Pediatric cancer mortality and survival in the United States, 2001-2016.

BACKGROUND: Although pediatric cancer mortality and survival have improved in the United States over the past 40 years, differences exist by age, race/ethnicity, cancer site, and economic status. To assess progress, this study examined recent mortality and survival data for individuals younger than 20 years. METHODS: Age-adjusted death rates were calculated with the National Vital Statistics System for 2002-2016. Annual percent changes (APCs) and average annual percent changes (AAPCs) were calculated with joinpoint regression. Five-year relative survival was calculated on the basis of National Program of Cancer Registries data for 2001-2015. Death rates and survival were estimated overall and by sex, 5-year age group, race/ethnicity, cancer type, and county-based economic markers. RESULTS: Death rates decreased during 2002-2016 (AAPC, -1.5), with steeper declines during 2002-2009 (APC, -2.6), and then plateaued (APC, -0.4). Leukemia and brain cancer were the most common causes of death from pediatric cancer, and brain cancer surpassed leukemia in 2011. Death rates decreased for leukemia and lymphoma but were unchanged for brain, bone, and soft-tissue cancers. From 2001-2007 to 2008-2015, survival improved from 82.0% to 85.1%. Survival was highest in both periods among females, those aged 15 to 19 years, non-Hispanic Whites, and those in counties in the top 25% by economic status. Survival improved for leukemias, lymphomas, and brain cancers but plateaued for bone and soft-tissue cancers. CONCLUSIONS: Although overall death rates have decreased and survival has increased, differences persist by sex, age, race/ethnicity, cancer type, and economic status. Improvements in pediatric cancer outcomes may depend on improving therapies, access to care, and supportive and long-term care.

Skin Cancer Prevention Behaviors Among Agricultural and Construction Workers in the United States, 2015.

INTRODUCTION: Nearly 5 million people are treated for skin cancer each year in the United States. Agricultural and construction workers (ACWs) may be at increased risk for skin cancer because of high levels of ultraviolet radiation exposure from the sun. This is the first study that uses nationally representative data to assess sun-protection behaviors among ACWs. METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey Cancer Control Supplement to examine the prevalence of sun-protection behaviors among ACWs. We calculated national, weighted, self-reported prevalence estimates. We used χ2 tests to assess differences between ACWs by industry and occupation. RESULTS: Most of the 2,298 agricultural and construction workers studied were male (by industry, 72.4% in agriculture and 89.3% in construction; by occupation, 66.1% in agriculture and 95.6% in construction) and non-Hispanic white. About one-third had at least 1 sunburn in the past year. The prevalence of sunscreen use and shade seeking was low and did not significantly differ among groups, ranging from 15.1% to 21.4% for sunscreen use and 24.5% to 29.1% for shade seeking. The prevalence of wearing protective clothing was significantly higher among agricultural workers than among construction workers by industry (70.9% vs 50.7%) and occupation (70.5% vs 53.0%). CONCLUSION: Our findings could be used to improve occupational health approaches to reducing skin cancer risk among ACWs and to inform education and prevention initiatives addressing skin cancer. Sun-safety initiatives may include modifying work sites to increase shade and adding sun safety to workplace policies and training. Employers can help reduce occupational health inequities and protect workers by creating workplaces that facilitate sun protection.

Cost of Tobacco-related Cancer Hospitalizations in the U.S., 2014.

INTRODUCTION: Smoking has been causally linked to 12 tobacco-related cancers: oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum, liver, pancreas, larynx, lung, cervix, bladder, kidney, and acute myeloid leukemia. Tobacco-related cancers-related morbidity and mortality have been well described, but little is known about the prevalence of tobacco-related cancer hospitalizations and associated costs. This study estimates the annual number of tobacco-related cancer hospitalizations and their associated direct medical costs in the U.S. METHODS: This study examined data from the 2014 National Inpatient Sample, the largest publicly available all-payer inpatient care database in the U.S. The authors calculated number of hospitalizations, total costs, length of stay, and cost per stay for tobacco-related cancer hospitalizations and cancer hospitalizations not related to tobacco. RESULTS: In 2014, there were an estimated 461,295 annual tobacco-related cancer hospitalizations at a cost of $8.2 billion in the U.S. Tobacco-related cancers accounted for 45% of total cancer hospitalizations and cancer hospitalization costs. Compared with cancer hospitalizations not related to tobacco, tobacco-related cancer hospitalizations had a longer mean length of stay (6.8 vs 5.7 days). CONCLUSIONS: The burden of tobacco-related cancer hospitalizations is substantial in the U.S. These findings highlight the importance of tobacco prevention and cessation efforts to decrease the burden of tobacco-related cancers in the U.S.

Survival among children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the United States, by race and age, 2001 to 2009: Findings from the CONCORD-2 study.

BACKGROUND: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy. This report describes the survival of children with ALL in the United States using the most comprehensive and up-to-date cancer registry data. METHODS: Data from 37 state cancer registries that cover approximately 80% of the US population were used. Age-standardized survival up to 5 years was estimated for children aged 0-14 years who were diagnosed with ALL during 2 periods (2001-2003 and 2004-2009). RESULTS: In total, 17,500 children with ALL were included. The pooled age-standardized net survival estimates for all US registries combined were 95% at 1 year, 90% at 3 years, and 86% at 5 years for children diagnosed during 2001-2003, and 96%, 91%, and 88%, respectively, for those diagnosed during 2004-2009. Black children who were diagnosed during 2001-2003 had lower 5-year survival (84%) than white children (87%) and had less improvement in survival by 2004-2009. For those diagnosed during 2004-2009, the 1-year and 5-year survival estimates were 96% and 89%, respectively, for white children and 96% and 84%, respectively, for black children. During 2004-2009, survival was highest among children aged 1 to 4 years (95%) and lowest among children aged <1 year (60%). CONCLUSIONS: The current results indicate that overall net survival from childhood ALL in the United States is high, but disparities by race still exist, especially beyond the first year after diagnosis. Clinical and public health strategies are needed to improve health care access, clinical trial enrollment, treatment, and survivorship care for children with ALL. Cancer 2017;123:5178-89. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.