Disability Rating, Age at Death, and Cause of Death in U.S. Veterans with Service-Connected Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Maynard, Charles; Trivedi, Ranak; Nelson, Karin; Fihn, Stephan D

2018-03-26

The association between disability and cause of death in Veterans with service-connected disabilities has not been studied. The objective of this study was to compare age at death, military service and disability characteristics, including disability rating, and cause of death by year of birth. We also examined cause of death for specific service-connected conditions. This study used information from the VETSNET file, which is a snapshot of selected items from the Veterans Benefits Administration corporate database. We also used the National Death Index (NDI) for Veterans which is part of the VA Suicide Data Repository. In VETSNET, there were 758,324 Veterans who had a service-connected condition and died between the years 2004 and 2014. Using the scrambled social security number to link the two files resulted in 605,493 (80%) deceased Veterans. Age at death, sex, and underlying cause of death were obtained from the NDI for Veterans and military service characteristics and types of disability were acquired from VETSNET. We constructed age categories corresponding to period of service; birth years 1938 and earlier corresponded to Korea and World War II ("oldest"), birth years 1939-1957 to the Vietnam era ("middle"), and birth years 1958 and later to post Vietnam, Gulf War, and the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan ("youngest"). Sixty-two percent were in the oldest age category, 34% in the middle group, and 4% in the youngest one. The overall age at death was 75 ± 13 yr. Only 1.6% of decedents were women; among women 25% were in the youngest age group, while among men only 4% were in the youngest group. Most decedents were enlisted personnel, and 60% served in the U.S. Army. Nearly 61% had a disability rating of >50% and for the middle age group 54% had a disability rating of 100%. The most common service-connected conditions were tinnitus, hearing loss, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the oldest group, nearly half of deaths were due to

Views on life and death of physicians, nurses, cancer patients and general population in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Sekiya, Noriyasu; Kuroda, Yujiro; Nakajima, Kasumi; Iwamitsu, Yumi; Kanai, Yoshiaki; Miyashita, Mitsunori; Kotani, Midori; Kitazawa, Yutaka; Yamashita, Hideomi; Nakagawa, Keiichi

2017-01-01

This study aimed to investigate views on life and death among physicians, nurses, cancer patients, and the general population in Japan and examine factors affecting these views. We targeted 3,140 physicians, 470 nurses, 450 cancer patients, and 3,000 individuals from the general population. We used the Death Attitudes Inventory (DAI) to measure attitudes toward life and death. The collection rates were 35% (1,093/3,140), 78% (366/470), 69% (310/450), and 39% (1,180/3,000) for physicians, nurses, patients, and the general population, respectively. We found that age, sex, social role (i.e., physician, nurse, cancer patient, and general population) were significantly correlated with DAI subscales. Compared with general population, attitudes toward death of physicians, nurses and cancer patients differed significantly even after adjusted their age and sex. Our study is the first to analyze differences in views on life and death among physicians, nurses, cancer patients, and the general population in Japan.

Low-level radiation and cancer deaths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanders, B.S.

1978-01-01

It is stated that although the proportion of cancer deaths among males is somewhat higher for Hanford employees with recorded occupational radiation exposure compared with males in the general population of the State of Washington, there is no indication that radiation is the cause of this difference. Statistics are given for mean doses received and for deaths from cancer and other causes for male employees. It is shown that for each year the mean dose level of those who died from cancer is not significantly different from the mean of those who died from other causes. The mean dose level for the majority of those who died in a specific year is lower than the mean for the survivors in the year of death, in the year preceding the year of death, or in the two years preceding the year of death. This is true whether the mean was for those dying from cancer or from other causes. These relationships are similar for female exposed employees and agree with other similar studies. The latest analysis on longevity of exposed male Hanford employees vs those nonexposed and the out-of-plant controls from date of hire to April 1974 are considered and show no firm indication of any lasting adverse health effects among employees attributable to occupational exposure to radiation within permissible limits. (U.K.)

Relative Risks for Lethal Prostate Cancer Based on Complete Family History of Prostate Cancer Death.

Science.gov (United States)

Albright, Frederick S; Stephenson, Robert A; Agarwal, Neeraj; Cannon-Albright, Lisa A

2017-01-01

There are few published familial relative risks (RR) for lethal prostate cancer. This study estimates RRs for lethal prostate cancer based on comprehensive family history data, with the goal of improving identification of those men at highest risk of dying from prostate cancer. We used a population-based genealogical resource linked to a statewide electronic SEER cancer registry and death certificates to estimate relative risks (RR) for death from prostate cancer based upon family history. Over 600,000 male probands were analyzed, representing a variety of family history constellations of lethal prostate cancer. RR estimates were based on the ratio of the observed to the expected number of lethal prostate cancer cases using internal rates. RRs for lethal prostate cancer based on the number of affected first-degree relatives (FDR) ranged from 2.49 (95% CI: 2.27, 2.73) for exactly 1 FDR to 5.30 (2.13, 10.93) for ≥3 affected FDRs. In an absence of affected FDRs, increased risk was also significant for increasing numbers of affected second-degree or third degree relatives. Equivalent risks were observed for similar maternal and paternal family history. This study provides population-based estimates of lethal prostate cancer risk based on lethal prostate cancer family history. Many family history constellations associated with two to greater than five times increased risk for lethal prostate cancer were identified. These lethal prostate cancer risk estimates hold potential for use in identification, screening, early diagnosis, and treatment of men at high risk for death from prostate cancer. Prostate77:41-48, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cancer Deaths due to Lack of Universal Access to Radiotherapy in the Brazilian Public Health System.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendez, L C; Moraes, F Y; Fernandes, G Dos S; Weltman, E

2018-01-01

Radiotherapy plays a fundamental role in the treatment of cancer. Currently, the Brazilian public health system cannot match the national radiotherapy demand and many patients requiring radiotherapy are never exposed to this treatment. This study estimated the number of preventable deaths in the public health system if access to radiotherapy was universal. Incidence rates for the year 2016 provided by Instituto Nacional de Cancer were used in this analysis. The number of untreated patients requiring radiotherapy was obtained through the difference between the total number of patients requiring radiotherapy and the total amount of delivered radiotherapy treatments in the public health system. The number of deaths for the three most common cancers in each gender due to radiotherapy shortage was calculated. Initially, the total number of patients per cancer type was divided in stages using Brazilian epidemiological data. Subsequently, previously published tree arm diagrams were used to define the rate of patients requiring radiotherapy in each specific clinical setting. Finally, the clinical benefit of radiotherapy in overall survival was extracted from studies with level 1 evidence. Over 596 000 cancer cases were expected in Brazil in 2016. The public health system covers more than 75% of the Brazilian population and an estimated 111 432 patients who required radiotherapy in 2016 did not receive this treatment. Breast, colorectal and cervix cancers are the most frequent malignant tumours in women and prostate, lung and colorectal in men. The number of deaths due to a radiotherapy shortage in the year 2016 for these types of cancer were: (i) breast: 1011 deaths in 10 years; (ii) cervix: 2006 deaths in 2 years; (iii) lung: 1206 deaths in 2 years; (iv) prostate, intermediate risk: 562 deaths in 13 years; high risk: 298 deaths in 10 years; (v) colorectal: 0 deaths, as radiotherapy has no proven benefit in overall survival. Thousands of cancer patients requiring

Death Concerns among Individuals Newly Diagnosed with Lung Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Lehto, Rebecca; Therrien, Barbara

2010-01-01

Confronting the reality of death is an important challenge for individuals facing life-threatening illness such as lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death. Few studies, however, document the nature of death-related concerns in individuals newly diagnosed with lung cancer. The aims of this exploratory study were to examine unsolicited…

The place of death of patients with cancer in Kuwait.

Science.gov (United States)

Alshemmari, Salem H; Elbasmi, Amani A; Alsirafy, Samy A

2015-12-01

The place of death (PoD) has a significant effect on end-of-life care for patients dying of cancer. Little is known about the place of cancer deaths in our region. To identify the PoD of patients with cancer in Kuwait, we reviewed the death certificates submitted to the Kuwait Cancer Registry in 2009. Of 611 cancer deaths, 603 (98.7%) died in hospitals and only 6 (1%) patients died at home. More than half (57.3%) of inhospital deaths were in the Kuwait Cancer Control Center. Among those for whom the exact PoD within the hospital was identified (484 patients), 116 (24%) patients died in intensive care units and 12 (2.5%) patients died in emergency rooms. This almost exclusive inhospital death of patients with cancer in Kuwait is the highest ever reported. Research is needed to identify the reasons behind this pattern of PoD and to explore interventions promoting out-of-hospital death among terminally ill cancer patients in Kuwait. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

CHEK2*1100delC Heterozygosity in Women With Breast Cancer Associated With Early Death, Breast Cancer-Specific Death, and Increased Risk of a Second Breast Cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weischer, Maren; Nordestgaard, Børge G; Pharoah, Paul

2012-01-01

PURPOSE We tested the hypotheses that CHEK2*1100delC heterozygosity is associated with increased risk of early death, breast cancer-specific death, and risk of a second breast cancer in women with a first breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS From 22 studies participating in the Breast Cancer Assoc...

Causes of death of patients with lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Nichols, Larry; Saunders, Rachel; Knollmann, Friedrich D

2012-12-01

The causes of death for patients with lung cancer are inadequately described. To categorize the immediate and contributing causes of death for patients with lung cancer. The autopsies from 100 patients who died of lung cancer between 1990 and February 2011 were analyzed. Tumor burden was judged the immediate cause of death in 30 cases, including 26 cases of extensive metastases and 4 cases with wholly or primarily lung tumor burden (causing respiratory failure). Infection was the immediate cause of death for 20 patients, including 8 with sepsis and 12 with pneumonia. Complications of metastatic disease were the immediate causes of death in 18 cases, including 6 cases of hemopericardium from pericardial metastases, 3 from myocardial metastases, 3 from liver metastases, and 3 from brain metastases. Other immediate causes of death were pulmonary hemorrhage (12 cases), pulmonary embolism (10 cases, 2 tumor emboli), and pulmonary diffuse alveolar damage (7 cases). From a functional (pathophysiologic) perspective, respiratory failure could be regarded as the immediate cause of death (or mechanism of death) in 38 cases, usually because of a combination of lung conditions, including emphysema, airway obstruction, pneumonia, hemorrhage, embolism, resection, and lung injury in addition to the tumor. For 94 of the 100 patients, there were contributing causes of death, with an average of 2.5 contributing causes and up to 6 contributing causes of death. The numerous and complex ways lung cancer kills patients pose a challenge for efforts to extend and improve their lives.

HSMR : Comparing Death Rates Across UK Hospitals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ben Teeuwen; Thuy Ngo; Frans Nauta

2011-01-01

The Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio (HSMR) is a measurement tool that shows hospitals’ death rates. The HSMR compares deaths that occur in hospitals with death ratios that one would normally expect based on patients’ diseases. It is used as a benchmark for adjusted hospital death rates. These

Mortality rate of gastric cancer in the population of Belgrade for 1990-2002 period

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Šipetić Sandra B.

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Worldwide, gastric cancer is the fourth leading cause of diseases, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. Aim. To analyze the differences between men and women in mortality rate of gastric cancer in Belgrade from 1990−2002. Methods. Mortality rates standardized directly to the „World population“, and regression analysis were used. Results. In Belgrade population, 29.2% out the total number of deaths attributable to cancer were caused by gastric cancer. Gastric cancer was the second most common cause of death among digestive tract cancers. In women, in the period between 1990 and 1993, an average annual decline of mortality was 9.0% (95% confidence interval (CI = 5.9−13.1, and between 1994 and 2002, an average annual increase was 10.3% (CI = 8.4−12.6. Mortality rate series of gastric cancer in men did not fit any of the usual trend functions. The male/female gastric cancer mortality ratio was 1.7 : 1. Mortality rates for gastric cancer rose with age in both sexes and they were highest in the age group of 70 and more years. From 1990−2002, in both sexes aged 70 years and more, mortality from gastric cancer rose by 67.2% (CI = 58.0−76.4 in men and by 69.6% (CI = 60.6−78.6 in women. During the same period, the death rates in men decreased by 75.9 % (CI = 67.5−84.4 in the age group of 30−39 years, and by 48.1% (CI = 38.4−57.9 in women aged 50−59 years. In both sexes mortality rate series of all other age groups did not fit any of the usual trend functions. Conclusions. The increase in mortality rate of gastric in women over the past few years, showed the necessity of instituting primary and secondary preventive measures.

Impact of time since diagnosis and mortality rate on cancer-associated venous thromboembolism - the Scandinavian Thrombosis and Cancer (STAC) cohort

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blix, Kristine; Gran, Olga V; Severinsen, Marianne T

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication in cancer, and studies suggest that aggressive cancers harvest the highest risk of VTE. However, competing risk by death may result in over-estimation of VTE risk in cancers with high mortality. Therefore, we estimated the risk...... narrowed for all cancer sites after competing risk by death was taken into account (from 1-10% to 1-4%). CONCLUSION: The risk of VTE by cancer sites was influenced by the mortality rate and the time since cancer diagnosis. Our findings suggest that the cancer itself is a major contributor to VTE risk...... and that competing risk by death should be taken into account when exploring VTE risk in cancer. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved....

[Causes of death among prostate cancer patients of different ages].

Science.gov (United States)

Dariy, E V

2016-02-01

To date, there is no unified approach to evaluating and treating patients with suspected prostate cancer taking into account their age and comorbidities. That was the rationale for conducting this study. To assess the clinical course of prostate cancer in men of all ages with comorbidities. The study included 408 patients aged 50 to 92 years (mean age 74.3 years) with histologically verified prostate cancer. 30 (7.4%) patients had stage T1 disease, 273 (66.9%) - T2, 91 (22.3%) - T3 and 14 (3.4%) - T4. The maximum follow-up was 22 years, the minimum one - 6 months (on average 15.4 years). During the follow-up 159 patients died (39%), 51 of them (32%) of prostate cancer, 108 (68%) - from other diseases. Among the latter the causes of death were cancer (20.4%), cardiovascular and bronchopulmonary diseases (79.6%). Cancer-specific survival rate was 41.4 +/-12,4%, the survival rate for other diseases 23.4 +/-10,6% (pcancer, especially of old age, including the option for active surveillance of patients with clinically insignificant prostate cancer.

Does childhood cancer affect parental divorce rates? A population-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Syse, Astri; Loge, Jon H; Lyngstad, Torkild H

2010-02-10

PURPOSE Cancer in children may profoundly affect parents' personal relationships in terms of psychological stress and an increased care burden. This could hypothetically elevate divorce rates. Few studies on divorce occurrence exist, so the effect of childhood cancers on parental divorce rates was explored. PATIENTS AND METHODS Data on the entire Norwegian married population, age 17 to 69 years, with children age 0 to 20 years in 1974 to 2001 (N = 977,928 couples) were retrieved from the Cancer Registry, the Central Population Register, the Directorate of Taxes, and population censuses. Divorce rates for 4,590 couples who were parenting a child with cancer were compared with those of otherwise similar couples by discrete-time hazard regression models. Results Cancer in a child was not associated with an increased risk of parental divorce overall. An increased divorce rate was observed with Wilms tumor (odds ratio [OR], 1.52) but not with any of the other common childhood cancers. The child's age at diagnosis, time elapsed from diagnosis, and death from cancer did not influence divorce rates significantly. Increased divorce rates were observed for couples in whom the mothers had an education greater than high school level (OR, 1.16); the risk was particularly high shortly after diagnosis, for CNS cancers and Wilms tumors, for couples with children 0 to 9 years of age at diagnosis, and after a child's death. CONCLUSION This large, registry-based study shows that cancer in children is not associated with an increased parental divorce rate, except with Wilms tumors. Couples in whom the wife is highly educated appear to face increased divorce rates after a child's cancer, and this may warrant additional study.

Inequalities in Cancer Deaths by Age, Gender and Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Gróf, Marek; Vagašová, Tatiana; Oltman, Marián; Skladaný, Ľubomír; Maličká, Lenka

2017-12-01

The economy of each state provides a significant amount of money into the health care system with the aim of knowing the health status of its population in the context of socioeconomic characteristics for effective resource allocation. In recent years, there is a growing number of cancer deaths in Slovakia. Therefore, the structure of cancer deaths according to its primary determinants, such as age, sex and education with the aim of effective implementation of prevention programs in Slovakia was examined. Main source of data on deaths from 1996 to 2014 was provided by National Health Information Centre in Slovakia. However, data were available only from 2011. Standardized mortality rate per 100,000 inhabitants was estimated by the method of direct standardization using European standard population. The R project for statistical computing was used for calculation of statistically significant differences among various groups of mortality. The results show that people with primary education die from cancer later than people with higher education. However, major differences related to both sex and age are present in people with university education. A different variety of cancers occur in childhood (neoplasm of brain), adolescents (neoplasm of bone), young adults (neoplasm of brain), or adults (lung cancer and breast cancer). Malignant neoplasm of brain was more prevalent at higher education levels, Malignant neoplasm of bladder and Malignant melanoma of skin were more prevalent at the university level of education. The results can be useful for economists to define the health priorities in each country, make the financial decisions in economics, and thus contribute to better health, economic growth, as well as effective spending of health expenditures. Copyright© by the National Institute of Public Health, Prague 2017.

Nerve Growth Factor in Cancer Cell Death and Survival

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molloy, Niamh H.; Read, Danielle E.; Gorman, Adrienne M.

2011-01-01

One of the major challenges for cancer therapeutics is the resistance of many tumor cells to induction of cell death due to pro-survival signaling in the cancer cells. Here we review the growing literature which shows that neurotrophins contribute to pro-survival signaling in many different types of cancer. In particular, nerve growth factor, the archetypal neurotrophin, has been shown to play a role in tumorigenesis over the past decade. Nerve growth factor mediates its effects through its two cognate receptors, TrkA, a receptor tyrosine kinase and p75 NTR , a member of the death receptor superfamily. Depending on the tumor origin, pro-survival signaling can be mediated by TrkA receptors or by p75 NTR . For example, in breast cancer the aberrant expression of nerve growth factor stimulates proliferative signaling through TrkA and pro-survival signaling through p75 NTR . This latter signaling through p75 NTR promotes increased resistance to the induction of cell death by chemotherapeutic treatments. In contrast, in prostate cells the p75 NTR mediates cell death and prevents metastasis. In prostate cancer, expression of this receptor is lost, which contributes to tumor progression by allowing cells to survive, proliferate and metastasize. This review focuses on our current knowledge of neurotrophin signaling in cancer, with a particular emphasis on nerve growth factor regulation of cell death and survival in cancer

Association of sense of coherence and supernatural beliefs with death anxiety and death depression among Romanian cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Postolică, Roxana; Enea, Violeta; Dafinoiu, Ion; Petrov, Iuliana; Azoicăi, Doina

2018-02-02

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association of supernatural beliefs and sense of coherence with death anxiety and death depression in a Romanian sample of cancer patients. We found support for the terror management theory worldview defence hypothesis postulating the presence of a curvilinear relation between death anxiety and supernatural beliefs among cancer patients. Results conformed to an inverted U-shape quadratic regression, indicating that cancer patients who scored moderately on supernatural beliefs were afraid of death the most, while death anxiety was lowest for the extreme atheists and extreme believers in supernatural entities.

