Predictors of Breast Cancer Outcome in a Cohort of Women Seeking Care at a Safety Net Hospital.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify predictors associated with lower mortality in a population of women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer at a safety net hospital. METHODS: From 2008 to 2014, 1115 patients were treated for breast cancer at our academic safety net hospital. 208 were excluded due to diagnosis at an outside facility, and the remaining 907 (81%) formed the study cohort. Retrospective charts and imaging reviews looked at race, ethnicity, insurance status, social determinants of health, screening utilization, treatment regimen, and 7-13-year follow-up care, including the cause of death. Multivariable logistic regression modeling assessed mortality, and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed. RESULTS: Of the 907 women, the mean age was 59 years (inter-quartile range 50-68 years), with 40% White, 46% Black, 4% Asian, and 10% Other. Increasing age (aOR=1.03, p = 0.001) and more advanced stage at diagnosis (aOR=6.37, p < 0.0001) were associated with increased mortality. There was no significant difference in mortality based on race or ethnicity (p > 0.05). Of 494 with screening prior to diagnosis, longer screening time was observed for patients with advanced stage (median 521 days) vs. early stage (median 404 days), p = 0.0004. Patients with Medicaid, insurance not specified, and no insurance were less likely to undergo screening before diagnosis than privately insured (all p < 0.05). Shorter screening time was associated with lower all-cause mortality (aOR=0.57, 95% CI=0.36-0.89, p = 0.013). DISCUSSION: In a safety net population, a more advanced stage at diagnosis was associated with higher mortality and lower odds of undergoing screening mammography in the two years prior to a breast cancer diagnosis. Early screening was associated with lower mortality. Finally, given no racial or ethnic differences in mortality, the safety net infrastructure at our institution effectively provides equitable cancer care once a cancer is confirmed.

Current Practices in Anticoagulation Management for Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Image-guided Breast Procedures.

Objective: Given variability in how practices manage patients on antithrombotic medications, we undertook this study to understand the current practice of antithrombotic management for patients undergoing percutaneous breast and axillary procedures. Methods: A 20-item survey with multiple-choice and write-in options was emailed to 2094 active North American members of the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) in March 2021. Data were collected anonymously and analyzed quantitatively, with free-text responses categorized by themes. Results: Three-hundred twenty-six of 2094 members (15.6%) completed the survey. Eighty-seven percent (274/313) reported having a policy for managing antithrombotic medications. Fifty-nine percent (185/312) reported routinely withholding medications before biopsy, more commonly in the Northeast and South (P = 0.08). Withholding of medications did not vary by lesion location (182/308, 59%, breast vs 181/308, 58.7%, axillary; P = 0.81). Respondents were statistically more likely to withhold medications if using a vacuum-assisted device for all classes of antithrombotic medications (P < 0.001). Up to 50.2% (100/199) on warfarin and 33.6% (66/196) on direct oral anticoagulants had medications withheld more stringently than guidelines suggest. Conclusion: Based on a survey of SBI members, breast imaging practices vary widely in antithrombotic management for image-guided breast and axillary procedures. Of the 60% who withhold antithrombotic medications, a minority comply with recommended withhold guidelines, placing at least some patients at potential risk for thrombotic events. Breast imaging radiologists should weigh the risks and benefits of withholding these medications, and if they elect to withhold should closely follow evidence-based guidelines to minimize the risks of this practice.

Small cell lung cancer in young patients: trends in sociodemographic factors, diagnosis, treatment, and survival.

Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in patients <50 years old has unique socioeconomic and clinical implications. We aimed to examine the demographics, treatment patterns, and survival of young patients with SCLC and compared them to older adults. Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried to identify SCLC cases diagnosed from 2004 to 2016. Patients were divided into three age groups: ≥18-<50, ≥50-<70, and ≥70 years. Patient characteristics were evaluated for survival within each age group. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to assess survival. Results: Of the 172,453 evaluated SCLC patients (median age 66 years), 8,792 were ≥18-<50 years old. Compared to the older groups, patients under 50 were more likely to be Black, uninsured or on Medicaid, have household income <$30,000, and present with stage III or IV disease (P<0.0001 for all). While young patients were more likely to receive guideline-concordant care (GCC), the hazard of death increased to 1.96 (95% CI: 1.80-2.14; P<0.0001) with receipt of nonstandard therapy. Private insurance, female gender, non-White race, Hispanic ethnicity, and higher income were associated with better survival. The youngest cohort had significantly better survival overall when compared to the older patients (P<0.0001), but the survival advantage was reduced with the advancing stage. Conclusions: SCLC patients under 50 years old represent a socioeconomically disadvantaged group with advanced disease at presentation. Despite having fewer comorbidities and being offered guideline-concordant treatment, younger patients with SCLC have only marginally better survival than older patients in advanced stages.

