bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of self-reported symptoms and interference issues in patients with prostate cancer.
Authors: Taha Mahdi 
Published: September 2018

e16547 Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is a leading cause of global mortality and is expected to become the leading cause of death among men in the U.S.A. Both the disease and its treatments produce a variety of symptoms (sx) that impact PC outcomes, of which the more common sxs are in relation to sexual dysfunction. A large body of literature has established that systematic patient (pt) reporting of symptoms during routine oncology care leads to clinical benefits. At our comprehensive cancer center we evaluate pts’ reported sxs using the Symptom Inventory Tool (SIT), an assessment (asst) tool that captures the pts’ perceived sx burden for real-time clinical intervention taken at the point of no intervention (baseline) and every ≥ 21 days thereafter. Methods: The 27-question SIT is comprised of the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory Tool (MDASI), a validated asst instrument, with 8 supplementary questions by Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA). Sxs are rated “at the worst” on a numeric scale ranging from 0 (“none present”) to 10 (“as bad as you can imagine”), as experienced by pts in the past 24 hours. Results: Over a 45 month period (9/1/2012 to 05/31/2016), PC pts at CTCA completed the SIT at intake and again ≥ 21 days after. A total of 2,937 assts were analyzed. The assts consisted of 1,065 completed at baseline (BL), 1,065 completed at the 2nd follow up (FU), and 807 completed at 3rd FU or greater. BL mean, standard deviation (STD), and interquartile ranges (IQR) are shown in Table 1. Further analysis of assts identified that pts who rated their sxs as “very burdensome” (≥ 5) at BL would be more likely to report a significant decrease (dec) in their sxs burden than the average PC pt population. Conclusions: The SIT was successful in identifying sxs burden and interference with life issues in PC pts. Sexual dysfunction and disturbed sleep were the most common reported sxs. Early identification of pts with heavy sx-burden allowed immediate intervention and improvement in 1/4 to 2/3 of pts. [Table: see text]
PRUNE2 and PCA3 expression in paired non-malignant and tumor specimens from radical prostatectomy patients with gleason score 7 prostate cancer.
Authors: Lauer Richard C. , Barry Marc , Wu Jin , Lee Ji-Hyun , McCance Dennis J. , Du Ruofei , Rao Arpit , Dobroff Andrey S. , Dias-Neto Emmanuel , Chen Isan , Pasqualini Renata , Arap Wadih 
Published: September 2018

e16582 Background: PCA3 is an FDA-approved biomarker for prostate cancer. We have recently reported that PRUNE2 is a tumor suppressor gene in human prostate cancer that it is inactivated through a PCA3-mediated regulatory axis. Based upon this previous work, here we investigated if PRUNE2 and PCA3expression levels would be different in non-malignant versus tumor paired samples obtained from Gleason 7 Score prostate cancer patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. Methods: We examined Gleason Score 7 prostate cancer specimens, obtained from a cohort of patients (n=24) who have undergone radical prostatectomy at UNM Hospital. Paired non-malignant and tumor tissues were recovered from these specimens after tissue microdissection and processed for RNA extraction. PRUNE2 and PCA3transcripts were measured by qRT-PCR using three and two different primer sets, respectively, and normalized using appropriate internal controls. Each experiment was carried out in triplicates. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to test whether the differences between the paired tumor and non-malignant tissue samples were significant. Results: Gene expression analyses showed PRUNE2 levels to be consistently lower in tumor samples compared to non-malignant areas of the same gland (P<0.0001). In contrast, the opposite trend was seen for PCA3, which has a marked upregulation in tumor areas (P<0.0001). Conclusions: Both PRUNE2 and PCA3 expression levels were significantly different between matched non-malignant and malignant tissue pairs in Gleason Score 7 prostate cancer patients post radical prostatectomy. This retrospective dataset provides additional support for a mechanistic role for the molecular interplay between PRUNE2 and PCA3 in human prostate cancer, which may lead to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in this disease. Prospective studies targeting our original finding are either ongoing or planned. [Table: see text]
Sexual function, quality of life, and cancer-related distress among prostate cancer survivors.
Authors: Buzaglo Joanne S , Zaleta Alexandra K , Miller Melissa F , Johnson Jamese , Diefenbach Michael A , Lepore Stephen J , Nelson Christian J , O'Rourke Mark Allen , Geynisman Daniel M. 
Published: September 2018

