Self-reported Prostate Cancer Progression Status Is Accurate: A Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: Studies of prostate cancer progression are important for discovering risk factors that may increase the risk of prostate cancer-specific death; however, little is known about the validity of self-reported prostate cancer progression. METHODS: We conducted a validation study of self-reported prostate cancer progression in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial and in a prostate cancer cohort enrolled in a Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC)-based study. We calculated measures of validity for self-reported progression, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value using medical records as the gold standard. RESULTS: Our results suggest that ascertaining prostate cancer progression-related events (i.e., prostate-specific antigen elevation, recurrence, metastasis, and use of secondary treatment) through self-report may be a viable option for identifying men whose disease has progressed after diagnosis or initial therapy, particularly when multiple questions related to progression are included in the assessment (aggregate cluster of questions: sensitivity = 0.76 [PLCO]; 0.93 [FHCRC], specificity = 0.80 [PLCO]; 0.97 [FHCRC]). With an aggregate positive predictive value of 0.50 (PLCO), however, our PLCO results suggest that additional medical record verification of self-reported progression events may be necessary to rule out false positives. Most individuals reporting no evidence of progression-related events, however, were true negatives (aggregate negative predictive value = 0.92 [PLCO]; 0.98 [FHCRC]). Thus, there may be limited utility to investing resources in chart review to confirm self-reported nonevents. CONCLUSION: Ascertaining prostate cancer progression through self-report provides an efficient and valid approach to enhancing existing cancer cohorts with updated data on progression status. See video abstract at, http://links.lww.com/EDE/B658.

Metastatic prostate cancer at diagnosis and through progression in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

BACKGROUND: The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial assessed the effect of screening with prostate-specific antigen and a digital rectal examination on prostate cancer mortality. Another endpoint of interest was the burden of total metastatic disease. METHODS: All men in PLCO were assessed for metastatic prostate cancer at diagnosis; men with clinical stage I/II disease were assessed for metastatic progression. The rate of total metastatic disease was defined as metastases found either at diagnosis or through progression divided by person-years (PYs) of follow-up for all men in the trial. Metastatic progression rates were computed among men with clinical stage I/II prostate cancer. Survival among men with metastases at diagnosis was compared with survival among men with metastatic progression. RESULTS: Among 38,340 men in the intervention arm and 38,343 men in the control arm in PLCO, there were 4974 and 4699 prostate cancer cases, respectively. The rates of total metastatic disease were 4.72 and 4.83 per 10,000 PYs in the intervention and control arms, respectively (rate ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.81-1.18). The rates of metastatic progression among men with clinical stage I/II prostate cancer were 43.7 and 50.5 per 10,000 PYs in the intervention and control arms, respectively (P = .30). Prostate cancer-specific 5- and 10-year survival rates were significantly worse for men with metastatic progression (24% and 19%, respectively) than men with metastases at diagnosis (40% and 26%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Rates of total metastatic disease and metastatic progression were similar across arms in PLCO. Survival was worse for men with metastatic progression in comparison with those with metastatic disease at diagnosis.

Aspirin Use and Mortality in Two Contemporary US Cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Daily aspirin use has been recommended for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, but its use for primary prevention remains controversial. METHODS: We followed 440,277 men and women from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study (ages 50-71) and the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (ages 55-74) for mortality for 13 years on average. Frequency of aspirin use was ascertained through self-report, and cause of death by death certificates. We calculated multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for mortality using Cox proportional hazards models for each cohort and combined by meta-analysis. RESULTS: We found a consistent U-shaped relationship between aspirin use and mortality in both studies, with differential risk patterns for cardiovascular mortality by disease history. Among individuals with a history of cardiovascular disease, daily aspirin use was associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality [HR = 0.78 (95% CI, 0.74, 0.82)]. However, among those without a previous history, we observed no protection for daily aspirin users [HR = 1.06 (1.02, 1.11)], and elevated risk of cardiovascular mortality for those taking aspirin twice daily or more [HR = 1.29 (1.19, 1.39)]. Elevated risk persisted even among participants who lived beyond 5 years of follow-up and used aspirin without other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs [HR = 1.31 (1.17, 1.47)]. CONCLUSIONS: Results from these 2 large population-based US cohorts confirm the utility of daily aspirin use for secondary prevention of cardiovascular mortality; however, our data suggest that caution should be exercised in more frequent use, particularly among individuals without a history of cardiovascular disease.

