tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
The psychosocial impact of cancer in Moroccan families.
Authors: N. Berrada, S. Kharmoum, N. Ismaili, J. Kharmoum, L. Boulaamane, T. Sghiri, I. Essadi, R. Rahhali, H. Mrabti, H. Errihani
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2010)

e19631 Background: Cancer is an uncommon disease. It attains deeply and painfully the person with cancer and also his family. Cancer impact in the North African families was not described extensively. The goal of our work is to describe the different aspects of the impact of cancer in the Moroccan families Methods: During the period from September to December 2009, 150 families of patients followed at the national institute of oncology in Rabat, were interviewed by a questionnaire covering socio- epidemiological characteristics, repercussions of disease to their psychic, sexual and religious practices. Results: There were 378 members: children (51%), spouses (26%), and other members of the family: mother, father, sister, brother. 52% were females. 70% were of urban origin.median age was 45 in adult and 16 in children. Traumatism and initial denial was present in 97% of the wives, 19% of the husbands, 100% of the children and 60% of the remainder of the family. The anguish of the loss of the close one was present with 94% of the wives, 70% of the husbands, 100% of the children, and 95% of the remainder of the family. The obsession of having a cancer was present with 62% of the wives and with 37% of the husbands, 25% of the children. Culpability was present within 94% of the wives, 15% of the husbands, 90% of the children. The feeling of abandonment, regression of the school aptitudes and enuresis were also rapported by children. Toxic habits increased within 78% of the males' adult family members, and appear in 15% of the children. The recourse to popular medicine was present in 90% of the cases. We noted a increase in religious practices in 97% of families Conclusions: The results of this work shows that all the members of the Moroccan family are likely to test an important distress, specially wives and children. Toxic habits, traditional medicine and religion are the dominant refuge which incite us to be vigilant, in order to be able to treat any potential psycho-pathologic demonstrations, and to enable the family to live as normal as possible. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Multicenter trial of erythropoietin in patients on peritoneal dialysis.
Authors: A R Nissenson, S Korbet, M Faber, J Burkart, D Gentile, R Hamburger, W Mattern, M Schreiber, R Swartz, J Van Stone
Journal: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (1995)

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial was performed to assess the safety and efficacy of subcutaneous recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) in peritoneal dialysis patients. Seventy-eight patients were randomized to receive EPO and 74 received placebo during the first 12 wk. After this, placebo patients with hematocrit less than 32% entered the EPO maintenance phase along with the initial EPO patients. Hematocrit rose significantly in the EPO group from 23.8 to 32% after 6 wk, and this was sustained at 33.7% at 12 wk. In the placebo group, the prestudy hematocrit was 23.8% as well, and no significant change in hematocrit occurred over 12 wk. Concomitant with the rise in hematocrit, transfusion requirements fell only in the EPO group. Eighty-eight percent of patients receiving EPO had their anemia ameliorated by Week 12 of the study. There was a wide range of dosage requirements during the maintenance phase, ranging from 8,000 U thrice weekly to 4,000 U every other week. Adverse events after EPO were similar to those seen in hemodialysis patients given this agent, with hypertension developing or worsening in 55% of EPO patients during the initial 12 wk of therapy. Blood pressure was more likely to rise in patients with hypertension before receiving EPO. EPO is safe and effective in peritoneal dialysis patients, as it is in hemodialysis patients. Other than a rise in blood pressure, which is manageable with antihypertensives and ultrafiltration with dialysis, no serious side effects are seen. The optimal target hematocrit, effects of anemia improvement on quality of life, and end-organ (heart, brain) effects of anemia improvement in this patient population require further study.
Correlation between quantitative HER2 protein level and pathologic complete response (pCR) in HER2-positive (+) breast cancer patients (pts) treated with neoadjuvant (NEO) dose-dense (dd) chemotherapy plus trastuzumab.
Authors: J. Hurley, C. Welsh, A. C. Fort, J. Weidler, A. Paquet, W. Huang, Y. Lie, S. Gupta, M. P. Bates, M. D. Pegram
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2010)