Public reaction to the death of Steve Jobs: implications for cancer communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Myrick, Jessica Gall; Noar, Seth M; Willoughby, Jessica Fitts; Brown, Jennifer

2014-01-01

The present study aimed to examine the public reaction to the death of Steve Jobs, focusing on general and cancer-specific information seeking and interpersonal communication. Shortly after Jobs's death, employees from a large university in the Southeastern United States (N = 1,398) completed a web-based survey. Every employee had heard about Steve Jobs's death, and 97% correctly identified pancreatic cancer as the cause of his death. General (50%) and pancreatic cancer-specific (7%) information seeking, as well as general (74%) and pancreatic cancer-specific (17%) interpersonal communication, took place in response to Steve Jobs's death. In multivariate logistic regression analyses controlling for demographics and several cancer-oriented variables, both identification with Steve Jobs and cancer worry in response to Steve Jobs's death significantly (p < .05) predicted pancreatic cancer information seeking as well as interpersonal communication about pancreatic cancer. Additional analyses revealed that cancer worry partially mediated the effects of identification on these outcome variables. Implications of these results for future research as well as cancer prevention and communication efforts are discussed.

Nerve Growth Factor in Cancer Cell Death and Survival

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molloy, Niamh H.; Read, Danielle E.; Gorman, Adrienne M., E-mail: adrienne.gorman@nuigalway.ie [Apoptosis Research Centre, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway (Ireland)

2011-02-01

One of the major challenges for cancer therapeutics is the resistance of many tumor cells to induction of cell death due to pro-survival signaling in the cancer cells. Here we review the growing literature which shows that neurotrophins contribute to pro-survival signaling in many different types of cancer. In particular, nerve growth factor, the archetypal neurotrophin, has been shown to play a role in tumorigenesis over the past decade. Nerve growth factor mediates its effects through its two cognate receptors, TrkA, a receptor tyrosine kinase and p75{sup NTR}, a member of the death receptor superfamily. Depending on the tumor origin, pro-survival signaling can be mediated by TrkA receptors or by p75{sup NTR}. For example, in breast cancer the aberrant expression of nerve growth factor stimulates proliferative signaling through TrkA and pro-survival signaling through p75{sup NTR}. This latter signaling through p75{sup NTR} promotes increased resistance to the induction of cell death by chemotherapeutic treatments. In contrast, in prostate cells the p75{sup NTR} mediates cell death and prevents metastasis. In prostate cancer, expression of this receptor is lost, which contributes to tumor progression by allowing cells to survive, proliferate and metastasize. This review focuses on our current knowledge of neurotrophin signaling in cancer, with a particular emphasis on nerve growth factor regulation of cell death and survival in cancer.

Statistical Survey of Deaths from Non melanoma Skin Cancer in Japan during 54 Years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohtsuka, H.

2011-01-01

The author analyzed the annual trends in the number of deaths from non melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) from 1955 to 2008 in Japan on the basis of the data from the Vital Statistics of Japan. The general trends in the number of deaths from NMSC were downward between 1979 to 1994, but upward after 1995. The general trends in age-standardized death rates were roughly downward, although the death rates plateaued after 1995. The recent annual increased ratio of deaths from NMSC was 3.8% (95% confidence interval: 2.7∼4.9%). The number and proportion of deaths from NMSC among the elderly were increasing in Japan. For females, more than 50% of the deaths occurred recently at or after 85 years of age, whereas, for males, this proportion was at or after 75 years of age, nearly reaching at or after 80 years of age.

Trends in compensation for deaths from occupational cancer in Canada: a descriptive study.

Science.gov (United States)

Del Bianco, Ann; Demers, Paul A

2013-09-01

Occupational cancer is the leading cause of work-related deaths, yet it is often unrecognized and under reported, and associated claims for compensation go unfiled. We sought to examine trends in deaths from occupational cancer, high-risk industries and exposures, and commonly compensated categories of occupational cancers. In addition, we compared deaths from occupational lung cancer for which compensation had been given with total deaths from lung cancer. We used data from the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada pertaining to the nature and source of the injury or disease and the industry in which it occurred (by jurisdiction) to describe trends in compensated claims for deaths from occupational cancer in Canada for the period 1997-2010. We used data published by the Canadian Cancer Society in Canadian Cancer Statistics to compare compensated occupational lung cancer deaths with total estimated lung cancer deaths for the period between 2006 and 2010. Compensated claims for deaths from occupational cancer have increased in recent years and surpassed those for traumatic injuries and disorders in Canada, particularly in Ontario. Between 1997 and 2010, one-half of all compensated deaths from occupational cancer in Canada were from Ontario. High-risk industries for occupational cancer include manufacturing, construction, mining and, more recently, government services. Deaths from lung cancer and mesothelioma comprise most of the compensated claims for deaths from occupational cancer in Ontario and Canada. These diseases are usually the result of asbestos exposure. The burden of other occupational carcinogens is not reflected in claims data. Although the number of accepted claims for deaths from occupational cancers has increased in recent years, these claims likely only represent a fraction of the true burden of this problem. Increased education of patients, workers at high risk of exposure and health care providers is needed to ensure that people

Anxiety, helplessness/hopelessness and 'desire for hastened death' in Korean cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Shim, E-J; Hahm, B-J

2011-05-01

Despite a relatively high rate of suicide associated with cancer, this issue has not been explored in Korean patients. This study investigates the prevalence and factors related to 'the desire for hastened death' (DHD) in Korean cancer patients. A cross-sectional survey using standardised measures, including the Schedule of Attitudes toward Hastened Death and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, was performed with 131 patients with different types of cancer. 13.7% of the participants experienced moderate DHD (Schedule of Attitudes toward Hastened Death scores 5-9) and 1.7% experienced high DHD (≥10). Socio-demographic and disease-associated factors of the DHD included age, overall health and shortness of breath. The majority of psychosocial variables such as sadness, distress, 'helplessness/hopelessness' and 'anxious preoccupation' had a moderate association with DHD. Patients with a clinically significant level of anxiety or depression reported higher levels of DHD. Other significant correlates included 'meaning/peace', a sense of burdening family, dignity impairment and suicidal thoughts after diagnosis. Helplessness/hopelessness and anxiety were the strongest predictors of DHD in multivariate analysis. In view of significant role of helplessness/hopelessness and anxiety in the DHD of cancer patients, careful monitoring and management of these factors should be an integral part of cancer care to reduce the occurrence of DHD. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Cladoceran birth and death rates estimates

OpenAIRE

Gabriel, Wilfried; Taylor, B. E.; Kirsch-Prokosch, Susanne

1987-01-01

I. Birth and death rates of natural cladoceran populations cannot be measured directly. Estimates of these population parameters must be calculated using methods that make assumptions about the form of population growth. These methods generally assume that the population has a stable age distribution. 2. To assess the effect of variable age distributions, we tested six egg ratio methods for estimating birth and death rates with data from thirty-seven laboratory populations of Daphnia puli...

High rates of advanced gastric cancer in community of Flushing, New York.

Science.gov (United States)

Dinani, Amreen; Desai, Amit; Kohn, Nina; Gutkin, Ellen; Nussbaum, Michel; Somnay, Kaumudi

2012-03-01

Gastric cancer remains a major public health issue and is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 600,000 deaths annually. Over the last decades, there has been a steady decline in the incidence rates of gastric cancer. Furthermore, the incidence rates of gastric cancer in different parts of the country vary due to epidemiological and migration trends. Despite these trends, several studies that have continued to observe high rates of gastric cancer in populations that come from high-risk regions. The aim of the study was to describe the gastric cancer patients presenting NYHQ with an emphasis on those presenting at a young age and advanced disease. A subanalysis of the Asian population was also done, which is considered a high-risk group. Consecutive chart review of patients admitted with gastric cancer from January 2000 to August 2008 was extracted from the Oncology registry at NYHQ. Parameters that were evaluated were age, sex, race, type of gastric cancer, and stage of gastric cancer at initial presentation. The SAS/PC software package (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) was employed for statistical analyses. Four hundred fifty-seven patients were diagnosed with gastric cancer. Approximately one third of the total patients were younger than 60 years of age. Of the Asian patients, almost half the patients (48.8%) had advanced disease of which two thirds were under the age of 60 years. The rates of advanced gastric cancer observed at NYHQ are significant and comparable to recent epidemiology literature on rates in Asian populations in Asia. Communities, like Flushing, NY, may benefit from early detection of gastric cancers, similar to those instituted in Japan and Taiwan.

Survival rate of breast cancer patients in Malaysia: a population-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, Nor Aini; Wan Mahiyuddin, Wan Rozita; Muhammad, Nor Asiah; Ali, Zainudin Mohamad; Ibrahim, Lailanor; Ibrahim Tamim, Nor Saleha; Mustafa, Amal Nasir; Kamaluddin, Muhammad Amir

2013-01-01

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Malaysian women. Other than hospital-based results, there are no documented population-based survival rates of Malaysian women for breast cancers. This population- based retrospective cohort study was therefore conducted. Data were obtained from Health Informatics Centre, Ministry of Health Malaysia, National Cancer Registry and National Registration Department for the period from 1st Jan 2000 to 31st December 2005. Cases were captured by ICD-10 and linked to death certificates to identify the status. Only complete data were analysed. Survival time was calculated from the estimated date of diagnosis to the date of death or date of loss to follow-up. Observed survival rates were estimated by Kaplan- Meier method using SPSS Statistical Software version 17. A total of 10,230 complete data sets were analysed. The mean age at diagnosis was 50.6 years old. The overall 5-year survival rate was 49% with median survival time of 68.1 months. Indian women had a higher survival rate of 54% compared to Chinese women (49%) and Malays (45%). The overall 5-year survival rate of breast cancer patient among Malaysian women was still low for the cohort of 2000 to 2005 as compared to survival rates in developed nations. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the strategies for early detection and intervention.

Oesophageal-cancer-derived death in the population of Belgrade in a period 1989-2006

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janković Janko

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim. Oesophageal cancer is the sixth most common cause of death from all malignant tumors in the world (fifth in men, eighth in women. This cancer was estimated to account for about 529 000 new cases and about 442 000 deaths in the year 2007. In the year 2002 the highest standardized mortality rates (per 100 000 habitants of oesophageal carcinoma were noticed in the East Asia (men/women: 18.8/7.7 and East Africa (18.6/7.8, while the lowest were noticed in the Middle Africa (1.4/0.2 and West Africa (1.3/0.5. The aim of this descriptive epidemiologic study was to analyze epidemiologic situation of oesophageal cancer in Belgrade population during the period 1989-2006, using mortality data. Methods. Mortality data were collected from the City Organization for Statistics. In data analysis we used mortality rates which were standardized directly using those of the world population as the standard, and proportions. A denominator for mortality rates was calculated using the Belgrade population which was an average of the two latest register years (1991 and 2002. In order to analyze trend mortality from oesophageal cancer we used linear trend. Results. In Belgrade deaths from oesophageal cancer accounted for about 5.2% of all malignant tumors of intestinal system in male population, and 2.4% in female population. This cancer is, according to standardized mortality rates (per 100 000 habitants, on the fifth place in Belgrade population behind colorectal, stomach, pancreatic, liver and cholecystic cancer. During the period 1989-2006 in Belgrade 44 persons died from oesophageal carcinoma on the average each year, mainly men (75%, and the rest were women (25%. In male population during the same period we noticed a significant increase in trend mortality (y = 1.61 + 0.06x, p = 0.001, while in female population the increase of mortality was not significant. The male/female oesophageal cancer mortality ratio was 3:1. Mortality rates for oesophageal

Chronological shifts and changing causes of death after radiotherapy for early-stage oral cancer.

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Fujisawa, Rina; Shibuya, Hitoshi; Harata, Naoki; Yuasa-Nakagawa, Keiko; Toda, Kazuma; Hayashi, Keiji

2014-02-01

Following recent improvements in the curability of oral cancer, chronological shifts and changes in the causes of death after treatment have been observed. We conducted a review of the post-treatment causes of death following radiotherapy for oral cancers. The medical records of 966 patients with early-stage (stage I and II) oral cancer treated at our institute between 1980 and 2001 were reviewed, and the chronological shifts and changes in the causes of death after radiotherapy were assessed. Of the 966 patients enrolled in this study, 365 have died to date. Two hundred and eleven patients died of their primary malignancy; 193 of these deaths occurred within 5 years of treatment for the primary oral cancer. The second most frequent cause of death was second primary cancer (n = 90). Twenty-three patients with head and neck cancers and 18 patients with esophageal cancers died within 10 years of radiotherapy, and six patients with lung cancers died after more than 10 years. Within the first 5 years following treatment, the major cause of death was the primary oral cancer. After 5-10 years, a second primary cancer, such as head and neck cancer or esophageal cancer, became the leading cause of death. Over a 10-year period, the proportion of deaths from a second primary cancer in the lung was significant. We have demonstrated that there are chronological shifts and changes in the causes of death following treatment for early-stage oral cancer.

Can deaths in police cells be prevented? Experience from Norway and death rates in other countries.

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Aasebø, Willy; Orskaug, Gunnar; Erikssen, Jan

2016-01-01

To describe the changes in death rates and causes of deaths in Norwegian police cells during the last 2 decades. To review reports on death rates in police cells that have been published in medical journals and elsewhere, and discuss the difficulties of comparing death rates between countries. Data on deaths in Norwegian police cells were collected retrospectively in 2002 and 2012 for two time periods: 1993-2001 (period 1) and 2003-2012 (period 2). Several databases were searched to find reports on deaths in police cells from as many countries as possible. The death rates in Norwegian police cells reduced significantly from 0.83 deaths per year per million inhabitants (DYM) in period 1 to 0.22 DYM in period 2 (p police cells reduced by about 75% over a period of approximately 10 years. This is probably mainly due to individuals with severe alcohol intoxication no longer being placed in police cells. However, there remain large methodology difficulties in comparing deaths rates between countries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Prostate cancer in South Africa: pathology based national cancer registry data (1986-2006) and mortality rates (1997-2009).

Science.gov (United States)

Babb, Chantal; Urban, Margaret; Kielkowski, Danuta; Kellett, Patricia

2014-01-01

Prostate cancer is one of the most common male cancers globally; however little is known about prostate cancer in Africa. Incidence data for prostate cancer in South Africa (SA) from the pathology based National Cancer Registry (1986-2006) and data on mortality (1997-2009) from Statistics SA were analysed. World standard population denominators were used to calculate age specific incidence and mortality rates (ASIR and ASMR) using the direct method. Prostate cancer was the most common male cancer in all SA population groups (excluding basal cell carcinoma). There are large disparities in the ASIR between black, white, coloured, and Asian/Indian populations: 19, 65, 46, and 19 per 100 000, respectively, and ASMR was 11, 7, 52, and 6 per 100 000, respectively. Prostate cancer was the second leading cause of cancer death, accounting for around 13% of male deaths from a cancer. The average age at diagnosis was 68 years and 74 years at death. For SA the ASIR increased from 16.8 in 1986 to 30.8 in 2006, while the ASMR increased from 12.3 in 1997 to 16.7 in 2009. There has been a steady increase of incidence and mortality from prostate cancer in SA.

The indeterminate rate problem for birth-death processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Doorn, Erik A.

1987-01-01

A birth-death process is completely determined by its set of rates if and only if this set satisfies a certain condition C, say. If for a set of rates R the condition C is not fulfilled, then the problem arises of characterizing all birth-death processes which have rate set R (the indeterminate rate

Years of Life and Productivity Loss from Potentially Avoidable Colorectal Cancer Deaths in U.S. Counties with Lower Educational Attainment (2008-2012).

Science.gov (United States)

Weir, Hannah K; Li, Chunyu; Henley, S Jane; Joseph, Djenaba

2017-05-01

Background: Educational attainment (EA) is inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk. Colorectal cancer screening can save lives if precancerous polyps or early cancers are found and successfully treated. This study aims to estimate the potential productivity loss (PPL) and associated avoidable colorectal cancer-related deaths among screen-eligible adults residing in lower EA counties in the United States. Methods: Mortality and population data were used to examine colorectal cancer deaths (2008-2012) among adults aged 50 to 74 years in lower EA counties, and to estimate the expected number of deaths using the mortality experience from high EA counties. Excess deaths (observed-expected) were used to estimate potential years life lost, and the human capital method was used to estimate PPL in 2012 U.S. dollars. Results: County-level colorectal cancer death rates were inversely associated with county-level EA. Of the 100,857 colorectal cancer deaths in lower EA counties, we estimated that more than 21,000 (1 in 5) was potentially avoidable and resulted in nearly $2 billion annual productivity loss. Conclusions: County-level EA disparities contribute to a large number of potentially avoidable colorectal cancer-related deaths. Increased prevention and improved screening potentially could decrease deaths and help reduce the associated economic burden in lower EA communities. Increased screening could further reduce deaths in all EA groups. Impact: These results estimate the large economic impact of potentially avoidable colorectal cancer-related deaths in economically disadvantaged communities, as measured by lower EA. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(5); 736-42. ©2016 AACR . ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

Clinical presentation and in-hospital death in acute pulmonary embolism: does cancer matter?

