specific mortality, and percent of cases recommended for and which received surgery from 2000 to 2018 in patients ages ≥85 years were assessed using Joinpoint analysis by HNC site. Trends were quantified as annual percentage change (APC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

Among older adults, oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) incidence increased (APC = 1.80% [95% CI: 0.94-2.67]), while mortality decreased (APC = -2.01% [95% CI: -3.26--0.74]) from 2000 to 2018. At other mucosal HNC sites, incidence and mortality remained stable. Percentage of patients who received surgery significantly changed for oropharyngeal (APC = -15.34% from 2000 to 2005 [95% CI: -24.37 to -4.79]) and laryngeal (APC = -4.61% from 2000 to 2008 [95% CI -8.28 to -0.80]) cancers. Trends in recommendation for surgery varied by site with significant decreases at the larynx, oral cavity, and oropharynx.

CONCLUSION

OPC incidence is increasing among the oldest HNC patients. An increasing proportion of HPV-associated tumors could account for associated mortality improvement. There has been a shift towards non-surgical therapy possibly due to known favorable response of HPV-associated OPC to radiation therapy and/or poor surgical candidacy in this age group. The evolving treatment approach has not been detrimental to population-level survival outcomes, but optimal treatment has yet to be established. Future studies with pathologically confirmed HPV status are needed to better understand older adult OPC burden.

Incidence of stroke in the first year after diagnosis of cancer-A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Patients newly diagnosed with cancer represent a population at highest risk for stroke. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the incidence of stroke in the first year following a new diagnosis of cancer.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from January 1980 to June 2021 for observational studies that enrolled adults with a new diagnosis of all cancers excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, and that reported the incidence of stroke at 1 year. PRISMA guidelines for meta-analyses were followed. Two reviewers independently extracted data and appraised risk of bias. We used the Dersimonian and Laird random effects method to pool cumulative incidences after logit transformation, and reported pooled proportions as percentages. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 statistic.

Results

A total of 12,083 studies were screened; 41 studies were included for analysis. Data from 2,552,121 subjects with cancer were analyzed. The cumulative incidence of total stroke at 1 year was 1.4% (95% CI 0.9-2.2%), while the pooled incidence of ischemic stroke was 1.3% (95% CI 1.0-1.8%) and 0.3% (95% CI 0.1-0.9%) for spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), with consistently high statistical heterogeneity (>99% I 2).

Conclusion

The estimated incidence of stroke during the first year after a new diagnosis of cancer is 1.4%, with a higher risk for ischemic stroke than ICH. Cancer patients should be educated on the risk of stroke at the time of diagnosis. Future studies should evaluate optimal primary prevention strategies in this high-risk group of patients.

Systematic review registration

https://osf.io/ucwy9/.

Is 2045 the best we can do? Mitigating the HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer epidemic

INTRODUCTION

Oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) will be among the most common cancers in men by 2045 due to a rapid rise in human papillomavirus (HPV)-related OPC. Those who survive their cancer often suffer life-long treatment effects and early death. HPV vaccination could prevent virtually all HPV-related cancers but is not an effective preventive strategy for those already exposed. Without a dramatic increase in vaccine uptake in the U.S., HPV vaccination will have a negligible effect on OPC incidence through 2045 and no substantial impact until 2060. Additionally, targeted screening for earlier diagnosis may soon be feasible for those inadequately protected by vaccination.

AREAS COVERED

PubMed search for English-language articles related to incidence, screening, and prevention of HPV-related malignancies, focused on OPC in the U.S.

EXPERT OPINION

HPV-related OPC incidence will continue to increase for the foreseeable future with prophylactic vaccination offering no substantial public health impact for decades. Consequently, we must rapidly increase vaccination rates and develop screening methods to identify high-risk individuals. Such individuals would be eligible for potential preventive treatments and screening to diagnose early-stage HPV-related OPC allowing less morbid treatments. These methods will bridge the population into an era of decreasing incidence after vaccination takes effect.

Higher Incidence of Diabetes in Cancer Patients Compared to Cancer-Free Population Controls: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Diabetes increases the risk of certain types of cancer. However, the literature regarding the incidence of diabetes after cancer diagnosis is inconsistent. We aimed to assess whether there was a higher incidence of diabetes among cancer patients by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of results from cohort studies. Methods: A systematic electronic literature search was carried out from cohort studies regarding the incidence of diabetes in cancer patients, using the databases PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to pool the estimates. Results: A total of 34 articles involving 360,971 cancer patients and 1,819,451 cancer-free controls were included in the meta-analysis. An increased pooled relative risk (RR) of 1.42 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30−1.54, I2 = 95, τ2 = 0.0551, p < 0.01) for diabetes in cancer patients was found compared with the cancer-free population. The highest relative risk was observed in the first year after cancer diagnosis (RR = 2.06; 95% CI 1.63−2.60). Conclusions: New-onset diabetes is positively associated with cancer, but this association varies according to cancer type. More prospective studies with large sample sizes and longer follow-up times are advocated to further examine the association and the underlying mechanisms.

Trends of Ten Leading Causes of Death in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

An understanding of the leading causes of death in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) would be helpful to inform doctors, patients, and healthcare providers on disease management. This study aimed to comprehensively study the leading causes of death in these survivors.