e16587 Background: Prostate cancer (PC) survivors experience long-term disease consequences that can affect quality of life (QoL). This study examined QoL in key areas affected by PC and its association with cancer-related distress. Methods: Of 225 PC survivors enrolled in the Cancer Support Community’s online Cancer Experience Registry, 50 completed questions about cancer-related distress, cancer history, and the Prostate Cancer-Related QoL Scales. Results: Participant median age was 66 years; 21% had surgery, 32% underwent radiation, and 19% reported both. 31% currently and 18% previously received hormone therapy. 38% were diagnosed 5+ years ago; 26% reported recurrence, 30% reported metastatic disease. 76% reported erectile dysfunction (ED) since diagnosis. ED was more common (84%) among those who underwent surgery/radiation than those who had not (44%; chi2= 6.1, p < .05) and among those currently (100%) or previously (88%) receiving hormone therapy than those who had not (60%; chi2= 9.1, p < .05). 23% reported that incontinence made sexual activity/intimacy difficult. 20% “somewhat to very much” agreed they would choose a different treatment if they could redo their decision. QoL scores (mean±SD; scale range 0-100; higher = better QoL) were: Marital Affection (84.4±26.2); Masculine Self-Esteem (78.4±23.4); PSA Concern (77.2±21.6); Informed Decision (67.8±23.5); Urinary Control (62.1±23.6); Sexual Intimacy (59.1±34.9); Outlook (54.9±38.0); Cancer Control (49.1±31.1); and Sexual Confidence (44.1±33.7). Health Worry and Treatment Regret scores (higher = lower QoL) were 39.5±27.9 and 16.1±19.9, respectively. All QoL scales except Outlook and PSA Concern were correlated with overall cancer-related distress (r = .43 to .77; ps < .05), where lower QoL was associated with greater distress. Conclusions: Some PC survivors report substantial treatment regret, and many also endorse health concerns about uncertainty and disease progression, as well as reduced sexual confidence and intimacy. Lower perceived QoL, including sexual confidence and intimacy, is associated with greater cancer-related distress among survivors. Efforts are needed to address reduced QoL in a variety of life domains among PC survivors.
On Bacteroides Fragilis participation in vulvar carcinogenesis.
Authors: Zykova Tatiana , Kit Oleg Ivanovich , Nerodo Galina Andreevna , Ivanova Victoria A. , Nikitina Vera P. , Verenikina Ekaterina V. , Kravtsova Oksana E. , Bogomolova Olga A. 
Published: September 2018

e17026 Background: The purpose of the study was to identify the rate of Bacteroides spp. infection in vulvar cancer tissues. Methods: FFPE samples of tumor and peritumoral area and healthy tissues of 44 patients with vulvar cancer, as well as frozen tumor tissues of 34 cervical cancer and 29 uterine cancer patients were studied. DNAs of Bacteroides spp. were detected by real-time PCR. Results: 18.75% of patients had stage I disease, 75.0% - stage II, 6.25% - stage III. The analysis of tumor histological type showed squamous cell carcinoma: G1 - 31.25%, G2 - 68.75%. B. fragilis were found in all vulvar tissues: tumor tissue – in 87.5%, perifocal area – in 76.9% and healthy tissue – in 71.4% of patients. Bacteroids of other groups were not found. For comparison, B. fragilis DNAs were detected in 20.7% in uterine cancer and in 15.4% in cervical cancer. DNA amount in samples was assessed by the Ct value. This index is inversely proportional to the DNA amount in the sample. Mean Ct level in tumor tissue was 23.2, in peritumoral area – 23.7, and in healthy tissue – 26.1; so, the amount of B. fragilis DNAs was similar in tumor and peritumoral area and was lower in healthy tissues. Differences in bacterial contamination of tumor tissue were found between vulvar cancer, cervical and uterine cancer. The amount of B. fragilis DNAs was maximal in vulvar cancer. We did not establish clear relationships between the rate of B. fragilis infection in tumor and the disease stage, tumor grade and the rate of metastasis. Conclusions: B .fragilis infection was found in tissues of the entire vulva; however, the infection rate and bacterial contamination level were higher in tumor tissue compared to the perifocal area and healthy tissue. Tumor tissues in vulvar cancer were infected more often than in uterine and cervical cancers. Bacterial contamination level in tumor tissue was higher in vulvar cancer than in uterine and cervical cancers which was undoubtedly significant in vulvar cancer pathogenesis.
Natural history of mucinous ovarian cancer in Ireland.
Authors: Cowzer Darren , O'Donovan Emily , Brown Therese , Gleeson Noreen , Gallagher David James 
Published: September 2018

