A Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare data analysis of elderly patients with glioblastoma multiforme: Treatment patterns, outcomes and cost

The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database was used to determine the treatment patterns, outcomes and cost of therapy in elderly patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The SEER-Medicare linked database was used to identify patients aged >66 years with GBM diagnosed between 1997 and 2009. The patients were stratified by initial treatment following diagnostic surgery (resection or biopsy) into 6 groups as follows: No treatment, standard radiation therapy (SRT) with and without concurrent temozolomide (TMZ), hypofractionated RT (HRT) with and without concurrent TMZ, or TMZ alone. The 3,759 patients identified had a median age of 74 years (range, 66-97 years). A total of ~48% of the patients received SRT without TMZ; ~10% received SRT with concurrent TMZ; ~29% received no treatment; ~10% received HRT without TMZ; ~1% received HRT with TMZ; and <1% received TMZ alone. Untreated patients had a median survival of 2 months (range, 0-89 months). Patients treated with SRT with and without concurrent TMZ had a median survival of 11 and 9 months, respectively (P=0.01). Patients treated with HRT with and without TMZ or TMZ alone had a median survivals of 3 months [adjusted hazard ratio (AHR)=0.48; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36-0.66], 4 months (AHR=0.55; 95% CI: 0.49-0.62) and 6 months (AHR=0.43; 95% CI: 0.29-0.62), respectively. The median post-surgery total treatment cost for patients receiving HRT with and without TMZ or TMZ alone was 63,915, 42,834 and 48,298 USD, respectively. Standard RT with concurrent TMZ was associated with improved survival, even in patients aged >75 years. HRT with and without concurrent TMZ and TMZ alone improved survival compared to the no treatment group. Therefore, in certain cases, HRT or TMZ alone may be more cost-effective, with similar survival outcomes. The various treatment options highlight the need for geriatric assessment tools to aid in therapeutic decision making.

A Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database analysis of the prognostic value of organ-specific metastases in patients with advanced prostatic adenocarcinoma

Prostate cancer (PCa) survival markedly decreases with the occurrence of distant metastasis, and treatment decisions can be influenced by metastasis site, and affect patient survival outcomes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential prognostic value of metastasis to specific sites and the prognostic value of prostatectomy in patients with only bone metastasis, and to determine potential risk factors for bone metastasis in prostatic adenocarcinoma using large scale clinical data. The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database (2010–2013) was queried via the SEER*Stat (version 8.3.4) program. A total of 210,730 prostatic adenocarcinoma patients were identified from the SEER database between January 2010 and December 2013. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves were used for survival comparisons with corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Patients with PCa with only liver metastatic lesions had worse overall and cancer-specific survival rates compared with those patients with only bone or lung metastasis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age <50 years, married status, T1 and T3 tumor stage according to Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging system from the 7th AJCC cancer staging manual, and prostatectomy were associated with better overall survival and cancer-specific survival in patients with only bone metastasis. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that unmarried status, African descent and undifferentiated histological grade were risk factors for PCa bone metastasis. Prostatic adenocarcinoma patients with only liver metastasis had worse prognostic outcomes compared with patients with other distant organ metastases. Prostatectomy improved the 3-year survival rate in stage IV PCa patients and stage IV PCa patients with only bone metastasis. These findings were based on large-scale clinical data and can provide novel perspectives for the treatment of patients with advanced prostate adenocarcinoma.

Sites of extranodal involvement are prognostic in patients with stage 1 follicular lymphoma

Objectives

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common indolent B cell lymphoma in the United States and a quarter of patients present with stage I disease. The objective of this study was to examine if primary site of disease influences survival in early stage lymphoma.

Results

The most common extranodal primary sites were the integumentary system (8%), followed by the GI tract (6.4%) and head & neck (5.6%). We stratified patients into a pre-rituximab era (1983-1998) and the rituximab era (1999-2011). In multivariable analysis, integumentary disease was associated with better overall survival (Hazard Ratio [HR], 0.77; Confidence Interval [CI], 0.66-0.9) while primary site FL of the nervous system (HR, 2.40; CI, 1.72-3.38) and the musculoskeletal system (HR, 2.14; CI, 1.44-3.18) were associated with worse overall survival when compared to primary nodal FL. Treatment in the pre-rituximab era, male gender and older age at diagnosis were associated with worse survival.

Methods

We queried the SEER database from 1983 to 2011. We included all adult patients (>18 years) with histologically confirmed stage I FL, active follow-up, and a single primary tumor. A total of 9,865 patients met eligibility criteria, with 2520 (25%) having an extranodal primary site. We classified the primary sites by organ or anatomic location into 11 sites.