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Casazza, Franco; Becattini, Cecilia; Rulli, Eliana; Pacchetti, Ilaria; Floriani, Irene; Biancardi, Marco; Scardovi, Angela Beatrice; Enea, Iolanda; Bongarzoni, Amedeo; Pignataro, Luigi; Agnelli, Giancarlo

2016-09-01

Cancer is one of the most common risk factors for acute pulmonary embolism (PE), but only few studies report on the short-term outcome of patients with PE and a history of cancer. The aim of the study was to assess whether a cancer diagnosis affects the clinical presentation and short-term outcome in patients hospitalized for PE who were included in the Italian Pulmonary Embolism Registry. All-cause and PE-related in-hospital deaths were also analyzed. Out of 1702 patients, 451 (26.5 %) of patients had a diagnosis of cancer: cancer was known at presentation in 365, or diagnosed during the hospital stay for PE in 86 (19 % of cancer patients). Patients with and without cancer were similar concerning clinical status at presentation. Patients with cancer less commonly received thrombolytic therapy, and more often had an inferior vena cava filter inserted. Major or intracranial bleeding was not different between groups. In-hospital all-cause death occurred in 8.4 and 5.9 % of patients with and without cancer, respectively. At multivariate analysis, cancer (OR 2.24, 95 % CI 1.27-3.98; P = 0.006) was an independent predictor of in-hospital death. Clinical instability, PE recurrence, age ≥75 years, recent bed rest ≥3 days, but not cancer, were independent predictors of in-hospital death due to PE. Cancer seems a weaker predictor of all-cause in-hospital death compared to other factors; the mere presence of cancer, without other risk factors, leads to a probability of early death of 2 %. In patients with acute PE, cancer increases the probability of in-hospital all-cause death, but does not seem to affect the clinical presentation or the risk of in-hospital PE-related death.

Validation and application of a death proxy in adult cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Mealing, Nicole M; Dobbins, Timothy A; Pearson, Sallie-Anne

2012-07-01

PURPOSE: Fact of death is not always available on data sets used for pharmacoepidemiological research. Proxies may be an appropriate substitute in the absence of death data. The purposes of this study were to validate a proxy for death in adult cancer patients and to assess its performance when estimating survival in two cohorts of cancer patients. METHODS: We evaluated 30-, 60-, 90- and 180-day proxies overall and by cancer type using data from 12 394 Australian veterans with lung, colorectal, breast or prostate cancer. The proxy indicated death if the difference between the last dispensing record and the end of the observational period exceeded the proxy cutoff. We then compared actual survival to 90-day proxy estimates in a subset of 4090 veterans with 'full entitlements' for pharmaceutical items and in 3704 Australian women receiving trastuzumab for HER2+ metastatic breast cancer. RESULTS: The 90-day proxy was optimal with an overall sensitivity of 99.3% (95%CI: 98.4-99.7) and a specificity of 97.6% (95%CI: 91.8-99.4). These measures remained high when evaluated by cancer type and spread of disease. The application of the proxy using the most conservative date of death estimate (date of last dispensing) generally underestimated survival, with estimates up to 3 months shorter than survival based on fact of death. CONCLUSIONS: A 90-day death proxy is a robust substitute to identify death in a chronic population when fact of death is not available. The proxy is likely to be valid across a range of chronic diseases as it relies on the presence of 'regular' dispensing records for individual patients. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Abu Hassan, Muhammad Radzi; Ismail, Ibtisam; Mohd Suan, Mohd Azri; Ahmad, Faizah; Wan Khazim, Wan Khamizar; Othman, Zabedah; Mat Said, Rosaida; Tan, Wei Leong; Mohammed, Siti Rahmah Noor Syahireen; Soelar, Shahrul Aiman; Nik Mustapha, Nik Raihan

2016-01-01

This is the first study that estimates the incidence and mortality rate for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in Malaysia by sex and ethnicity. The 4,501 patients were selected from National Cancer Patient Registry-Colorectal Cancer data. Patient survival status was cross-checked with the National Registration Department. The age-standardised rate (ASR) was calculated as the proportion of CRC cases (incidence) and deaths (mortality) from 2008 to 2013, weighted by the age structure of the population, as determined by the Department of Statistics Malaysia and the World Health Organization world standard population distribution. The overall incidence rate for CRC was 21.32 cases per 100,000. Those of Chinese ethnicity had the highest CRC incidence (27.35), followed by the Malay (18.95), and Indian (17.55) ethnicities. The ASR incidence rate of CRC was 1.33 times higher among males than females (24.16 and 18.14 per 100,000, respectively). The 2011 (44.7%) CRC deaths were recorded. The overall ASR of mortality was 9.79 cases, with 11.85 among the Chinese, followed by 9.56 among the Malays and 7.08 among the Indians. The ASR of mortality was 1.42 times higher among males (11.46) than females (8.05). CRC incidence and mortality is higher in males than females. Individuals of Chinese ethnicity have the highest incidence of CRC, followed by the Malay and Indian ethnicities. The same trends were observed for the age-standardised mortality rate.

Measuring death-related anxiety in advanced cancer: preliminary psychometrics of the Death and Dying Distress Scale.

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Lo, Christopher; Hales, Sarah; Zimmermann, Camilla; Gagliese, Lucia; Rydall, Anne; Rodin, Gary

2011-10-01

The alleviation of distress associated with death and dying is a central goal of palliative care, despite the lack of routine measurement of this outcome. In this study, we introduce the Death and Dying Distress Scale (DADDS), a new, brief measure we have developed to assess death-related anxiety in advanced cancer and other palliative populations. We describe its preliminary psychometrics based on a sample of 33 patients with advanced or metastatic cancer. The DADDS broadly captures distress about the loss of time and opportunity, the process of death and dying, and its impact on others. The initial version of the scale has a one-factor structure and good internal reliability. Dying and death-related distress was positively associated with depression and negatively associated with spiritual, emotional, physical, and functional well-being, providing early evidence of construct validity. This distress was relatively common, with 45% of the sample scoring in the upper reaches of the scale, suggesting that the DADDS may be a relevant outcome for palliative intervention. We conclude by presenting a revised 15-item version of the scale for further study in advanced cancer and other palliative populations.

Cause and place of death in patients dying with colorectal cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, O M; John, S K P; Horseman, N; Lawrance, R J; Fozard, J B J

2007-03-01

Few studies on colorectal cancer look at the one-third of patients for whom treatment fails and who need a management strategy for death. This paper has examined the mode and place of death in patients with colorectal cancer. This study was a review of 209 deaths, analysed between January 2001 and September 2004 by retrospective review of a prospectively collected database. A total of 118 patients (group 1) had undergone resection of their primary colorectal cancer, 20 (group 2) had had a defunctioning stoma or bypass surgery and the remaining 71 patients (group 3) had either had no surgery, an open and close laparotomy or had a colonic stent. One hundred and fifty-six (75%) patients died of colorectal cancer with the remainder dying of other causes. The number of admissions to hospital and the number of days spent in hospital from diagnosis to death were greatest in group 1. Overall, only 34 patients (22%) dying from colorectal cancer died at home. Forty (26%) died in hospital and 70 (45%) died in a palliative care unit. Patients dying from colorectal cancer who undergo surgical resection of their primary tumour spend more time between diagnosis and death in hospital. They are also more likely to die in hospital than patients treated by surgical palliation or nonsurgically. Patients who are treated palliatively from the outset (group 3) are most likely to die at home. If hospital is accepted as an appropriate place for death from colorectal cancer, then greater provision for this should be made.

Estimates of cancer deaths attributable to behavioural risk factors in Italy, 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Battisti, Francesca; Carreras, Giulia; Grassi, Tommaso; Chellini, Elisabetta; Gorini, Giuseppe

2017-01-01

"Non-communicable diseases cause more than 80% of deaths in europe and, among these, 20% are caused by cancer. Modifiable lifestyle factors considered in the italian national programme "Guadagnare salute" (Gaining health), such as tobacco smoking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, overweight, and excessive alcohol use, are amongst the major causes of cancer deaths. The aims of this study was to estimate the number of deaths attributable to lifestyle factors for italy and for italian regions in 2013 and to describe its variation in relation to the regional prevalence of risk factors exposure. For Italy and for each italian region, deaths attributable to lifestyle factors were estimated using the methodology of the Global Burden of disease (GBd) study. italian mortality data of 2013 and risks attributable to these lifestyle factors for each cancer site for italy from the GBd study were used. Prevalence of exposure to lifestyles in Italy and in each Italian Region was collected for the period 2008-2013. In 2013, at least 66,605 cancer deaths in italy were attributable to lifestyle factors, accounting for 37.9% of all cancer deaths: 34.1% of cancer deaths in men and 9.0% in women were attributable to smoking; in men and women, respectively, 3.3% and 2.8% were attributable to excessive alcohol consumption; 5.3 % and 6.7% to overweight; 10.1% and 7.1% to dietary risk factors; 1.9% and 4.2% to physical inactivity. A moderate variability of percentage of deaths attributable to modifi able lifestyle factors by region was also detected due to different prevalence values of exposure to lifestyles occurred in last decades. At least 45,000 cancer deaths in men and 21,000 in women occurred in 2013 were attributable to modifi able risk factors, whose prevalence varied by region and which could be averted through the implementation of primary prevention interventions."

Causes of death in long-term survivors of head and neck cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Baxi, Shrujal S; Pinheiro, Laura C; Patil, Sujata M; Pfister, David G; Oeffinger, Kevin C; Elkin, Elena B

2014-05-15

Survivors of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) face excess mortality from multiple causes. We used the population-based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry data to evaluate the causes of death in patients with nonmetastatic HNSCC diagnosed between 1992 and 2005 who survived at least 3 years from diagnosis (long-term survivors). We used competing-risks proportional hazards regression to estimate probabilities of death from causes: HNSCC, second primary malignancy (SPM) excluding HNSCC, cardiovascular disease, and other causes. We identified 35,958 three-year survivors of HNSCC with a median age at diagnosis of 60 years (range = 18-100 years) and a median follow-up of 7.7 years (range = 3-18 years). There were 13,120 deaths during the study period. Death from any cause at 5 and 10 years was 15.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 15.0%-15.8%) and 41.0% (95% CI = 40.4%-41.6%), respectively. There were 3852 HNSCC deaths including both primary and subsequent head and neck tumors. The risk of death from HNSCC was greater in patients with nasopharynx or hypopharynx cancer and in patients with locally advanced disease. SPM was the leading cause of non-HNSCC death, and the most common sites of SPM death were lung (53%), esophagus (10%), and colorectal (5%) cancer. Many long-term HNSCC survivors die from cancers other than HNSCC and from noncancer causes. Routine follow-up care for HNSCC survivors should expand beyond surveillance for recurrent and new head and neck cancers. © 2014 American Cancer Society.

Incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer in Malaysia

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Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan

2016-03-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES This is the first study that estimates the incidence and mortality rate for colorectal cancer (CRC patients in Malaysia by sex and ethnicity. METHODS The 4,501 patients were selected from National Cancer Patient Registry-Colorectal Cancer data. Patient survival status was cross-checked with the National Registration Department. The age-standardised rate (ASR was calculated as the proportion of CRC cases (incidence and deaths (mortality from 2008 to 2013, weighted by the age structure of the population, as determined by the Department of Statistics Malaysia and the World Health Organization world standard population distribution. RESULTS The overall incidence rate for CRC was 21.32 cases per 100,000. Those of Chinese ethnicity had the highest CRC incidence (27.35, followed by the Malay (18.95, and Indian (17.55 ethnicities. The ASR incidence rate of CRC was 1.33 times higher among males than females (24.16 and 18.14 per 100,000, respectively. The 2011 (44.7% CRC deaths were recorded. The overall ASR of mortality was 9.79 cases, with 11.85 among the Chinese, followed by 9.56 among the Malays and 7.08 among the Indians. The ASR of mortality was 1.42 times higher among males (11.46 than females (8.05. CONCLUSIONS CRC incidence and mortality is higher in males than females. Individuals of Chinese ethnicity have the highest incidence of CRC, followed by the Malay and Indian ethnicities. The same trends were observed for the age-standardised mortality rate.

Prostate Cancer in South Africa: Pathology Based National Cancer Registry Data (1986–2006 and Mortality Rates (1997–2009

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chantal Babb

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Prostate cancer is one of the most common male cancers globally; however little is known about prostate cancer in Africa. Incidence data for prostate cancer in South Africa (SA from the pathology based National Cancer Registry (1986–2006 and data on mortality (1997–2009 from Statistics SA were analysed. World standard population denominators were used to calculate age specific incidence and mortality rates (ASIR and ASMR using the direct method. Prostate cancer was the most common male cancer in all SA population groups (excluding basal cell carcinoma. There are large disparities in the ASIR between black, white, coloured, and Asian/Indian populations: 19, 65, 46, and 19 per 100 000, respectively, and ASMR was 11, 7, 52, and 6 per 100 000, respectively. Prostate cancer was the second leading cause of cancer death, accounting for around 13% of male deaths from a cancer. The average age at diagnosis was 68 years and 74 years at death. For SA the ASIR increased from 16.8 in 1986 to 30.8 in 2006, while the ASMR increased from 12.3 in 1997 to 16.7 in 2009. There has been a steady increase of incidence and mortality from prostate cancer in SA.

Cardiac Glycoside Glucoevatromonoside Induces Cancer Type-Specific Cell Death

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Naira F. Z. Schneider

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Cardiac glycosides (CGs are natural compounds used traditionally to treat congestive heart diseases. Recent investigations repositioned CGs as potential anticancer agents. To discover novel cytotoxic CG scaffolds, we selected the cardenolide glucoevatromonoside (GEV out of 46 CGs for its low nanomolar anti-lung cancer activity. GEV presented reduced toxicity toward non-cancerous cell types (lung MRC-5 and PBMC and high-affinity binding to the Na+/K+-ATPase α subunit, assessed by computational docking. GEV-induced cell death was caspase-independent, as investigated by a multiparametric approach, and culminates in severe morphological alterations in A549 cells, monitored by transmission electron microscopy, live cell imaging and flow cytometry. This non-canonical cell death was not preceded or accompanied by exacerbation of autophagy. In the presence of GEV, markers of autophagic flux (e.g. LC3I-II conversion were impacted, even in presence of bafilomycin A1. Cell death induction remained unaffected by calpain, cathepsin, parthanatos, or necroptosis inhibitors. Interestingly, GEV triggered caspase-dependent apoptosis in U937 acute myeloid leukemia cells, witnessing cancer-type specific cell death induction. Differential cell cycle modulation by this CG led to a G2/M arrest, cyclin B1 and p53 downregulation in A549, but not in U937 cells. We further extended the anti-cancer potential of GEV to 3D cell culture using clonogenic and spheroid formation assays and validated our findings in vivo by zebrafish xenografts. Altogether, GEV shows an interesting anticancer profile with the ability to exert cytotoxic effects via induction of different cell death modalities.

Reducing the Teen Death Rate. KIDS COUNT Indicator Brief

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Shore, Rima; Shore, Barbara

2009-01-01

Life continues to hold considerable risk for adolescents in the United States. In 2006, the teen death rate stood at 64 deaths per 100,000 teens (13,739 teens) (KIDS COUNT Data Center, 2009). Although it has declined by 4 percent since 2000, the rate of teen death in this country remains substantially higher than in many peer nations, based…

Intracellular Hyper-Acidification Potentiated by Hydrogen Sulfide Mediates Invasive and Therapy Resistant Cancer Cell Death

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Zheng-Wei Lee

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Slow and continuous release of H2S by GYY4137 has previously been demonstrated to kill cancer cells by increasing glycolysis and impairing anion exchanger and sodium/proton exchanger activity. This action is specific for cancer cells. The resulting lactate overproduction and defective pH homeostasis bring about intracellular acidification-induced cancer cell death. The present study investigated the potency of H2S released by GYY4137 against invasive and radio- as well as chemo-resistant cancers, known to be glycolytically active. We characterized and utilized cancer cell line pairs of various organ origins, based on their aggressive behaviors, and assessed their response to GYY4137. We compared glycolytic activity, via lactate production, and intracellular pH of each cancer cell line pair after exposure to H2S. Invasive and therapy resistant cancers, collectively termed aggressive cancers, are receptive to H2S-mediated cytotoxicity, albeit at a higher concentration of GYY4137 donor. While lactate production was enhanced, intracellular pH of aggressive cancers was only modestly decreased. Inherently, the magnitude of intracellular pH decrease is a key determinant for cancer cell sensitivity to H2S. We demonstrated the utility of coupling GYY4137 with either simvastatin, known to inhibit monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4, or metformin, to further boost glycolysis, in bringing about cell death for aggressive cancers. Simvastatin inhibiting lactate extrusion thence contained excess lactate induced by GYY4137 within intracellular compartment. In contrast, the combined exposure to both GYY4137 and metformin overwhelms cancer cells with lactate over-production exceeding its expulsion rate. Together, GYY4137 and simvastatin or metformin synergize to induce intracellular hyper-acidification-mediated cancer cell death.

Long-term recurrence and death rates after acute pancreatitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Helle; Tønnesen, Hanne; Tønnesen, Maja Hanne

2006-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare long-term recurrence and death rates after a first episode of acute pancreatitis in patients with and without gallstones. Additionally, it was of interest to find out if there were factors predictive of readmission or death.......The aim of this study was to compare long-term recurrence and death rates after a first episode of acute pancreatitis in patients with and without gallstones. Additionally, it was of interest to find out if there were factors predictive of readmission or death....

The relationship between religious orientation and death anxiety in patients with breast cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

farkhonde Salehi

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Breast Cancer is the most common malignancy and is the second leading cause of mortality due to cancer in women. One of the important psychological factors in these patients is death anxiety. Given the role of religious orientation to this psychological factor, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between religious orientation and death anxiety in patients with breast cancer in Kermanshah. Methods: In this cross-sectional study on 48 patients with breast cancer referred to the Oncology Department of Imam Reza (PBUH Hospital. Templer Death Anxiety Scale and Allport Religious Orientation Scale were used to gather data and the data analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests in SPSS 22. Results: The highest and lowest scores of religious orientation in these patients were 76 and 48, with mean score 65.31. The highest and lowest death anxiety scores attained by these patients were 14 (8.3% and 2 (10.4%, and 72.9% of the patients had high levels of death anxiety. Religious orientation and death anxiety were significantly correlated (correlation coefficient: 0.508, and age was significantly correlated with death anxiety but not with religious orientation. Conclusion: Given the findings of the present study, it cannot be definitely argued that religious orientation and death anxiety are correlated in cancer patients. Therefore, this issue should be further investigated.

Exchange-Driven Growth with Birth Rate Less Than Death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Zhenquan; Ye Gaoxiang; Ke Jianhong

2005-01-01

We further study the kinetic behavior of the exchange-driven growth with birth and death for the case of birth rate kernel being less than that of death based on the mean-field theory. The symmetric exchange rate kernel is K(k,j) = K'(k,j) = Ikj υ , and the birth and death rates are proportional to the aggregate's size. The long time asymptotic behavior of the aggregate size distribution a k (t) is found to obey a much unusual scaling law with an exponentially growing scaling function Φ(x) = exp (x).