Racial disparities in non-recommendation of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II-III ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To identify patient factors associated with not receiving a recommendation for adjuvant chemotherapy after primary surgery for ovarian cancer. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used the National Cancer Database (NCDB) data from 2004 to 2015 to identify patients with stage II-III ovarian cancer who underwent primary surgery. Multivariate logistic regression analyses evaluated factors associated with notation in the NCDB that "chemotherapy was not recommended/administered because it was contraindicated due to patient risk factors (i.e., comorbid conditions, advanced age)." Survival data were assessed via Kaplan-Meier analyses. RESULTS: Of the 48,245 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 522 (1.08%) did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy because it was determined to be contraindicated. In multivariate analyses, independent predictors for not receiving a recommendation for adjuvant chemotherapy were age ≥ 70 years old (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 2.43, p < 0.0001), non-zero Charlson-Deyo comorbidity scores (score 1, aOR = 1.41, p = 0.002; score ≥ 2, aOR = 2.57, p < 0.0001), and Black race (aOR = 2.12, p < 0.0001). For Black patients, recommendation against adjuvant chemotherapy occurred at a younger median age (64.5 years vs. 72 years) and was associated with lower 5-year survival (25.9% vs. 40.3%, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ovarian cancer who underwent surgery but did not receive chemotherapy "because it was contraindicated due to patient risk factors" were older and had higher comorbidity scores. Even after controlling for these differences, Black patients were disproportionately not recommended for chemotherapy, which was associated with worse survival. Determining eligibility for adjuvant chemotherapy requires an individualized approach, and the possible influence of racial bias on risk estimation should be further investigated.

Racial and Other Healthcare Disparities in Patients With Extensive-Stage SCLC.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic treatment with chemotherapy is warranted for patients with extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC). The objective of this study was to determine whether racial and other healthcare disparities exist in receipt of chemotherapy for ES-SCLC. METHODS: Utilizing the National Cancer Database, 148,961 patients diagnosed to have stage IV SCLC from 2004 to 2016 were identified. Adjusted ORs with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were computed for receipt of chemotherapy using multivariate logistic regression modeling. Cox regression modeling was used to perform overall survival analysis, and adjusted hazard ratios were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 82,592 patients were included, among which chemotherapy was not administered to 6557 (7.9%). Higher education, recent year of diagnosis, and treatment at more than one facility were associated with increased odds of receiving chemotherapy. Factors associated with a decreased likelihood of receiving chemotherapy were increasing age, race, nonprivate insurance, and comorbidities. On multivariate analysis, black patients had lower odds of receiving chemotherapy compared with white patients (adjusted OR, 0.85; 95% CI: 0.77-0.93, p = 0.0004). Furthermore, black patients had better survival compared with white patients (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% CI: 0.89-0.94, p = 0.91). The 1-year survival (median survival) for black and white patients was 31.7% (8.3 mo) and 28.6% (8 mo), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Black patients with ES-SCLC were less likely to receive chemotherapy, as were elderly, uninsured, and those with nonprivate insurance. Further studies are required to address underlying reasons for lack of chemotherapy receipt in black patients with ES-SCLC and guide appropriate interventions to mitigate disparities.