A prospective study of alcohol consumption and renal cell carcinoma risk.

Recent epidemiological studies suggest that alcohol consumption may reduce renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk, although inconsistent findings have been reported by sex and alcoholic beverage type. To better understand the relationship between alcohol consumption and RCC risk, we conducted an analysis within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. We followed up participants in the analytic cohort (N = 107,998) through 2010 for incident RCC (N = 408), and computed hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for alcohol intake using Cox regression with adjustment for age, sex, race, study center, hypertension, body mass index, and smoking status. In this study population increasing alcohol consumption was associated with reduced RCC risk compared to non-drinkers (>9.75 g day(-1) : HR, 0.67; 95%CI, 0.50 to 0.89; p trend = 0.002). We observed similar patterns of association for men and women as well as by alcohol beverage type. In analyses stratified by smoking status, the inverse association with consumption was apparent for ever smokers (HR, 0.51; 95%CI, 0.36 to 0.73; p trend<0.0001) but not among never smokers (HR, 1.08; 95%CI, 0.66 to 1.76; P trend = 0.78; p interaction = 0.01). Our study findings offer further support that alcohol consumption is associated with reduced RCC risk, regardless of sex or alcoholic beverage type. The finding of interaction with smoking is novel and requires confirmation.

Conceptual and practical foundations of patient engagement in research at the patient-centered outcomes research institute.

PURPOSE: To provide an overview of PCORI's approach to engagement in research. METHODS: The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) was established in 2010 to fund patient-centered comparative effectiveness research. Requirements for research funding from PCORI include meaningful engagement of patients and other stakeholders in the research. PCORI's approach to engagement in research is guided by a conceptual model of patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), that provides a structure for understanding engagement in research. RESULTS: To understand and improve engagement in research PCORI is learning from awardees and other stakeholders. Those efforts are described along with PCORI's capacity building and guidance to awardees via the Engagement Rubric. PCORI's unique model of engaging patients and other stakeholders in merit review of funding applications is also described. Additional support for learning about engagement in research is provided through specific research funding and through PCORI's major infrastructure initiative, PCORnet. CONCLUSION: PCORI requires engagement of stakeholders in the research it funds. In addition PCORI engages stakeholders in activities including review of funding applications and establishment of CER research infrastructure through PCORnet. The comprehensive approach to engagement is being evaluated to help guide the field toward promising practices in research engagement.

Hysterectomy and kidney cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

Recent cohort findings suggest that women who underwent a hysterectomy have an elevated relative risk of kidney cancer, although evidence from past studies has been inconsistent. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published cohort and case-control studies to summarize the epidemiologic evidence investigating hysterectomy and kidney cancer. Studies published from 1950 through 2012 were identified through a search of PubMed and of references from relevant publications. Meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models to estimate summary relative risks (SRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for hysterectomy, age at hysterectomy (<45, 45+ years) and time since hysterectomy (<10, 10+ years). The SRR for hysterectomy and kidney cancer for all published studies (seven cohort, six case-control) was 1.29 (95% CI, 1.16-1.43), with no evidence of between-study heterogeneity or publication bias. The summary effect was slightly weaker, although still significant, for cohorts (SRR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.11-1.42) compared with case-control findings (1.37; 95% CI, 1.09-1.73) and was observed irrespective of age at hysterectomy, time since the procedure and model adjustment for body mass index, smoking status and hypertension. Women undergoing a hysterectomy have an approximate 30% increased relative risk of subsequent kidney cancer. Additional research is needed to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying this association.

The risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis after cancer in U.S. elderly adults: a population-based prospective study.

