NCI SEER-Linked Virtual Tissue Repository Pilot.

BACKGROUND: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program with the National Cancer Institute tested whether population-based cancer registries can serve as honest brokers to acquire tissue and data in the SEER-Linked Virtual Tissue Repository (VTR) Pilot. METHODS: We collected formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue and clinical data from patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and breast cancer (BC) for two studies comparing cancer cases with highly unusual survival (≥5 years for PDAC and ≤30 months for BC) to pair-matched controls with usual survival (≤2 years for PDAC and ≥5 years for BC). Success was defined as the ability for registries to acquire tissue and data on cancer cases with highly unusual outcomes. RESULTS: Of 98 PDAC and 103 BC matched cases eligible for tissue collection, sources of attrition for tissue collection were tissue being unavailable, control paired with failed case, second control that was not requested, tumor necrosis ≥20%, and low tumor cellularity. In total, tissue meeting the study criteria was obtained for 70 (71%) PDAC and 74 (72%) BC matched cases. For patients with tissue received, clinical data completeness ranged from 59% for CA-19-9 after treatment to >95% for margin status, whether radiation therapy and chemotherapy were administered, and comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: The VTR Pilot demonstrated the feasibility of using SEER cancer registries as honest brokers to provide tissue and clinical data for secondary use in research. Studies using this program should oversample by 45% to 50% to obtain sufficient sample size and targeted population representation and involve subspecialty matter expert pathologists for tissue selection.

Human Papillomavirus and Rising Oropharyngeal Cancer Incidence in the United States.

PURPOSE: Recent increases in incidence and survival of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States have been attributed to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, but empirical evidence is lacking. PATIENTS AND METHODS: HPV status was determined for all 271 oropharyngeal cancers (1984-2004) collected by the three population-based cancer registries in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Residual Tissue Repositories Program by using polymerase chain reaction and genotyping (Inno-LiPA), HPV16 viral load, and HPV16 mRNA expression. Trends in HPV prevalence across four calendar periods were estimated by using logistic regression. Observed HPV prevalence was reweighted to all oropharyngeal cancers within the cancer registries to account for nonrandom selection and to calculate incidence trends. Survival of HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients was compared by using Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: HPV prevalence in oropharyngeal cancers significantly increased over calendar time regardless of HPV detection assay (P trend < .05). For example, HPV prevalence by Inno-LiPA increased from 16.3% during 1984 to 1989 to 71.7% during 2000 to 2004. Median survival was significantly longer for HPV-positive than for HPV-negative patients (131 v 20 months; log-rank P < .001; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.46). Survival significantly increased across calendar periods for HPV-positive (P = .003) but not for HPV-negative patients (P = .18). Population-level incidence of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers increased by 225% (95% CI, 208% to 242%) from 1988 to 2004 (from 0.8 per 100,000 to 2.6 per 100,000), and incidence for HPV-negative cancers declined by 50% (95% CI, 47% to 53%; from 2.0 per 100,000 to 1.0 per 100,000). If recent incidence trends continue, the annual number of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers is expected to surpass the annual number of cervical cancers by the year 2020. CONCLUSION: Increases in the population-level incidence and survival of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States since 1984 are caused by HPV infection.

Tobacco use profiles by respiratory disorder status for adults in the wave 1-wave 4 population assessment of tobacco and health (PATH) study.

Limited evidence exists on the association between electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and chronic respiratory disorders. This study examines the association of combustible tobacco and ENDS use with chronic respiratory disorders among US adults. Public-use data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 1 (2013-2014), Wave 2 (2014-2015), Wave 3 (2015-2016), and Wave 4 (2016-2018) were pooled. Analyses focused on adults with W1-W4 respiratory disorder data and current tobacco use at W4, as well as youth entering the adult cohort at W2 through W4 (N = 26,072). We fit weighted multivariable logistic regression models for each respiratory outcome (asthma, COPD, bronchitis) using W4 longitudinal weights. Cigarette smokers (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.8, 95 % CI 0.7-0.9) were less likely to report an asthma diagnosis (p = 0.013). In contrast, ENDS users (AOR = 6.5, 95 % CI 3.7-11.5), cigarette smokers (AOR = 6.1, 95 % CI 4.0-9.1), dual users of cigarettes and ENDS (AOR = 5.4, 95 % CI 3.4-8.7), current users of non-cigarette combustible, smokeless, and polytobacco products (AOR = 4.4, 95 % CI 3.1-6.4), and former users of any product (AOR = 3.0, 95 % CI 1.9-4.7) had significantly elevated odds of reporting a diagnosis of COPD (p < 0.001). Similar patterns to COPD were observed for bronchitis (p < 0.001). Current and former tobacco use, including ENDS, were significantly associated with prevalence of self-reported COPD and bronchitis after controlling for demographic and psychosocial confounders.