Cancer deaths and cases attributable to lifestyle factors and infections in China, 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Islami, F; Chen, W; Yu, X Q; Lortet-Tieulent, J; Zheng, R; Flanders, W D; Xia, C; Thun, M J; Gapstur, S M; Ezzati, M; Jemal, A

2017-10-01

The burden of cancer in China is high, and it is expected to further increase. Information on cancers attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is essential in planning preventive measures against cancer. We estimated the number and proportion of cancer deaths and cases attributable to ever-smoking, second-hand smoking, alcohol drinking, low fruit/vegetable intake, excess body weight, physical inactivity, and infections in China, using contemporary data from nationally representative surveys and cancer registries. The number of cancer deaths and cases in 2013 were obtained from the National Central Cancer Registry of China and data on most exposures were obtained from the China National Nutrition and Health Survey 2002 or 2006 and Global Adult Tobacco Smoking 2010. We used a bootstrap simulation method to calculate the number and proportion of cancer deaths and cases attributable to risk factors and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), allowing for uncertainty in data. Approximately 718 000 (95% CI 702 100-732 200) cancer deaths in men and 283 100 (278 800-288 800) cancer deaths in women were attributable to the studied risk factors, accounting for 52% of all cancer deaths in men and 35% in women. The numbers for incident cancer cases were 952 500 (95% CI 934 200-971 400) in men and 442 700 (437 200-447 900) in women, accounting for 47% of all incident cases in men and 28% in women. The greatest proportions of cancer deaths attributable to risk factors were for smoking (26%), HBV infection (12%), and low fruit/vegetable intake (7%) in men and HBV infection (7%), low fruit/vegetable intake (6%), and second-hand smoking (5%) in women. Effective public health interventions to eliminate or reduce exposure from these risk factors, notably tobacco control and vaccinations against carcinogenic infections, can have considerable impact on reducing the cancer burden in China. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University

Years of Life and Productivity Loss from Potentially Avoidable Colorectal Cancer Deaths in U.S. Counties with Lower Educational Attainment (2008–2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Weir, Hannah K.; Li, Chunyu; Henley, S. Jane; Joseph, Djenaba

2018-01-01

Background Educational attainment (EA) is inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk. Colorectal cancer screening can save lives if precancerous polyps or early cancers are found and successfully treated. This study aims to estimate the potential productivity loss (PPL) and associated avoidable colorectal cancer–related deaths among screen-eligible adults residing in lower EA counties in the United States. Methods Mortality and population data were used to examine colorectal cancer deaths (2008–2012) among adults aged 50 to 74 years in lower EA counties, and to estimate the expected number of deaths using the mortality experience from high EA counties. Excess deaths (observed–expected) were used to estimate potential years life lost, and the human capital method was used to estimate PPL in 2012 U.S. dollars. Results County-level colorectal cancer death rates were inversely associated with county-level EA. Of the 100,857 colorectal cancer deaths in lower EA counties, we estimated that more than 21,000 (1 in 5) was potentially avoidable and resulted in nearly $2 billion annual productivity loss. Conclusions County-level EA disparities contribute to a large number of potentially avoidable colorectal cancer–related deaths. Increased prevention and improved screening potentially could decrease deaths and help reduce the associated economic burden in lower EA communities. Increased screening could further reduce deaths in all EA groups. Impact These results estimate the large economic impact of potentially avoidable colorectal cancer–related deaths in economically disadvantaged communities, as measured by lower EA. PMID:28003180

Preference for place-of-death among terminally ill cancer patients in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Neergaard, Mette Asbjørn; Jensen, Anders Bonde; Sondergaard, Jens

2011-01-01

Scand J Caring Sci; 2011 Preference for place-of-death among terminally ill cancer patients in Denmark Achieving home death is often seen as an important endpoint in palliative care, but no studies of the preferred place-of-death have yet been conducted in Scandinavia. Furthermore, we do not know...... if professionals' report on deceased patients' preference of place-of-death is a valid information. The aim of this study was to describe where terminally ill Danish cancer patients prefer to die and to determine if their preference changed during the palliative period, as reported retrospectively by bereaved...... GPs and CNs) report retrospectively that most terminally ill cancer patients wish to die at home. The preference weakened significantly as death approached. The agreement between relatives' and GPs' accounts on patients' preferences at the end of the palliative period was 'substantial', whereas...

Causes of death in long-term lung cancer survivors: a SEER database analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdel-Rahman, Omar

2017-07-01

Long-term (>5 years) lung cancer survivors represent a small but distinct subgroup of lung cancer patients and information about the causes of death of this subgroup is scarce. The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database (1988-2008) was utilized to determine the causes of death of long-term survivors of lung cancer. Survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate analysis was conducted using a Cox proportional hazard model. Clinicopathological characteristics and survival outcomes were assessed for the whole cohort. A total of 78,701 lung cancer patients with >5 years survival were identified. This cohort included 54,488 patients surviving 5-10 years and 24,213 patients surviving >10 years. Among patients surviving 5-10 years, 21.8% were dead because of primary lung cancer, 10.2% were dead because of other cancers, 6.8% were dead because of cardiac disease and 5.3% were dead because of non-malignant pulmonary disease. Among patients surviving >10 years, 12% were dead because of primary lung cancer, 6% were dead because of other cancers, 6.9% were dead because of cardiac disease and 5.6% were dead because of non-malignant pulmonary disease. On multivariate analysis, factors associated with longer cardiac-disease-specific survival in multivariate analysis include younger age at diagnosis (p death from primary lung cancer is still significant among other causes of death even 20 years after diagnosis of lung cancer. Moreover, cardiac as well as non-malignant pulmonary causes contribute a considerable proportion of deaths in long-term lung cancer survivors.

Early death during chemotherapy in patients with small-cell lung cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassen, U N; Osterlind, K; Hirsch, F R

1999-01-01

Based on an increased frequency of early death (death within the first treatment cycle) in our two latest randomized trials of combination chemotherapy in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), we wanted to identify patients at risk of early non-toxic death (ENTD) and early toxic death (ETD). Data were s...

Implementing a Death with Dignity program at a comprehensive cancer center.

Science.gov (United States)

Loggers, Elizabeth Trice; Starks, Helene; Shannon-Dudley, Moreen; Back, Anthony L; Appelbaum, Frederick R; Stewart, F Marc

2013-04-11

The majority of Death with Dignity participants in Washington State and Oregon have received a diagnosis of terminal cancer. As more states consider legislation regarding physician-assisted death, the experience of a comprehensive cancer center may be informative. We describe the implementation of a Death with Dignity program at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the site of care for the Fred Hutchinson-University of Washington Cancer Consortium, a comprehensive cancer center in Seattle that serves the Pacific Northwest. Institution-level data were compared with publicly available statewide data from Oregon and Washington. A total of 114 patients inquired about our Death with Dignity program between March 5, 2009, and December 31, 2011. Of these, 44 (38.6%) did not pursue the program, and 30 (26.3%) initiated the process but either elected not to continue or died before completion. Of the 40 participants who, after counseling and upon request, received a prescription for a lethal dose of secobarbital (35.1% of the 114 patients who inquired about the program), all died, 24 after medication ingestion (60% of those obtaining prescriptions). The participants at our center accounted for 15.7% of all participants in the Death with Dignity program in Washington (255 persons) and were typically white, male, and well educated. The most common reasons for participation were loss of autonomy (97.2%), inability to engage in enjoyable activities (88.9%), and loss of dignity (75.0%). Eleven participants lived for more than 6 months after prescription receipt. Qualitatively, patients and families were grateful to receive the lethal prescription, whether it was used or not. Overall, our Death with Dignity program has been well accepted by patients and clinicians.

Curcumin induces apoptosis-independent death in oesophageal cancer cells.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

O'Sullivan-Coyne, G

2009-10-06

Background:Oesophageal cancer incidence is increasing and survival rates remain extremely poor. Natural agents with potential for chemoprevention include the phytochemical curcumin (diferuloylmethane). We have examined the effects of curcumin on a panel of oesophageal cancer cell lines.Methods:MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyldiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assays and propidium iodide staining were used to assess viability and DNA content, respectively. Mitotic catastrophe (MC), apoptosis and autophagy were defined by both morphological criteria and markers such as MPM-2, caspase 3 cleavage and monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining. Cyclin B and poly-ubiquitinated proteins were assessed by western blotting.Results:Curcumin treatment reduces viability of all cell lines within 24 h of treatment in a 5-50 muM range. Cytotoxicity is associated with accumulation in G2\\/M cell-cycle phases and distinct chromatin morphology, consistent with MC. Caspase-3 activation was detected in two out of four cell lines, but was a minor event. The addition of a caspase inhibitor zVAD had a marginal or no effect on cell viability, indicating predominance of a non-apoptotic form of cell death. In two cell lines, features of both MC and autophagy were apparent. Curcumin-responsive cells were found to accumulate poly-ubiquitinated proteins and cyclin B, consistent with a disturbance of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This effect on a key cell-cycle checkpoint regulator may be responsible for the mitotic disturbances and consequent cytotoxicity of this drug.Conclusion:Curcumin can induce cell death by a mechanism that is not reliant on apoptosis induction, and thus represents a promising anticancer agent for prevention and treatment of oesophageal cancer.British Journal of Cancer advance online publication, 6 October 2009; doi:10.1038\\/sj.bjc.6605308 www.bjcancer.com.

Variation in causes of death in patients with non-small cell lung cancer according to stage and time since diagnosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen-Heijnen, M. L. G.; van Erning, F. N.; De Ruysscher, D. K.; Coebergh, J. W. W.; Groen, H. J. M.

Background: Many patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) die within the first few years of diagnosis, and considerable excess mortality remains even after 5 years. We investigated the death rate and the distribution of causes of death for NSCLC patients by age and stage at diagnosis during

Mechanisms underlying 3-bromopyruvate-induced cell death in colon cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yiming; Liu, Zhe; Zou, Xue; Lan, Yadong; Sun, Xiaojin; Wang, Xiu; Zhao, Surong; Jiang, Chenchen; Liu, Hao

2015-08-01

3-Bromopyruvate (3BP) is an energy-depleting drug that inhibits Hexokinase II activity by alkylation during glycolysis, thereby suppressing the production of ATP and inducing cell death. As such, 3BP can potentially serve as an anti-tumorigenic agent. Our previous research showed that 3BP can induce apoptosis via AKT /protein Kinase B signaling in breast cancer cells. Here we found that 3BP can also induce colon cancer cell death by necroptosis and apoptosis at the same time and concentration in the SW480 and HT29 cell lines; in the latter, autophagy was also found to be a mechanism of cell death. In HT29 cells, combined treatment with 3BP and the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) exacerbated cell death, while viability in 3BP-treated cells was enhanced by concomitant treatment with the caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp fluoromethylketone (z-VAD-fmk) and the necroptosis inhibitor necrostatin (Nec)-1. Moreover, 3BP inhibited tumor growth in a SW480 xenograft mouse model. These results indicate that 3BP can suppress tumor growth and induce cell death by multiple mechanisms at the same time and concentration in different types of colon cancer cell by depleting cellular energy stores.

Causes of Cancer Death Among First-Degree Relatives in Japanese Families with Lynch Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanakaya, Kohji; Yamaguchi, Tatsuro; Ishikawa, Hideki; Hinoi, Takao; Furukawa, Yoichi; Hirata, Keiji; Saida, Yoshihisa; Shimokawa, Mototsugu; Arai, Masami; Matsubara, Nagahide; Tomita, Naohiro; Tamura, Kazuo; Sugano, Kokichi; Ishioka, Chikashi; Yoshida, Teruhiko; Ishida, Hideyuki; Watanabe, Toshiaki; Sugihara, Kenichi

2016-04-01

To elucidate the causes of cancer death in Japanese families with Lynch syndrome (LS). The distributions of cancer deaths in 485 individuals from 67 families with LS (35, 30, and two families with MutL homologue 1 (MLH1), MSH2, and MSH6 gene mutations, respectively), obtained from the Registry of the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum were analyzed. Among 98 cancer deaths of first-degree relatives of unknown mutation status, 53%, 19%, 13% (among females), 7% (among females) and 5% were due to colorectal, gastric, uterine, ovarian, and hepatobiliary cancer, respectively. The proportion of deaths from extra-colonic cancer was significantly higher in families with MSH2 mutation than in those with MLH1 mutation (p=0.003). In addition to colonic and uterine cancer, management and surveillance targeting gastric, ovarian and hepatobiliary cancer are considered important for Japanese families with LS. Extra-colonic cancer in families with MSH2 mutation might require for more intensive surveillance. Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

Study of the association between exposure to transuranic radionuclides and cancer death

Science.gov (United States)

Fallahian, Naz Afarin

.05). No association was found between exposure to transuranic radionuclides and causes of death due to cancer development (alpha = 0.05). However, statistically significant associations were found between the cause of death due to any type of cancer and exposure to benzene or toluene (odds ratio = 5.71; 95% CI: 1.04 to 31.34), as well as smoking habits (odds ratio = 5.41; 95% CI: 1.42 to 20.67), and rate of cigarette smoking (odds ratio = 2.70; 95% CI: 1.37 to 5.30). Lung cancer deaths were found to be related to exposure to chlorinated solvents (odds ratio = 10.85; 95% CI: 1.02 to 115.16), and the duration of exposure to these materials (odds ratio = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.24).

Corn silk maysin induces apoptotic cell death in PC-3 prostate cancer cells via mitochondria-dependent pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jisun; Lee, Seul; Kim, Sun-Lim; Choi, Ji Won; Seo, Jeong Yeon; Choi, Doo Jin; Park, Yong Il

2014-12-05

Despite recent advances in prostate cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, the overall survival rate still remains low. This study was aimed to assess potential anti-cancer activity of maysin, a major flavonoid of corn silk (CS, Zea mays L.), in androgen-independent human prostate cancer cells (PC-3). Maysin was isolated from CS of Kwangpyeongok, a Korean hybrid corn, via methanol extraction and preparative C18 reverse phase column chromatography. Maysin cytotoxicity was determined by either monitoring cell viability in various cancer cell lines by MTT assay or morphological changes. Apoptotic cell death was assessed by annexin V-FITC/PI double staining, depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), expression levels of Bcl-2 and pro-caspase-3 and by terminal transferase mediated dUTP-fluorescein nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. Underlying mechanism in maysin-induced apoptosis of PC-3 cells was explored by evaluating its effects on Akt and ERK pathway. Maysin dose-dependently reduced the PC-3 cell viability, with an 87% reduction at 200 μg/ml. Maysin treatment significantly induced apoptotic cell death, DNA fragmentation, depolarization of MMP, and reduction in Bcl-2 and pro-caspase-3 expression levels. Maysin also significantly attenuated phosphorylation of Akt and ERK. A combined treatment with maysin and other known anti-cancer agents, including 5-FU, etoposide, cisplatin, or camptothecin, synergistically enhanced PC-3 cell death. These results suggested for the first time that maysin inhibits the PC-3 cancer cell growth via stimulation of mitochondria-dependent apoptotic cell death and may have a strong therapeutic potential for the treatment of either chemo-resistant or androgen-independent human prostate cancer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Non-oncogenic Acute Viral Infections Disrupt Anti-cancer Responses and Lead to Accelerated Cancer-Specific Host Death

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frederick J. Kohlhapp

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In light of increased cancer prevalence and cancer-specific deaths in patients with infections, we investigated whether infections alter anti-tumor immune responses. We report that acute influenza infection of the lung promotes distal melanoma growth in the dermis and leads to accelerated cancer-specific host death. Furthermore, we show that during influenza infection, anti-melanoma CD8+ T cells are shunted from the tumor to the infection site, where they express high levels of the inhibitory receptor programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1. Immunotherapy to block PD-1 reverses this loss of anti-tumor CD8+ T cells from the tumor and decreases infection-induced tumor growth. Our findings show that acute non-oncogenic infection can promote cancer growth, raising concerns regarding acute viral illness sequelae. They also suggest an unexpected role for PD-1 blockade in cancer immunotherapy and provide insight into the immune response when faced with concomitant challenges.

An analysis of cancer death risk among medical diagnostic X-ray workers in China, 1950-1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Yongcheng; Wang Jixian; Zhang Wei; Li Benxiao; Fan Tiqiang; Zhang Jingyuan

2002-01-01

Objective: To investigate effects of occupational radiation exposure on cancer death among medical diagnostic X-ray workers. Methods: A cohort study on medical diagnostic X-ray workers and non-X-ray medical workers was carried out and a risk analysis of cancer death between 1950 and 1995 was conducted with the O/E system. Results: A significant enhancement in cancer death risk for X-ray workers was found, especially those engaged in X-ray work in early calendar years. The overall cancer RR was 1.26, (95 % CI: 1.14 - 1.38), for leukemia it was 2.48, (95% CI: 1.68-3.51 ); for esophagus cancer, 3.18, (95% CI: 2.02 -4.77); for liver cancer, 1.54, (95 % CI: 1.27 - 1.86); and for bone cancer, 2.48, (95 % CI: 1.00 - 5.40). In the late calendar year cohort a significant enhancement of cancer death was seen only in esophagus cancer (RR = 4.19, 95 % CI: 1.80 - 8.25) and lung cancer (RR = 1.60, 95% CI:1.10-2.25). Conclusion: Long-term occupational X-ray irradiation can enhance the risk of cancer death when the cumulative dose reached a certain level. The significant enhancement of cancer death for leukemia and some solid cancers may be related to the occupational exposure to X-rays

International variation in lung cancer mortality rates and trends among women.

Science.gov (United States)

Torre, Lindsey A; Siegel, Rebecca L; Ward, Elizabeth M; Jemal, Ahmedin

2014-06-01

There is no recent comprehensive global analysis of lung cancer mortality in women. We describe contemporary mortality rates and trends among women globally. We used the World Health Organization's Cancer Mortality Database covering 65 populations on six continents to calculate age-standardized (1960 Segi world standard) lung cancer death rates during 2006 to 2010 and annual percent change in rates for available years from 1985 to 2011 and for the most recent five data years by population and age group (30-49 and 50-74 years). Lung cancer mortality rates (per 100,000) among young women (30-49 years) during 2006 to 2010 ranged from 0.7 in Costa Rica to 14.8 in Hungary. Rates among young women were stable or declining in 47 of 52 populations examined. Rates among women 50 to 74 years ranged from 8.8 in Georgia and Egypt to 120.0 in Scotland. In both age groups, rates were highest in parts of Europe (Scotland, Hungary, Denmark) and North America and lowest in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Rates in older women were increasing for more than half (36/64) of populations examined, including most countries in Southern, Eastern, and Western Europe and South America. Although widespread reductions in lung cancer in young women provide evidence of tobacco control success, rates continue to increase among older women in many countries. More concentrated efforts to initiate or expand tobacco control programs in these countries globally will be required to attenuate the future lung cancer burden. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(6); 1025-36. ©2014 AACR. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

Induction of Immunogenic Cell Death with Non-Thermal Plasma for Cancer Immunotherapy

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Abraham G.

