Latino Enclaves and Healthcare Accessibility: An Ecologic Study Across Five States.

BACKGROUND: Hispanic or Latino populations (hereafter, "Latinos") are a rapidly expanding U.S. demographic and have documented inequities in preventable diseases and conditions. Many Latinos reside in ethnic enclaves, and understanding the context and healthcare accessibility within these places is critical. OBJECTIVE: This study described the neighborhood social and built environment attributes of Latino enclaves and evaluated associations between enclaves and geographic healthcare accessibility. DESIGN: Cross-sectional ecologic analysis. SUBJECTS: Our unit of analysis was all neighborhoods (n ~ 20,000 census tracts) in California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Texas in years 2000 and 2010. MAIN MEASURES: The primary exposure of interest, "Latino enclaves," was defined using neighborhood-level data on the percentage of Latino residents, foreign-born Latinos, Spanish speakers with limited English proficiency, and linguistically isolated Spanish-speaking households. The primary outcome was a neighborhood-level measure of geographic healthcare accessibility of primary care physicians, which accounted for both the supply of physicians and population demand for healthcare (i.e., population size within driving distance). RESULTS: Approximately 30% of neighborhoods were classified as Latino enclaves, 87% of which were enclaves in both 2000 and 2010. Compared with non-enclaves, Latino enclaves had more markers of structural disadvantage including having higher proportions of poverty, uninsured individuals, crowded housing, and higher crime scores. Results from multivariable models suggest that more culturally distinct neighborhoods (i.e., higher enclave score) had lower healthcare accessibility, though when stratified, this association persisted only in high (≥ 20%) poverty neighborhoods. CONCLUSION: This study highlights several neighborhood structural disadvantages within Latino enclaves, including higher poverty, uninsured individuals, and crime compared to non-enclave neighborhoods. Moreover, our findings point to the need for interventions aimed at improving healthcare accessibility particularly within socioeconomically disadvantaged Latino enclaves. Addressing these inequities demands multifaceted approaches that consider both social and structural factors to ensure equitable healthcare access for Latino populations.

Acculturating to multiculturalism: a new dimension of dietary acculturation among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA.

BACKGROUND: Dietary acculturation is the process by which diet and dietary practises from the environment of origin are retained or changed and/or those prevalent in a new environment are adopted. Despite rapid population growth the U.S., knowledge gaps exist on characterising dietary acculturation among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities (AANHPI). This study characterise dietary patterns in a sample representative of AANHPI on key demographic characteristics. METHODS: Data were from a 2013-2014 population-based case-control study in the San Francisco Bay Area, U.S. Survey items were adapted from dietary acculturation scales developed for AANHPI populations. Validated measures assessed social capital, social standing, discrimination and immigration experiences. A principal components factor analysis was conducted to characterise dietary patterns of acculturation. RESULTS: Three dietary patterns were identified: "Asian," "Western," and a distinct "Multicultural" factor. Respondents reporting a high-Asian diet tended to also report smaller social networks, higher levels of stress, and, among those born outside of the U.S., an educational standing that was better before immigration. Respondents reporting a high-Western diet tended to also report the highest level of discrimination. Those reporting a high-Multicultural diet tended to report higher neighbourhood collective efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of a distinct "Multicultural" factor beyond the typical "Asian" and "Western" factors may reflect the multidirectional relationships between culture, diet, and dietary behavior, in which origin and destination cultures interact in complex ways and where foods from multiple ethnicities intermix.

Neighborhood socioeconomic status and the effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening outreach with mailed fecal immunochemical tests within a safety net healthcare system in San Francisco, CA: A subgroup analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Neighborhood context shapes opportunities and barriers for residents to access healthcare and cancer screening. Neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) is associated with disparities in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, but the extent to which the effectiveness of specific screening interventions vary by nSES has not been studied. The original trial conducted in San Francisco, CA from 2016 to 2017 randomly assigned patients eligible for CRC screening either to a multicomponent intervention including advanced notification, mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kits and reminders or to a control group receiving usual care. For the nSES analysis addresses for 9699 patients were geocoded and stratified by city-wide nSES quintile (Q1 lowest, Q5 highest) using an established index at the census tract level. Compared to usual care, the outreach intervention improved FIT test completion at one year (58.7% vs 38.4%; OR 2.32 [2.14, 2.52]) but its effectiveness did not vary substantially by nSES quintile (adjusted OR Q1 2.64 [2.30, 3.04]; Q2 2.43 [2.04, 2.90]; Q3 2.31 [1.84, 2.89]; Q4 2.47 [1.86, 3.28]; Q5 2.64 [1.83, 3.81]; Wald test for interaction p = 0.87). The implementation of mailed FIT outreach has the potential to increase CRC screening completion without leading to disparities in screening related to nSES (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02613260).