Living Alone and Suicide Risk in the United States, 2008‒2019.

Objectives. To evaluate the association between living alone and suicide and how it varies across sociodemographic characteristics. Methods. A nationally representative sample of adults from the 2008 American Community Survey (n = 3 310 000) was followed through 2019 for mortality. Cox models estimated hazard ratios of suicide across living arrangements (living alone or with others) at the time of the survey. Total and sociodemographically stratified models compared hazards of suicide of people living alone to people living with others. Results. Annual suicide rates per 100 000 person-years were 23.0 among adults living alone and 13.2 among adults living with others. The age-, sex-, and race/ethnicity-adjusted hazard ratio of suicide for living alone was 1.75 (95% confidence interval = 1.64, 1.87). Adjusted hazards of suicide associated with living alone varied across sociodemographic groups and were highest for adults with 4-year college degrees and annual incomes greater than $125 000 and lowest for Black individuals. Conclusions. Living alone is a risk marker for suicide with the strongest associations for adults with the highest levels of income and education. Because these associations were not controlled for psychiatric disorders, they should be interpreted as noncausal. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(12):1774-1782. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307080).

Healthy food retail availability and cardiovascular mortality in the United States: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the association of healthy food retail presence and cardiovascular mortality, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. This association could inform efforts to preserve or increase local supermarkets or produce market availability. DESIGN: Cohort study, combining Mortality Disparities in American Communities (individual-level data from 2008 American Community Survey linked to National Death Index records from 2008 to 2015) and retail establishment data. SETTING: Across the continental US area-based sociodemographic and retail characteristics were linked to residential location by ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA). Sensitivity analyses used census tracts instead, restricted to urbanicity or county-based strata, or accounted for non-independence using frailty models. PARTICIPANTS: 2 753 000 individuals age 25+ living in households with full kitchen facilities, excluding group quarters. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Cardiovascular mortality (primary) and all-cause mortality (secondary). RESULTS: 82% had healthy food retail (supermarket, produce market) within their ZCTA. Density of such retail was correlated with density of unhealthy food sources (eg, fast food, convenience store). Healthy food retail presence was not associated with reduced cardiovascular (HR: 1.03; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.07) or all-cause mortality (HR: 1.05; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.06) in fully adjusted models (with adjustment for gender, age, marital status, nativity, Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, educational attainment, income, median household income, population density, walkable destination density). The null finding for cardiovascular mortality was consistent across adjustment strategies including minimally adjusted models (individual demographics only), sensitivity analyses related to setting, and across gender or household type strata. However, unhealthy food retail presence was associated with elevated all-cause mortality (HR: 1.15; 95% CI 1.11 to 1.20). CONCLUSIONS: In this study using food establishment locations within administrative areas across the USA, the hypothesised association of healthy food retail availability with reduced cardiovascular mortality was not supported; an association of unhealthy food retail presence with higher mortality was not specific to cardiovascular causes.

Characteristics of the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study: Opportunities for Research on Aging With HIV in the Longest US Observational Study of HIV.