Even with the recent advancements in cancer immunotherapy, treatments are still associated with debilitating side effects and unacceptable fail rates. Induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD) in tumors is a promising approach to cancer treatment that may overcome these deficiencies. Cells undergoing ICD pathways enhance the interactions between cancerous cells and immune cells of the patient, resulting in the generation of anti-cancer immunity. The goal of this therapy relies on the engagement and reestablishment of the patient's natural immune processes to target and eliminate cancerous cells systemically. The main objective of this research was to determine if non-thermal plasma could be used to elicit immunogenic cancer cell death for cancer immunotherapy. My hypothesis was that plasma induces immunogenic cancer cell death through oxidative stress pathways, followed by development of a specific anti-tumor immune response. This was tested by investigating the interactions between plasma and multiple cancerous cells in vitro and validating anti-tumor immune responses in vivo. Following plasma treatment, two surrogate ICD markers, secreted adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and surface exposed calreticulin (ecto-CRT), were emitted from all three cancerous cell lines tested: A549 lung carcinoma cell line, CNE-1 radiation-resistant nasopharyngeal cell line and CT26 colorectal cancer cell line. When these cells were co-cultured with macrophages, cells of the innate immune system, the tumoricidal activity of macrophages was enhanced, thus demonstrating the immunostimulatory activity of cells undergoing ICD. The underlying mechanisms of plasma-induced ICD were also evaluated. When plasma is generated, four major components are produced: electromagnetic fields, ultraviolet radiation, and charged and neutral reactive species. Of these, we determined that plasma-generated charged and short-lived reactive oxygen species (ROS) were the major effectors of ICD. Following plasma

Curcumin induces apoptosis-independent death in oesophageal cancer cells.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

O'Sullivan-Coyne, G

2012-01-31

BACKGROUND: Oesophageal cancer incidence is increasing and survival rates remain extremely poor. Natural agents with potential for chemoprevention include the phytochemical curcumin (diferuloylmethane). We have examined the effects of curcumin on a panel of oesophageal cancer cell lines. METHODS: MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyldiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assays and propidium iodide staining were used to assess viability and DNA content, respectively. Mitotic catastrophe (MC), apoptosis and autophagy were defined by both morphological criteria and markers such as MPM-2, caspase 3 cleavage and monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining. Cyclin B and poly-ubiquitinated proteins were assessed by western blotting. RESULTS: Curcumin treatment reduces viability of all cell lines within 24 h of treatment in a 5-50 muM range. Cytotoxicity is associated with accumulation in G2\\/M cell-cycle phases and distinct chromatin morphology, consistent with MC. Caspase-3 activation was detected in two out of four cell lines, but was a minor event. The addition of a caspase inhibitor zVAD had a marginal or no effect on cell viability, indicating predominance of a non-apoptotic form of cell death. In two cell lines, features of both MC and autophagy were apparent. Curcumin-responsive cells were found to accumulate poly-ubiquitinated proteins and cyclin B, consistent with a disturbance of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This effect on a key cell-cycle checkpoint regulator may be responsible for the mitotic disturbances and consequent cytotoxicity of this drug. CONCLUSION: Curcumin can induce cell death by a mechanism that is not reliant on apoptosis induction, and thus represents a promising anticancer agent for prevention and treatment of oesophageal cancer.

Nitrate in drinking water and risk of death from pancreatic cancer in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Chun-Yuh; Tsai, Shang-Shyue; Chiu, Hui-Fen

2009-01-01

The relationship between nitrate levels in drinking water and risk of pancreatic cancer development remains inconclusive. A matched case-control and nitrate ecology study was used to investigate the association between mortality attributed to pancreatic cancer and nitrate exposure from Taiwan's drinking water. All pancreatic cancer deaths of Taiwan residents from 2000 through 2006 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair-matched to the cases by gender, year of birth, and year of death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each case. Data on nitrate-nitrogen (NO(3)-N) levels of drinking water throughout Taiwan were collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cancer cases and controls was assumed to be the source of the subject's nitrate exposure via drinking water. The adjusted odds ratios and confidence limits for pancreatic cancer death for those with high nitrate levels in their drinking water, as compared to the lowest tertile, were 1.03 (0.9-1.18) and 1.1 (0.96-1.27), respectively. The results of the present study show that there was no statistically significant association between the levels of nitrate in drinking water and increased risk of death from pancreatic cancer.

Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths under 80 years of age in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Connor, Jennie; Kydd, Robyn; Maclennan, Brett; Shield, Kevin; Rehm, Jürgen

2017-05-01

Cancer deaths made up 30% of all alcohol-attributable deaths in New Zealanders aged 15-79 years in 2007, more than all other chronic diseases combined. We aimed to estimate alcohol-attributable cancer mortality and years of life lost by cancer site and identify differences between Māori and non-Māori New Zealanders. We applied the World Health Organization's comparative risk assessment methodology at the level of Māori and non-Māori subpopulations. Proportions of specific alcohol-related cancers attributable to alcohol were calculated by combining alcohol consumption estimates from representative surveys with relative risks from recent meta-analyses. These proportions were applied to both 2007 and 2012 mortality data. Alcohol consumption was responsible for 4.2% of all cancer deaths under 80 years of age in 2007. An average of 10.4 years of life was lost per person; 12.7 years for Māori and 10.1 years for non-Māori. Half of the deaths were attributable to average consumption of strategies to reduce ethnic disparities in risk and outcome are needed in New Zealand. [Connor J, Kydd R, Maclennan B, Shield K, Rehm J. Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths under 80 years of age in New Zealand. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:415-423]. © 2016 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Global Incidence and Mortality Rates of Stomach Cancer and the Human Development Index: an Ecological Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Khazaei, Salman; Rezaeian, Shahab; Soheylizad, Mokhtar; Khazaei, Somayeh; Biderafsh, Azam

2016-01-01

Stomach cancer (SC) is the second leading cause of cancer death with the rate of 10.4% in the world. The correlation between the incidence and mortality rates of SC and human development index (HDI) has not been globally determined. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the association between the incidence and mortality rates of SC and HDI in various regions. In this global ecological study, we used the data about the incidence and mortality rate of SC and HDI from the global cancer project and the United Nations Development Programme database, respectively. In 2012, SCs were estimated to have affected a total of 951,594 individuals (crude rate: 13.5 per 100,000 individuals) with a male/female ratio of 1.97, and caused 723,073 deaths worldwide (crude rate: 10.2 per 100,000 individuals). There was a positive correlation between the HDI and both incidence (r=0.28, countries with high and very high HDI is remarkable which should be the top priority of interventions for global health policymakers. In addition, health programs should be provided to reduce the burden of this disease in the regions with high incidence and mortality rates of SC.

Nitrates in drinking water and risk of death from rectal cancer in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Hsin-Wei; Wu, Trong-Neng; Yang, Chun-Yuh

2007-10-01

The relationship between nitrate levels in drinking water and rectal cancer development has been inconclusive. A matched case-control and nitrate ecology study was used to investigate the association between mortality attributed to rectal cancer and drinking-water nitrate exposure in Taiwan. All deaths due to rectal cancer of Taiwan residents from 1999 through 2003 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair matched to the cancer cases by gender, year of birth, and year of death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each case. Data on nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) levels in drinking water throughout Taiwan were collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cancer cases and controls was assumed to be the source of the subject's nitrate exposure via drinking water. The adjusted odds ratios for rectal cancer death for those with high nitrate levels in their drinking water, as compared to the lowest tertile, were 1.22 (0.98-1.52) and 1.36 (1.08-1.70), respectively. The findings of this study warrant further investigation of the role of nitrates in drinking water in the etiology of rectal cancer in Taiwan.

Cytokines in immunogenic cell death: Applications for cancer immunotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Showalter, Anne; Limaye, Arati; Oyer, Jeremiah L; Igarashi, Robert; Kittipatarin, Christina; Copik, Alicja J; Khaled, Annette R

2017-09-01

Despite advances in treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy, metastatic cancer remains a leading cause of death for cancer patients. While many chemotherapeutic agents can efficiently eliminate cancer cells, long-term protection against cancer is not achieved and many patients experience cancer recurrence. Mobilizing and stimulating the immune system against tumor cells is one of the most effective ways to protect against cancers that recur and/or metastasize. Activated tumor specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) can seek out and destroy metastatic tumor cells and reduce tumor lesions. Natural Killer (NK) cells are a front-line defense against drug-resistant tumors and can provide tumoricidal activity to enhance tumor immune surveillance. Cytokines like IFN-γ or TNF play a crucial role in creating an immunogenic microenvironment and therefore are key players in the fight against metastatic cancer. To this end, a group of anthracyclines or treatments like photodynamic therapy (PDT) exert their effects on cancer cells in a manner that activates the immune system. This process, known as immunogenic cell death (ICD), is characterized by the release of membrane-bound and soluble factors that boost the function of immune cells. This review will explore different types of ICD inducers, some in clinical trials, to demonstrate that optimizing the cytokine response brought about by treatments with ICD-inducing agents is central to promoting anti-cancer immunity that provides long-lasting protection against disease recurrence and metastasis. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Variation in causes of death in patients with non-small cell lung cancer according to stage and time since diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Janssen-Heijnen, M L G; van Erning, F N; De Ruysscher, D K; Coebergh, J W W; Groen, H J M

2015-05-01

Many patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) die within the first few years of diagnosis, and considerable excess mortality remains even after 5 years. We investigated the death rate and the distribution of causes of death for NSCLC patients by age and stage at diagnosis during long-term follow-up. All 72 021 patients aged 45-89 years diagnosed with stage I-III NSCLC between 1989 and 2008 in the Netherlands and who died up till 2011 were derived from the Netherlands Cancer Registry and linked with the database of Statistics Netherlands for underlying causes of death. Mortality ratios and proportional distribution of causes of death were calculated during 5 time periods after diagnosis of NSCLC (up to 15 years). Median follow-up was 9.6 years (range: 0-23 years). Lung cancer was the predominant cause of death in the first 6 years after diagnosis (being 80%-85% and ∼90% up to 3 years for localized and locally advanced disease, respectively, and ∼60%-75% and ∼75%-85% during years 4-6 for both stage groups, respectively). Thereafter, lung cancer as cause of death proportionally decreased with time since diagnosis, but remained over 30%. Hence, cardiovascular diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) became more important causes of death, especially for patients aged >60 years at diagnosis (up to 34% for cardiovascular diseases and up to 19% for COPD). With time, the relative contribution of cardiovascular and COPD causes of death increased, although the absolute contribution of lung cancer remained high in non-metastatic NSCLC. Therefore, managing morbidity of these diseases remains relevant. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Case-control study of cancer deaths in high background radiation areas of China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao Zufan; Cha Yongru; Zhou Shunyuan

1989-01-01

This paper presents the results of a case-control study of deaths from liver, stomach and lung cancers in the high background radiation areas (HBRA) in Yangjiang County and neighboring control areas (CA). The purpose of this study was to explore the probable relationship between the cancer deaths and the environmental mutation-related factors in the two areas, so that the role of elevated natural radiation in cancer mortality could be properly ascertained. The studied numbers of cases of liver, stomach and lung cancers were 64, 28 and 17 in HBRA, and 75, 36 and 13 in CA, respectively. The proportion of the number of cases to that of the controls was 1:1 for liver cancer and 1:2 for cancers of stomach and lung. The factors studied included pesticide, smoking, alcohol consumption, medical X-ray exposure, diet, and the socioeconomic status, such as occupation, education, economic income, living space etc. The data for this study were collected through interviewing. The data collected were analysed by methods of matched and unmatched studies. The results expressed by odds ratio (OR) show that there is no significant between most factors studied and cancer deaths, although the associations of desths from stomach cancer with drinking water of nonwell source and of lung cancer with alcohol consumption in HBRA, and the associations of liver cancer deaths with occupations involving poisonous and noxious substances, pesticide and alcohol, and of lung cancer with pesticide and lower family income in CA can be found. This study has provided some clues for explaining the difference in cancer mortalities between HBRA and CA

Place of death of pediatric cancer patients in a single institute during 7 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Yanai, Tomoko; Hirase, Satoshi; Matsunoshita, Natsuki; Yamamoto, Nobuyuki; Ninchoji, Takeshi; Kubokawa, Ikuko; Mori, Takeshi; Hayakawa, Akira; Takeshima, Yasuhiro; Iijima, Kazumoto; Matsuo, Masafumi

2012-06-27

Place of death is an important issue at the end-of-life. It is poorly understood in pediatric cancer patients in Japan. This study aimed to clarify place of death of children with cancer as well as variables associated with place of death. Study population was pediatric cancer patients who died in the Department of Pediatrics at Kobe University Hospital during the last 7 years. The medical records were retrospectively reviewed regardless of cause of death to derive data relating to patients' characteristics and disease. 18 patients were included. Median age at death was 12.2 years old. 6 patients including 5 children in complete remission had hematological disease and 12 patients suffered from solid tumors. 4 patients (22.2%) died at home, whereas 14 patients (77.8%) died in the hospital including 6 ICU deaths. No one died in hospices. Preference of patients was unavailable due to the lack of inquiry. Factors influencing place of death (home, ICU, non-ICU) were disease (hematological disease vs. solid tumor, p=0.010, brain tumor vs. non-brain tumor, p=0.023), disease status (complete remission vs. non-complete remission, p=0.0014) and preference of families (p=0.029). Among 6 families who expressed preference, no disparity was observed between actual and preferred place of death. This is the first English publication of place of death of pediatric cancer patients in Japan. The low percentage of home death, factors influencing place of death and the lack of disparity between actual and preferred place of death were indicated. Further studies are required to better understand place of death.

Association between shift work and the risk of death from biliary tract cancer in Japanese men.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yingsong; Nishiyama, Takeshi; Kurosawa, Michiko; Tamakoshi, Akiko; Kubo, Tatsuhiko; Fujino, Yoshihisa; Kikuchi, Shogo

2015-10-21

There is increasing evidence suggesting that shift work involving night work may increase cancer risk. We examined the association between working rotating shifts and the risk of death from biliary tract cancer among Japanese men who participated in the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study. Of the 46,395 men recruited, 22,224 men aged 40-65 at baseline (1988-1990) who reported working full-time or were self-employed were included in the present analysis. The study subjects were followed through December 31, 2009. Information regarding occupation and lifestyle factors was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) for the risk of death from biliary tract cancer in relation to shift work. During a mean 17-year follow-up, we observed 94 biliary tract cancer deaths, including 23 deaths from gallbladder cancer and 71 deaths from extrahepatic bile duct cancer. Overall, shift work was associated with a statistically non-significant increase in the risk of biliary tract cancer, with an HR of 1.50 (95 % CI: 0.81-2.77), among rotating shift workers. When the analysis was limited to extrahepatic bile duct cancer, a significant association appeared, with a multivariable-adjusted HR of 1.93 (95 % CI: 1.00-3.72) for rotating shift workers. Our data indicate that shift work may be associated with increased risk of death from extrahepatic bile duct cancer in this cohort of Japanese men. The association with gallbladder cancer remains unclear because of the small number of deaths.

Inhibition of thromboxane synthase induces lung cancer cell death via increasing the nuclear p27

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Leung, Kin Chung; Hsin, Michael K.Y.; Chan, Joey S.Y.; Yip, Johnson H.Y.; Li, Mingyue; Leung, Billy C.S. [Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories (Hong Kong); Mok, Tony S.K. [Department of Clinical Oncology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories (Hong Kong); Warner, Timothy D. [The William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London (United Kingdom); Underwood, Malcolm J. [Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories (Hong Kong); Chen, George G., E-mail: gchen@cuhk.edu.hk [Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories (Hong Kong)

2009-10-15

The role of thromboxane in lung carcinogenesis is not clearly known, though thromboxane B2 (TXB{sub 2}) level is increased and antagonists of thromboxane receptors or TXA2 can induce apoptosis of lung cancer cells. p27, an atypical tumor suppressor, is normally sequestered in the nucleus. The increased nuclear p27 may result in apoptosis of tumor cells. We hypothesize that the inhibition of thromboxane synthase (TXS) induces the death of lung cancer cells and that such inhibition is associated with the nuclear p27 level. Our experiment showed that the inhibition of TXS significantly induced the death or apoptosis in lung cancer cells. The activity of TXS was increased in lung cancer. The nuclear p27 was remarkably reduced in lung cancer tissues. The inhibition of TXS caused the cell death and apoptosis of lung cancer cells, likely via the elevation of the nuclear p27 since the TXS inhibition promoted the nuclear p27 level and the inhibition of p27 by its siRNA recovered the cell death induced by TXS inhibition. Collectively, lung cancer cells produce high levels of TXB{sub 2} but their nuclear p27 is markedly reduced. The inhibition of TXS results in the p27-related induction of cell death in lung cancer cells.

Inhibition of thromboxane synthase induces lung cancer cell death via increasing the nuclear p27

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leung, Kin Chung; Hsin, Michael K.Y.; Chan, Joey S.Y.; Yip, Johnson H.Y.; Li, Mingyue; Leung, Billy C.S.; Mok, Tony S.K.; Warner, Timothy D.; Underwood, Malcolm J.; Chen, George G.

2009-01-01

The role of thromboxane in lung carcinogenesis is not clearly known, though thromboxane B2 (TXB 2 ) level is increased and antagonists of thromboxane receptors or TXA2 can induce apoptosis of lung cancer cells. p27, an atypical tumor suppressor, is normally sequestered in the nucleus. The increased nuclear p27 may result in apoptosis of tumor cells. We hypothesize that the inhibition of thromboxane synthase (TXS) induces the death of lung cancer cells and that such inhibition is associated with the nuclear p27 level. Our experiment showed that the inhibition of TXS significantly induced the death or apoptosis in lung cancer cells. The activity of TXS was increased in lung cancer. The nuclear p27 was remarkably reduced in lung cancer tissues. The inhibition of TXS caused the cell death and apoptosis of lung cancer cells, likely via the elevation of the nuclear p27 since the TXS inhibition promoted the nuclear p27 level and the inhibition of p27 by its siRNA recovered the cell death induced by TXS inhibition. Collectively, lung cancer cells produce high levels of TXB 2 but their nuclear p27 is markedly reduced. The inhibition of TXS results in the p27-related induction of cell death in lung cancer cells.