586 Background: We previously conducted a phase II study to evaluate a NEO regimen of docetaxel/carboplatin/trastuzumab (TCH) in 48 pts with clinical stage II-IIIB HER2 overexpressing breast cancer. The pCR rate was 42%. The current study sought to retrospectively investigate the correlation between total HER2 protein expression (H2T) and HER2 homodimers (H2D), by a novel quantitative HER2 assay, in pre-therapy tumor specimens from this trial and pCR and percent change in tumor size (ΔTS) following NEO ddTCH therapy. Methods: Pre-therapy formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections with ≥10 mm2 tumor area were available from 17 pts enrolled in the phase II NEO ddTCH study. H2T and H2D in these samples were quantified by the HERmark assay. Correlations between quantitative H2T and H2D measurements and pCR and ΔTS (as measured by longest tumor dimension) pre- versus post-therapy were assessed using the Mann-Whitney test and Spearman correlation, respectively. Results: All pts were previously assessed as HER2(+) by IHC 3+ or IHC 2+/FISH(+). 7/17 pts (41%) achieved pCR. pCR was associated with higher H2T (p = 0.033) and higher H2D (p = 0.066). Higher H2T and H2D were correlated with reduction of tumor size (ΔTS) following ddTCH (r2 = 0.461, p = 0.004, for H2T; and r2 = 0.604, p = 0.001, for H2D). H2T was higher in estrogen receptor (ER) (-) vs. ER (+) tumors (p = 0.043) and in progesterone (PR) (-) vs. PR (+) tumors (p = 0.021). Neither HER2 IHC nor tumor size at diagnosis correlated significantly with pCR or ΔTS. Conclusions: This is the first study to test the HERmark assay in the neoadjuvant setting. In this small group of breast cancer pts previously assessed as HER2 (+) by IHC and/or FISH, pts with higher H2T levels were more likely to achieve pCR following neoadjuvant treatment with a trastuzumab-containing regimen. These data are consistent with previous findings in the metastatic breast cancer setting and suggest that further investigation into the possible relationship between quantitative levels of HER2 expression and trastuzumab response, in larger patient cohorts, is warranted. Author Disclosure Employment or Leadership Position Consultant or Advisory Role Stock Ownership Honoraria Research Funding Expert Testimony Other Remuneration Monogram Biosciences
What is the actual rate of acute skin toxicity in women undergoing adjuvant radiation therapy for early breast cancer? Results of a single-institution phase II study.
Authors: T. Niazi, S. Faria, K. Sultanem, T. Muanza, B. Bahoric, R. Rotondo, H. Al-Halabi, T. Vuong
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2010)

e11060 Background: The Literature on adjuvant RT place the rate of G II or higher acute skin toxicity (AST) at around 40-50%, while the rate of G III moist desquamation is reported to be around 15%-20%. In this prospective p II study we evaluated the actual rate of AST in these patients and correlated that with patient characteristics. Methods: Patients with breast separation < 25 cm were treated with Canadian hypofractionation (HF) (42.4 Gy in 16) while patients with ≥ 25 cm were treated with the usual fractionation (50 Gy in 25). All patients were advised to apply hydrating cream from day one of RT. The CTCAE v.3.0 was used for grading of the AST. To avoid subjective interpretation, Each patient was graded by two radiation oncologist at wk 0 wk 2, wk 3, last day of Tx and 2 wks after Tx completion. Univariant and multivariant analysis were performed to evaluate the contribution of pt characteristics to the toxicity. Results: At the time of this analysis 114 patients with a median age of 60 (range 33-81) have completed their RT. Of these 72% received HF and 69% had an extra boost of 10 Gy in 4 to the tumor bed. 53 pts (46.5%) received chemotherapy prior to RT and 26% were active smokers. The volume of the breast varied significantly among the pts, median volume of 760 cc (range 153-2,271). AST was 17% at 2 wks with only 2 pts (2%) having G II , 53% at 3 wks with only 6 pts (6%) having G II and 81% at the last day of the Tx with 22 pts (20%) having G II or higher. Only 8 pts (7%) had G III and no G IV skin toxicity was observed. The rate of residual skin reaction at 2 wks post-RT was 39% with only 6 G II and one G III. Multivariant analysis associated HF with decreased acute skin reaction at the last day of the Tx, 100% vs. 71% (p = 0.0204), and active smoking with delayed skin healing at 2 wks post RT 25% vs. 52% (p = 0.0373). There was no correlation between the volume of the breast and skin toxicity at any of the evaluation timelines. Conclusions: The actual rate of AST in women undergoing adjuvant RT is considerably overstated in medical literature. HF is associated with decreased acute skin reaction and active smoking is correlated with delayed healing. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
The Bromodomain Inhibitor JQ1 and the Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Panobinostat Synergistically Reduce N-Myc Expression and Induce Anticancer Effects
Authors: Jeyran Shahbazi, Pei Y. Liu, Bernard Atmadibrata, James E. Bradner, Glenn M. Marshall, Richard B. Lock, Tao Liu
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2016)