Improved survival in cervical cancer patients receiving care at National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers.

BACKGROUND: Locally advanced cervical cancer (CC) remains lethal in the United States. We investigate the effect of receiving care at an National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center (NCICC) on survival. METHODS: Data for women diagnosed with CC from 2004 to 2016 who received radiation treatment were extracted from the California Cancer Registry (n = 4250). Cox proportional hazards regression models assessed whether (1) receiving care at NCICCs was associated with risk of CC-specific death, (2) this association remained after multivariable adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, and insurance status, and (3) this association was explained by receipt of guideline-concordant treatment. RESULTS: Median age was 50 years (interquartile range [IQR] 41-61 years), with median follow-up of 2.7 years (IQR 1.3-6.0 years). One-third of patients were seen at an NCICC, and 29% died of CC. The hazard of CC-specific death was reduced by 20% for those receiving care at NCICCs compared with patients receiving care elsewhere (HR = .80; 95% CI, 0.70-0.90). Adjustment for guideline-concordant treatment and other covariates minimally attenuated the association to 0.83 (95% CI, 0.74-0.95), suggesting that the survival advantage associated with care at NCICCs may not be due to receipt of guideline-concordant treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates survival benefit for patients receiving care at NCICCs compared with those receiving care elsewhere that is not explained by differences in guideline-concordant care. Structural, organizational, or provider characteristics and differences in patients receiving care at centers with and without NCI designation could explain observed associations. Further understanding of these factors will promote equality across oncology care facilities and survival equity for patients with CC.

Home mortgage discrimination and incidence of triple-negative and Luminal A breast cancer among non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White females in California, 2006-2015.

PURPOSE: In the United States, Black females are burdened by more aggressive subtypes and increased mortality from breast cancer compared to non-Hispanic (NH) White females. Institutional racism may contribute to these inequities. We aimed to characterize the association between home mortgage discrimination, a novel measure of institutional racism, and incidence of Luminal A and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes among NH Black and NH White females in California metropolitan areas. METHODS: We merged data from the California Cancer Registry on females aged 20 + diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer between 2006 and 2015 with a census tract-level index of home mortgage lending bias measuring the odds of mortgage loan denial for Black versus White applicants, generated from the 2007-2013 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act database. Poisson regression estimated cross-sectional associations of census tract-level racial bias in mortgage lending with race/ethnicity- and Luminal A and TNBC-specific incidence rate ratios, adjusting for neighborhood confounders. RESULTS: We identified n = 102,853 cases of Luminal A and n = 15,528 cases of TNBC over the study period. Compared to NH Whites, NH Black females had higher rates of TNBC, lower rates of Luminal A breast cancer, and lived in census tracts with less racial bias in home mortgage lending. There was no evidence of association between neighborhood racial bias in mortgage lending at the time of diagnosis and either subtype among either racial/ethnic group. CONCLUSION: Future research should incorporate residential history data with measures of institutional racism to improve estimation and inform policy interventions.

Individual- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status and risk of aggressive breast cancer subtypes in a pooled cohort of women from Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

BACKGROUND: Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with a higher risk of aggressive breast cancer (BC) subtypes, but few studies have examined the independent effects of both neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (nSES) and individual-level SES measures. METHODS: This study included 5547 women from the Pathways and Life After Cancer Epidemiology cohorts who were diagnosed with invasive BC. Generalized estimating equation models were used to examine associations of nSES (a composite score based on income, poverty, education, occupation, employment, rent, and house value) and individual-level SES (income and education) with BC subtypes: luminal B (LumB), Her2-enriched (Her2-e), and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) relative to luminal A (LumA). Models controlled for age, race, nativity, stage, days from diagnosis to survey, and study cohort and simultaneously for nSES and individual-level SES. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, low nSES was significantly associated with the LumB (odds ratio for quartile 1 vs quartile 4 [ORQ1vQ4 ], 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-1.54; P for trend = .005) and TNBC subtypes (ORQ1vQ4 , 1.32; 95% CI, 1.02-1.71; P for trend = .037) relative to LumA. Conversely, individual education was significantly associated with only the Her2-e subtype (odds ratio for high school degree or less vs postgraduate, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.03-2.75; P for trend = .030) relative to LumA. Individual income was not significantly associated with any BC subtype. CONCLUSIONS: nSES and individual-level SES are independently associated with different BC subtypes; specifically, low nSES and individual-level education are independent predictors of more aggressive BC subtypes relative to LumA.