Liver trauma: hepatic vascular injury on computed tomography as a predictor of patient outcome.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate hepatic vascular injury (HVI) on CT in blunt and penetrating trauma and assess its relationship to patient management and outcome. METHOD AND MATERIALS: This retrospective study was IRB approved and HIPAA compliant. Informed consent was waived. Included were patients ≥ 16 years old who sustained blunt or penetrating trauma with liver laceration seen on a CT performed at our institution within 24 h of presentation over the course of 10 years and 6 months (August 2007-February 2018). During this interval, 171 patients met inclusion criteria (123 males, 48 females; mean age 34; age range 17-80 years old). Presence of HVI was evaluated and liver injury was graded in a blinded fashion by two radiologists using the 1994 and 2018 American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) liver injury scales. Hospital length of stay and treatment (angioembolization or operative) were recorded from the electronic medical record. Multivariate linear regressions were used to determine our variables' impact on the length of stay, and logistic regressions were used for categorical outcomes. RESULTS: Of the included liver trauma patients, 25% had HVI. Patients with HVI had a 3.2-day longer length of hospital stay on average and had a 40.3-fold greater odds of getting angioembolization compared to those without. Patients with high-grade liver injury (AAST grades IV-V, 2018 criteria) had a 3.2-fold greater odds of failing non-operative management and a 14.3-fold greater odds of angioembolization compared to those without. CONCLUSION: HVI in liver trauma is common and is predictive of patient outcome and management. KEY POINTS: • Hepatic vascular injury occurs commonly (25%) with liver trauma. • Hepatic vascular injury is associated with increased length of hospital stay and angioembolization. • High-grade liver injury is associated with failure of non-operative management and with angioembolization.

Cystic cervical lymph nodes of papillary thyroid carcinoma, tuberculosis and human papillomavirus positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: Comparative CT analysis for their differentiation.

PURPOSE: Cervical lymph nodes with cystic changes are an important finding seen with several pathologies including papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), tuberculosis (TB) and HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV + OPSCC). In the absence of known primary tumor or conclusive medical history, differentiating among these nodes is difficult. We compared the pathologic nodes of PTC, TB and HPV + OPSCC to identify imaging features useful for their differentiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-five PTC, 58 TB and 51 HPV + OPSCC nodes were selected based on surgical pathology records and suspicious morphological features. These nodes were compared for morphological features: long axis length, nodal shape, nodal location, presence of cystic change, area of cystic change:area of entire node ratio, Hounsfield unit of the cystic component, degree of enhancement, enhancement pattern, presence of calcification, presence of perinodal infiltration, and presence of surrounding inflammatory changes. RESULTS: PTC nodes formed calcifications more frequently and demonstrated greater enhancement (P < 0.01). TB nodes were characterized by their irregular shape (P < 0.05), irregular enhancement surrounding the cystic change (P < 0.01), greater frequencies of perinodal infiltration (P < 0.01) and surrounding inflammatory changes (P < 0.01). While no unique features were seen with HPV+OPSCC, they were characterized by the absence of those features that distinguished the other groups: these nodes tended to have smooth, circumscribed margins with no hyperenhancement, calcifications or inflammatory changes. PTC and TB nodes were more frequently identified in the lower neck, while HPV+OPSCC nodes were localized to the upper neck (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: PTC, TB and HPV + OPSCC lymph nodes can be differentiated based on their morphologies and locations.

Risk assessment of osteoradionecrosis associated with periodontitis using 18F-FDG PET/CT.

PURPOSE: Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) is a serious complication after radiotherapy (RT), even in the era of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether 18F-FDG PET/CT can predict ORN associated with periodontal disease in patients with oropharyngeal or oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OP/OC SCC) undergoing RT. METHODS: One hundred and five OP/OC SCC patients treated with RT who underwent pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT between October 2007 and June 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. A post-treatment diagnosis of ORN was made clinically based on presence of exposed irradiated mandibular bone that failed to heal after a period of three months without persistent or recurrent tumor. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of periodontal regions identified on PET/CT was measured for all patients. Image-based staging of periodontitis was also performed using American Academy of Periodontology staging system on CT. RESULTS: Among 105 patients, 14 (13.3 %) developed ORN. The SUVmax of the periodontal region in patients with ORN (3.35 ±â€¯1.23) was significantly higher than patients without ORN (1.92 ±â€¯0.66) (P <  .01). The corresponding CT stage of periodontitis in patients with ORN was significantly higher (2.71±0.47) than patients without ORN (1.80±0.73) (P <  .01). ROC analysis revealed the cut-off values of developing ORN were 2.1 in SUVmax, and II in CT stage of periodontitis. The corresponding AUC was 0.86 and 0.82, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT identification of periodontitis may be helpful to predict the future development of ORN in patients with OP/OC SCC undergoing RT.