Patients with neuroblastoma associated with MYCN oncogene amplification experience a very poor prognosis. BET bromodomain inhibitors are among the most promising novel anticancer agents as they block BRD3 and BRD4 from activating oncogene transcription. However, treatment with BET bromodomain inhibitors alone does not result in cancer remission in many murine models.MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells were treated with vehicle control, the BET bromodomain inhibitor JQ1, the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat, or the combination of JQ1 and panobinostat. Genes modulated by JQ1, panobinostat, or the combination therapy were identified by Affymetrix microarray, and cell proliferation and apoptosis were examined by Alamar blue assays and flow cytometry analysis. Modulation of LIN28B promoter activity by BRD3 and BRD4 was examined by chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays. In addition, neuroblastoma-bearing mice were treated with vehicle control, JQ1, and/or panobinostat.LIN28B was one of the top genes synergistically reduced by JQ1 and panobinostat. BRD3 and BRD4 directly bound to the LIN28B gene promoter and activated LIN28B gene transcription, and knocking down LIN28B reduced the expression of N-Myc protein, but not N-Myc mRNA. JQ1 and panobinostat synergistically reduced LIN28B gene and N-Myc protein expression, and synergistically induced growth inhibition and apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells, but not normal nonmalignant cells in vitro In neuroblastoma-bearing mice, JQ1 and panobinostat synergistically and considerably reduced N-Myc protein expression in tumor tissues and blocked tumor progression.Our findings have identified a novel strategy to reduce the N-Myc oncoprotein expression and a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of aggressive neuroblastoma. Clin Cancer Res; 22(10); 2534-44. ©2016 AACR.
Early Detection of Cardiac Systolic Functional Impairment and Correlation with NT-ProBNP Change in AL Amyloidosis by Cardiac Lateral Wall Tissue Doppler S Wave.
Authors: Marna de Cruz, Babita Pawarova, Helen Lachmann, Julian Gillmore, Simon Gibbs, Prayman Sattianayagam, Philip Hawkins, Ashutosh D Wechalekar
Journal: Blood (2009)
Abstract MP61: Comparing the Influence of Individual vs. Community Socioeconomic Factors on Cardiovascular Health
Authors: Courtney Pilkerton, Sarah Singh, Adam Christian, Thomas K Bias, Stephanie J Frisbee
Journal: Circulation (2015)

BACKGROUND: Despite advances in treatment and decreases in risk factors, cardiovascular disease remains the cause of 1/3 deaths. Both prevalence and cost of cardiovascular disease are expected to increase over the coming decades. In supporting health efforts to reduce cardiovascular disease burden, the AHA developed a comprehensive cardiovascular health index (CVHI) incorporating behavioral and biological factors. A thorough understanding of health determinants requires inclusion of factors at multiple levels of proximity to individuals and communities. The objective of this study was to identify the demographic characteristics of individuals and areas in which they live that promote cardiovascular health. METHODS: Data from 2011 BRFSS were used to calculate CVHI. Participants were ineligible if missing information necessary to calculate CVHI (n = 156,973), if pregnant or pregnancy status was unknown (n = 3,693), or if missing county code (n = 37,163). Poisson model was used to determine change in the expected number of ideal factors an individual had due to various individual and county demographic characteristics. County demographic variables were abstracted from the Area Health Resource File. RESULTS: The effect of a 10 year increase in an individual’s age decreased the expected number of ideal CVHI factors by 6.31% (6.14, 6.47). Females had a 12.09% (11.48, 12.70) increase in expected number of ideal CVHI factors over males. Non-Hispanic blacks had a 7.42% (6.39, 8.44) decrease in expected number of ideal CVHI factors compared to other race/ethnicities. An individual’s education and income level had a dose response association with CVHI. Compared to having less than a high school education, those with a high school education had a 5.15% increase in the expected number of ideal CVHI factors and an 11.64% increase for those with a 4 year degree. As an individual’s income category increased there was a 7.89%, 10.79%, and 16.34% increase respectively in the expected number of ideal CVHI factors. For county demographics increases in the expected number of ideal factors was seen with increases in Hispanic population (0.93% per 10% increase) and increasing socioeconomic index (0.14% per 10 unit increase). A 10% increase in the population with no health insurance decreased the expected number of factors 1.49% (0.75, 2.22). There was a significant interaction (p &lt;0.01) between an individual’s income level and the socioeconomic status of the county lived in, with those in lower income categories benefiting more from living in higher socioeconomic areas than those with higher incomes. In conclusion, both individual and county demographic characteristics were associated with changes in an individual’s CVHI. CONCLUSION: This information can assist public health and government agencies in developing priorities and evaluating the potential effectiveness of policies and programs.
Abstract 12219: Arrhythmia-associated Variants in the SCN5A Promoter and Regulatory Regions
Authors: Nobue Yagihara, Hiroshi Watanabe, Thomas C Atack, Seiko Ohno, Wataru Shimizu, Stephanie Chatel, Tamara T Koopmann, Ping Yang, Marylyn D Ritchie, Stephen Turner, Kanae Hasegawa, Minako Wakasugi, Osamu Onodera, Ryozo Kuwano, Laetitia Duboscq-Bidot, Richard Redon, Minoru Horie, Jean-Jacques Schott, Makoto Takayama, Yukiko Nakano, Connie R Bezzina, Arthur A Wilde, Takeshi Momotsu, Naoto Endo, Dawood Darbar, Dan M Roden, Naomasa Makita
Journal: Circulation (2012)