In 2019, the National Institutes of Health combined the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) into the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS). In this paper, participants who made a study visit during October 2018-September 2019 (targeted for MWCCS enrollment) are described by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serostatus and compared with people living with HIV (PLWH) in the United States. Participants include 2,115 women and 1,901 men with a median age of 56 years (interquartile range, 48-63); 62% are PLWH. Study sites encompass the South (18%), the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast (45%), the West Coast (22%), and the Midwest (15%). Participant race/ethnicity approximates that of PLWH throughout the United States. Longitudinal data and specimens collected for 35 years (men) and 25 years (women) were combined. Differences in data collection and coding were reviewed, and key risk factor and comorbidity data were harmonized. For example, recent use of alcohol (62%) and tobacco (28%) are common, as are dyslipidemia (64%), hypertension (56%), obesity (42%), mildly or severely impaired daily activities (31%), depressive symptoms (28%), and diabetes (22%). The MWCCS repository includes serum, plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, cell pellets, urine, cervicovaginal lavage samples, oral samples, B-cell lines, stool, and semen specimens. Demographic differences between the MACS and WIHS can confound analyses by sex. The merged MWCCS is both an ongoing observational cohort study and a valuable resource for harmonized longitudinal data and specimens for HIV-related research.

Deaths Of Despair: Adults At High Risk For Death By Suicide, Poisoning, Or Chronic Liver Disease In The US.

Discourse on deaths of despair, which include suicide, poisoning, and chronic liver disease, has focused on middle-aged White working-class adults with less than a college education. Yet longitudinal research has not examined what groups are at highest risk for these causes of death. Respondents to the 2008 American Community Survey were followed through 2015 for mortality from suicide, poisoning, or chronic liver disease. The overall mortality rate for deaths of despair was 41.3 per 100,000 person-years. The highest-risk groups were adults with functional disabilities (102.8 per 100,000 person-years), American Indian/Alaska Native people (102.6), working-age adults who are not employed (77.3), separated or divorced people (76.5), people with net income losses (70.6), and people with military service (67.0). Most of these groups remained at increased risk after several potential confounders were controlled for. These findings offer a deeper perspective on which adults are at highest risk for deaths of despair.

Comparisons of individual- and area-level socioeconomic status as proxies for individual-level measures: evidence from the Mortality Disparities in American Communities study.

BACKGROUND: Area-level measures are often used to approximate socioeconomic status (SES) when individual-level data are not available. However, no national studies have examined the validity of these measures in approximating individual-level SES. METHODS: Data came from ~ 3,471,000 participants in the Mortality Disparities in American Communities study, which links data from 2008 American Community Survey to National Death Index (through 2015). We calculated correlations, specificity, sensitivity, and odds ratios to summarize the concordance between individual-, census tract-, and county-level SES indicators (e.g., household income, college degree, unemployment). We estimated the association between each SES measure and mortality to illustrate the implications of misclassification for estimates of the SES-mortality association. RESULTS: Participants with high individual-level SES were more likely than other participants to live in high-SES areas. For example, individuals with high household incomes were more likely to live in census tracts (r = 0.232; odds ratio [OR] = 2.284) or counties (r = 0.157; OR = 1.325) whose median household income was above the US median. Across indicators, mortality was higher among low-SES groups (all p < .0001). Compared to county-level, census tract-level measures more closely approximated individual-level associations with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate agreement emerged among binary indicators of SES across individual, census tract, and county levels, with increased precision for census tract compared to county measures when approximating individual-level values. When area level measures were used as proxies for individual SES, the SES-mortality associations were systematically underestimated. Studies using area-level SES proxies should use caution when selecting, analyzing, and interpreting associations with health outcomes.

Pathology Laboratory Policies and Procedures for Releasing Diagnostic Tissue for Cancer Research.