Magnitude of reduction in risk of second contralateral breast cancer with bilateral mastectomy in patients with breast cancer: Data from California, 1998 through 2015.

BACKGROUND: Increasingly, patients with breast cancer undergo bilateral mastectomy (BLM). To the authors' knowledge, the magnitude of benefit is unknown. METHODS: The authors used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program regarding all women diagnosed with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage 0 to stage III unilateral breast cancer in California from 1998 through 2015 and treated with BLM versus breast-conserving therapy including surgery and radiotherapy (BCT) or unilateral mastectomy (ULM). The authors measured relative risks of second contralateral breast cancer (CBC) and breast cancer death using Fine and Gray multivariable regression modeling adjusted for the competing risk of death and death from another cause, respectively, and potential confounding factors. Absolute excess risk of CBC was measured as the observed minus expected number of breast cancers in the general population divided by 10,000 person-years at risk. RESULTS: Among 245,418 patients with a median follow-up of 6.7 years, 7784 patients (3.2%) developed CBC. Relative risks were lower after BLM (hazard ratio [HR], 0.10; 95% CI, 0.07-0.14) and higher after ULM (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.13) versus BCT. Absolute excess risks were higher after BCT and ULM (5.0 and 13.6 more cases, respectively) compared with BLM (28.6 fewer cases). BLM reduced risk more among older women (38.0 fewer cases for women aged ≥50 years vs 17.9 fewer cases among women aged <50 years) but provided similar risk reduction across categories of tumor grade and tumor hormone receptor status. Compared with BCT, the risk of breast cancer death was equivalent after BLM (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.96-1.11) and higher after ULM (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.17-1.25). CONCLUSIONS: BLM may reduce second breast cancer risk by 34 to 43 cases per 10,000 person-years compared with other surgical procedures, but is not associated with a lower risk of death. Second breast cancers are rare, and their reduction should be weighed against the harms associated with BLM.

Nativity, ethnic enclave residence, and breast cancer survival among Latinas: Variations between California and Texas.

BACKGROUND: Among Latinas with breast cancer, residence in an ethnic enclave may be associated with survival. However, findings from prior studies are inconsistent. METHODS: The authors conducted parallel analyses of California and Texas cancer registry data for adult (aged ≥18 years) Latinas who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from 1996 to 2005, with follow-up through 2014. Existing indices applied to tract-level 2000 US Census data were used to measure Latinx enclaves and neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were fit for all-cause and breast cancer-specific survival adjusted for year of diagnosis, patient age, nativity (with multiple imputation), tumor stage, histology, grade, size, and clustering by census tract. RESULTS: Among 38,858 Latinas, the majority (61.3% in California and 70.5% in Texas) lived in enclaves. In fully adjusted models for both states, foreign-born women were found to be more likely to die of breast cancer and all causes when compared with US-born women. Living in enclaves and in neighborhoods with higher SES were found to be independently associated with improved survival from both causes. When combined into a 4-level variable, those in low nSES nonenclaves had worse survival for both causes compared with those living in low nSES enclaves and, in the all-cause but not breast cancer-specific models, those in high nSES neighborhoods, regardless of enclave status, had improved survival from all causes. CONCLUSIONS: Applying the same methods across 2 states eliminated previously published inconsistent associations between enclave residence and breast cancer survival. Future studies should identify specific protective effects of enclave residence to inform interventions.

Age-related differences in breast cancer mortality according to race/ethnicity, insurance, and socioeconomic status.