Although epidemiologic studies have examined the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in relation to cancer, none have been large population-based studies using incident ALS and adjusting for medical surveillance. Addressing those limitations, all first primary cancer cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program (1992-2005), linked to Medicare claims data were used. Cases were followed from cancer diagnosis until the earliest date of ALS diagnosis, a break in Medicare claims data, death, age 85 or December 31, 2005. A comparison group from a 5% random Medicare sample in the SEER areas who were cancer-free and censored as above, or until a cancer diagnosis were selected. ALS outcomes were derived from medical claims. The proportional hazards models to estimate ALS hazard ratios (HRs), using age as the time scale, adjusting for sex, race and physician visits, and stratifying the baseline hazard on birth year and SEER registry were used. A total of 303 ALS cases were ascertained in cancer patients (2,154,062 person-years) compared with 246 ALS cases (2,467,634 person-years) in the reference population. There was no overall relationship between cancer and ALS (HR = 0.99; 95% CI = 0.81-1.22), nor by gender or race. Except for an elevated ALS risk in the first year after a leukemia diagnosis, the relationship between site-specific cancers and ALS was null after correcting for multiple comparisons. Having a cancer diagnosis was not associated with an overall risk of incident ALS. The short-term ALS risk after leukemia may reflect screening or reporting errors.

Reproductive factors and menopausal hormone therapy and bladder cancer risk in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.

The incidence of bladder cancer among women is at least one-third to one-fourth that observed among men in many countries. Even after accounting for known risk factors, the reason for this gender disparity remains unexplained. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of reproductive factors and exogenous hormone use with a primary focus on menopausal hormone therapy use and risk of bladder cancer in women in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Reproductive and hormonal factors were ascertained on the baseline questionnaire in 1995-1996 among 201,492 females who were followed until December 31, 2006. During follow-up, 651 cases of bladder cancer were diagnosed. A subset of women provided detailed information on use of MHT in a second questionnaire in 1996-1997. In this analysis, 127,361 females were followed through June 30, 2002 and 198 incident bladder cancer cases were identified. Cox proportional hazard models, adjusted for smoking status, cigarettes per day and body mass index using age as the time metric, were used to obtain hazard ratios (HRs). A reduced risk was observed among parous women (HR=0.76; 95% CI 0.62-0.93) and women who reported late age at menarche (≥15 years) (HR=0.57; 95% CI 0.39-0.84). Women who reported ever using estrogen and progestin therapy had a decreased risk (HR=0.53; 95% CI: 0.34-0.83) compared with women who did not report MHT use. No association was observed for estrogen only users (HR=0.82; 95% CI: 0.58-1.15). Our results suggest a putative role for sex hormones in the etiology of bladder cancer among women.

Reproductive factors and kidney cancer risk in 2 US cohort studies, 1993-2010.

Clinical and experimental findings suggest that female hormonal and reproductive factors could influence kidney cancer development. To evaluate this association, we conducted analyses in 2 large prospective cohorts (the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study (NIH-AARP), 1995-2006, and the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO), 1993-2010). Cohort-specific and aggregated hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals relating reproductive factors and kidney cancer risk were computed by Cox regression. The analysis included 792 incident kidney cancer cases among 283,952 postmenopausal women. Women who had undergone a hysterectomy were at a significantly elevated kidney cancer risk in both NIH-AARP (hazard ratio = 1.28, 95% confidence interval: 1.09, 1.50) and PLCO (hazard ratio = 1.41, 95% confidence interval: 1.06, 1.88). Similar results were observed for both cohorts after analyses were restricted to women who had undergone a hysterectomy with or without an oophorectomy. For the NIH-AARP cohort, an inverse association was observed with increasing age at menarche (P for trend = 0.02) and increasing years of oral contraceptive use (P for trend = 0.02). No clear evidence of an association with parity or other reproductive factors was found. Our results suggest that hysterectomy is associated with increased risk of kidney cancer. The observed associations with age at menarche and oral contraceptive use warrant further investigation.