Changes in siblings after the death of a child from cancer.

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Foster, Terrah L; Gilmer, Mary Jo; Vannatta, Kathryn; Barrera, Maru; Davies, Betty; Dietrich, Mary S; Fairclough, Diane L; Gerhardt, Cynthia A

2012-01-01

Few studies have examined changes in siblings after the death of a brother or sister, particularly from mother, father, and sibling perspectives within the first year after death. This descriptive study identified and assessed the frequency of changes in siblings after a child's death from cancer. Participants were recruited from cancer registries at 3 hospitals in the United States and Canada 3 to 12 months after the child's death. Thirty-six mothers, 24 fathers, and 39 siblings from 40 families were included. Semistructured interviews using open-ended questions were conducted with each parent and sibling separately in the home. Content analysis identified emerging themes, and the McNemar tests compared frequencies between each paired set of reports (sibling vs mother, sibling vs father, mother vs father). Sixty-nine percent of participants reported personal changes in siblings (eg, changes in personality, school work, goals/life perspective, activities/interests). Forty-seven percent noted changes in siblings' relationships with family members and peers. Only 21% of participants reported no changes attributed to the death. Comparisons of frequencies across informants were not significant. Most siblings experienced changes in multiple areas of their lives after the death of a brother or sister to cancer. Some changes reflected siblings that were positively adapting to the death, whereas other changes reflected difficulties. Our findings offer guidance to improve aftercare for bereaved siblings and their families. Additional research is needed to further delineate the needs of bereaved siblings and to develop strategies to promote adaptation to loss.

Rates of intentionally caused and road crash deaths of US citizens abroad.

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Sherry, Melissa K; Mossallam, Mahmoud; Mulligan, Matthew; Hyder, Adnan A; Bishai, David

2015-04-01

Currently, little is known about rates of death by cause and country among US travellers. Understanding the risk by cause and country is imperative to risk communication and the development of risk reduction strategies. Publicly available data on non-natural deaths of US citizens abroad were gathered from January 2003 to December 2009 from the US Department of State's Department Bureau of Consular Affairs. Traveller information was gathered from the US Department of Commerce Office of Travel and Tourism for the same time period. Rates of death were calculated by dividing the number of non-natural deaths of US citizens abroad by the number of US outbound visits for each country. A total of 5417 non-natural death events were retrieved between 2003 and 2009 from the US State Department. Intentionally caused death rates ranged from 21.44 per 1 000 000 visits in the Philippines to 0 per 1 000 000 visits in several countries; the majority of countries had fewer than five intentionally caused deaths per 1 000 000 visits. Rates of road traffic crashes were higher than rates of intentionally caused deaths in almost every instance. Thailand had the highest rate of deaths due to road traffic crashes (16.49 per 1 000 000), followed by Vietnam, Morocco and South Africa (15.12 per 1 000 000, 11.96 per 1 000 000 and 10.90 per 1 000 000, respectively). Motorcycle deaths account for most of the heightened risk observed in Thailand and Vietnam. The leading cause of non-natural deaths in US travellers abroad was road crashes, which exceeds intentional injury as the leading cause of non-natural deaths in almost every country where US citizens travel. Southeast Asia had the highest unintentional injury death rates for US citizens abroad due to the high rates of deaths from motorcycle crashes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

App Improves Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates

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Colorectal cancer screening reduces deaths from the disease, yet about one-third of Americans aren’t up to date with screening. In this Cancer Currents blog post, learn what happened when people waiting for routine checkups could order their own screening test using a computer app.

Ursodeoxycholic Acid Induces Death Receptor-mediated Apoptosis in Prostate Cancer Cells

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Lee, Won Sup; Jung, Ji Hyun; Panchanathan, Radha; Yun, Jeong Won; Kim, Dong Hoon; Kim, Hye Jung; Kim, Gon Sup; Ryu, Chung Ho; Shin, Sung Chul; Hong, Soon Chan; Choi, Yung Hyun; Jung, Jin-Myung

2017-01-01

Background Bile acids have anti-cancer properties in a certain types of cancers. We determined anticancer activity and its underlying molecular mechanism of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in human DU145 prostate cancer cells. Methods Cell viability was measured with an MTT assay. UDCA-induced apoptosis was determined with flow cytometric analysis. The expression levels of apoptosis-related signaling proteins were examined with Western blotting. Results UDCA treatment significantly inhibited cell growth of DU145 in a dose-dependent manner. It induced cellular shrinkage and cytoplasmic blebs and accumulated the cells with sub-G1 DNA contents. Moreover, UDCA activated caspase 8, suggesting that UDCA-induced apoptosis is associated with extrinsic pathway. Consistent to this finding, UDCA increased the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor, death receptor 4 (DR4) and death receptor 5 (DR5), and TRAIL augmented the UDCA-induced cell death in DU145 cells. In addition, UDCA also increased the expressions of Bax and cytochrome c and decreased the expression of Bcl-xL in DU145 cells. This finding suggests that UDCA-induced apoptosis may be involved in intrinsic pathway. Conclusions UDCA induces apoptosis via extrinsic pathway as well as intrinsic pathway in DU145 prostate cancer cells. UDCA may be a promising anti-cancer agent against prostate cancer. PMID:28382282

Death Anxiety and Quality of Life in Iranian Caregivers of Patients With Cancer.

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Soleimani, Mohammad Ali; Lehto, Rebecca H; Negarandeh, Reza; Bahrami, Nasim; Chan, Yiong Huak

Concerns about death may alienate and negatively impact communication among family members of patients with life-threatening illness. Little is known about the relationship of death anxiety to quality of life in cancer family caregivers. The aim of this study was to examine relationships between sociodemographic and patient-related factors, social support, and religiosity with death anxiety and quality of life in Iranian cancer family caregivers. Three hundred thirty family caregivers from an urban regional cancer institute in Iran participated in a descriptive-correlational study that incorporated sociodemographic surveys and validated death anxiety (Templer Scale) and Quality of life (Family Version) instruments. Caregivers reported moderate levels of death anxiety and decrements in QOL. Quality of life was inversely associated with death anxiety (r = -0.30, P quality of life. Death anxiety is associated with lowered quality of life in Iranian family caregivers. Multiple factors may impact death anxiety and quality of life relevant to the socioreligious milieu. Addressing concerns that increase death anxiety may improve quality of life and lower stress associated with adapting to the family caregiver role. Caregiving responsibilities, added to challenges associated with personal, family, and professional life, impact multiple aspects of QOL. As nurses increasingly care for patients from diverse backgrounds, it becomes more imperative that support for family caregivers that promotes psychological adaptation and quality of life is needed.

The Application of Non-Invasive Apoptosis Detection Sensor (NIADS on Histone Deacetylation Inhibitor (HDACi-Induced Breast Cancer Cell Death

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Kai-Wen Hsu

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC subtype is a breast cancer subset without ER (estrogen receptor, PR (progesterone receptor and HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression, limiting treatment options and presenting a poorer survival rate. Thus, we investigated whether histone deacetylation inhibitor (HDACi could be used as potential anti-cancer therapy on breast cancer cells. In this study, we found TNBC and HER2-enriched breast cancers are extremely sensitive to Panobinostat, Belinostat of HDACi via experiments of cell viability assay, apoptotic marker identification and flow cytometry measurement. On the other hand, we developed a bioluminescence-based live cell non-invasive apoptosis detection sensor (NIADS detection system to evaluate the quantitative and kinetic analyses of apoptotic cell death by HDAC treatment on breast cancer cells. In addition, the use of HDACi may also contribute a synergic anti-cancer effect with co-treatment of chemotherapeutic agent such as doxorubicin on TNBC cells (MDA-MB-231, but not in breast normal epithelia cells (MCF-10A, providing therapeutic benefits against breast tumor in the clinic.

CD4 decline is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and death in virally suppressed patients with HIV.

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Helleberg, Marie; Kronborg, Gitte; Larsen, Carsten S; Pedersen, Gitte; Pedersen, Court; Obel, Niels; Gerstoft, Jan

2013-07-01

The clinical implications of a considerable CD4 decline despite antiretroviral treatment and viral suppression are unknown. We aimed to test the hypothesis that a major CD4 decline could be a marker of cardiovascular disease or undiagnosed cancer. Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were followed in the Danish nationwide, population-based cohort study in the period 1995-2010 with quarterly CD4 measurements. Associations between a CD4 decline of ≥30% and cardiovascular disease, cancer, and death were analyzed using Poisson regression with date of CD4 decline as a time-updated variable. We followed 2584 virally suppressed HIV patients for 13 369 person-years (PY; median observation time, 4.7 years). Fifty-six patients developed CD4 decline (incidence rate, 4.2/1000 PY [95% confidence interval {CI}, 3.2-5.4]). CD4 counts dropped from a median of 492 cells/µL to 240 cells/µL. CD8, CD3, and total lymphocyte counts dropped concomitantly. No HIV-related factors, apart from treatment with didanosine, were associated with CD4 decline. The risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and death increased markedly ≤6 months after CD4 decline (incidence rate ratio, 11.7 [95% CI, 3.6-37.4] and 13.7 [95% CI, 4.3-43.6], respectively, and mortality rate ratio 4.3 [95% CI, 1.1-17.6]). A major decline in CD4 count is associated with a marked increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and death among virally suppressed HIV patients.

Mitochondrial calcium uniporter silencing potentiates caspase-independent cell death in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells

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Curry, Merril C.; Peters, Amelia A. [School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072 (Australia); Kenny, Paraic A. [Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461 (United States); Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J. [School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072 (Australia); Monteith, Gregory R., E-mail: gregm@uq.edu.au [School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072 (Australia)

2013-05-10

Highlights: •Some clinical breast cancers are associated with MCU overexpression. •MCU silencing did not alter cell death initiated with the Bcl-2 inhibitor ABT-263. •MCU silencing potentiated caspase-independent cell death initiated by ionomycin. •MCU silencing promoted ionomycin-mediated cell death without changes in bulk Ca{sup 2+}. -- Abstract: The mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) transports free ionic Ca{sup 2+} into the mitochondrial matrix. We assessed MCU expression in clinical breast cancer samples using microarray analysis and the consequences of MCU silencing in a breast cancer cell line. Our results indicate that estrogen receptor negative and basal-like breast cancers are characterized by elevated levels of MCU. Silencing of MCU expression in the basal-like MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line produced no change in proliferation or cell viability. However, distinct consequences of MCU silencing were seen on cell death pathways. Caspase-dependent cell death initiated by the Bcl-2 inhibitor ABT-263 was not altered by MCU silencing; whereas caspase-independent cell death induced by the calcium ionophore ionomycin was potentiated by MCU silencing. Measurement of cytosolic Ca{sup 2+} levels showed that the promotion of ionomycin-induced cell death by MCU silencing occurs independently of changes in bulk cytosolic Ca{sup 2+} levels. This study demonstrates that MCU overexpression is a feature of some breast cancers and that MCU overexpression may offer a survival advantage against some cell death pathways. MCU inhibitors may be a strategy to increase the effectiveness of therapies that act through the induction of caspase-independent cell death pathways in estrogen receptor negative and basal-like breast cancers.

The combined effect of individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status on cancer survival rates.

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Chun-Ming Chang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: This population-based study investigated the relationship between individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES and mortality rates for major cancers in Taiwan. METHODS: A population-based follow-up study was conducted with 20,488 cancer patients diagnosed in 2002. Each patient was traced to death or for 5 years. The individual income-related insurance payment amount was used as a proxy measure of individual SES for patients. Neighborhood SES was defined by income, and neighborhoods were grouped as living in advantaged or disadvantaged areas. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare the death-free survival rates between the different SES groups after adjusting for possible confounding and risk factors. RESULTS: After adjusting for patient characteristics (age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index Score, urbanization, and area of residence, tumor extent, treatment modalities (operation and adjuvant therapy, and hospital characteristics (ownership and teaching level, colorectal cancer, and head and neck cancer patients under 65 years old with low individual SES in disadvantaged neighborhoods conferred a 1.5 to 2-fold higher risk of mortality, compared with patients with high individual SES in advantaged neighborhoods. A cross-level interaction effect was found in lung cancer and breast cancer. Lung cancer and breast cancer patients less than 65 years old with low SES in advantaged neighborhoods carried the highest risk of mortality. Prostate cancer patients aged 65 and above with low SES in disadvantaged neighborhoods incurred the highest risk of mortality. There was no association between SES and mortality for cervical cancer and pancreatic cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that cancer patients with low individual SES have the highest risk of mortality even under a universal health-care system. Public health strategies and welfare policies must continue to focus on this vulnerable group.

Calcium regulates cell death in cancer: Roles of the mitochondria and mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs).

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Danese, Alberto; Patergnani, Simone; Bonora, Massimo; Wieckowski, Mariusz R; Previati, Maurizio; Giorgi, Carlotta; Pinton, Paolo

2017-08-01

Until 1972, the term 'apoptosis' was used to differentiate the programmed cell death that naturally occurs in organismal development from the acute tissue death referred to as necrosis. Many studies on cell death and programmed cell death have been published and most are, at least to some degree, related to cancer. Some key proteins and molecular pathways implicated in cell death have been analyzed, whereas others are still being actively researched; therefore, an increasing number of cellular compartments and organelles are being implicated in cell death and cancer. Here, we discuss the mitochondria and subdomains of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that interact with mitochondria, the mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs), which have been identified as critical hubs in the regulation of cell death and tumor growth. MAMs-dependent calcium (Ca 2+ ) release from the ER allows selective Ca 2+ uptake by the mitochondria. The perturbation of Ca 2+ homeostasis in cancer cells is correlated with sustained cell proliferation and the inhibition of cell death through the modulation of Ca 2+ signaling. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Mitochondria in Cancer, edited by Giuseppe Gasparre, Rodrigue Rossignol and Pierre Sonveaux. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Esophageal cancer among Brazilian agricultural workers: case-control study based on death certificates.

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Meyer, Armando; Alexandre, Pedro Celso Braga; Chrisman, Juliana de Rezende; Markowitz, Steven B; Koifman, Rosalina Jorge; Koifman, Sergio

2011-03-01

Several studies suggest that agricultural workers are at higher risk to develop and die by certain types of cancer. Esophageal cancer is not commonly listed among these types. However, some recent studies indicated that if there is an association between agricultural working and esophageal cancer, it s more likely to be observed among workers highly exposed to pesticides. In the present study, the magnitude of the association between agricultural working and esophageal cancer mortality was evaluated in a high pesticide use area in Brazil, through a death certificate-based case-control study. Cases were individuals from both genders, 30-59 years old, for whom basic cause of death was ascertained as cancer of the esophagus. For each case, one control was randomly selected from all possible controls for which the basic cause of death was ascertained as different from neoplasm and diseases of the digestive system. In addition, controls matched their cases by sex, age, year of death, and state of residence. Crude and adjusted odds ratios were then calculated to estimate the magnitude of the risk. Results showed that, in general, agricultural workers were at significantly higher risk to die by esophageal cancer, when compared to non-agricultural workers. Stratified analysis also revealed that the magnitude of such risk was slightly higher among illiterate agricultural workers, and simultaneous adjustment for several covariates showed that the risk was quantitatively higher among younger southern agricultural workers. These results suggest the esophageal cancer may be included among those types of cancer etiologically associated to agricultural working. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The Parkinson's disease death rate: carbidopa and vitamin B6.

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Hinz, Marty; Stein, Alvin; Cole, Ted

2014-01-01

The only indication for carbidopa and benserazide is the management of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa)-induced nausea. Both drugs irreversibly bind to and permanently deactivate pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), the active form of vitamin B6, and PLP-dependent enzymes. PLP is required for the function of over 300 enzymes and proteins. Virtually every major system in the body is impacted directly or indirectly by PLP. The administration of carbidopa and benserazide potentially induces a nutritional catastrophe. During the first 15 years of prescribing L-dopa, a decreasing Parkinson's disease death rate was observed. Then, in 1976, 1 year after US Food and Drug Administration approved the original L-dopa/carbidopa combination drug, the Parkinson's disease death rate started increasing. This trend has continued to the present, for 38 years and counting. The previous literature documents this increasing death rate, but no hypothesis has been offered concerning this trend. Carbidopa is postulated to contribute to the increasing Parkinson's disease death rate and to the classification of Parkinson's as a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It may contribute to L-dopa tachyphylaxis.

Cancer statistics for African Americans, 2013.

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DeSantis, Carol; Naishadham, Deepa; Jemal, Ahmedin

2013-05-01

In this article, the American Cancer Society estimates the number of new cancer cases and deaths for African Americans and compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, and screening prevalence based upon incidence data from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics. It is estimated that 176,620 new cases of cancer and 64,880 deaths will occur among African Americans in 2013. From 2000 to 2009, the overall cancer death rate among males declined faster among African Americans than whites (2.4% vs 1.7% per year), but among females, the rate of decline was similar (1.5% vs 1.4% per year, respectively). The decrease in cancer death rates among African American males was the largest of any racial or ethnic group. The reduction in overall cancer death rates since 1990 in men and 1991 in women translates to the avoidance of nearly 200,000 deaths from cancer among African Americans. Five-year relative survival is lower for African Americans than whites for most cancers at each stage of diagnosis. The extent to which these disparities reflect unequal access to health care versus other factors remains an active area of research. Overall, progress in reducing cancer death rates has been made, although more can and should be done to accelerate this progress through ensuring equitable access to cancer prevention, early detection, and state-of-the-art treatments. Copyright © 2013 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Leading Causes of Death among Asian American Subgroups (2003-2011.

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Katherine G Hastings

Full Text Available Our current understanding of Asian American mortality patterns has been distorted by the historical aggregation of diverse Asian subgroups on death certificates, masking important differences in the leading causes of death across subgroups. In this analysis, we aim to fill an important knowledge gap in Asian American health by reporting leading causes of mortality by disaggregated Asian American subgroups.We examined national mortality records for the six largest Asian subgroups (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs from 2003-2011, and ranked the leading causes of death. We calculated all-cause and cause-specific age-adjusted rates, temporal trends with annual percent changes, and rate ratios by race/ethnicity and sex. Rankings revealed that as an aggregated group, cancer was the leading cause of death for Asian Americans. When disaggregated, there was notable heterogeneity. Among women, cancer was the leading cause of death for every group except Asian Indians. In men, cancer was the leading cause of death among Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese men, while heart disease was the leading cause of death among Asian Indians, Filipino and Japanese men. The proportion of death due to heart disease for Asian Indian males was nearly double that of cancer (31% vs. 18%. Temporal trends showed increased mortality of cancer and diabetes in Asian Indians and Vietnamese; increased stroke mortality in Asian Indians; increased suicide mortality in Koreans; and increased mortality from Alzheimer's disease for all racial/ethnic groups from 2003-2011. All-cause rate ratios revealed that overall mortality is lower in Asian Americans compared to NHWs.Our findings show heterogeneity in the leading causes of death among Asian American subgroups. Additional research should focus on culturally competent and cost-effective approaches to prevent and treat specific diseases among these growing diverse populations.