BACKGROUND: We assessed breast cancer mortality in older versus younger women according to race/ethnicity, neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), and health insurance status. METHODS: The study included female breast cancer cases 18 years of age and older, diagnosed between 2005 and 2015 in the California Cancer Registry. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to generate hazard ratios (HR) of breast cancer specific deaths and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for older (60+ years) versus younger (< 60 years) patients separately by race/ethnicity, nSES, and health insurance status. RESULTS: Risk of dying from breast cancer was higher in older than younger patients after multivariable adjustment, which varied in magnitude by race/ethnicity (P-interaction< 0.0001). Comparing older to younger patients, higher mortality differences were shown for non-Hispanic White (HR = 1.43; 95% CI, 1.36-1.51) and Hispanic women (HR = 1.37; 95% CI, 1.26-1.50) and lower differences for non-Hispanic Blacks (HR = 1.17; 95% CI, 1.04-1.31) and Asians/Pacific Islanders (HR = 1.15; 95% CI, 1.02-1.31). HRs comparing older to younger patients varied by insurance status (P-interaction< 0.0001), with largest mortality differences observed for privately insured women (HR = 1.51; 95% CI, 1.43-1.59) and lowest in Medicaid/military/other public insurance (HR = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.10-1.26). No age differences were shown for uninsured women. HRs comparing older to younger patients were similar across nSES strata. CONCLUSION: Our results provide evidence for the continued disparity in Black-White breast cancer mortality, which is magnified in younger women. Moreover, insurance status continues to play a role in breast cancer mortality, with uninsured women having the highest risk for breast cancer death, regardless of age.

Urinary cadmium and timing of menarche and pubertal development in girls.

BACKGROUND: Cadmium (Cd) is a developmental toxicant that is released into the environment during industrial processes. Previous animal studies suggest that Cd may impact the onset of puberty. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether Cd exposure, measured as urinary Cd concentration, was associated with ages at menarche and pubertal development. METHODS: A cohort of 211 girls, ages 10-13 years at baseline, was followed for up to two years. Girls completed an interview and self-assessment of Tanner stages of breast development and pubic hair growth. They were followed monthly until menarche. Urinary Cd concentrations were measured in overnight urine specimens. Multivariable Cox regression was used to evaluate the association between urinary Cd and age at menarche and cumulative logit regression was used to evaluate the associations between urinary Cd and breast development and pubic hair growth. RESULTS: The baseline geometric mean creatinine-adjusted Cd concentration was 0.22 µg/g creatinine (geometric standard deviation = 1.6) and decreased with increasing age (p-trend = 0.04). Cd levels were higher among Asian than White girls or girls of other/mixed race/ethnicity (p = 0.04). In multivariable analyses, girls with urinary Cd ≥ 0.4 µg/L were less likely to have attained menarche than girls with urinary Cd < 0.2 µg/L (hazard ratio = 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.78). Urinary Cd was negatively associated with pubic hair growth (p-trend = 0.01) but not with breast development (p-trend = 0.72) at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that a higher Cd body burden may delay some aspects of pubertal development among girls.

Higher Breast Cancer Risk Among Immigrant Asian American Women Than Among US-Born Asian American Women.

INTRODUCTION: Given rising rates of breast cancer in parts of Asia, immigrant Asian American women in the United States may have higher rates of breast cancer than previously anticipated. This study examined breast cancer risk among Asian American women by nativity and percentage of life lived in the United States, accounting for established breast cancer risk factors. METHODS: We analyzed a breast cancer case-control data set of Asian American women living in the San Francisco Bay Area; this data set included 132 cases of women with breast cancer selected from a Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry and 438 Asian American women without diagnosed breast cancer matched to cases by age and country of origin. We used logistic regression to compare 3 Asian American groups: US-born, immigrants who lived 50% or more of their life in the United States, and immigrants who lived less than 50% of their life in the United States. RESULTS: In the minimally adjusted and fully adjusted models, both groups of immigrant Asian American women had higher risk of breast cancer than US-born Asian American women. In the fully adjusted model, compared with US-born Asian American women, immigrant Asian American women who lived more than 50% of their life in United States were on average 3 times as likely (odds ratio = 3.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.56-5.75) and immigrants who lived less than 50% of their life in United States were on average 2.46 times as likely (odds ratio = 2.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-4.99) to have breast cancer. We found no difference in fully adjusted odds ratios of having breast cancer between the 2 immigrant groups. CONCLUSION: This study provides preliminary evidence that breast cancer risk among immigrant Asian American women may be higher than among their US-born counterparts.

Regular and low-dose aspirin, other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and prospective risk of HER2-defined breast cancer: the California Teachers Study.