Placard in Hand: A Simple, Inexpensive Intervention to Improve On-Treatment Visit Compliance in a Safety Net Radiation Oncology Patient Population.

PURPOSE: On-treatment visits (OTVs) for patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) should occur every five fractions. Compliance with OTVs was identified as a potential issue in a safety-net patient population. This study determined if brightly colored placards given to patients improved OTV compliance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all patients with lung cancer receiving RT from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2017 evaluated OTV compliance before (No Placard) and after (Placard) the placard was introduced in the clinic. Analysis of variance, χ2 tests, and Fisher's exact tests were performed to assess differences in continuous and categorical patient and treatment variables, respectively. RESULTS: The No Placard group included 48 patients who were scheduled for 151 OTVs. The Placard group included 50 patients who were scheduled for 187 OTVs. The percentage of missed OTVs in the No Placard group was 9.3% (14/151), versus 2.1% (4/187) in the Placard group (P = .004). Patients in the No Placard group were more likely to speak English (97.9% v 86.0%; P = .060), were less likely to have stage I-III disease (75% v 88%; P = .097), and received lower mean RT doses (48.2 Gy v 55.6 Gy; P = .007). On multivariate analysis adjusting for language, stage, and RT dose, the adjusted mean rate of missed OTVs in the No Placard group was 7.1%, versus 1.4% in the Placard group (P = .019). CONCLUSION: A significant increase in compliance of OTVs was observed with the introduction of brightly colored placards. This represents a simple, inexpensive method to improve OTV compliance in a safety-net setting and may be applicable to other patient populations.

Survival outcomes of mucosal melanoma in the USA.

Background: Mucosal melanomas (MM) arise within the lining of the gastrointestinal (GI), genitourinary (GU) and head and neck (HN) systems. Method: A retrospective analysis of the National Comprehensive Database identified 4,961 MM patients. Primary objective was to compare survival outcomes across the different locations. Results: Overall survival for GI melanomas was significantly shorter than HN and GU melanomas. Median survival (95% confidence interval) was 19.5 (18.0-21.5), 26.4 (24.9-28.3), and 43.9 (38.8-47.8), months for GI, HN and GU cases, respectively (p<0.0001). Conclusion: This is the largest study of MM in a US based population, demonstrating worse overall survival for GI MM in comparison to HN and GU melanomas.

Using CT texture analysis to differentiate between nasopharyngeal carcinoma and age-matched adenoid controls.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the use of texture analysis to quantitatively distinguish nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from normal adenoid on CT. METHODS: In this IRB-approved, retrospective study, nasopharyngeal tissues in 13 patients with NPC and 13 control patients were manually contoured, segmented, and imported to an in-house developed texture analysis program, which extracted 41 texture features. Basic descriptive statistics were performed to evaluate for differences in texture parameters between NPC and controls. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences between NPC and controls were seen in 32 of 41 texture features. These significant differences were present in 11 of 12 histogram features, 4 of 5 gray-level co-occurrence matrix features, 7 of 11 gray-level run length features, 4 of 4 gray-level gradient matrix features, and 6 of 9 Laws features. CONCLUSION: Significant differences in many texture features were seen between NPC and normal adenoids. CT texture analysis may aid in differentiating NPC from normal adenoid tissue.

Quantitative MR imaging of intra-orbital structures: Tissue-specific measurements and age dependency compared to extra-orbital structures using multispectral quantitative MR imaging.

