Gender, Racial, and Geographical Disparities in Malignant Brain Tumor Mortality in the USA.

INTRODUCTION: Malignant brain tumors are malignancies which are known for their low survival rates. Despite advancements in treatments in the last decade, the disparities in malignant brain cancer mortality among the US population remain unclear. METHODS: We analyzed death certificate data from the US CDC WONDER from 1999 to 2020 to determine the longitudinal trends of malignant brain tumor mortality. Malignant brain tumor (ICD-10 C71.0-71.9) was listed as the underlying cause of death. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 individuals were calculated by standardizing the AAMR to the year 2000 US population. RESULTS: From 1999 to 2020, there were 306,375 deaths due to malignant brain tumors. The AAMR decreased from 5.57 (95% CI, 5.47-5.67) per 100,000 individuals in 1999 to 5.40 (95% CI, 5.31-5.48) per 100,000 individuals in 2020, with an annual percent decrease of -0.05 (95% CI, -0.22, 0.12). Whites had the highest AAMR (6.05 [95% CI, 6.02-6.07] per 100,000 individuals), followed by Hispanics (3.70 [95% CI, 3.64-3.76]) per 100,000 individuals, blacks (3.09 [95% CI, 3.04-3.14] per 100,000 individuals), American Indians (2.82 [95% CI, 2.64-3.00] per 100,000 individuals), and Asians (2.44 [95% CI, 2.38-2.50] per 100,000 individuals). The highest AAMRs were reported in the Midwest region (5.58 [95% CI, 5.54-5.62] per 100,000 individuals) and the rural regions (5.66 [95% CI, 5.61-5.71] per 100,000 individuals). CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the mortality disparity among different races, geographic regions, and urbanization levels. The findings underscore the importance of addressing the disparities in malignant brain tumors that existed among males, white individuals, and rural populations.

Racial and Geographic Differences in Endometrial Cancer Death.

INTRODUCTION: In the USA, endometrial cancer incidence rose by 4.5% annually from 1999 to 2015, reaching 18 per 100,000 women, with a disproportionate impact on African American women. Despite advancements in endometrial cancer research, racial disparities in mortality rates persist. Our retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate the mortality trends and disparities among patients with endometrial cancer in the USA. METHODS: Patients with endometrial cancer mortality from 1999 to 2020 were analyzed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER). Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 individuals were compared across different races and geographical regions. RESULTS: From 1999 to 2020, endometrial cancer accounted for 90,145 deaths in the USA. Overall, the AAMRs of endometrial cancer increased significantly from 2.50 (95% CI, 2.41-2.58) in 1999 to 3.94 (95% CI, 3.85-4.04) per 100,000 individuals in 2020, with an AAPC of +2.23 (95% CI, 1.39-3.07). The highest AAMR was observed among African Americans (2.69 [95% CI, 2.65-2.74]), followed by whites (1.44 [95% CI, 1.43-1.45]), Hispanics (1.16 [95% CI, 1.13-1.20]), Asians (1.00 [95% CI, 0.96-1.04]), and American Indians (0.99 [95% CI, 0.88-1.10]). The highest AAMR from endometrial cancer was recorded in the Northeast region (1.73 [95% CI, 1.71-1.76]). CONCLUSION: There was an increasing trend of mortality rates from endometrial cancer in the last 2 decades, which disproportionately affected African Americans. Targeted interventions are warranted to address the mortality disparities among patients with endometrial cancer.

Reducing racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular outcomes among cancer survivors.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Analyze current evidence on racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular outcomes among cancer survivors, identifying factors and proposing measures to address health inequities. RECENT FINDINGS: Existing literature indicates that the Black population experiences worse cardiovascular outcomes following the diagnosis of both initial primary cancer and second primary cancer, with a notably higher prevalence of cardio-toxic events, particularly among breast cancer survivors. Contributing socioeconomic factors to these disparities include unfavorable social determinants of health, inadequate insurance coverage, and structural racism within the healthcare system. Additionally, proinflammatory epigenetic modification is hypothesized to be a contributing genetic variation factor. Addressing these disparities requires a multiperspective approach, encompassing efforts to address racial disparities and social determinants of health within the healthcare system, refine healthcare policies and access, and integrate historically stigmatized racial groups into clinical research. Racial and ethnic disparities persist in cardiovascular outcomes among cancer survivors, driven by multifactorial causes, predominantly associated with social determinants of health. Addressing these healthcare inequities is imperative, and timely efforts must be implemented to narrow the existing gap effectively.