e17056 Background: Mucinous ovarian neoplasmscan arise as benign, borderline or malignant disease. Primary mucinous epithelial ovarian carcinoma (mEOC) represents 3% of invasive EOC. Differentiating primary from metastatic mucinous ovarian cancer is challenging. Systemic management of mucinous ovarian cancer increasingly follow GI cancer treatment protocols. We examined retrospective data at our institution to investigate incidence, management and site of origin of mEOC. Methods: 1,333 ovarian malignancies either diagnosed at or referred to St James Hospital, Dublin (from 2000 – 2016) were evaluated. The diagnosis was based on reported pathology. Patient demographics and investigations were retrospectively analyzed. Tumours were graded according to FIGO criteria. Results: Between 1/1/2000 and 9/12/2016 1,333 primary ovarian malignancies were diagnosed at our institution. 48 (3.6%) of these were mucinous adenocarcinoma and a further 5 (0.38%) were endometriod carcinoma of the ovary with mucinous differentiation. The average age at diagnosis was 48 (range 19-77 years). The majority of cases (87.5%) were stage I (IA 23, IB 2, IC 17, II 0, IIIA 1, IIIB 1, IIIC 3, IV 1) Staging CT thorax, abdomen and pelvis was completed in 44/48 cases and 24/48 (50%) patients underwent endoscopic evaluation of the uper or lower GI tract: 11 (22.9%) patients had both upper and lower GI endoscopy, 8 (16.7%) underwent OGD only and 5 (10.4%) had colonoscopy only. Gastrointestinal malignancy was not diagnosed in any of the patients. A total of 3 patients had immunohistochemistry for mismatch repair proteins performed, all of which demonstrated normal staining. All patients underwent surgical resection, 14 (29.2%) received adjuvant chemotherapy. 12 (25%) patients have died with a median OS of 11.5 months (range 7-108 months). Median follow up is 20.5 months (range 1-85 months) Conclusions: The incidence of mEOC in our population is 3.6%. The majority of patients diagnosed with mEOC over a 16 year period are still alive without evidence of disease, suggesting the diagnosis were ovarian in origin rather than metastatic. Immunohistochemistry for mismatch repair proteins is ongoing and will be presented at the meeting.
Comparing surgical staging methods for type II endometrial cancers.
Authors: Gattoc Leda Portia A. , Park Hyo K. , Carney Laura , Srivastava Shashank , Chiu Monica , Patel Mukti , Winer Ira Seth 
Published: September 2018

e17107 Background: Type II endometrial cancers account for 10% of endoemetrial cancers, but their aggresive nature account for a significant proportion of the morbidity and mortality. The goal of this study was to compare outcomes type II endometrial cancer patients who underwent staging via laparotomy vs. minimally invasive approach (MIS). Methods: All patients who underwent surgery for Type II endometrial cancer at two cancer centers in Detroit MI from January 2005 and December 2015 were reviewed. Endometrioid histology and those who never had surgery were excluded. Clinical, demographic characteristics, surgical outcomes and progression free survival were examined using univariate and multivariable analysis, Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: A total of 249 patients were included, 193 underwent laparotomy, and 58 MIS, including laparoscopic or robotic surgery. The majority had stage I disease (IA, 104 [41.3%] and IB, 20[7.9%]). Stages II, III, and IV were identified in 18 (7.1%), 79 (31.6%), and 31 (12.4%) respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated being African American (OR 3.43; 95%CI 1.64-7.15), having mixed histology(OR 2.54; 95% CI 1.02-6.32), and stage III-IV disease (OR 2.20; 95%CI 1.04-4.67) was associated with undergoing laparotomy. Higher perioperative complications, EBL >250 cc and blood transfusion were associated with laparotomy. Higher lymph node yield was associated with MIS approaches vs. laparotomy (26 vs. 14 p =<0.001). Recurrence rate was 38 % for the laparotomy group and 19% for MIS. There was no difference in 3 year-PFS after controlling for age, race, procedure, histology, stage and adjuvant therapy. There was no difference in overall survival between laparotomy and MIS for type II endometrial cancers. Conclusions: Being African American race, having mixed histology and stage were associated with undergoing laparotomy for type II endometrial cancers. MIS approaches offered less morbidity and ability to complete staging. However, patient selection likely played a role in this given earlier stage of these cancers. The route of surgery was not associated with PFS or OS, suggesting that MIS approach should be considered especially for ealry stage disease.
Analysis of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy for stage II endometroid type endometrial cancer.
Authors: Alter Raanan , Adams William , Block Alec , Small William , Harkenrider Matthew M. 
Published: September 2018