The orbit can be affected by unique pathologic conditions and often requires MRI evaluation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the age-related changes in multiple intra-orbital structures using quantitative MRI (qMRI). Thirty-eight subjects (20 males, 18 females; ages 0.5-87 years) underwent MRI with a mixed turbo spin echo sequence. T1 and T2 measurements were obtained within ROI in 6 intra-orbital structures (medial and lateral rectus muscles, medial and lateral retrobulbar fat, lacrimal gland, and optic nerve), and compared with those of corresponding extra-orbital structures (masseter muscle, subcutaneous cheek fat, buccal fat, parotid gland, and frontal white matter). Statistical analyses were performed using Pearson's correlation coefficients. T1 and T2 values of the extra-ocular muscles increased with age, with higher T1 and T2 values compared to the masseter muscles. Retrobulbar fat showed significant age-associated increases in T1 values in the lateral side and in T2 values in both sides. T1 and T2 values in the lacrimal gland increased with age, while the parotid gland showed an age-associated increase in T2 values and decrease in T1 values. Optic nerves demonstrated age-related changes, similar to that of frontal white matter; rapid decreases with age in T1 and T2 times in early stages of life, and slight increases in T1 and T2 times later in life. Intra-orbital structures demonstrated specific qMRI measurements and aging patterns, which were different from extra-orbital structures. Location-specific age-related changes of intra-orbital structures should be considered in the qMRI assessment of the orbital pathology.

Dosimetric impacts of endorectal balloon in CyberKnife stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for early-stage prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: In SBRT for prostate cancer, higher fractional dose to the rectum is a major toxicity concern due to using smaller PTV margin and hypofractionation. We investigate the dosimetric impact on rectum using endorectal balloon (ERB) in prostate SBRT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty prostate cancer patients were included in a retrospective study, ten with ERB and 10 without ERB. Optimized SBRT plans were generated on CyberKnife MultiPlan for 5 × 7.25 Gy to PTV under RTOG-0938 protocol for early-stage prostate cancer. For the rectum and the anterior half rectum, mean dose and percentage of volumes receiving 50%, 80%, 90%, and 100% prescription dose were compared. RESULTS: Using ERB, mean dose to the rectum was 62 cGy (P = 0.001) lower per fraction, and 50 cGy (P = 0.024) lower per fraction for the anterior half rectum. The average V50% , V80% , V90% , and V100% were lower by 9.9% (P = 0.001), 5.3% (P = 0.0002), 3.4% (P = 0.0002), and 1.2% (P = 0.005) for the rectum, and lower by 10.4% (P = 0.009), 8.3% (P = 0.0004), 5.4% (P = 0.0003), and 2.1% (P = 0.003) for the anterior half rectum. CONCLUSIONS: Significant reductions of dose to the rectum using ERB were observed. This may lead to improvement of the rectal toxicity profiles in prostate SBRT.

Clinical Significance of Incidentally Detected Torus Tubarius Calcification.

OBJECTIVES: Calcification of the torus tubarius has been rarely reported in the literature. Histopathologic studies have previously described cases of Eustachian tube calcification and cite an association with increasing patient age. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of torus tubarius calcification and potential clinical significance on an unrestricted patient population using thin-section computed tomography (CT), which has not been previously reported. METHODS: After the institutional review board approval, 1571 consecutive patients who underwent noncontrast head CT between January 2011 and July 2011 were retrospectively reviewed for torus tubarius calcification. Images were acquired at 1.25-mm slice thickness using a 64-detector row CT. Medical records were reviewed for chronic medical conditions including chronic kidney disease, alcoholism, autoimmune conditions, endocrine disorders, elevated alkaline phosphatase levels, history of otitis media, purified protein derivative positivity, history of head and neck surgery and radiation, and human immunodeficiency virus infection. Motion-limited studies and patients with limited clinical data were excluded. Statistical analyses were performed using the independent sample t test and Fisher exact test. RESULTS: Ten (0.6%) of 1571 patients had torus tubarius calcification, of which 7 (70%) were unilateral, and 3 (30%) were bilateral calcification. There was no significant association between torus tubarius calcification and common medical disorders including endocrine disorders, human immunodeficiency virus, chronic kidney disease, alcoholism, purified protein derivative positivity, history of head and neck surgery or radiation, and autoimmune diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the largest series to date on an unrestricted population using thin-section CT imaging, calcification of the torus tubarius is a rare entity with an overall prevalence of 0.6%. Although the clinical significance remains uncertain, there is no significant association between torus tubarius calcification and common medical conditions.

Global and Regional Brain Assessment with Quantitative MR Imaging in Patients with Prior Exposure to Linear Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents.