The association between cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing evidence suggests that some neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, are inversely related to cancer. Few epidemiologic studies have examined the relationship between cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), another major neurodegenerative disease. This study addresses that gap. METHODS: Using data from 16 population-based cancer registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the U.S. National Cancer Institute and death certificates, we followed 2.7 million cancer survivors who were diagnosed between 1973 and 2007, and who survived at least 1 year following cancer diagnosis. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of observed to expected ALS deaths in cancer survivors was calculated. RESULTS: A total of 1,216 ALS deaths were reported among 1 year survivors of cancer over 16.6 million person-years of follow-up. ALS mortality was not significantly associated with the incidence of total cancers [SMR = 1.00 (95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.95-1.06)]. There was, however, a significantly elevated risk of ALS death among survivors of melanoma [SMR = 1.49 (95 % (CI), 1.17-1.85)] and of tongue cancer [SMR = 2.57 (95 % CI, 1.41-4.32)], and a significantly reduced ALS death risk among prostate cancer survivors [SMR = 0.86 (95 % CI, 0.76-0.96)]. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer at certain sites may be related to risk of ALS death. Possible biologic factors linking ALS to these cancers are discussed. Future studies should attempt to confirm these associations using incident ALS outcomes. Establishing relationships between cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS, opens new opportunities for understanding related pathophysiologic and therapeutic possibilities for these diseases.

Does monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 impact short and long-term outcomes in a large generalisable population? A retrospective cohort study in the USA.

OBJECTIVES: To explore whether monoclonal antibodies (MAb) administered to high-risk patients with COVID-19 during the first week of illness prevent postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: USA. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 3809 individuals who received MAbs and a matched one-to-one comparison group from a set of 327 079 eligible patients who did not receive MAb treatment were selected from a deidentified administrative data set from commercial and Medicare Advantage health plan enrollees in the USA, including claims and outpatient laboratory data. RESULTS: Individuals who received MAb were 28% less likely to be hospitalised (HR=0.72, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.89) and 41% less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit (HR=0.59, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.89) 30 days from SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis compared with individuals who did not receive MAb. A higher proportion of individuals given MAb therapy received care for clinical sequelae in the postacute phase (p=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: While MAb therapy was associated with benefits in the acute period, the benefit of therapy did not extend into the postacute period and did not reduce risk for clinical sequelae.

Risk of persistent and new clinical sequelae among adults aged 65 years and older during the post-acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection: retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the risk of persistent and new clinical sequelae in adults aged ≥65 years after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: UnitedHealth Group Clinical Research Database: deidentified administrative claims and outpatient laboratory test results. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged ≥65 years who were continuously enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan with coverage of prescription drugs from January 2019 to the date of diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, matched by propensity score to three comparison groups that did not have covid-19: 2020 comparison group (n=87 337), historical 2019 comparison group (n=88 070), and historical comparison group with viral lower respiratory tract illness (n=73 490). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The presence of persistent and new sequelae at 21 or more days after a diagnosis of covid-19 was determined with ICD-10 (international classification of diseases, 10th revision) codes. Excess risk for sequelae caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2 was estimated for the 120 days after the acute phase of the illness with risk difference and hazard ratios, calculated with 95% Bonferroni corrected confidence intervals. The incidence of sequelae after the acute infection was analyzed by age, race, sex, and whether patients were admitted to hospital for covid-19. RESULTS: Among individuals who were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2, 32% (27 698 of 87 337) sought medical attention in the post-acute period for one or more new or persistent clinical sequelae, which was 11% higher than the 2020 comparison group. Respiratory failure (risk difference 7.55, 95% confidence interval 7.18 to 8.01), fatigue (5.66, 5.03 to 6.27), hypertension (4.43, 2.27 to 6.37), memory difficulties (2.63, 2.23 to 3.13), kidney injury (2.59, 2.03 to 3.12), mental health diagnoses (2.50, 2.04 to 3.04), hypercoagulability 1.47 (1.2 to 1.73), and cardiac rhythm disorders (2.19, 1.76 to 2.57) had the greatest risk differences compared with the 2020 comparison group, with similar findings to the 2019 comparison group. Compared with the group with viral lower respiratory tract illness, however, only respiratory failure, dementia, and post-viral fatigue had increased risk differences of 2.39 (95% confidence interval 1.79 to 2.94), 0.71 (0.3 to 1.08), and 0.18 (0.11 to 0.26) per 100 patients, respectively. Individuals with severe covid-19 disease requiring admission to hospital had a markedly increased risk for most but not all clinical sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm an excess risk for persistent and new sequelae in adults aged ≥65 years after acute infection with SARS-CoV-2. Other than respiratory failure, dementia, and post-viral fatigue, the sequelae resembled those of viral lower respiratory tract illness in older adults. These findings further highlight the wide range of important sequelae after acute infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and bladder cancer: a pooled analysis.