e17118 Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy. Stage II EC - involving the cervix - is ideally treated with primary surgical staging; however, adjuvant treatment is not well defined. Methods: The population included 8,506 patients with 2009 FIGO Stage II endometrioid-type EC treated surgically within the National Cancer Database. Patients were categorized into six treatment groups: 1. hysterectomy (HYS) alone; 2. HYS with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT); 3. HYS with chemotherapy (CT); 4. HYS with CT and EBRT; 5. HYS with vaginal brachytherapy (VBT); and 6. HYS with CT and VBT. Univariable frailty survival analysis (UVA) that allowed for clustering of patients was used to determine the effect of sociodemographic factors and comorbidities on time to death; a generalized linear mixed effects allowing random intercepts for each treatment facility type was also used to estimate the odds of receiving any treatment beyond HYS. Results: 3,571 (42%) underwent HYS alone, while 4,312 (51%) received HYS with adjuvant radiation therapy (ART), 251 (3%) received HYS with CT, and 372 (4%) received all three modalities. Of those that received ART, 2,951 (68%) had EBRT while 1,361 (32%) had VBT. On UVA, black race, years of education, government insurance or uninsured status, higher tumor grade, greater Charlson-Deyo comorbidity count (CDCC), increased age, tumor grade, and tumor size all predicted poor survival. On MVA, patients receiving ART were only 0.747 (95% CI: 0.641 – 0.871) times as likely to die at any given time when compared with HYS alone ( p = .0002). There was no difference in survival between radiation modalities. Further, compared to patients who only received HYS, those who received HYS+CT had comparable survival estimates ( p = .20) as did patients who received HYS+ART+CT ( p = .24). When controlling for all other factors, higher tumor grade, increased CDCC, age, or tumor size, and Medicaid insurance were hazardous predictors of time to death ( p< .05). Conclusions: In stage II EC patients, adjuvant EBRT and VBT improved survival. Adjuvant CT did not improve survival though this should be further studied given the infrequency it was delivered in this population.
Medical literature on mobile applications related to cancer.
Authors: Anampa-Guzman Andrea Carolina , Contreras Chavez Pamela , Gutiérrez César , Jeter Joanne M. 
Published: September 2018

e18044 Background: In 2014, there existed 166 mobile applications related to cancer. However, many mobile applications are being developed without published validation by the medical community. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the studies about mobile applications related to cancer. Methods: Scopus, PubMed, PMC, BVS and Scielo were systematically searched for studies published up to December 2016. A broad search using the terms “neoplasia”, “cancer”, “neoplasm”, “smartphone application” and “mobile app” was conducted. Article abstracts were reviewed for study eligibility, followed by reviews of full papers. We found 195 articles and 48 were included. Articles were included if they reviewed commercial mobile applications or if they described the development and evaluation of a mobile application related to cancer. Articles were excluded if they were about other telehealth technologies, primarily editorials, solely described study protocols, abstracts of congresses or books. Results: The earliest article was published in 2012 and there is an increasing rate of articles published. The majority of articles are original articles (85.42%) and 10 of them are clinical trials. Almost all articles were written in English (95.83%). Nearly 40% of the articles talked about mobile applications for the management of cancer. The intended audience of the mobile applications described in the studies was mostly patients. The cancers most popular among the articles were breast and skin cancers. The countries with the most studies on mobile applications related to cancer are the United States and South Korea. Conclusions: There is a large number of cancer related mobile applications. Further studies would help us understand the current and future use of these health related technologies. [Table: see text]
Comparative effectiveness of primary radiotherapy versus surgery in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in elderly patients: A SEER-Medicare analysis.
Authors: Sher David Jonathan , Yan Jingsheng , Strom Tobin Joel , Khan Saad A. , Zhu Hong 
Published: September 2018