CONTEXT.­: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry program is currently evaluating the use of archival, diagnostic, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue obtained through SEER cancer registries, functioning as honest brokers for deidentified tissue and associated data. To determine the feasibility of this potential program, laboratory policies for sharing tissue for research needed to be assessed. OBJECTIVE.­: To understand the willingness of pathology laboratories to share archival diagnostic tissue for cancer research and related policies. DESIGN.­: Seven SEER registries administered a 27-item questionnaire to pathology laboratories within their respective registry catchment areas. Only laboratories that processed diagnostic FFPE specimens and completed the questionnaire were included in the analysis. RESULTS.­: Of the 153 responding laboratories, 127 (83%) responded that they process FFPE specimens. Most (n = 88; 69%) were willing to share tissue specimens for research, which was not associated with the number of blocks processed per year by the laboratories. Most laboratories retained the specimens for at least 10 years. Institutional regulatory policies on sharing deidentified tissue varied considerably, ranging from requiring a full Institutional Review Board review to considering such use exempt from Institutional Review Board review, and 43% (55 of 127) of the laboratories did not know their terms for sharing tissue for research. CONCLUSIONS.­: This project indicated a general willingness of pathology laboratories to participate in research by sharing FFPE tissue. Given the variability of research policies across laboratories, it is critical for each SEER registry to work with laboratories in their catchment area to understand such policies and state legislation regulating tissue retention and guardianship.

Patterns of de-novo metastasis and breast cancer-specific mortality by race and molecular subtype in the SEER population-based dataset.

PURPOSE: To examine patterns of de-novo metastases (mets) and association with breast cancer-specific mortality across subtypes and racial groups. METHODS: Non-Hispanic (NH) Black and NH-White patients ages 40 years and older with primary breast cancer (BC) between 2010 and 2015 were examined. Multilevel logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess (1) odds of de-novo mets to specific sites by subtype, and (2) association of subtype with risk of BC mortality among patients with de-novo mets by race. RESULTS: A total of 204,941 BC patients were included in analysis. The most common de-novo mets site was to the bone, and overall prevalence of de-novo mets was higher among NH-Black (6.4%) versus NH-White (4.1%) patients. The odds of de-novo mets to any site were lower for TNBC (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.62-0.73) and HR+/HER2- (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.47-0.53) subtypes, but higher for HR-/HER2+ (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.06-1.28) relative to HR+/HER2+ . De-novo mets to the brain only was associated with the highest mortality risk across all subtypes, ranging from a 13-fold increase (hazard ratio 13.45, 95% CI 5.03-35.96) for HR-/HER2+ to a 39-fold increase (hazard ratio 39.04, 95% CI 26.2-58.14) for HR+/HER2-. CONCLUSION: Site and fatality of de-novo mets vary by subtype and by race. This information may help improve risk stratification and post-diagnostic surveillance to ultimately reduce BC mortality.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Survival by Etiology: A SEER-Medicare Database Analysis.

In the United States, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) survival varies with tumor characteristics, patient comorbidities, and treatment. The effect of HCC etiology on survival is less clearly defined. The relationship between HCC etiology and mortality was examined using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data. In a cohort of 11,522 HCC cases diagnosed from 2000 through 2014, etiologies were identified from Medicare data, including metabolic disorders (32.9%), hepatitis C virus (8.2%), alcohol (4.7%), hepatitis B virus (HBV, 2.1%), rare etiologies (0.9%), multiple etiologies (26.7%), and unknown etiology (24.4%). After adjusting for demographics, tumor characteristics, comorbidities and treatment, hazard ratios (HRs) and survival curves by HCC etiology were estimated using Cox proportional hazard models. Compared with HBV-related HCC cases, higher mortality was observed for those with alcohol-related HCC (HR 1.49; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.25-1.77), metabolic disorder-related HCC (HR 1.25; 95% CI 1.07-1.47), and multiple etiology-related HCC (HR 1.25; 95% CI 1.07-1.46), but was not statistically significant for hepatitis C virus-related, rare disorder-related, and HCC of unknown etiology. For all HCC etiologies, there was short median survival ranging from 6.1 months for alcohol to 10.3 months for HBV. Conclusion: More favorable survival was seen with HBV-related HCC. To the extent that HCC screening is more common among persons with HBV infection compared to those with other etiologic risk factors, population-based HCC screening, applied evenly to persons across all HCC etiology categories, could shift HCC diagnosis to earlier stages, when cases with good clinical status are more amenable to curative therapy.

Indicators of Socioeconomic Status for Individuals, Census Tracts, and Counties: How Well Do Measures Align for Demographic Subgroups?