Leading Causes of Death among Asian American Subgroups (2003-2011).

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Hastings, Katherine G; Jose, Powell O; Kapphahn, Kristopher I; Frank, Ariel T H; Goldstein, Benjamin A; Thompson, Caroline A; Eggleston, Karen; Cullen, Mark R; Palaniappan, Latha P

2015-01-01

Our current understanding of Asian American mortality patterns has been distorted by the historical aggregation of diverse Asian subgroups on death certificates, masking important differences in the leading causes of death across subgroups. In this analysis, we aim to fill an important knowledge gap in Asian American health by reporting leading causes of mortality by disaggregated Asian American subgroups. We examined national mortality records for the six largest Asian subgroups (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) from 2003-2011, and ranked the leading causes of death. We calculated all-cause and cause-specific age-adjusted rates, temporal trends with annual percent changes, and rate ratios by race/ethnicity and sex. Rankings revealed that as an aggregated group, cancer was the leading cause of death for Asian Americans. When disaggregated, there was notable heterogeneity. Among women, cancer was the leading cause of death for every group except Asian Indians. In men, cancer was the leading cause of death among Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese men, while heart disease was the leading cause of death among Asian Indians, Filipino and Japanese men. The proportion of death due to heart disease for Asian Indian males was nearly double that of cancer (31% vs. 18%). Temporal trends showed increased mortality of cancer and diabetes in Asian Indians and Vietnamese; increased stroke mortality in Asian Indians; increased suicide mortality in Koreans; and increased mortality from Alzheimer's disease for all racial/ethnic groups from 2003-2011. All-cause rate ratios revealed that overall mortality is lower in Asian Americans compared to NHWs. Our findings show heterogeneity in the leading causes of death among Asian American subgroups. Additional research should focus on culturally competent and cost-effective approaches to prevent and treat specific diseases among these growing diverse populations.

Death analysis of residents in an area of twenty kilometers around Qinshan nuclear power station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Mingqiang; Lu Zhunrong; Zheng Wen; Sun Peizhi

2001-01-01

Objective: To set up a data bank for residents health condition 20 kilometers within around Qinshan nuclear power station. Methods: Combining with retrospective investigation, the relevant data were acquired from medical certification for resident's death reported by all local disease surveillance. Results: The mortality rate of these residents from 1988 to 1999 was 6.92%. The first course of mortality was diseases of respiratory system, the second of circulatory system, and the third was malignant tumor. The first 5 death causes among all male and female persons were diseases of respiratory system and circulatory system, malignant tumor, injuries and poisoning, diseases of digestive system. The mortality rate for malignant tumor was 121.33/100000 (the standard death rate is : 100.13/100000), and liver cancer was the first death cause, while lung and stomach cancers, the second and the third, respectively. The main death causes in juvenile and youth was leukemia, but liver cancer and lung cancer were the main courses of death in the middle-aged, and in old people, lung and liver cancers. Conclusion: The chronic non-infectious diseases in respiratory system, circulatory system etc, are the major death causes in the residents, the mortality rate for malignant tumor in them is lower than that reported by provincial disease surveillance station

Attributing death to cancer: cause-specific survival estimation.

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Mathew A

2002-10-01

Full Text Available Cancer survival estimation is an important part of assessing the overall strength of cancer care in a region. Generally, the death of a patient is taken as the end point in estimation of overall survival. When calculating the overall survival, the cause of death is not taken into account. With increasing demand for better survival of cancer patients it is important for clinicians and researchers to know about survival statistics due to disease of interest, i.e. net survival. It is also important to choose the best method for estimating net survival. Increase in the use of computer programmes has made it possible to carry out statistical analysis without guidance from a bio-statistician. This is of prime importance in third- world countries as there are a few trained bio-statisticians to guide clinicians and researchers. The present communication describes current methods used to estimate net survival such as cause-specific survival and relative survival. The limitation of estimation of cause-specific survival particularly in India and the usefulness of relative survival are discussed. The various sources for estimating cancer survival are also discussed. As survival-estimates are to be projected on to the population at large, it becomes important to measure the variation of the estimates, and thus confidence intervals are used. Rothman′s confidence interval gives the most satisfactory result for survival estimate.

Terminally ill cancer patients' wish to hasten death.

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Kelly, B; Burnett, P; Pelusi, D; Badger, S; Varghese, F; Robertson, M

2002-07-01

This exploratory study investigated factors associated with the wish to hasten death among a sample of terminally ill cancer patients. Semi-structured interviews conducted on a total of 72 hospice and home palliative care patients were subjected to qualitative analysis using QSR-NUDIST. The main themes to emerge suggested that patients with a high wish to hasten death had greater concerns with physical symptoms and psychological suffering, perceived themselves to be more of a burden to others, and experienced higher levels of demoralization, while also reporting less confidence in symptom control, fewer social supports, less satisfaction with life experiences and fewer religious beliefs when compared with patients who had a moderate or no wish to hasten death. The implications of these findings will be discussed.

Death receptor pathways mediate targeted and non-targeted effects of ionizing radiations in breast cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luce, A.; Courtin, A.; Levalois, C.; Altmeyer-Morel, S.; Chevillard, S.; Lebeau, J.; Romeo, P.H.

2009-01-01

Delayed cell death by mitotic catastrophe is a frequent mode of solid tumor cell death after γ-irradiation, a widely used treatment of cancer. Whereas the mechanisms that underlie the early γ-irradiation-induced cell death are well documented, those that drive the delayed cell death are largely unknown. Here we show that the Fas, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α death receptor pathways mediate the delayed cell death observed after γ-irradiation of breast cancer cells. Early after irradiation, we observe the increased expression of Fas, TRAIL-R and TNF-R that first sensitizes cells to apoptosis. Later, the increased expression of FasL, TRAIL and TNF-α permit the apoptosis engagement linked to mitotic catastrophe. Treatments with TNF-α, TRAIL or anti-Fas antibody, early after radiation exposure, induce apoptosis, whereas the neutralization of the three death receptors pathways impairs the delayed cell death. We also show for the first time that irradiated breast cancer cells excrete soluble forms of the three ligands that can induce the death of sensitive bystander cells. Overall, these results define the molecular basis of the delayed cell death of irradiated cancer cells and identify the death receptors pathways as crucial actors in apoptosis induced by targeted as well as non-targeted effects of ionizing radiation. (authors)

Breast cancer survival rates among Seventh-day Adventists and non-Seventh-day Adventists.

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Zollinger, T W; Phillips, R L; Kuzma, J W

1984-04-01

Survival rates were compared among 282 Seventh-day Adventists and 1675 other white female cancer cases following diagnosis during the 30-year period, 1946 to 1976, at two California hospitals owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Adventist women had a more favorable 5-year relative survival pattern than the other women (69.7% vs. 62.9%) as well as a higher probability of not dying of breast cancer. The differences, however, were no longer significant when stage at diagnosis was taken into account. It seems likely that the lower breast cancer death rates reported among Seventh-day Adventist women as compared with the general population result in part from better survival patterns due to earlier diagnosis and treatment.

The study of logistic regression of risk factor on the death cause of uranium miners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wen Jinai; Yuan Liyun; Jiang Ruyi

1999-01-01

Logistic regression model has widely been used in the field of medicine. The computer software on this model is popular, but it is worth to discuss how to use this model correctly. Using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) software, unconditional logistic regression method was adopted to carry out multi-factor analyses on the cause of total death, cancer death and lung cancer death of uranium miners. The data is from radioepidemiological database of one uranium mine. The result show that attained age is a risk factor in the logistic regression analyses of total death, cancer death and lung cancer death. In the logistic regression analysis of cancer death, there is a negative correlation between the age of exposure and cancer death. This shows that the younger the age at exposure, the bigger the risk of cancer death. In the logistic regression analysis of lung cancer death, there is a positive correlation between the cumulated exposure and lung cancer death, this show that cumulated exposure is a most important risk factor of lung cancer death on uranium miners. It has been documented by many foreign reports that the lung cancer death rate is higher in uranium miners

Primary Causes of Death After Permanent Prostate Brachytherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bittner, Nathan; Merrick, Gregory S.; Galbreath, Robert W.; Butler, Wayne M.; Wallner, Kent E.; Allen, Zachariah A.; Brammer, Sarah G.; Moyad, Mark

2008-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the primary causes of death in low-risk (low-risk), intermediate-risk (intermediate-risk), and high-risk (high-risk) patients undergoing permanent prostate brachytherapy with or without supplemental therapies. Methods and Materials: From April 1995 through November 2004, a total of 1,354 consecutive patients underwent prostate brachytherapy. All patients underwent brachytherapy >3 years before analysis. Of the patients, 532 (39.3%) received androgen deprivation therapy and 703 (51.9%) received supplemental radiation therapy. The median follow-up was 5.4 years. Multiple parameters were evaluated as predictors of cause-specific, biochemical progression-free, and overall survival. Results: The 10-year cause-specific survival was 97.0% (99.7%, 99.0%, and 90.1% for low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk patients). Overall survival was 76.7% (82.5%, 78.3%, and 67.6% for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk patients, respectively). The cumulative death rate for cardiovascular disease was 11.5% (8.7%, 9.3%, and 19.8% for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk patients). The death rate from second malignancies (nonprostate cancer) was 7.2% and was not substantially different when stratified by risk group. Death from all other causes was 6.5% for the entire cohort but 1.3%, 5.0%, and 10.8% for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk patients. In multivariate analysis, death from prostate cancer was best predicted by Gleason score and risk group, whereas death from cardiovascular disease, nonprostate cancer, and all other causes were most closely related to patient age and tobacco use. Conclusions: Although cardiovascular mortality was the predominant cause of death, prostate cancer was responsible for approximately 10% of all deaths. In particular, overall survival was poorest in the high-risk group. Although high-risk patients were most likely to die of prostate cancer, the divergence in overall survival between high-risk and lower-risk patients primarily

Combining diagnostic categories to improve agreement between death certificate and autopsy classifications of cause of death for atomic bomb survivors, 1950-87

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carter, R.L.; Ron, E.; Mabuchi, Kiyohiko.

1993-05-01

Several investigators have observed less-than-desirable agreement between death certificate diagnoses and autopsy diagnoses for most specific causes of death, and even for some causes grouped by major disease category. Our results from data on 5130 autopsies of members of the Life Span Study cohort of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki conducted prior to September 1987 were equally discouraging. Among diseases with more than 10 cases observed, confirmation rates ranged from 13 % to 97 % and detection rates from 6 % to 90 %. Both rates were greater than 70 % for only 6 of 60 disease categories studied and for only 1 of 16 categories defined by major International Classification of Disease categories (neoplasms). This deficiency suggests cautious interpretation of results from studies based on death certificate diagnoses. To determine whether any groupings of diagnoses might meet acceptable accuracy requirements, we applied a hierarchical clustering method to data from these 5130 cohort members. The resulting classification system had 10 categories: breast cancer; other female cancers; cancers of the digestive organs; cancer of the larynx; leukemia; nasal, ear, or sinus cancer; tongue cancer; external causes; vascular disease; and all other causes. Confirmation and detection rates for each of these categories were at least 66 %. Although the categories are broad, particularly for nonneoplastic diseases, further divisions led to unacceptable accuracy rates for some of the resulting diagnostic groups. Using the derived classification system, there was 72 % agreement overall between death certificate and autopsy diagnoses compared to 53 % agreement for a second system obtained by grouping strictly by major disease category. Eighty-seven percent agreement was observed for a similar classification system with vascular disease grouped with all other nonneoplastic diseases. Further agglomeration achieved very little additional improvement. (J.P.N.)

Changes in parents after the death of a child from cancer.

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Gilmer, Mary Jo; Foster, Terrah L; Vannatta, Kathryn; Barrera, Maru; Davies, Betty; Dietrich, Mary S; Fairclough, Diane L; Grollman, Jamie; Gerhardt, Cynthia A

2012-10-01

Few studies have compared multiple perspectives of changes experienced by parents after a child's death. This study used interviews with bereaved parents and siblings to examine changes in parents during the first year after the death of a child from cancer. Mothers (n=36), fathers (n=24), and siblings (n=39) from 40 families were recruited from three hospitals in the U.S. and Canada three to 12 months after the death (M=10.7, SD=3.5). Semistructured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted in the home with each participating parent and sibling separately. Content analysis identified emerging themes, and frequencies were compared between each paired set of reports (mother vs. sibling, father vs. sibling, and mother vs. father). Parents and siblings identified two major categories of change experienced by bereaved parents. These changes occurred in their personal lives (e.g., emotions, perspectives and priorities, physical state, work habits, coping/behaviors, spiritual beliefs, and feeling something is missing) and relationships (e.g., family, others). Ninety-four percent of the mothers, 87% of the fathers, and 69% of the siblings reported parental changes in at least one of these categories. Parents were more likely to report changes in priorities, whereas siblings reported more sadness in parents after the death. Positive and negative changes in parents after the death of a child from cancer occur in both personal and relational domains. Additional research is needed to determine the impact of a child's death on bereaved parents over time and to develop strategies to promote healthy adjustment. Copyright © 2012 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Death Rates in the Calorie Model

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Martin Machay

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The Calorie model unifies the Classical demand and the supply in the food market. Hence, solves the major problem of Classical stationary state. It is, hence, formalization of the Classical theory of population. The model does not reflect the imperfections of reality mentioned by Malthus himself. It is the aim of this brief paper to relax some of the strong assumptions of the Calorie model to make it more realistic. As the results show the political economists were correct. The death resulting from malnutrition can occur way sooner than the stationary state itself. Moreover, progressive and retrograde movements can be easily described by the death rate derived in the paper. JEL Classification: J11, Q11, Q15, Q21, Y90.

Mechanism of neem limonoids-induced cell death in cancer: Role of oxidative phosphorylation.

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Yadav, Neelu; Kumar, Sandeep; Kumar, Rahul; Srivastava, Pragya; Sun, Leimin; Rapali, Peter; Marlowe, Timothy; Schneider, Andrea; Inigo, Joseph R; O'Malley, Jordan; Londonkar, Ramesh; Gogada, Raghu; Chaudhary, Ajay K; Yadava, Nagendra; Chandra, Dhyan

2016-01-01

We have previously reported that neem limonoids (neem) induce multiple cancer cell death pathways. Here we dissect the underlying mechanisms of neem-induced apoptotic cell death in cancer. We observed that neem-induced caspase activation does not require Bax/Bak channel-mediated mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, permeability transition pore, and mitochondrial fragmentation. Neem enhanced mitochondrial DNA and mitochondrial biomass. While oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) Complex-I activity was decreased, the activities of other OXPHOS complexes including Complex-II and -IV were unaltered. Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were associated with an increase in mitochondrial biomass and apoptosis upon neem exposure. Complex-I deficiency due to the loss of Ndufa1-encoded MWFE protein inhibited neem-induced caspase activation and apoptosis, but cell death induction was enhanced. Complex II-deficiency due to the loss of succinate dehydrogenase complex subunit C (SDHC) robustly decreased caspase activation, apoptosis, and cell death. Additionally, the ablation of Complexes-I, -III, -IV, and -V together did not inhibit caspase activation. Together, we demonstrate that neem limonoids target OXPHOS system to induce cancer cell death, which does not require upregulation or activation of proapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changing patterns in place of cancer death in England: a population-based study.

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Wei Gao

Full Text Available Most patients with cancer prefer to die at home or in a hospice, but hospitals remain the most common place of death (PoD.This study aims to explore the changing time trends of PoD and the associated factors, which are essential for end-of-life care improvement.The study analysed all cancer deaths in England collected by the Office for National Statistics during 1993-2010 (n = 2,281,223. Time trends of age- and gender-standardised proportion of deaths in individual PoDs were evaluated using weighted piecewise linear regression. Variables associated with PoD (home or hospice versus hospital were determined using proportion ratio (PR derived from the log-binomial regression, adjusting for clustering effects. Hospital remained the most common PoD throughout the study period (48.0%; 95% CI 47.9%-48.0%, followed by home (24.5%; 95% CI 24.4%-24.5%, and hospice (16.4%; 95% CI 16.3%-16.4%. Home and hospice deaths increased since 2005 (0.87%; 95% CI 0.74%-0.99%/year, 0.24%; 95% CI 0.17%-0.32%/year, respectively, p<0.001, while hospital deaths declined (-1.20%; 95% CI -1.41 to -0.99/year, p<0.001. Patients who died from haematological cancer (PRs 0.46-0.52, who were single, widowed, or divorced (PRs 0.75-0.88, and aged over 75 (PRs 0.81-0.84 for 75-84; 0.66-0.72 for 85+ were less likely to die in home or hospice (p<0.001; reference groups: colorectal cancer, married, age 25-54. There was little improvement in patients with lung cancer of dying in home or hospice (PRs 0.87-0.88. Marital status became the second most important factor associated with PoD, after cancer type. Patients from less deprived areas (higher quintile of the deprivation index were more likely to die at home or in a hospice than those from more deprived areas (lower quintile of the deprivation index; PRs 1.02-1.12. The analysis is limited by a lack of data on individual patients' preferences for PoD or a clinical indication of the most appropriate PoD.More efforts are needed to reduce

Breast cancer statistics, 2011.

Science.gov (United States)

DeSantis, Carol; Siegel, Rebecca; Bandi, Priti; Jemal, Ahmedin

2011-01-01

In this article, the American Cancer Society provides an overview of female breast cancer statistics in the United States, including trends in incidence, mortality, survival, and screening. Approximately 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 39,520 breast cancer deaths are expected to occur among US women in 2011. Breast cancer incidence rates were stable among all racial/ethnic groups from 2004 to 2008. Breast cancer death rates have been declining since the early 1990s for all women except American Indians/Alaska Natives, among whom rates have remained stable. Disparities in breast cancer death rates are evident by state, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity. While significant declines in mortality rates were observed for 36 states and the District of Columbia over the past 10 years, rates for 14 states remained level. Analyses by county-level poverty rates showed that the decrease in mortality rates began later and was slower among women residing in poor areas. As a result, the highest breast cancer death rates shifted from the affluent areas to the poor areas in the early 1990s. Screening rates continue to be lower in poor women compared with non-poor women, despite much progress in increasing mammography utilization. In 2008, 51.4% of poor women had undergone a screening mammogram in the past 2 years compared with 72.8% of non-poor women. Encouraging patients aged 40 years and older to have annual mammography and a clinical breast examination is the single most important step that clinicians can take to reduce suffering and death from breast cancer. Clinicians should also ensure that patients at high risk of breast cancer are identified and offered appropriate screening and follow-up. Continued progress in the control of breast cancer will require sustained and increased efforts to provide high-quality screening, diagnosis, and treatment to all segments of the population. Copyright © 2011 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Talking about death with children with incurable cancer: perspectives from parents.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geest, I.M.M. van der; Heuvel-Eibrink, M.M. van den; Vliet, L.M. van; Pluijm, S.M.F.; Streng, I.C.; Michiels, E.M.C.; Pieters, R.; Darlington A.S.E.