e18124 Background: Primary radiotherapy (RT) and primary surgery (PS) are considered equally viable local therapy modalities for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The relative efficacy and toxicity of these competing therapies are often debated, and treatment choice is based on a paucity of comparative data. Methods: Eligible individuals were elderly patients in the SEER-Medicare registry diagnosed with OPSCC between 2000 and 2011. Patients were categorized as receiving either primary RT +/- chemotherapy, or PS +/- adjuvant RT or chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using Cox multivariable analysis (MVA). Risks of gastrostomy dependence (GD), esophageal stricture (ES), and osteoradionecrosis (ORN) at 1 year were determined through claims and analyzed using logistic regression. Results: A total of 3,804 patients (70% RT, 30% PS) were included in this cohort. At a median follow-up of 24.2 months, median and 2-year OS were 37.9 months and 61.1%, respectively. Patients treated with RT and PS experienced 2-year OS and median survival outcomes of 58.5%/34.9 months and 66.4%/48.0 months, respectively (p < 0.001). In early-stage OPSCC, MVA found older age, unmarried status, increasing comorbidity, SEER region, tumor site, and no prior PET associated with inferior OS; treatment was not associated with OS. For locally advanced OPSCC, increasing age, unmarried status, increasing comorbidity, lower income, tumor site, higher stage, no prior PET, and RT alone (HR = 1.24 for RT alone vs. PS, p = 0.0020, whereas HR 1.08 for CRT vs. PS, p = 0.1955) were associated with inferior OS. Multivariable predictors of ES (9.5% of cohort) were SEER region, grade, and PS treatment (OR = 1.03 and 0.70 for RT and CRT vs. PS, p = 0.015). Independent predictors of GD at 6 months (21.5%) included married status, smoking, tongue site, advanced stage, and CRT treatment (OR = 1.13 and 2.30 for RT and CRT vs PS, p < 0.001). The 1 year risk of ORN was 3.8% and not associated with treatment. Conclusions: Without a clearly dominant modality in elderly patients, local therapy decisions for OPSCC must be individualized to each patient’s disease and functional status.
Sofosbuvir-based therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and malignancies: A prospective study of 143 patients.
Authors: Torres Harrys A. , Economides Minas P. , Kyvernitakis Andreas , Mahale Parag , Hosry Jeff , Naing Aung , Turturro Francesco , Kaseb Ahmed Omar , Raad Issam I. , Granwehr Bruno Palma 
Published: September 2018

e18152 Background: Data on the management of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in cancer patients (pts) are sparse with many of them excluded from cancer clinical trials (CCT). We evaluated the efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir-based therapy (SOFBT) in such pts. Methods: Consecutiveptstreated with SOFBT at MD Anderson (1/2014-2/2017) were included in a prospective observational study. Efficacy (sustained virological response 12 weeks [SVR12] after SOFBT) was assessed based on intention to treat (ITT) analysis. A posthoc per-protocol analysis (PPA) was performed on pts with 12 weeks of follow-up post SOFBT. Adverse events (AEs) and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) were evaluated. Results: Of the 143 pts studied, the majority were men (102; 89%), white (89; 62%) and had genotype 1 (103; 72%). The most common cancers were non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (24; 17%, each) and breast cancer (11; 8%). Of the 31 infected pts excluded from CCTs, 27 (87%) were granted access after SVR. The overall SVR12 were 90% ITT (129/143) and 91% PPA (118/130). SVR12 ITT were 80% (8/10) for SOF+peg-interferon+ ribavirin, 86% (24/28) for SOF+ ribavirin, 95% (20/21) for SOF+simeprevir, 90% (64/71) for SOF/ledipasvir, 100% (8/8) for SOF+daclatasvir and 100% (5/5) for SOF/velpatasvir. The most common AEs were grade 1 (50; 35%), predominantly anemia (22%). DDIs or grade 4 AEs did not occur. Two pts died during the study period, both from reasons unrelated to SOFBT. In 3 pts with HCV-associated NHL, SOFBT was used alone without chemotherapy. Two of them had splenic marginal zone NHL and achieved complete remission (CR); the remaining pt had follicular lymphoma with stable cancer (SC) after SOFBT. No cases of de novo HCC occurred within 6 months of SOFBT. In the same period, 10% (4/40) of pts with SC had progression (acute leukemia, breast cancer, HCC and NHL in 1 each) and 5% (4/75) of pts with CR developed relapse (acute leukemia in 3, NHL in 1). More pts who failed SOFBT had cirrhosis (77% vs 27%, P = .001) and poorer adherence (≥ 2 missed appointments) (43% vs 4%, P = .001) than those with SVR. Conclusions: SOFBT is effective and safe in cancer pts; it improves access to CCT and may induce CR in selected NHL pts.