Case-control studies have shown that regular use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) decreases bladder cancer risk, but few cohort studies have evaluated this association. The authors investigated NSAID use and bladder cancer in 3 large prospective studies (NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study; Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial; and U.S. Radiologic Technologists Study). Frequency of aspirin and nonaspirin NSAID use 1 year prior to baseline was ascertained using self-administered questionnaires. Study-specific hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Cox regression models and were combined using a fixed-effects meta-analytic model. Data from all studies were aggregated, and aggregated hazard ratios were estimated. The analysis included 508,842 individuals, with 2,489 incident cases of bladder cancer. A reduction in risk was observed for individuals who reported regular use (>2 times/week) of nonaspirin NSAIDs compared with those who reported no use (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.92, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.81, 1.04). The risk reduction was limited to nonsmokers (HR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.83) (P(trend) = 0.008) (P(interaction) = 0.02). No association was observed between regular aspirin use and bladder cancer risk (HR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.94, 1.15). Results suggest that nonaspirin NSAIDs, but not aspirin, are associated with a reduction in risk of bladder cancer, particularly for nonsmokers.

Fine mapping the KLK3 locus on chromosome 19q13.33 associated with prostate cancer susceptibility and PSA levels.

Measurements of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) protein levels form the basis for a widely used test to screen men for prostate cancer. Germline variants in the gene that encodes the PSA protein (KLK3) have been shown to be associated with both serum PSA levels and prostate cancer. Based on a resequencing analysis of a 56 kb region on chromosome 19q13.33, centered on the KLK3 gene, we fine mapped this locus by genotyping tag SNPs in 3,522 prostate cancer cases and 3,338 controls from five case-control studies. We did not observe a strong association with the KLK3 variant, reported in previous studies to confer risk for prostate cancer (rs2735839; P = 0.20) but did observe three highly correlated SNPs (rs17632542, rs62113212 and rs62113214) associated with prostate cancer [P = 3.41 × 10(-4), per-allele trend odds ratio (OR) = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.67-0.89]. The signal was apparent only for nonaggressive prostate cancer cases with Gleason score <7 and disease stage 8 or stage ≥III (P = 0.31, per-allele trend OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.90-1.40). One of the three highly correlated SNPs, rs17632542, introduces a non-synonymous amino acid change in the KLK3 protein with a predicted benign or neutral functional impact. Baseline PSA levels were 43.7% higher in control subjects with no minor alleles (1.61 ng/ml, 95% CI = 1.49-1.72) than in those with one or more minor alleles at any one of the three SNPs (1.12 ng/ml, 95% CI = 0.96-1.28) (P = 9.70 × 10(-5)). Together our results suggest that germline KLK3 variants could influence the diagnosis of nonaggressive prostate cancer by influencing the likelihood of biopsy.