BACKGROUND: Regular users of aspirin may have reduced risk of breast cancer. Few studies have addressed whether risk reduction pertains to specific breast cancer subtypes defined jointly by hormone receptor (estrogen and progesterone receptor) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression. This study assessed the prospective risk of breast cancer (overall and by subtype) according to use of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) in a cohort of female public school professionals in California. METHODS: In 1995 - 1996, participants in the California Teachers Study completed a baseline questionnaire on family history of cancer and other conditions, use of NSAIDs, menstrual and reproductive history, self-reported weight and height, living environment, diet, alcohol use, and physical activity. In 2005-2006, 57,164 participants provided some updated information, including use of NSAIDs and 1457 of these participants developed invasive breast cancer before January 2013. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models provided hazard rate ratios (HRR) for the association between NSAID use and risk of invasive breast cancer as well as hormone receptor- and HER2-defined subtypes. RESULTS: Developing breast cancer was associated inversely with taking three or more tablets of low-dose aspirin per week (23% of participants). Among women reporting this exposure, the HRR was 0.84 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72-0.98) compared to those not taking NSAIDs and this was particularly evident in women with the hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative subtype (HRR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.66-0.96). Use of three or more tablets of "other" NSAIDs was marginally associated with lower risk of breast cancer (HRR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.62-1.00). Other associations with NSAIDs were generally null. CONCLUSION: Our observation of reduced risk of breast cancer, among participants who took three or more tablets of low-dose aspirin weekly, is consistent with other reports looking at aspirin without differentiation by dose. This is the first report to suggest that the reduction in risk occurs for low-dose aspirin and not for regular-dose aspirin and only among women with the hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative subtype. This preliminary study builds on previous knowledge and further supports the need for formal cancer chemoprevention studies of low-dose aspirin.

Variation in risk and outcomes of Epstein-Barr virus-associated breast cancer by epidemiologic characteristics and virus detection strategies: an exploratory study.

PURPOSE: A relationship of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and breast cancer etiology and outcome may have clinical utility and potential to enhance understanding of tumor biology. Research to date has yielded variable results, likely reflecting differing virus detection assays and unaddressed epidemiologic heterogeneity across studies. METHODS: Applying our novel, five-target assay detection strategy in an exploratory study, we examined demographic, clinical, and tumor characteristics, and overall survival, associated with EBV positivity in breast adenocarcinomas from 59 non-Hispanic white and 68 Hispanic women sampled by age (<50, 50+) and stage (localized, regional/remote) and examined associations based on single assay targets. RESULTS: EBV was localized only to lymphocytes. Nevertheless, viral prevalence, although low, varied across patient subgroups. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) for EBV positivity were lower for younger Hispanic than white women (p interaction = 0.05), and marginally higher for larger [OR (95% confidence intervals) 1.03 (1.00-1.05) per mm increase] and right-sided [2.8 (0.97-7.8)] tumors. In whites, ORs were marginally higher for larger tumors [1.04 (1.00-1.07)] and marginally lower for age 50+ [0.24 (0.06-1.03)]; in Hispanics, ORs were higher for ER negative [5.6 (1.1-30.5)], and marginally higher for right-sided, tumors [5.8 (0.94-36.2)]. Survival was suggestively poorer for EBV-positive than EBV-negative tumors in older women with localized disease. EBV associations differed across single assay targets, indicating variation in prior findings likely due to assay performance. CONCLUSIONS: The differing EBV associations by age and race/ethnicity suggest a non-random role of EBV in breast cancer and support further study using multi-target assays, relevant epidemiologic design, and a larger study sample.

Recent declines in cancer incidence: related to the Great Recession?

PURPOSE: In recent years, cancer case counts in the U.S. underwent a large, rapid decline-an unexpected change given population growth for older persons at highest cancer risk. As these declines coincided with the Great Recession, we examined whether they were related to economic conditions. METHODS: Using California Cancer Registry data from California's 30 most populous counties, we analyzed trends in cancer incidence during pre-recession (1996-2007) and recession/recovery (2008-2012) periods for all cancers combined and the ten most common sites. We evaluated the recession's association with rates using a multifactorial index that measured recession impact, and modeled associations between case counts and county-level unemployment rates using Poisson regression. RESULTS: Yearly cancer incidence rate declines were greater during the recession/recovery (3.3% among males, 1.4% among females) than before (0.7 and 0.5%, respectively), particularly for prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers. Lower case counts, especially for prostate and liver cancer among males and breast cancer, melanoma, and ovarian cancer among females, were associated with higher unemployment rates, irrespective of time period, but independent of secular effects. The associations for melanoma translated up to a 3.6% decrease in cases with each 1% increase in unemployment. Incidence declines were not greater in counties with higher recession impact index. CONCLUSIONS: Although recent declines in incidence of certain cancers are not differentially impacted by economic conditions related to the Great Recession relative to pre-recession conditions, the large recent absolute declines in the case counts of some cancer may be attributable to the large declines in unemployment in the recessionary period. This may occur through decreased engagement in preventive health behaviors, particularly for clinically less urgent cancers. Continued monitoring of trends is important to detect any rises in incidence rates as deferred diagnoses come to clinical attention.

