Impact of coffee on liver diseases: a systematic review.

Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed beverages in the world. Its health benefits including improved overall survival have been demonstrated in a variety of disease states. To examine the association of coffee consumption with liver disease, a systematic review of studies on the effects of coffee on liver associated laboratory tests, viral hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was performed. Coffee consumption was associated with improved serum gamma glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase values in a dose dependent manner in individuals at risk for liver disease. In chronic liver disease patients who consume coffee, a decreased risk of progression to cirrhosis, a lowered mortality rate in cirrhosis patients, and a lowered rate of HCC development were observed. In chronic hepatitis C patients, coffee was associated with improved virologic responses to antiviral therapy. Moreover, coffee consumption was inversely related to the severity of steatohepatitis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Therefore, in patients with chronic liver disease, daily coffee consumption should be encouraged.

Current or recent pregnancy is associated with adverse pathologic features but not impaired survival in early breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) may be defined as breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or within 1 year of giving birth. Conflicting data exist regarding the impact of pregnancy on clinical features and prognosis of breast cancer. METHODS: A single-institution retrospective chart review was performed of 99 patients identified with PABC between 1992 and 2007. Non-PABC controls were matched 2:1 to PABC cases by year of diagnosis and age. The differences in clinical features were compared between cases and controls using chi-square tests. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the effect of PABC on survival. RESULTS: Of the 99 PABC cases, breast cancer was diagnosed during pregnancy in 36 patients, and after delivery in 63. PABC cases were more likely than controls to be negative for estrogen receptor (59% vs 31%, P < .0001) and negative for progesterone receptor (72% vs 40%, P < .0001). Cases were also more likely to have advanced T class (P = .0271) and N class (P = .0104) and higher grade tumors (P = .0115). With a median follow-up of 6.3 years for cases and 4.7 years for controls, overall survival did not differ between cases and controls (P = .0787). On multivariate analysis, the independent prognostic factors for overall survival were estrogen receptor status (P = .0031) and N class (P = .0003). The diagnosis of PABC was not an independent prognostic factor (P = .1317). CONCLUSIONS: PABC is associated with more adverse tumor features than non-PABC matched for age and year of diagnosis. After correcting for pathologic features, the diagnosis of PABC is not in itself an adverse prognostic factor for survival.

Limited overall survival in patients with brain metastases from triple negative breast cancer.

Patients with breast cancer, which lacks ER, PR, and HER2; "triple negative" (TNBC), are at increased risk of brain metastases (BMs). However, the impact of modern therapy on the risk of BMs and outcomes remains largely unknown. In this retrospective, single-institution study we assessed the incidence of BMs, the therapeutic options, and overall survival, in a recent cohort of patients with TNBC. Women diagnosed with early stage TNBC from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2007 were identified through institutional databases. Electronic medical records were reviewed to assess patterns of recurrence, treatment, and survival. In total, 1,323 patients, median age 53 years (range 20-91), were identified. There were 298 patients (23%) who developed metastatic disease, of whom, 99 (33%) developed BMs, representing 7.5% of the entire cohort. Following BM diagnosis, treatment consisted of: radiotherapy 87 (88%) patients, resection 26 (26%) patients, and systemic chemotherapy 70 (71%) patients, with a median of 1.0 (range 0-8) chemotherapy regimens. The actuarial median survival from diagnosis of BMs is 5 months (95% CI 4-7 months). This single-institution, retrospective study confirms that the prognosis for patients with BMs from TNBC remains poor. This group of patients urgently needs improved therapies.

Serum N-telopeptide and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase levels in patients with osteonecrosis of the jaw receiving bisphosphonates for bone metastases.

PURPOSE: Oversuppression of bone turnover can be a critical factor in the pathogenesis of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). We investigated N-telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) as potential predictors of ONJ onset. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with ONJ and available stored serum were identified retrospectively from the institutional databases. Four approximate points were examined: point of ONJ diagnosis and 12, 6, and 1 month before the diagnosis. NTX and BAP were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and examined as possible predictors of ONJ. RESULTS: From March 1998 to September 2009, we identified 122 patients with ONJ. Of these, 56 (46%) had one or more serum samples available. Overall, 55 patients (98%) received bisphosphonates. Using the exact dates, no obvious patterns in either NTX or BAP were noted. Similarly, using the ordinal points, no evidence of suppression of NTX or BAP over time was seen. The consecutive median values were as follows: The median NTX values were 8.0 nmol/L (range 3.8 to 32.9) at 12 months before ONJ; 9.5 nmol/L (range 4.7 to 42.7) at 6 months; 9.5 nmol/L (range 4.5 to 24.6) at 1 month, and 10.4 nmol/L (range 4.4 to 32.5) at the ONJ diagnosis. The median BAP values were BAP 18.0 U/L (range 7.0 to 74) at 12 months before ONJ; 18.0 U/L (range 4.0 to 134) at 6 months; 14.0 U/L (range 4.0 to 132) at 1 month, and 18.0 U/L (range 0.7 to 375) at the ONJ diagnosis. Only 2 patients (4%) had NTX and 17 (30%) had BAP below the normal range at the ONJ diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: In the present large retrospective study, no trends were seen in the NTX and BAP levels before the ONJ diagnosis.

Survival benefits in colorectal adenocarcinoma with the use of metformin among a black diabetic inner city population.

We assessed the association of metformin use with survival in colorectal cancer in a population consists mostly of African-American and Afro-Caribbean patients. We identified 585 colorectal cancer patients, 167 (28.6%) and 418 (71.5%) were as diabetic (DM) and nondiabetic, respectively. The diagnosis of diabetes did not impact cancer survival or extent of disease. Overall, DMs with metformin use (D+M+) have better overall survival than both DMs without metformin use (D+M∼) and nondiabetics (D∼M∼), with a mean survival of 109.9 months compared with 95.7 and 106.1 months, respectively (log-rank p < 0.05). The use of metformin shows significant reduction of risk of mortality compared with nonusers (hazard ratio: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.15-0.81; p = 0.01). Use of insulin and status of diabetes did not have a significant impact on overall cancer survival.