Risk of clinical sequelae after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection: retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the excess risk and relative hazards for developing incident clinical sequelae after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults aged 18-65. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Three merged data sources from a large United States health plan: a large national administrative claims database, an outpatient laboratory testing database, and an inpatient hospital admissions database. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 18-65 with continuous enrollment in the health plan from January 2019 to the date of a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Three comparator groups, matched by propensity score, to individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2: a 2020 comparator group, an historical 2019 comparator group, and an historical comparator group with viral lower respiratory tract illness. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: More than 50 clinical sequelae after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection (defined as the date of first SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis (index date) plus 21 days) were identified using ICD-10 (international classification of diseases, 10th revision) codes. Excess risk in the four months after acute infection and hazard ratios with Bonferroni corrected 95% confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS: 14% of adults aged ≤65 who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 (27 074 of 193 113) had at least one new type of clinical sequelae that required medical care after the acute phase of the illness, which was 4.95% higher than in the 2020 comparator group. The risk for specific new sequelae attributable to SARS-Cov-2 infection after the acute phase, including chronic respiratory failure, cardiac arrythmia, hypercoagulability, encephalopathy, peripheral neuropathy, amnesia (memory difficulty), diabetes, liver test abnormalities, myocarditis, anxiety, and fatigue, was significantly greater than in the three comparator groups (2020, 2019, and viral lower respiratory tract illness groups) (all P<0.001). Significant risk differences because of SARS-CoV-2 infection ranged from 0.02 to 2.26 per 100 people (all P<0.001), and hazard ratios ranged from 1.24 to 25.65 compared with the 2020 comparator group. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate the excess risk of developing new clinical sequelae after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including specific types of sequelae less commonly seen in other viral illnesses. Although individuals who were older, had pre-existing conditions, and were admitted to hospital because of covid-19 were at greatest excess risk, younger adults (aged ≤50), those with no pre-existing conditions, or those not admitted to hospital for covid-19 also had an increased risk of developing new clinical sequelae. The greater risk for incident sequelae after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection is relevant for healthcare planning.

Rationale and Design of the Aspirin Dosing-A Patient-Centric Trial Assessing Benefits and Long-term Effectiveness (ADAPTABLE) Trial.

Importance: Determining the right dosage of aspirin for the secondary prevention treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains an unanswered and critical question. Objective: To report the rationale and design for a randomized clinical trial to determine the optimal dosage of aspirin to be used for secondary prevention of ASCVD, using an innovative research method. Design, Setting, and Participants: This pragmatic, open-label, patient-centered, randomized clinical trial is being conducted in 15 000 patients within the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet), a distributed research network of partners including clinical research networks, health plan research networks, and patient-powered research networks across the United States. Patients with established ASCVD treated in routine clinical practice within the network are eligible. Patient recruitment began in April 2016. Enrollment was completed in June 2019. Final follow-up is expected to be completed by June 2020. Interventions: Participants are randomized on a web platform in a 1:1 fashion to either 81 mg or 325 mg of aspirin daily. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary efficacy end point is the composite of all-cause mortality, hospitalization for nonfatal myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for a nonfatal stroke. The primary safety end point is hospitalization for major bleeding associated with a blood-product transfusion. End points are captured through regular queries of the health systems' common data model within the structure of PCORnet's distributed data environment. Conclusions and Relevance: As a pragmatic study and the first interventional trial conducted within the PCORnet electronic data infrastructure, this trial is testing several unique and innovative operational approaches that have the potential to disrupt and transform the conduct of future patient-centered randomized clinical trials by evaluating treatments integrated in clinical practice while at the same time determining the optimal dosage of aspirin for secondary prevention of ASCVD. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02697916.

Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research Focused on Community-Based Delivery of Palliative Care: Overview of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's Funding Initiative.

Palliative care is a growing specialty that addresses the needs of individuals diagnosed with advanced illness and their caregivers. Although palliative care has been shown to improve a variety of patient- and caregiver-centered outcomes, access to comprehensive palliative care services for patients is often limited. There is a need to identify the most effective approaches to delivering palliative care to patients in community settings. In fiscal year 2017, based on extensive input from a diverse set of stakeholders, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) funded nine multisite comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) trials focused on community-based delivery of palliative care for a total investment of $80 million. These studies, focusing on advance care planning and models of palliative care delivery, represent some of the largest most complex palliative care trials funded to date. Each study evaluates both patient and caregiver outcomes, and together, these trials include a broad range of health conditions, interventions, and settings of care. PCORI has also fostered a learning network of the funded awardees to facilitate the successful conduct of these CER studies and to support awardee efforts to develop collaborative products relevant to advancing the field of palliative care research and practice. The protocols of each of the nine trials, detailed in this issue, demonstrate the expansive reach of the investment PCORI has made in an effort to further the research agenda and provide substantive research evidence in stakeholder-identified areas of need in the field of palliative care.

Genetic polymorphisms of interleukin-1B (IL-1B), IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 and risk of prostate cancer.