Background: Mutations in the coding sequence of SCN5A, which encodes the predominant cardiac Na+ channel α-subunit, have been associated with inherited susceptibility to various arrhythmias. Variab...
BN Rat Myeloid Leukemia Transferred to the (LEW × BN)F&lt;sub&gt;1&lt;/sub&gt; Rat&lt;xref ref-type="fn" rid="FN2"&gt;2&lt;/xref&gt;
Authors: W P Vaughn, P J Burke, J Jung
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1978)

The BN rat myelocytic leukemia was transferred to (LEW x BN)F1 rats. In the F1 host the growth, dissemination, and response of this leukemia to chemotherapy were predictable, stable through serial passage, and similar to this leukemia's behavior in the parent strain. Rats given 10(7) spleen cells iv from leukemic donors died in about 3 weeks if untreated or responded to cytosine arabinoside even after overt leukemia had developed. This animal leukemia is useful as a model for human acute myelocytic leukemia.
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene polymorphism, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) risk
Authors: W. Y. Cheung, R. Zhai, M. Kulke, R. Heist, K. Asomaning, C. Ma, Z. Wang, L. Su, D. Christiani, G. Liu
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2009)

11029 Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of key cancer genes, such as EGF A61G, are associated with an elevated risk of EAC, but the lack of full penetrance indicates that the effects of these SNPs on esophageal carcinogenesis are modified by additional genetic or environmental variables. Since GERD is an established risk factor for EAC, we evaluated whether the association between EGF polymorphism and EAC development is altered by the presence of GERD. Methods: EGF genotyping of DNA samples was performed and GERD history was collected for 309 EAC patients and 275 matched healthy controls. Associations between genotypes and EAC risk were examined with adjusted logistic regression. Genotype-GERD relationships were explored using analyses stratified by GERD history and joint effects models that considered severity and duration of GERD symptoms. Results: Baseline characteristics were comparable between cases and controls except that EGF variants (A/G or G/G) were more common (p=0.02) and GERD was more prevalent (p&lt;0.001) in cases than in controls. When compared to the EGF wild type A/A genotype, the G/G variant was associated with an increased risk of EAC (OR 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2–3.0; p=0.007). Stratified analyses revealed that the G/G variant contributed to a substantial increase in EAC risk among individuals with GERD, but a slight decrease in risk for GERD-free individuals (see table). In the joint effects models, the odds of EAC was also highest for G/G patients who either experienced frequent GERD of more than once per week (OR 21.8; 95% CI, 5.1–94.0; p&lt;0.001) or suffered GERD for longer than 15 years (OR 22.4; 95% CI, 6.5–77.6; p&lt;0.001). There was a highly significant interaction between the G/G genotype and the presence of GERD (p&lt;0.001). Conclusions: EGF A61G polymorphism exerts its effect on EAC susceptibility through an interaction with GERD. Performing EGF genotyping for patients with severe or longstanding GERD can help to identify individuals at the greatest risk of EAC. [Table: see text] No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma using hypofractionated stereotactic radiosurgery.
Authors: Ariel Joseph Lederman, Mordecha Loksen, Thomas Lowinger, Daniel Izon, Gilbert S. Lederman
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2015)