Conclusion

Primary site of disease is a prognostic factor for patients with early stage FL and may help identify subsets of patients that could benefit from early, aggressive treatment.

Impact of socioeconomic disparities on cause-specific survival of retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma (RB) is a rare disease of infancy and early childhood. This study investigated the effects of socioeconomic factors on the cause-specific survival of RB. Data from patients diagnosed with RB between 1973 and 2009 were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. The study included 1,456 patients with a the mean follow-up time (SD) of 128.75 (113.74) months and a mean age (SD) of 1.4 (2.6) years. This study analyzed socioeconomic, staging and treatment factors available in the SEER database for RB. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to analyze time-to-failure data. The two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for univariate analysis and the Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was computed for predictors. SEER stage was the most significant predictive pretreatment factor. The identified socioeconomic barriers included ethnicity and rural-urban residence status that led to a 3% decrease in RB cause-specific survival. Thus, eliminating barriers to treatment is crucial for reducing the outcome disparities.

Temporal Trends in the Incidence of Testicular Cancer in the United States over the Past Four Decades

Testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed solid-organ neoplasm among young men, with variable incidence across racial groups. Testicular cancer incidence has increased since the 1970s, most notably among white men. Such trends in testicular cancer remain poorly understood. We investigated age-adjusted incidence rates of testicular cancer from 1975 to 2015 using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results data to further understand the nature of the temporal trends and potential drivers of disease. Across this time period, white men had the highest incidence and the largest increase in rate; however, we also note more recent increases in the incidence of testicular cancer across all racial groups being examined. PATIENT SUMMARY: We analyzed the rate of testicular cancer in the United States between 1975 and 2015. In that time, white patients had the highest rate and increase in rate of testicular cancer, but non-white patients also had increasing rates of disease.

Stage and cancer-specific mortality differ within specific Asian ethnic groups for upper tract urothelial carcinoma: North American population-based study

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effect of specific Asian ethnic subgroups on stage at presentation and cancer-specific mortality in non-metastatic upper tract urothelial carcinoma among North American upper tract urothelial carcinoma Asian patients treated with radical nephroureterectomy.

METHODS

We relied on the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database, from 2004 to 2016. Kaplan-Meier plots and multivariable Cox regression models predicting cancer-specific mortality were used.

RESULTS

Of 584 upper tract urothelial carcinoma patients, 173 (29.6%) were Chinese versus 130 (22.3%) Japanese versus 68 (11.6%) Korean versus 64 (11.0%) Filipino versus 40 (6.8%) Vietnamese versus 109 (18.7%) other. Vietnamese and Chinese patients showed the highest rates of T4 N0 M0 and/or T1-4 N1-2 M0 (25.0% and 18.5%, respectively), relative to other Asian ethnic subgroups. In Kaplan-Meier plots, Vietnamese patients showed the highest cancer-specific mortality rate. In multivariable models, Vietnamese ethnicity also independently predicted higher cancer-specific mortality (hazard ratio 2.15, P = 0.02 and hazard ratio 1.96, P = 0.03), relative to Japanese and Chinese patients. All other Asian ethnic subgroups showed similar cancer-specific mortality patterns.

CONCLUSION

Vietnamese and Chinese patients are at a stage disadvantage at upper tract urothelial carcinoma diagnosis, relative to all other Asian ethnicities. After adjustment for stage, only Vietnamese patients showed a survival disadvantage relative to all other Asian ethnic subgroups. As a result, it appears that Vietnamese patients not only present at a higher upper tract urothelial carcinoma stage, but additionally appear to harbor upper tract urothelial carcinoma that progresses at a faster rate than in other Asian ethnic subgroups.

Risk and prognostic factors in patients with colon cancer with liver metastasis

OBJECTIVE

The most common site of metastasis in patients with colon cancer is the liver. This study aimed to identify patients with colon cancer at high risk of developing liver metastasis and to explore their prognosis.

METHODS

The clinical characteristics, treatment methods and survival outcomes of patients diagnosed with colon cancer from 2010 to 2015 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of liver metastasis, and multivariate logistic and Cox regression models were used to identify risk and prognostic factors.

RESULTS

A total of 60,018 patients with colon cancer were selected from the SEER database. The incidence of liver metastasis was 9.2%. African American ethnicity, poor differentiation, higher tumor stage, higher lymph node ratio, and lung metastases were common factors associated with both liver metastasis risk and prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Metastasectomy might improve survival among patients with colon cancer with resectable liver metastasis lesions and no other organ involvement.