Chronic intraprostatic inflammation is suspected to play a role in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. Polymorphisms in cytokine genes can influence inflammation and immune response and may be related to the risk of prostate cancer. Four common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes encoding interleukin-1B (IL-1B), IL-6, and IL-8 were assessed in 503 prostate cancer cases and 652 controls, and three SNPs in IL-10 were assessed in an additional 817 prostate cancer cases and 1,190 controls (for a total of 1,320 prostate cancer cases and 1,255 controls). Cases and controls were selected from the on-going Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial and were frequency matched on age, ethnicity, time-period since initial screening, and date of blood draw. Single-locus analyses were conducted using conditional logistic regression. In addition, we did a haplotype analysis for the three IL-10 SNPs tested. Overall, no associations were detected between the seven polymorphisms in the four cytokine genes examined in this study and prostate cancer risk. Further stratifying by use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs did not modify the associations. Findings were similar for early or advanced prostate cancers. Similarly, we observed no association between the major IL-10 haplotypes and the risk of prostate cancer. At least seven common polymorphisms in genes of inflammatory cytokines IL-1B, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 do not seem to play a role in the risk of prostate cancer.

Reporting quality of music intervention research in healthcare: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Concomitant with the growth of music intervention research, are concerns about inadequate intervention reporting and inconsistent terminology, which limits validity, replicability, and clinical application of findings. OBJECTIVE: Examine reporting quality of music intervention research, in chronic and acute medical settings, using the Checklist for Reporting Music-based Interventions. In addition, describe patient populations and primary outcomes, intervention content and corresponding interventionist qualifications, and terminology. METHODS: Searching MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, HealthSTAR, and PsycINFO we identified articles meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria for a five-year period (2010-2015) and extracted relevant data. Coded material included reporting quality across seven areas (theory, content, delivery schedule, interventionist qualifications, treatment fidelity, setting, unit of delivery), author/journal information, patient population/outcomes, and terminology. RESULTS: Of 860 articles, 187 met review criteria (128 experimental; 59 quasi-experimental), with 121 publishing journals, and authors from 31 countries. Overall reporting quality was poor with <50% providing information for four of the seven checklist components (theory, interventionist qualifications, treatment fidelity, setting). Intervention content reporting was also poor with <50% providing information about the music used, decibel levels/volume controls, or materials. Credentialed music therapists and registered nurses delivered most interventions, with clear differences in content and delivery. Terminology was varied and inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS: Problems with reporting quality impedes meaningful interpretation and cross-study comparisons. Inconsistent and misapplied terminology also create barriers to interprofessional communication and translation of findings to patient care. Improved reporting quality and creation of shared language will advance scientific rigor and clinical relevance of music intervention research.

Prediagnostic body size and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis death in 10 studies.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: Using pooled multivariable-adjusted rate ratios (RR), we explored relationships between prediagnostic body-mass-index (BMI), waist-to-hip-ratio (WHR), and weight-gain during adulthood, and ALS in 419,894 women and 148,166 men from 10 community-based cohorts in USA, Europe, and Australia; 428 ALS deaths were documented in women and 204 in men. RESULTS: Higher mid-to-later adulthood BMI was associated with lower ALS mortality. For 5 kg/m2 increased BMI, the rate was 15% lower (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4-24%; p = 0.005). Although a clear linear trend was not evident for WHR at enrollment (p = 0.099) individuals in the highest cohort-specific quartile had 27% (95% CI: 0-47%; p = 0.053) lower ALS compared to those in the lowest. BMI in early adulthood did not predict ALS; fewer than 10% of participants had early adulthood BMI >25 kg/m2, limiting power. Weight-gain during adulthood was strongly associated with lower ALS; for an additional 1kg gain in weight/year, the RR = 0.43 (95% CI: 0.28-0.65; p < 0.001). Associations persisted when adjusted for diabetes at enrollment, restricted to never-smokers, and ALS deaths in the 5 years after enrollment were excluded (accounting for recent weight loss). CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm somewhat conflicting, underpowered evidence that adiposity is inversely associated with ALS. We newly demonstrate that weight-gain during adulthood is strongly predictive of lower ALS risk.