OBJECTIVES: Researchers often approximate individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) from census tract and county data. However, area-level variables do not serve as accurate proxies for individual-level SES, particularly among some demographic subgroups. The present study aimed to analyze the potential bias introduced by this practice. METHODS: Data included (1) individual-level SES from the Mortality Disparities in American Communities study (n ≈ 3,471,000 collected in 2008), and (2) census tract- and county-level SES from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey. Analyses included correlations among SES indicators (eg, median household income, having a high school degree, unemployment) across individual versus census tract and county levels, stratified by sex, age, race/ethnicity, and urbanicity. Finally, generalized estimating equations evaluated demographic differences in whether area-level SES matched or underestimated individual-level SES. RESULTS: Low correlations were observed between individual- and area-level SES (census tract: Spearman's r range = 0.048 for unemployment to 0.232 for median household income; county: r range = 0.028 for unemployment to 0.157 for median household income; all P < .0001). SES indicators were more likely to match for males, older participants, and urban groups. Area-level SES indicators were more likely to underestimate individual-level SES for older participants and rural groups, indicating that individuals who are part of these groups may live in systematically lower-SES communities than their own SES might connote. CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based study of 3.5 million participants, area-level indicators were poor proxies for individual-level SES, particularly for participants living in rural areas.

The association between etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma and race-ethnicity in Florida.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has risen considerably in the US since 1980. The main causes include metabolic disorders (NAFLD, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome), alcohol-related disease (ALD) and hepatitis C and B virus infections (HCV, HBV). Etiology-specific HCC incidence rates by detailed race-ethnicity are needed to improve HCC control and prevention efforts. METHODS: All HCC cases diagnosed in Florida during 2014-2015 were linked to statewide hospital discharge data to determine etiology. Age-specific and age-adjusted rates were used to assess the intersection between etiology and detailed racial-ethnicities, including White, African American, Afro-Caribbean, Asian, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Continental Hispanic (Mexican, South and Central American). RESULTS: Of 3666 HCC cases, 2594 matched with discharge data. HCV was the leading cause of HCC among men and women (50% and 43% respectively), followed by metabolic disorders (25% and 37%) and ALD (16% and 9%). Puerto Rican and African American men had the highest HCV-HCC rates, 7.9 and 6.3 per 100 000 respectively. Age-specific rates for HCV-HCC peaked among baby boomers (those born in 1945-1965). Metabolic-HCC rates were highest among populations above age 70 and among Continental Hispanics. Afro-Caribbean men had high rates of HBV-HCC, whereas Puerto Rican men had high ALD-HCC. CONCLUSIONS: HCC etiology is associated with specific race/ethnicity. While HCV-related HCC rates are projected to decrease soon, HCC will continue to affect Hispanics disproportionately, based on higher rates of metabolic-HCC (and ALD-HCC) among Continental Hispanics, who demographically represent 80% of all US Hispanics. Multifaceted approaches for HCC control and prevention are needed.

Socioeconomic risk factors for fatal opioid overdoses in the United States: Findings from the Mortality Disparities in American Communities Study (MDAC).

BACKGROUND: Understanding relationships between individual-level demographic, socioeconomic status (SES) and U.S. opioid fatalities can inform interventions in response to this crisis. METHODS: The Mortality Disparities in American Community Study (MDAC) links nearly 4 million 2008 American Community Survey responses to the 2008-2015 National Death Index. Univariate and multivariable models were used to estimate opioid overdose fatality hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Opioid overdose was an overrepresented cause of death among people 10 to 59 years of age. In multivariable analysis, compared to Hispanics, Whites and American Indians/Alaska Natives had elevated risk (HR = 2.52, CI:2.21-2.88) and (HR = 1.88, CI:1.35-2.62), respectively. Compared to women, men were at-risk (HR = 1.61, CI:1.50-1.72). People who were disabled were at higher risk than those who were not (HR = 2.80, CI:2.59-3.03). Risk was higher among widowed than married (HR = 2.44, CI:2.03-2.95) and unemployed than employed individuals (HR = 2.46, CI:2.17-2.79). Compared to adults with graduate degrees, those with high school only were at-risk (HR = 2.48, CI:2.00-3.06). Citizens were more likely than noncitizens to die from this cause (HR = 4.62, CI:3.48-6.14). Compared to people who owned homes with mortgages, those who rented had higher HRs (HR = 1.36, CI:1.25-1.48). Non-rural residents had higher risk than rural residents (HR = 1.46, CI:1.34, 1.59). Compared to respective referent groups, people without health insurance (HR = 1.30, CI:1.20-1.41) and people who were incarcerated were more likely to die from opioid overdoses (HR = 2.70, CI:1.91-3.81). Compared to people living in households at least five-times above the poverty line, people who lived in poverty were more likely to die from this cause (HR = 1.36, CI:1.20-1.54). Compared to people living in West North Central states, HRs were highest among those in South Atlantic (HR = 1.29, CI:1.11, 1.50) and Mountain states (HR = 1.58, CI:1.33, 1.88). DISCUSSION: Opioid fatality was associated with indicators of low SES. The findings may help to target prevention, treatment and rehabilitation efforts to vulnerable groups.

