Examination of reporting status of pediatric oncology trials within the national library of medicine's trial database.

Finding safer and more effective treatment options are critical in progressing the field of pediatric oncology. These treatment options are discovered through completion and publication of clinical trials. The primary objective of this study was to assess the overall study characteristics of pediatric oncology clinical trials initiated between 2008 and 2021. The secondary objective of our study was to assess rates of discontinuation and reporting of results as required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). After acquiring pediatric oncology clinical trials from ClinicalTrials.gov, a cross-sectional study was performed. Included trials have an intervention exclusive to pediatrics and were conducted between 2008 and 2021. The results measured were characteristics of the clinical trials and their rate of discontinuation. Of the 7,930 trials originally returned from the search, 349 trials met inclusion criteria. The majority of the trials were phase 1 and 2 pharmaceutical interventions studying brain and blood cancer. Our study found that 14.9% (52) of the pediatric oncology trials were discontinued. Given the breadth of study within pediatric oncology, our overarching assessment shows that drug trials geared toward treating cancers of the brain and blood were dominant in the field. It is crucial for the advancement of science that results of trials are known. This avoids duplication of studies and waste of funds. Of the trials that were completed, 40.3% (58) did not report results to ClinicalTrials.gov. The nonreporting of this data limits the information available delaying the advancement of treatment options.

Use of person-centred language among scientific research focused on childhood obesity.

BACKGROUND: Stigma towards children with obesity can begin as early as 3 years old, leading to increased risk for poorer mental health outcomes and lower quality of life. This includes discriminatory language used by peers and adults, which may be compounded by use within the medical community and in published research. OBJECTIVES: Our primary objective was to investigate adherence to person-centred language (PCL) in childhood obesity-related medical publications. METHODS: We searched PubMed for childhood obesity-related articles from 2018 through 2020, from journals frequently publishing childhood-obesity-related research. Articles were randomized and searched for a list of predetermined, stigmatizing terms. RESULTS: Of the sample of 300 articles, only 21.7% were adherent to PCL guidelines. The most frequent labels found were 'obese' appearing in 70.33% of articles and 'overweight' in 63.7%. Labels such as 'chubby', 'large', and 'fat' were less common, but still appeared in the medical literature. CONCLUSIONS: A majority of childhood obesity-related articles did not adhere to PCL guidelines. Given the negative effects of stigma among children with obesity, it is imperative to advocate for PCL use within the medical community. Increased stringency by journal editors and publishers may be the next step in this process.

Cancer Screening Among Current and Former U.S. Military Personnel Compared to Civilians: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 3% of invasive U.S. cancer diagnoses are made among veterans in a Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic each year, while VA patients only comprise about 1.9% of the U.S. population. Although some research has shown that veterans have higher incidence rates of cancer compared to civilians, evidence is sparse regarding possible disparities in rates of cancer screening between these populations. Thus, the purpose of this study is to compare differences in rates of screening for colorectal, lung, breast, and cervical cancers between current and former U.S. Military service members and civilians. METHODS: Using the data extracted from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, we assessed the rates of cancer screening among current and former U.S. Military service members compared to civilians from self-reported surveys assessing when individuals had been screened for colorectal or lung cancer among all participants and breast and cervical cancer among women participants. Persons greater than 25 years of age were included in the cervical cancer screening, 50 years of age for colon cancer screening, and 40 years of age for the breast cancer screening-the latter based on recommendations from the American Cancer Society. We used multivariate logistic regression models to determine the adjusted risk ratios (ARRs) of current and former U.S. Military service members receiving screening compared to civilians, adjusting for age, gender, race, education, and health care coverage. RESULTS: Current and former U.S. Military service members accounted for 2.6% of individuals included for the cervical cancer screening analysis, 2.2% for the breast cancer screening analyses, nearly 10% of the lung cancer screening, and 15% of the colorectal cancer (CRC) screening analyses. Prevalence of screening was higher for current and former U.S. Military service members among lung cancer and CRC. When controlling for age, race, education, and health care coverage, current and former U.S. Military service members were statistically more likely to be screened for CRC (ARR: 1.05; 95% confidence interval: 1.04-1.07) and lung cancer (ARR: 1.32; 95% confidence interval: 1.15-1.52). The odds of having completed a cervical or breast cancer screening were not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that current and former U.S. Military service members were more likely to complete CRC and lung cancer screenings, while no significant difference existed between each population with regard to cervical and breast cancer screenings. This is one of the few studies that have directly compared cancer screening usage among civilians and current and former U.S. Military service members. Although current and former U.S. Military service members were more likely to receive several cancer screenings, improvements can still be made to remove barriers and increase screening usage due to the disproportionate rates of cancer mortality in this population. These solutions should be comprehensive-addressing personal, organizational, and societal barriers-to improve prognosis and survival rates among current and former U.S. Military service members.