Lifetime body size and estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer risk in the California Teachers Study cohort.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a public health epidemic and an important breast cancer risk factor. The relationship between interrelated body measurements is complex and most studies fail to account for this complexity. We identified key aspects of body size which jointly, over the life-course (since adolescence), are associated with estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer risk. METHODS: Among 109,862 women participating in the California Teachers Study cohort, 3844 were diagnosed with invasive ER+ breast cancer between 1997-1998 and December 2011. Based on validated self-reported height and weight at age 18, baseline, and 10-year follow up and waist circumference at 2-year and 10-year follow up, we identified 16 a priori body-size phenotypes. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models provided estimates of hazard rate ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Premenopausal breast cancer was influenced by adolescent, but not adult, body size (HR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.31-0.86 for body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) ≥25 vs <20 at age 18). Among postmenopausal women currently using hormone therapy, only those with the greatest body size had increased breast cancer risk (HR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.13-1.64 for height ≥67 inches and adult BMI ≥25 vs height <67). Among postmenopausal women not currently using hormone therapy, the relationship between body size and risk was complex, with the largest effects of adiposity among short women. Among short women, those with gluteal adiposity (HR = 2.70, 95% CI 1.77-4.10) and those who continued to gain weight throughout adulthood (HR = 2.57, 95% CI 1.60-4.12) were at greatest risk, whereas those who had been overweight/obese since adolescence were not at increased risk (HR = 1.33, 95% CI 0.84-2.10). Height was associated with a small increased risk, with borderline statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Considering absolute body mass in adolescence and at two points in adulthood, dynamic changes in adiposity over time, and body fat distribution, we identified obesity phenotypes associated with ER+ breast cancer risk. Our approach more clearly identifies specific risk groups than do analyses that evaluate similar measures separately. These findings may aid in improving risk prediction models and developing targeted interventions, and may clarify inconsistent findings across studies.

Effects of marital status and economic resources on survival after cancer: A population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Although married cancer patients have more favorable survival than unmarried patients, reasons underlying this association are not fully understood. The authors evaluated the role of economic resources, including health insurance status and neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), in a large California cohort. METHODS: From the California Cancer Registry, we identified 783,167 cancer patients (386,607 deaths) who were diagnosed during 2000 through 2009 with a first primary, invasive cancer of the 10 most common sites of cancer-related death for each sex and were followed through 2012. Age-stratified and stage-stratified Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for all-cause mortality associated with marital status, adjusted for cancer site, race/ethnicity, and treatment. RESULTS: Compared with married patients, unmarried patients had an elevated risk of mortality that was higher among males (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.26-1.29) than among females (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.18-1.20; Pinteraction < .001). Adjustment for insurance status and nSES reduced the marital status HRs to 1.22 for males and 1.15 for females. There was some evidence of synergistic effects of marital status, insurance, and nSES, with relatively higher risks observed for unmarried status among those who were under-insured and living in high nSES areas compared with those who were under-insured and living in low nSES areas (Pinteraction = 6.8 × 10(-9) among males and 8.2 × 10(-8) among females). CONCLUSIONS: The worse survival of unmarried than married cancer patients appears to be minimally explained by differences in economic resources. Cancer 2016;122:1618-25. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Differences in marital status and mortality by race/ethnicity and nativity among California cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: It has been observed that married cancer patients have lower mortality rates than unmarried patients, but data for different racial/ethnic groups are scarce. The authors examined the risk of overall mortality associated with marital status across racial/ethnic groups and sex in data from the California Cancer Registry. METHODS: California Cancer Registry data for all first primary invasive cancers diagnosed from 2000 through 2009 for the 10 most common sites of cancer-related death for non-Hispanic whites (NHWs), blacks, Asians/Pacific Islanders (APIs), and Hispanics were used to estimate multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for marital status in relation to overall mortality by race/ethnicity and sex. The study cohort included 393,470 male and 389,697 female cancer patients and 204,007 and 182,600 deaths from all causes, respectively, through December 31, 2012. RESULTS: All-cause mortality was higher in unmarried patients than in married patients, but there was significant variation by race/ethnicity. Adjusted HRs (95% CIs) ranged from 1.24 (95% CI, 1.23-1.26) in NHWs to 1.11 (95% CI, 1.07-1.15) in APIs among males and from 1.17 (95% CI, 1.15-1.18) in NHWs to 1.07 (95% CI, 1.04-1.11) in APIs among females. All-cause mortality associated with unmarried status compared with married status was higher in US-born API and Hispanic men and women relative to their foreign-born counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: For patients who have the cancers that contribute most to mortality, being unmarried is associated with worse overall survival compared with being married, with up to 24% higher mortality among NHW males but only 6% higher mortality among foreign-born Hispanic and API females. Future research should pursue the identification of factors underlying these associations to inform targeted interventions for unmarried cancer patients. Cancer 2016;122:1570-8. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Equivalent survival after nipple-sparing compared to non-nipple-sparing mastectomy: data from California, 1988-2013.

