Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Among Colorectal Cancer Survivors in a Population-Based Cohort.

BACKGROUND: There are an estimated 1.4 million colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors in the United States. Research on endocrine and metabolic diseases over the long term in CRC survivors is limited. Obesity is a risk factor for CRC; thus it is of interest to investigate diseases that may share this risk factor, such as diabetes, for long-term health outcomes among CRC survivors. METHODS: A total of 7114 CRC patients were identified from the Utah Population Database and matched to a general population cohort of 25 979 individuals on birth year, sex, and birth state. Disease diagnoses (assessed over three time periods of 1-5 years, 5-10 years, and >10 years) were identified using electronic medical records and statewide ambulatory and inpatient discharge data. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the risk of endocrine and metabolic disease. RESULTS: Across all three time periods, risks for endocrine and metabolic diseases were statistically significantly greater for CRC survivors compared with the general population cohort. At 1-5 years postdiagnosis, CRC survivors' risk for diabetes mellitus with complications was statistically significantly elevated (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.36, 99% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09 to 1.70). CRC survivors also experienced a 40% increased risk of obesity at 1-5 years postcancer diagnosis (HR= 1.40, 99% CI= 1.66 to 2.18) and a 50% increased risk at 5-10 years postdiagnosis (HR = 1.50, 99% CI= 1.16 to 1.95). CONCLUSIONS: Endocrine and metabolic diseases were statistically significantly higher in CRC survivors throughout the follow-up periods of 1-5 years, 5-10 years, and more than 10 years postdiagnosis. As the number of CRC survivors increases, understanding the long-term trajectory is critical for improved survivorship care.

Poor prognosis for thin ulcerated melanomas and implications for a more aggressive approach to treatment.

BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines for the treatment of melanoma are based largely on the behavior of thicker tumors. As a result, little is known about survival differences among patients with thinner tumors. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the variability in survival for American Joint Committee on Cancer stage T1 thin melanoma tumors, defined as tumors less than 1 mm thick at diagnosis. METHODS: This population-based series included 43,008 non-Hispanic whites in whom cutaneous melanoma was diagnosed between 2004 and 2013 from the California Cancer Registry. Survival outcomes were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate risk of death. RESULTS: Survival for patients with thin ulcerated tumors was comparable to that for patients with stage II tumors, who are currently treated more aggressively. At 12 months, patients with thin ulcerated tumors had approximately 6% lower survival (92.5% [95% confidence interval (CI), 90.6%-93.9%]) compared with patients with thin nonulcerated tumors (98.2% [95% CI, 98.0%-98.3%]). At 24 months, this survival difference increased (85.2% [95% CI, 82.8%-87.4%] vs 96.1% [95% CI, 95.8-96.3%] for those with thin ulcerated and thin nonulcerated tumors, respectively) and a greater than 15% survival difference was seen at 60 months. LIMITATIONS: Previous reports of cancer registry data have noted some evidence of miscoding of thin tumors. CONCLUSION: The poorer survival in patients with ulcerated tumors less than 1 mm thick implies the need for additional studies to determine potential benefits of more aggressive treatment.

Do cancer survivors develop healthier lifestyle behaviors than the cancer-free population in the PLCO study?

BACKGROUND: Current studies report mixed results in health status and health behaviors after a diagnosis of cancer. The aim of our study is to investigate potential differences in lifestyle factors among cancer survivors and cancer-free individuals in a prospective cohort study conducted in the United States. METHODS: Using data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Trial, 10,133 cancer survivors were identified and compared to 81,992 participants without cancer to evaluate differences in body mass index (BMI), smoking, NSAID use, and physical activity. RESULTS: Cancer survivors, compared to the cancer-free, were significantly less likely to engage in physical activity (odds ratio (OR) = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.77-0.88). Compared to those who were obese at baseline, cancer survivors were more likely to be at normal BMI at follow-up compared to the cancer-free (OR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.42-2.54). Cancer survivors were less likely to report regular aspirin use as compared to the cancer-free population (OR = 0.86, 95 % CI = 0.82-0.92). Of the current smokers, cancer survivors were more likely to be former smokers at follow-up compared to the cancer-free (OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.30-1.74). CONCLUSION: Upon stratification by baseline health markers, cancer survivors practice healthier lifestyle habits such as smoking cessation and maintenance of a healthy weight. However, cancer survivors are less likely to be physically active as compared to cancer-free individuals, regardless of baseline practices. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: For cancer survivors who reported poor health status and behaviors at baseline, a cancer diagnosis may encourage the practice of healthier lifestyle behaviors.