The impact of race, comorbid conditions and obesity on survival endpoints in women with high grade endometrial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate overall survival, disease-specific survival, and progression-free survival among high grade endometrial carcinoma cases and to determine factors impacting survival for non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black women. METHODS: We identified high grade endometrial carcinoma cases among non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black women from ongoing institutional studies, and determined eligibility through medical record and pathologic review. We estimated effects of demographic and clinical variables on survival outcomes using Kaplan Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards modelling. RESULTS: Non-Hispanic Black women with BMI <25.0 had poorest overall survival compared to non-Hispanic white women with BMI <25.0 (HR 3.03; 95% CI [1.35, 6.81]), followed by non-Hispanic black women with BMI 25.0+ (HR 2.43; 95% CI [1.28, 4.60]). A similar pattern emerged for disease-specific survival. Non-Hispanic black women also had poorer progression-free survival than non-Hispanic white women (HR 1.40; 95% CI [1.01, 1.93]). Other significant factors impacting survival outcomes included receipt of National Cancer Center Network (NCCN) guideline-concordant treatment (GCT), earlier stage at diagnosis, and fewer comorbid conditions. CONCLUSIONS: BMI and race interact and modify the association with high grade endometrial carcinoma survival. Other potentially modifiable factors, such as reducing comorbidities and increasing access to GCT will potentially improve survival after diagnosis of high grade endometrial carcinomas. A better understanding of the molecular drivers of these high grade carcinomas may lead to targeted therapies that reduce morbidity and mortality associated with these aggressive tumors.

Impact of positive cytology in uterine serous carcinoma: A reassessment.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of peritoneal cytology status among other clinicopathological parameters in uterine serous carcinoma (USC). METHODS: A retrospective study of 148 patients diagnosed with uterine serous carcinoma from 1997 to 2016 at two academic medical centers in the Detroit metropolitan area was done. A central gynecologic pathologist reviewed all available slides and confirmed the histologic diagnosis of each case of USC. We assessed the prognostic impact of various clinicopathological parameters on overall survival (OS) and endometrial cancer-specific survival (ECSS). Those parameters included race, body mass index (BMI), stage at diagnosis, tumor size, lymphovascular invasion (LVSI), peritoneal cytology status, receipt of adjuvant treatment, and comorbidity count using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). We used Cox proportional hazards models and 95% confidence intervals for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Positive peritoneal cytology had a statistically significant effect on OS (HR: 2.09, 95% CI: [1.19, 3.68]) and on ECSS (HR: 2.02, 95% CI: [1.06 - 3.82]). LVSI had a statistically significant effect on both OS (HR: 2.27, 95% CI: [1.14, 4.53]) and ECSS (HR: 3.45, 95% CI: [1.49, 7.99]). Black or African American (AA) race was also found to have a significant effect on both OS (HR: 1.92, 95% CI: [1.07, 3.47]) and ECSS (HR: 2.01, 95% CI: [1.02, 3.98]). Other factors including BMI and tumor size > 1 cm did not show a statistically significant impact on OS or ECSS. CONCLUSIONS: Peritoneal washings with positive cytology and LVSI are important prognostic tools that may have a significant impact on overall survival in USC and can be used as independent negative prognosticators to help guide adjuvant treatment.

Continued smoking in African American cancer survivors: The Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors Cohort.

Tobacco cessation among those recently diagnosed with cancer is important to improve their prognosis, yet, many cancer survivors continue to smoke. The epidemiology of tobacco use differs by race and ethnicity, and limited cessation research has been conducted in African American (AA) populations. Here, we assess demographic and clinical variables associated with continued smoking in AAs after a cancer diagnosis. The Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors study is a cohort comprised of AA cancer survivors with breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers. Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors data were utilized from survivors who completed their baseline survey within 18 months of cancer diagnosis (n = 1145); 18% (n = 356) reported smoking at the time of cancer diagnosis, and 57% of these (n = 203) continued to smoke after their diagnosis. Logistic regression models were used to assess factors associated with continued smoking. Living with a smoker (odds ratio [OR] = 2.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.64, 4.70), higher cumulative years of smoking (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.05, for each year), and a prostate cancer diagnosis (OR = 7.35, 95% CI: 3.89, 13.89) were all associated with increased odds of continued smoking. Survivors with higher social well-being scores (measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy, a quality of life assessment) were more likely to quit smoking after diagnosis (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.00). These findings highlight the continued need for personalized cessation strategies to be incorporated into treatment plans for cancer survivors.

A Web-Based Decision Tool to Improve Contraceptive Counseling for Women With Chronic Medical Conditions: Protocol For a Mixed Methods Implementation Study.

BACKGROUND: Women with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, have a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications compared with women without medical conditions and should be offered contraception if desired. Although evidence based guidelines for contraceptive selection in the presence of medical conditions are available via the United States Medical Eligibility Criteria (US MEC), these guidelines are underutilized. Research also supports the use of decision tools to promote shared decision making between patients and providers during contraceptive counseling. OBJECTIVE: The overall goal of the MiHealth, MiChoice project is to design and implement a theory-driven, Web-based tool that incorporates the US MEC (provider-level intervention) within the vehicle of a contraceptive decision tool for women with chronic medical conditions (patient-level intervention) in community-based primary care settings (practice-level intervention). This will be a 3-phase study that includes a predesign phase, a design phase, and a testing phase in a randomized controlled trial. This study protocol describes phase 1 and aim 1, which is to determine patient-, provider-, and practice-level factors that are relevant to the design and implementation of the contraceptive decision tool. METHODS: This is a mixed methods implementation study. To customize the delivery of the US MEC in the decision tool, we selected high-priority constructs from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and the Theoretical Domains Framework to drive data collection and analysis at the practice and provider level, respectively. A conceptual model that incorporates constructs from the transtheoretical model and the health beliefs model undergirds patient-level data collection and analysis and will inform customization of the decision tool for this population. We will recruit 6 community-based primary care practices and conduct quantitative surveys and semistructured qualitative interviews with women who have chronic medical conditions, their primary care providers (PCPs), and clinic staff, as well as field observations of practice activities. Quantitative survey data will be summarized with simple descriptive statistics and relationships between participant characteristics and contraceptive recommendations (for PCPs), and current contraceptive use (for patients) will be examined using Fisher exact test. We will conduct thematic analysis of qualitative data from interviews and field observations. The integration of data will occur by comparing, contrasting, and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative findings to inform the future development and implementation of the intervention. RESULTS: We are currently enrolling practices and anticipate study completion in 15 months. CONCLUSIONS: This protocol describes the first phase of a multiphase mixed methods study to develop and implement a Web-based decision tool that is customized to meet the needs of women with chronic medical conditions in primary care settings. Study findings will promote contraceptive counseling via shared decision making and reflect evidence-based guidelines for contraceptive selection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03153644; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03153644 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6yUkA5lK8).