461 Background: Hypofractionated stereotactic Radiosugery (HFSR) is a non-invasive focused radiation treatment that delivers high dose therapy to cancer. HFSR for treatment of HepatocellularCarcinoma is analyzed in this prospective study. Methods: Twenty-three Hepatocellular Carcinomas (HCCs) were treated in 19 patients. All patients were prospectively evaluated before and after treatment. Age at treatment ranged from 11 to 84 years (mean 57) with 12 males and 6 females. Twenty-two percent of patients had prior chemotherapy, 17% had prior surgery and one patient had embolization. Tumor volumes ranged from 3 to 1,684cc (mean 312). The HCCs were treated with 500-800 cGy per fraction (median 600), in 5 or 6 fractions (median 5). For a total of 2,500-4,000 cGy (median 3,000). Cancers were followed with contrast CT and/or MRI scans and reviewed independently by radiologists. Control of the treated cancer is defined as cessation of growth, shrinkage or disappearance of the cancer after treatment. Results: Follow up ranged from 2 to 52 months. There was a 95.6% control rate at 14 months. By dose, volume, age, sex and prior treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in outcome. Conclusions: HFSR for HCCs is a generally well tolerated, non-invasive treatment modality with a high rate of local tumor control. Patients continue to be evaluated for longer follow up, progression free survival and overall survival. HFSR remains an attractive option for those in whom standard approaches have not produced desired results and for patients seeking an alternative to surgical or chemotherapeutic treatment.
Nonmyeloablative Stem Cell Transplantation with CD8-Depleted or Unmanipulated Peripheral Blood Stem Cells: A Prospective Randomized Trial.
Authors: Evelyne Willems, Emilie Castermans, Frédéric Baron, Etienne Baudoux, Nadine Wanten, Christophe Bonnet, Kaoutar Hafraoui, Pascale Frère, Georges Fillet, Yves Beguin
Journal: Blood (2005)
David Oliver: What to do about end of life scare stories
Authors: David Oliver
Journal: BMJ (2015)

BerkshireA recent Daily Mail front page screamed, "Over 75?Sign here if you're ready for death." 1 It was referring to GPs planning care for patients with long term conditions who are at high risk of admission to hospital, including discussion of DNACPR (do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation).A third of hospital patients are in their last year of life. 2 Frailty, many long term conditions, and nursing home residence confer reduced life expectancy.So where's the scandal?
Phase I study of spirogermanium given daily.
Authors: S S Legha, J A Ajani, G P Bodey
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1983)

Spirogermanium, an azaspirane compound, has recently had limited clinical trials using a schedule of intravenous injection one to three times every week. The observation of clinical antitumor activity and lack of myelosuppression prompted us to investigate further the clinical effects of spirogermanium administered on various schedules. A total of 52 patients with advanced metastatic tumors refractory to standard therapy were treated with spirogermanium. Three different schedules of drug administration were evaluated. Initially, a short daily IV infusion for 5 days every week was evaluated, starting with a dose of 30 mg/m2/day. A total of 22 patients received 69 courses with a dose range of 30-120 mg/m2/day for 5 days every week. The maximum tolerated dose was 100 mg/m2/day IV over 1 hr and 120 mg/m2 over 2-3 hr. In the second phase of the study, 12 patients received 41 courses of spirogermanium as a 24-hr continuous infusion for 5 days/wk at a dose of 150-375 mg/m2/day. The maximum tolerated dose was 200 mg/m2/day for 5 days. In the third phase of the study, 18 patients received spirogermanium as a continuous infusion daily for a median of 30 days (range 6-77 days) in a dose range of 100-200 mg/m2/day. The maximum tolerated dose was 150 mg/m2/day. Of the 44 assessable patients, 3 demonstrated a partial response and 3 had minor tumor regression; all responses occurred in lymphoma patients. The dose-limiting toxicity of spirogermanium was neurologic; other side effects consisted of mild anorexia, nausea and vomiting, and possible lung toxicity. There was no clear evidence of cumulative toxicity despite daily administration of spirogermanium. Our data suggest that spirogermanium can be administered daily by several different schedules, and the optimum dose depends on the infusion time and the duration of therapy. The delivery of drug by continuous infusion permitted administration of twofold higher dose levels compared to the standard IV schedules used in previous studies.