Effect of age on in-hospital outcomes of transvenous lead extraction for infected cardiac implantable electronic device.

BACKGROUND: The real-world data on the safety profile of transvenous lead extraction (TLE) for infected cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) among elderly patients is not well-established. This study aimed to evaluate the hospital outcomes between patients of different age groups who underwent TLE for infected CIED. METHOD: Using the Nationwide Readmissions Database, our study included patients aged ≥18 years who underwent TLE for infected CIED between 2017 and 2020. We divided the patients into four groups: Group A. Young (<50 years), Group B. Young intermediate (50-69 years old), Group C. Older intermediate (70-79 years old), and Group D. Octogenarian (≥80 years old). We then analyzed the in-hospital outcome and 30-day readmission between these age groups. RESULTS: A total of 10,928 patients who were admitted for TLE of infected CIED were included in this study: 982 (9.0%) patients in group A, 4,234 (38.7%) patients in group B, 3,204 (29.3%) patients in group C and 2,508 (23.0%) of patients in group D. Our study demonstrated that the risk of early mortality increased with older age (Group B vs. Group A: OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.19-3.09, p < .01; Group C vs. Group A: OR: 2.47, 95% CI: 1.51-4.04, p < .01; Group D vs. Group A: OR: 2.82, 95% CI: 1.69-4.72, p < .01). The risk of non-home discharge also increased in elderly groups (Group B vs. Group A: OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.52-2.36; p < .01; Group C vs. Group A: OR: 2.82; 95% CI 2.24-3.56; p < .01; Group D vs. Group A: OR: 4.16; 95% CI: 3.28-5.28; p < .01). There was no significant difference in hospitalization length and 30-day readmission between different age groups. Apart from a higher rate of open heart surgery in group A, the procedural complications were comparable between these age groups. CONCLUSION: Elderly patients had worse in-hospital outcomes in early mortality and non-home discharge following the TLE for infected CIED. There was no significant difference between elderly and non-elderly groups in prolonged hospital stay and 30-day readmission. Elderly patients did not have a higher risk of procedural complications.

Risk factors for early mortality following transcatheter edge-to-edge repair of mitral regurgitation.

BACKGROUND: While transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) with MitraClip is increasingly used, data on the risk stratification for assessing early mortality after this procedure are scarce. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess early mortality and analyze the risk factors of early mortality among patients who underwent TEER. METHODS: Using the all-payer, nationally representative Nationwide Readmissions Database, our study included patients aged 18 years or older who had TEER between January 2017 and November 2020. We categorized the cohort into two groups depending on the occurrence of early mortality (death within 30 days after the procedure). Based on the ICD-10, we identified the trend of early mortality after TEER and further analyzed the risk factors associated with early mortality. RESULTS: A total of 15,931 patients who had TEER were included; 292 (1.8 %) with early mortality and 15,639 (98.2 %) without. There was a decreasing trend in early mortality from 2.8 % in the first quarter of 2017 to 1.2 % in the fourth quarter of 2020, but it was not statistically significant (p = 0.18). In multivariable analysis, the independent risk factors for early mortality were chronic kidney disease not requiring dialysis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.57; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-2.22, p = 0.01), end-stage renal disease (aOR: 2.34; CI: 1.44-3.79, p < 0.01), chronic liver disease (aOR: 4.90; CI: 3.29-7.29, p < 0.01), coagulation disorder (aOR: 3.42; CI: 2.35-5.03, p < 0.01), systolic heart failure (aOR: 2.81; CI: 1.34-5.90, p < 0.01), diastolic heart failure (aOR: 2.69; CI: 1.24-5.84, p = 0.01) and unspecified heart failure (aOR: 3.23; CI: 1.49-7.01, p < 0.01). Among those who died during 30-day readmission following TEER, the most common cardiac cause and non-cardiac-cause of readmission were heart failure (18.2 %) and infection (26.6 %), respectively. CONCLUSION: The early mortality following TEER was low at 1.8 %. The independent risk factors associated with early mortality were chronic kidney disease (including end-stage renal disease), chronic liver disease, coagulation disorder, and heart failure (both systolic and diastolic).