PURPOSE: Nipple-sparing mastectomy, which may improve cosmesis, body image, and sexual function in comparison to non-nipple-sparing mastectomy, is increasingly used to treat early-stage breast cancer; however, long-term survival data are lacking. We evaluated survival after nipple-sparing mastectomy versus non-nipple-sparing mastectomy in a population-based cancer registry. METHODS: We conducted an observational study using the California Cancer Registry, considering all stage 0-III breast cancers diagnosed in California from 1988 to 2013. We compared breast cancer-specific and overall survival time after nipple-sparing versus non-nipple-sparing mastectomy, using multivariable analysis. RESULTS: Among 157,592 stage 0-III female breast cancer patients treated with unilateral mastectomy from 1988-2013, 993 (0.6 %) were reported as having nipple-sparing and 156,599 (99.4 %) non-nipple-sparing mastectomies; median follow-up was 7.9 years. The proportion of mastectomies that were nipple-sparing increased over time (1988, 0.2 %; 2013, 5.1 %) and with neighborhood socioeconomic status, and decreased with age and stage. On multivariable analysis, nipple-sparing mastectomy was associated with a lower risk of breast cancer-specific mortality compared to non-nipple-sparing mastectomy [hazard ratio (HR) 0.71, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.51-0.98]. However, when restricting to diagnoses 1996 or later and adjusting for a larger set of covariates, risk was attenuated (HR 0.86, 95 % CI 0.52-1.42). CONCLUSIONS: Among California breast cancer patients diagnosed from 1988-2013, nipple-sparing mastectomy was not associated with worse survival than non-nipple-sparing mastectomy. These results may inform the decisions of patients and doctors deliberating between these surgical approaches for breast cancer treatment.

Body size over the life-course and the risk of endometrial cancer: the California Teachers Study.

PURPOSE: Obesity is a public health epidemic and a major risk factor for endometrial cancer. Here, we identify key aspects of body size which jointly, over the life-course (since adolescence), are associated with endometrial cancer risk. METHODS: Among 88,142 participants in the California Teachers Study, 887 were diagnosed with invasive type 1 endometrial cancer between 1997-1998 and 2012. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models provided estimates of hazard rate ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for endometrial cancer associated with life-course body size phenotypes, which incorporated validated measures. RESULTS: Among women currently using hormone therapy, endometrial cancer risk was only associated with height (HR 1.78, 95% CI 1.32-2.40 for ≥67 vs. <67 inches). Among women not using hormone therapy, tall women who were overweight/obese in adolescence (HR 4.33, 95% CI 2.51-7.46) or who became overweight/obese as adults (HR 4.74, 95% CI 2.70-8.32) were at greatest risk. CONCLUSIONS: Considering absolute body mass, changes in adiposity over time, and body fat distribution together, instead of each measure alone, we identified lifetime obesity phenotypes associated with endometrial cancer risk. These results more clearly define specific risk groups, and may explain inconsistent findings across studies, improve risk prediction models, and aid in developing targeted interventions for endometrial cancer.