Purpose To assess the association of global and regional brain relaxation times in patients with prior exposure to linear gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs). Materials and Methods The institutional review board approved this cross-sectional study. Thirty-five patients (nine who had received GBCA gadopentetate dimeglumine injections previously [one to eight times] and 26 patients who did not) who underwent brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with a mixed fast spin-echo pulse sequence were assessed. The whole brain was segmented according to white and gray matter by using a dual-clustering algorithm. In addition, regions of interest were measured in the globus pallidus, dentate nucleus, thalamus, and pons. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to assess the difference between groups. Multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the association of T1 and T2 with prior GBCA exposure. Results T1 values of gray matter were significantly shorter for patients with than for patients without prior GBCA exposure (P = .022). T1 of the gray matter of the whole brain (P < .001), globus pallidus (P = .002), dentate nucleus (P = .046), and thalamus (P = .026) and T2 of the whole brain (P = .004), dentate nucleus (P = .023), and thalamus (P = .002) showed a significant correlation with the accumulated dose of previous GBCA administration. There was no significant correlation between T1 and the accumulated dose of previous GBCA injections in the white matter (P = .187). Conclusion Global and regional quantitative assessments of T1 and T2 demonstrated an association with prior GBCA exposure, especially for gray matter structures. The results of this study confirm previous research findings that there is gadolinium deposition in wider distribution throughout the brain. © RSNA, 2016 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Using texture analyses of contrast enhanced CT to assess hepatic fibrosis.

PURPOSE: To determine the ability of texture analyses of contrast-enhanced CT images for distinguishing between varying degrees of hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease using histopathology as the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following IRB approval, 83 patients who underwent contrast enhanced 64-MDCT of the abdomen and pelvis in the portal venous phase between 12/2005 and 01/2013 and who had a liver biopsy within 6 months of the CT were included. An in-house developed, MATLAB-based texture analysis program was employed to extract 41 texture features from each of 5 axial segmented volumes of liver. Using the Ishak fibrosis staging scale, histopathologic grades of hepatic fibrosis were correlated with texture parameters after stratifying patients into three analysis groups, comparing Ishak scales 0-2 with 3-6, 0-3 with 4-6, and 0-4 with 5-6. To assess the utility of texture features, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed and the area under the curve (AUC) was used to determine the performance of each feature in distinguishing between normal/low and higher grades of hepatic fibrosis. RESULTS: A total of 19 different texture features with 7 histogram features, one grey level co-occurrence matrix, 6 gray level run length, 1 Laws feature, and 4 gray level gradient matrix demonstrated statistically significant differences for discriminating between fibrosis groupings. The highest AUC values fell in the range of fair performance for distinguishing between different fibrosis groupings. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that texture-based analyses of contrast-enhanced CT images offer a potential avenue toward the non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis.

Lifestyle determinants of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: While genetic factors are major determinants of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), environmental factors also play a role. The latter include 3 modifiable lifestyle factors: alcohol consumption, physical activity, and smoking. METHODS: We compared the relative effects of alcohol, physical activity, and smoking on HDL-C levels, using data from 2309 subjects (1226 women and 1083 men), aged 25 to 91 years, from randomly selected families participating in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study. RESULTS: Alcohol consumption was associated with the largest increment in HDL-C (an increase of 9.0-13.1 mg/dL from nondrinker to highest categories); physical activity with a more modest increment (an increase of 3.0-3.3 mg/dL from lowest to highest categories); and cigarette smoking with a large decrement in women (a decrease of 9.9 mg/dL) and a modest one in men (a decrease of 2.6 mg/dL) between nonsmoker and > or =20 cigarettes per day categories. The 3 lifestyle behaviors plus age, body mass index, education, and current estrogen use explained 22.4% and 18.2% of the total variance of HDL-C for women and men, respectively. Alcohol accounted for 28.6% of this variance among women and 50.1% among men; smoking accounted for 6.7% and 3.3%, respectively, and physical activity for 2.7% and 3.6%, respectively, among women and men. Age, body mass index, education, and current estrogen use explained the remaining 62.0% and 43.0%, respectively, of the variance attributed to environmental factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that, among lifestyle behaviors, alcohol consumption is the more important correlate of HDL-cholesterol.