Lower rates of cancer and all-cause mortality in an Adventist cohort compared with a US Census population.

BACKGROUND: Previous research suggests that Adventists, who often follow vegetarian diets, live longer and have lower risks for many cancers than others, but there are no national data and little published comparative data for black subjects. METHODS: This study compared all-cause mortality and cancer incidence between the nationally inclusive Adventist Health Study 2 (AHS-2) and nonsmokers in US Census populations: the National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS) and its Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results substudy. Analyses used proportional hazards regression adjusting for age, sex, race, cigarette smoking history, and education. RESULTS: All-cause mortality and all-cancer incidence in the black AHS-2 population were significantly lower than those for the black NLMS populations (hazard ratio [HR] for mortality, 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-0.69; HR for incidence, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68-0.88). When races were combined, estimated all-cause mortality was also significantly lower in the AHS-2 population at the age of 65 years (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.64-0.69) and at the age of 85 years (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.75-0.81), as was cancer mortality; this was also true for the rate of all incident cancers combined (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.67-0.74) and the rates of breast, colorectal, and lung cancers. Survival curves confirmed the mortality results and showed that among males, AHS-2 blacks survived longer than white US subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Substantially lower rates of all-cause mortality and cancer incidence among Adventists have implications for the effects of lifestyle and perhaps particularly diet on the etiology of these health problems. Trends similar to those seen in the combined population are also found in comparisons of black AHS-2 and NLMS subjects.

Associations between QT interval subcomponents, HIV serostatus, and inflammation.

BACKGROUND: The total QT interval comprises both ventricular depolarization and repolarization currents. Understanding how HIV serostatus and other risk factors influence specific QT interval subcomponents could improve our mechanistic understanding of arrhythmias. METHODS: Twelve-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) were acquired in 774 HIV-infected (HIV+) and 652 HIV-uninfected (HIV-) men from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Individual QT subcomponent intervals were analyzed: R-onset to R-peak, R-peak to R-end, JT segment, T-onset to T-peak, and T-peak to T-end. Using multivariable linear regressions, we investigated associations between HIV serostatus and covariates, including serum concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), and each QT subcomponent. RESULTS: After adjustment for demographics and risk factors, HIV+ versus HIV- men differed only in repolarization phase durations with longer T-onset to T-peak by 2.3 ms (95% CI 0-4.5, p < .05) and T-peak to T-end by 1.6 ms (95% CI 0.3-2.9, p < .05). Adjusting for inflammation attenuated the strength and significance of the relationship between HIV serostatus and repolarization. The highest tertile of IL-6 was associated with a 7.3 ms (95% CI 3.2-11.5, p < .01) longer T-onset to T-peak. Age, race, body mass index, alcohol use, and left ventricular hypertrophy were each associated with up to 2.2-12.5 ms longer T-wave subcomponents. CONCLUSIONS: HIV seropositivity, in combination with additional risk factors including increased systemic inflammation, is associated with longer T-wave subcomponents. These findings could suggest mechanisms by which the ventricular repolarization phase is lengthened and thereby contribute to increased arrhythmic risk in men living with HIV.