METHODS

We investigated the trends of risk factors for major causes of death in patients with HNSCC. Causes of death in HNSCC were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries. We characterized trends in the 5-year cumulative mortality as well as risk factors associated with the ten leading causes of death.

RESULTS

Among 48 297 deaths identified, the ten leading causes were as follows: HNSCC, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cerebrovascular disease, pneumonia & influenza, accidents & adverse effects, esophagus cancer, chronic liver diseases, and septicemia. Non-HNSCC deaths surpassed HNSCC deaths 4 years after cancer diagnosis. There was a significant decline in the 5-year cumulative mortality from HNSCC, heart disease, lung cancer, COPD, cerebrovascular disease, and esophagus cancer. The risks of mortality from the ten leading causes varied with patient characteristics.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide a useful picture of mortality patterns in HNSCC survivors, which might help when planning personalized HNSCC care.

Projected Association of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination With Oropharynx Cancer Incidence in the US, 2020-2045

Importance

Oropharynx cancer (OPC) incidence has increased for several decades in the US. It is unclear when and how this trend will be affected by current HPV vaccination trends.

Objective

To assess the association of HPV vaccination with future OPC incidence in the US.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This population-based age-period-cohort analysis obtained OPC incidence data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program from 69 562 patients 34 to 83 years of age diagnosed with OPC. The HPV vaccination data were obtained from the National Immunization Survey-Teen (60 124 participants) and National Health Interview Survey (16 904 participants). Data were collected from January 1, 1992, to December 31, 2017. Age-period-cohort forecasting models projected expected 2018 to 2045 OPC incidence under a counterfactual scenario of no HPV vaccination and current levels of HPV vaccination, stratifying by sex. Data analyses were completed by December 2020.

Exposures

Age- and sex-specific cumulative prevalence of HPV vaccination in 2016 to 2017 projected forward.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Projected OPC incidence and number of OPC cases expected to be prevented by HPV vaccination.

Results

Under current HPV vaccination rates, between 2018 and 2045, OPC incidence is projected to decrease in younger individuals (36-45 years of age: from 1.4 to 0.8 per 100 000 population; 46-55 years of age: from 8.7 to 7.2 per 100 000 population) but continue to increase among older individuals (70-83 years of age: from 16.8 to 29.0 per 100 000 population). The association of HPV vaccination with overall OPC incidence through 2045 will remain modest (no vaccination vs vaccination: 14.3 vs 13.8 per 100 000 population in 2045). By 2045 HPV vaccination is projected to reduce OPC incidence among individuals 36 to 45 years of age (men: 48.1%; women: 42.5%) and 46 to 55 years of age (men: 9.0%; women: 22.6%), but among those 56 years or older, rates are not meaningfully reduced. Between 2018 and 2045, a total of 6334 OPC cases will be prevented by HPV vaccination, of which 88.8% of such cases occur in younger age (≤55 years) groups.

Conclusions and Relevance

According to the projections of this population-based age-period-cohort study, current HPV vaccination rates will have a limited association with overall OPC incidence through 2045 because older individuals who have not yet been vaccinated remain at high risk for OPC. However, reductions in OPC incidence should occur among young and middle-aged adults, the group at lowest risk of diagnosis. These findings forecast a continued shift in the landscape of OPC to an older population.

Substance use and mental health burden in head and neck and other cancer survivors: A National Health Interview Survey analysis

BACKGROUND

Tobacco dependence, alcohol abuse, depression, distress, and other adverse patient-level influences are common in head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors. Their interrelatedness and precise burden in comparison with survivors of other cancers are poorly understood.

METHODS

National Health Interview Survey data from 1997 to 2016 were pooled. The prevalence of adverse patient-level influences among HNC survivors and matched survivors of other cancers were compared using descriptive statistics. Multivariable logistic regressions evaluating covariate associations with the primary study outcomes were performed. These included 1) current cigarette smoking and/or heavy alcohol use (>14 drinks per week) and 2) high mental health burden (severe psychological distress [Kessler Index ≥ 13] and/or frequent depressive/anxiety symptoms).

RESULTS

In all, 918 HNC survivors and 3672 matched survivors of other cancers were identified. Compared with other cancer survivors, more HNC survivors were current smokers and/or heavy drinkers (24.6% [95% CI, 21.5%-27.7%] vs 18.0% [95% CI, 16.6%-19.4%]) and exhibited a high mental health burden (18.6% [95% CI, 15.7%-21.5%] vs 13.0% [95% CI, 11.7%-14.3%]). In multivariable analyses, 1) a high mental health burden predicted for smoking and/or heavy drinking (odds ratio [OR], 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0-1.9), and 2) current cigarette smoking predicted for a high mental health burden (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.3). Furthermore, nonpartnered marital status and uninsured/Medicaid insurance status were significantly associated with both cigarette smoking and/or heavy alcohol use (ORs, 1.9 [95% CI, 1.4-2.5] and 1.5 [95% CI, 1.0-2.1], respectively) and a high mental health burden (ORs, 1.4 [95% CI, 1.1 -1.8] and 3.0 [95% CI, 2.2-4.2], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Stakeholders should allocate greater supportive care resources to HNC survivors. The interdependence of substance abuse, adverse mental health symptoms, and other adverse patient-level influences requires development of novel, multimodal survivorship care interventions.