Cancer causes & control : CCC
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Cancer Causes Control · Mar 2013
How can we make cancer survival statistics more useful for patients and clinicians: an illustration using localized prostate cancer in Sweden.
Studies of cancer patient survival typically report relative survival or cause-specific survival using data from patients diagnosed many years in the past. From a risk-communication perspective, such measures are suboptimal for several reasons; their interpretation is not transparent for non-specialists, competing causes of death are ignored and the estimates are unsuitable to predict the outcome of newly diagnosed patients. In this paper, we discuss the relative merits of recently developed alternatives to traditionally reported measures of cancer patient survival. ⋯ We argue that period estimates of survival, accounting for competing risks, provide the tools to communicate the actual risk that cancer patients, diagnosed today, face to die from their disease. Such measures should offer a more useful basis for risk communication between patients and clinicians and we advocate their use as means to answer prognostic questions.
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Cancer Causes Control · Jan 2013
Migraine and subsequent risk of breast cancer: a prospective cohort study.
Previous studies have suggested that migraineurs are at decreased risk for developing breast cancer. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these results. In addition, studies evaluating migraine characteristics (e.g., migraine subtypes and frequency) are lacking. ⋯ Results of our study do not support the hypothesis that migraineurs have a decreased risk for breast cancer.
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Cancer Causes Control · Nov 2012
Meta AnalysisABO blood group and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer within the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium.
Previous studies have examined the association between ABO blood group and ovarian cancer risk, with inconclusive results. ⋯ Consistent with most previous reports, the A blood type was associated modestly with increased ovarian cancer risk in this large analysis of multiple studies of ovarian cancer. Future studies investigating potential biologic mechanisms are warranted.
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Cancer Causes Control · Sep 2012
Changes in the choice of colorectal cancer screening tests in primary care settings from 7,845 prospectively collected surveys.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality worldwide. This study examined factors influencing the choice of participants between colonoscopy and fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in a screening program and the impact of an unbiased educational session on influencing this decision. ⋯ Those at higher odds of changing CRC screening options should be supported with more detailed explanations by primary care physicians to secure a more informed and considered choice.
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Cancer Causes Control · Sep 2012
Metropolitan area racial residential segregation, neighborhood racial composition, and breast cancer mortality.
There are significant relationships between racial residential segregation (RRS) and a range of health outcomes, including cancer-related outcomes. This study explores the contribution of metropolitan area RRS, census tract racial composition and breast cancer and all-cause mortality among black and white breast cancer patients. ⋯ Racial residential segregation may influence health for blacks and whites differently. Pathways through which RRS patterns impact health should be further explored.