Are associations between psychosocial stressors and incident lung cancer attributable to smoking?

PURPOSE: To learn whether reported associations between major psychosocial stressors and lung cancer are independent of smoking history. METHODS: Subjects were at least 25 years old and without lung cancer at enrollment in the United States Census Bureau's National Longitudinal Mortality Survey in 1995-2008. Follow-up via Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results and National Death Index continued until lung cancer diagnosis, death, or December 2011. Involuntary unemployment, widowhood, and divorce, stratified by sex, were tested for association with subsequent lung cancer using proportional hazards regression for competing risks. Smoking status, years smoked, cigarettes per day, and years since quitting were imputed when missing. RESULTS: At enrollment, subjects (n = 100,733, 47.4% male, age 49.1(±15.8) years) included 17.6% current smokers, 23.5% former smokers. Of men and women, respectively, 11.3% and 15.0% were divorced/separated, 2.9% and 11.8% were widowed, and 2.9% and 2.3% were involuntarily unemployed. Ultimately, 667 subjects developed lung cancer; another 10,071 died without lung cancer. Adjusted for age, education, and ancestry, lung cancer was associated with unemployment, widowhood, and divorce/separation in men but not women. Further adjusted for years smoked, cigarettes per day, and years since quitting, none of these associations was significant in either sex. CONCLUSIONS: Once smoking is accounted for, psychosocial stressors in adulthood do not independently promote lung cancer. Given their increased smoking behavior, persons experiencing stressors should be referred to effective alternatives to smoking and to support for smoking cessation.

Does socioeconomic status account for racial and ethnic disparities in childhood cancer survival?

BACKGROUND: For many childhood cancers, survival is lower among non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics in comparison with non-Hispanic whites, and this may be attributed to underlying socioeconomic factors. However, prior childhood cancer survival studies have not formally tested for mediation by socioeconomic status (SES). This study applied mediation methods to quantify the role of SES in racial/ethnic differences in childhood cancer survival. METHODS: This study used population-based cancer survival data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 18 database for black, white, and Hispanic children who had been diagnosed at the ages of 0 to 19 years in 2000-2011 (n = 31,866). Black-white and Hispanic-white mortality hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals, adjusted for age, sex, and stage at diagnosis, were estimated. The inverse odds weighting method was used to test for mediation by SES, which was measured with a validated census-tract composite index. RESULTS: Whites had a significant survival advantage over blacks and Hispanics for several childhood cancers. SES significantly mediated the race/ethnicity-survival association for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, neuroblastoma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma; SES reduced the original association between race/ethnicity and survival by 44%, 28%, 49%, and 34%, respectively, for blacks versus whites and by 31%, 73%, 48%, and 28%, respectively, for Hispanics versus whites ((log hazard ratio total effect - log hazard ratio direct effect)/log hazard ratio total effect). CONCLUSIONS: SES significantly mediates racial/ethnic childhood cancer survival disparities for several cancers. However, the proportion of the total race/ethnicity-survival association explained by SES varies between black-white and Hispanic-white comparisons for some cancers, and this suggests that mediation by other factors differs across groups.

Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Tumor Grade Among Black Men with Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer affects black men disproportionately. Black men have an increased incidence of prostate cancer diagnoses at earlier ages and higher grade as indicated by Gleason score, compared to other races. This study investigates the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on prostate cancer tumor grade among black men. METHODS: Black men with a prostate cancer diagnosis during 1973-2011 were examined using individual-level data from the SEER NLMS database. Logistic regression model estimated the likelihood of receiving a diagnosis of high versus low grade prostate cancer based on self-reported SES status at the time of diagnosis. RESULTS: Men who completed high school only were statistically significantly more likely to have a higher prostate cancer grade than those with a bachelor's degree or higher. However, there was no dose-response effect across educational strata. Retirees were 30% less likely to have higher grade tumors compared to those who were employed. CONCLUSIONS: SES differences among black men did not fully explain the high grade of prostate cancer. Further research is needed on the biology of the disease and to assess access to medical care and prostate health education, discrimination, stress exposures, and social norms that might contribute to the aggressiveness of prostate cancer among black men.