2015-01-01

Objective: To investigate the rationale and consequences associated with a parent's decision to discuss death with a child with incurable cancer. Study design: We present data from a larger retrospective study involving bereaved parents of a child who died of cancer. Parents were asked whether they

Lung Cancer Rates by State

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... the Biggest Cancer Killer in Both Men and Women” Stay Informed Rates by State for Other Kinds of Cancer All Cancers Combined Breast Cervical Colorectal (Colon) HPV-Associated Ovarian Prostate Skin Uterine Cancer Home Lung Cancer Rates by State Language: English (US) ...

Perspectives on death and an afterlife in relation to quality of life, depression, and hopelessness in cancer patients without evidence of disease and advanced cancer patients.

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van Laarhoven, Hanneke W M; Schilderman, Johannes; Verhagen, Constans A H H V M; Vissers, Kris C; Prins, Judith

2011-06-01

It is unknown whether cancer patients with different life expectancies have different attitudes and emotions toward death and an afterlife. Also, it is unclear whether these attitudes and emotions toward death and afterlife influence patients' distress. To assess the relationship of attitudes and emotions towards death and an afterlife with quality of life, depression and hopelessness in cancer patients without evidence of disease and advanced cancer patients facing death. Ninety-one cancer patients without evidence of disease and 57 advanced cancer patients completed the Dutch Attitudes Toward Death and Afterlife Scale. Emotions toward death were measured using the Self-Confrontation Method. Quality of life was measured with the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life Questionnaire. Depression and hopelessness were measured with the Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care and the Beck Hopelessness Scale. Average scores on attitudes and emotions toward death and an afterlife were not significantly different between the two groups. However, in the no evidence of disease group, a negative association between negative emotions and social functioning was observed, which was not present in the advanced cancer group. In the advanced cancer group, associations were observed that were not present in the no evidence of disease group: positive associations between an explicitly religious attitude and global health status and between reincarnation belief and role and cognitive functioning, and a negative association between other-directed emotions and social functioning. Patients without evidence of disease and advanced cancer patients do not differ in attitudes or emotions toward death, but the relationship between these attitudes and emotions and aspects of quality of life varies. When there is no evidence of disease, negative emotions play the most important role, whereas in the advanced

Oral cancer incidence and survival rates in the Republic of Ireland, 1994-2009.

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Ali, Hala; Sinnott, Sarah-Jo; Corcoran, Paul; Deady, Sandra; Sharp, Linda; Kabir, Zubair

2016-12-20

Oral cancer is a significant public health problem world-wide and exerts high economic, social, psychological, and physical burdens on patients, their families, and on their primary care providers. We set out to describe the changing trends in incidence and survival rates of oral cancer in Ireland between 1994 and 2009. National data on incident oral cancers [ICD 10 codes C01-C06] were obtained from the National Cancer Registry Ireland from 1994 to 2009. We estimated annual percentage change (APC) in oral cancer incidence during 1994-2009 using joinpoint regression software (version 4.2.0.2). The lifetime risk of oral cancer to age 79 was estimated using Irish incidence and population data from 2007 to 2009. Survival rates were also examined using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard models to explore the influence of several demographic/lifestyle covariates with follow-up to end 2012. Data were obtained on 2,147 oral cancer incident cases. Men accounted for two-thirds of oral cancer cases (n = 1,430). Annual rates in men decreased significantly during 1994-2001 (APC = -4.8 %, 95 % CI: -8.7 to -0.7) and then increased moderately (APC = 2.3 %, 95 % CI: -0.9 to 5.6). In contrast, annual incidence increased significantly in women throughout the study period (APC = 3.2 %, 95 % CI: 1.9 to 4.6). There was an elevated risk of death among oral cancer patients who were: older than 60 years of age; smokers; unemployed or retired; those living in the most deprived areas; and those whose tumour was sited in the base of the tongue. Being married and diagnosed in more recent years were associated with reduced risk of death. Oral cancer increased significantly in both sexes between 1999 and 2009 in Ireland. Our analyses demonstrate the influence of measured factors such as smoking, time of diagnosis and age on observed trends. Unmeasured factors such as alcohol use, HPV and dietary factors may also be contributing to increased trends. Several of

The calcimimetic R-568 induces apoptotic cell death in prostate cancer cells

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Cheng Guangming

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Increased serum level of parathyroid hormone (PTH was found in metastatic prostate cancers. Calcimimetic R-568 was reported to reduce PTH expression, to suppress cell proliferation and to induce apoptosis in parathyroid cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of R-568 on cellular survival of prostate cancer cells. Methods Prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP and PC-3 were used in this study. Cellular survival was determined with MTT, trypan blue exclusion and fluorescent Live/Death assays. Western blot assay was utilized to assess apoptotic events induced by R-568 treatment. JC-1 staining was used to evaluate mitochondrial membrane potential. Results In cultured prostate cancer LNCaP and PC-3 cells, R-568 treatment significantly reduced cellular survival in a dose- and time-dependent manner. R-568-induced cell death was an apoptotic event, as evidenced by caspase-3 processing and PARP cleavage, as well as JC-1 color change in mitochondria. Knocking down calcium sensing receptor (CaSR significantly reduced R-568-induced cytotoxicity. Enforced expression of Bcl-xL gene abolished R-568-induced cell death, while loss of Bcl-xL expression led to increased cell death in R-568-treated LNCaP cells,. Conclusion Taken together, our data demonstrated that calcimimetic R-568 triggers an intrinsic mitochondria-related apoptotic pathway, which is dependent on the CaSR and is modulated by Bcl-xL anti-apoptotic pathway.

Breast Cancer Rates by State

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... Associated Lung Ovarian Prostate Skin Uterine Cancer Home Breast Cancer Rates by State Language: English (US) Español (Spanish) ... from breast cancer each year. Rates of Getting Breast Cancer by State The number of people who get ...

Hyperthermia enhances radiosensitivity of colorectal cancer cells through ROS inducing autophagic cell death.

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Ba, Ming-Chen; Long, Hui; Wang, Shuai; Wu, Yin-Bing; Zhang, Bo-Huo; Yan, Zhao-Fei; Yu, Fei-Hong; Cui, Shu-Zhong

2018-04-01

Hyperthermia (HT) enhances the anti-cancer effects of radiotherapy (RT), but the precise biochemical mechanisms involved are unclear. This study was aim to investigate if mild HT sensitizes colorectal cancer cells to RT through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-inducing autophagic cell death in a mice model of HCT116 human colorectal cancer. HCT116 mice model were randomly divided into five groups: mock group, hyperthermia group (HT), radiotherapy group (RT), HT + RT group, and HT + RT +N-acetyl L-cysteine (NAC) group (HT + CT + NAC). After four weeks of treatment, cancer growth inhibition, rate and mitochondrial membrane potential were measured with MTT and JC-1 assays, respectively, while ROS were estimated fluorimetrically. The relationship of these parameters to expressions of autophagy-related genes Beclin1, LC3B, and mTOR was analyzed. Gene expression was measured by Real-Time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). There were significant increases in ROS levels and mitochondrial membrane potential in the HT + RT group. ROS levels in the HT + RT group increased more significantly than in any other group. In contrast, ROS levels in the HT + RT + NAC group were significantly decreased relative to the HT + RT group. The number of autophagic bodies in HT + RT group was higher than that of mock group. There were significant increases in the expression of Beclin1 and LC3B genes, while mTOR expression was significantly decreased in the HT + CT group. Treatment with NAC reversed the pattern of these changes. These results indicate that HT enhances the radiosensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to RT through ROS inducing autophagic cell death. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sigma-2 ligands and PARP inhibitors synergistically trigger cell death in breast cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, Elizabeth S.; Mankoff, Julia; Makvandi, Mehran; Chu, Wenhua; Chu, Yunxiang; Mach, Robert H.; Zeng, Chenbo

2017-01-01

The sigma-2 receptor is overexpressed in proliferating cells compared to quiescent cells and has been used as a target for imaging solid tumors by positron emission tomography. Recent work has suggested that the sigma-2 receptor may also be an effective therapeutic target for cancer therapy. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is a family of enzymes involved in DNA damage response. In this study, we looked for potential synergy of cytotoxicity between PARP inhibitors and sigma-2 receptor ligands in breast cancer cell lines. We showed that the PARP inhibitor, YUN3-6, sensitized mouse breast cancer cell line, EMT6, to sigma-2 receptor ligand (SV119, WC-26, and RHM-138) induced cell death determined by cell viability assay and colony forming assay. The PARP inhibitor, olaparib, sensitized tumor cells to a different sigma-2 receptor ligand SW43-induced apoptosis and cell death in human triple negative cell line, MDA-MB-231. Olaparib inhibited PARP activity and cell proliferation, and arrested cells in G2/M phase of the cell cycle in MDA-MB-231 cells. Subsequently cells became sensitized to SW43 induced cell death. In conclusion, the combination of sigma-2 receptor ligands and PARP inhibitors appears to hold promise for synergistically triggering cell death in certain types of breast cancer cells and merits further investigation. - Highlights: • PARPi, YUN3-6 and olaparib, and σ2 ligands, SV119 and SW43, were evaluated. • Mouse and human breast cancer cells, EMT6 and MDA-MB-231 respectively, were used. • YUN3-6 and SV119 synergistically triggered cell death in EMT6 cells. • Olaparib and SW43 additively triggered cell death in MDA-MB-231 cells. • Olaparib arrested cells in G2/M in MDA-MB-231 cells.

Premature death rates diverge in the United States

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An NCI press release on a study that shows premature death rates have declined in the United States among Hispanics, blacks, and Asian/Pacific Islanders but increased among whites and American Indian/Alaska Natives.

The Parkinson's disease death rate: carbidopa and vitamin B6

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hinz M

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Marty Hinz,1 Alvin Stein,2 Ted Cole31Clinical Research, NeuroResearch Clinics, Inc., Cape Coral, FL, USA; 2Stein Orthopedic Associates, Plantation, FL, USA; 3Cole Center for Healing, Cincinnati, OH, USAAbstract: The only indication for carbidopa and benserazide is the management of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa-induced nausea. Both drugs irreversibly bind to and permanently deactivate pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP, the active form of vitamin B6, and PLP-dependent enzymes. PLP is required for the function of over 300 enzymes and proteins. Virtually every major system in the body is impacted directly or indirectly by PLP. The administration of carbidopa and benserazide potentially induces a nutritional catastrophe. During the first 15 years of prescribing L-dopa, a decreasing Parkinson's disease death rate was observed. Then, in 1976, 1 year after US Food and Drug Administration approved the original L-dopa/carbidopa combination drug, the Parkinson's disease death rate started increasing. This trend has continued to the present, for 38 years and counting. The previous literature documents this increasing death rate, but no hypothesis has been offered concerning this trend. Carbidopa is postulated to contribute to the increasing Parkinson's disease death rate and to the classification of Parkinson's as a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It may contribute to L-dopa tachyphylaxis.Keywords: L-dopa, levodopa, vitamin B6, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate

Prosperity as a cause of death.

Science.gov (United States)

Eyer, J

1977-01-01

The general death rate rises during business booms and falls during depressions. The causes of death involved in this variation range from infectious diseases through accidents to heart disease, cancer, and cirrhosis of the liver, and include the great majority of all causes of death. Less than 2 percent of the death rate-that for suicide and homicide-varies directly with unemployment. In the older historical data, deterioration of housing and rise of alcohol consumption on the boom may account for part of this variation. In twentieth-century cycles, the role of social stress is probably predominant. Overwork and fragmentation of community through migration are two important sources of stress which rise with the boom, and they are demonstrably related to the causes of death which show this variation.

Breast cancer patients with dense breasts do not have increased death risk

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High mammographic breast density, which is a marker of increased risk of developing breast cancer, does not seem to increase the risk of death among breast cancer patients, according to a study led by Gretchen L. Gierach, Ph.D., NCI. Image shows physician

Representations for the rate of convergence of birth-death processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Doorn, Erik A.

2002-01-01

We display some representations for the rate of convergence of a birth-death process, which are useful for obtaining upper and lower bounds. The expressions are brought to light by exploiting the spectral representation for the transition probabilities of a birth-death process and results from the

Representations for the rate of convergence of birth-death processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Doorn, Erik A.

2001-01-01

We display some representations for the rate of convergence of a birth-death process, which are useful for obtaining upper and lower bounds. The expressions are brought to light by exploiting the spectral representation for the transition probabilities of a birth-death process and results from the

Using the National Death Index to Identify Duplicate Cancer Incident Cases in Florida and New York, 1996–2005

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Wohler, Brad; Qiao, Baozhen; MacKinnon, Jill A.; Schymura, Maria J.

2014-01-01

Introduction Cancer registries link incidence data to state death certificates to update vital status and identify missing cases; they also link these data to the National Death Index (NDI) to update vital status among patients who leave the state after their diagnosis. This study explored the use of information from NDI linkages to identify potential duplicate cancer cases registered in both Florida and New York. Methods The Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) and the New York State Cancer Registry (NYSCR) linked incidence data with state and NDI death records from 1996 through 2005. Information for patients whose death occurred in the reciprocal state (the death state) was exchanged. Potential duplicate cases were those that had the same diagnosis and the same or similar diagnosis date. Results NDI identified 4,657 FCDS cancer patients who died in New York and 2,740 NYSCR cancer patients who died in Florida. Matching identified 5,030 cases registered in both states; 508 were death certificate-only (DCO) cases in the death state’s registry, and 3,760 (74.8%) were potential duplicates. Among FCDS and NYSCR patients who died and were registered in the registry of the reciprocal state, more than 50% were registered with the same cancer diagnosis, and approximately 80% had similar diagnosis dates (within 1 year). Conclusion NDI identified DCO cases in the death state’s cancer registry and a large proportion of potential duplicate cases. Standards are needed for assigning primary residence when multiple registries report the same case. The registry initiating the NDI linkage should consider sharing relevant information with death state registries so that these registries can remove erroneous DCO cases from their databases. PMID:25254985

A hospital-based palliative care service for patients with advanced organ failure in sub-Saharan Africa reduces admissions and increases home death rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Desrosiers, Taylor; Cupido, Clint; Pitout, Elizabeth; van Niekerk, Lindi; Badri, Motasim; Gwyther, Liz; Harding, Richard

2014-04-01

Despite emerging data of cost savings under palliative care in various regions, no such data have been generated in response to the high burden of terminal illness in Africa. This evaluation of a novel hospital-based palliative care service for patients with advanced organ failure in urban South Africa aimed to determine whether the service reduces admissions and increases home death rates compared with the same fixed time period of standard hospital care. Data on admissions and place of death were extracted from routine hospital activity records for a fixed period before death, using standard patient daily expense rates. Data from the first 56 consecutive deaths under the new service (intervention group) were compared with 48 consecutive deaths among patients immediately before the new service (historical controls). Among the intervention and control patients, 40 of 56 (71.4%) and 47 of 48 (97.9%), respectively, had at least one admission (P home death was achieved by 33 of 56 (58.9%) and nine of 48 (18.8%), respectively (P ≤ 0.001). These data demonstrate that an outpatient hospital-based service reduced admissions and improved the rate of home deaths and offers a feasible and cost-effective model for such settings. Copyright © 2014 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Human colon cancer HT-29 cell death responses to doxorubicin and Morus Alba leaves flavonoid extract.

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Fallah, S; Karimi, A; Panahi, G; Gerayesh Nejad, S; Fadaei, R; Seifi, M

2016-03-31

The mechanistic basis for the biological properties of Morus alba flavonoid extract (MFE) and chemotherapy drug of doxorubicin on human colon cancer HT-29 cell line death are unknown. The effect of doxorubicin and flavonoid extract on colon cancer HT-29 cell line death and identification of APC gene expression and PARP concentration of HT-29 cell line were investigated. The results showed that flavonoid extract and doxorubicin induce a dose dependent cell death in HT-29 cell line. MFE and doxorubicin exert a cytotoxic effect on human colon cancer HT-29 cell line by probably promoting or induction of apoptosis.

An Ursolic Acid Derived Small Molecule Triggers Cancer Cell Death through Hyperstimulation of Macropinocytosis.

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Sun, Lin; Li, Bin; Su, Xiaohui; Chen, Ge; Li, Yaqin; Yu, Linqian; Li, Li; Wei, Wanguo

2017-08-10

Macropinocytosis is a transient endocytosis that internalizes extracellular fluid and particles into vacuoles. Recent studies suggest that hyperstimulation of macropinocytosis can induce a novel nonapoptotic cell death, methuosis. In this report, we describe the identification of an ursolic acid derived small molecule (compound 17), which induces cancer cell death through hyperstimulation of macropinocytosis. 17 causes the accumulation of vacuoles derived from macropinosomes based on transmission electron microscopy, time-lapse microscopy, and labeling with extracellular fluid phase tracers. The vacuoles induced by 17 separate from other cytoplasmic compartments but acquire some characteristics of late endosomes and lysosomes. Inhibiting hyperstimulation of macropinocytosis with the specific inhibitor amiloride blocks cell death, implicating that 17 leads to cell death via macropinocytosis, which is coincident with methuosis. Our results uncovered a novel cell death pathway involved in the activity of 17, which may provide a basis for further development of natural-product-derived scaffolds for drugs that trigger cancer cell death by methuosis.

Cardiorespiratory fitness and death from cancer: a 42-year follow-up from the Copenhagen Male Study.

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Jensen, Magnus Thorsten; Holtermann, Andreas; Bay, Hans; Gyntelberg, Finn

2017-09-01

Poor cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with death from cancer. If follow-up time is short, this association may be confounded by subclinical disease already present at the time of CRF assessment. This study investigates the association between CRF and death from cancer and any cause with 42 years and 44 years of follow-up, respectively. Middle-aged, employed and cancer-free Danish men from the prospective Copenhagen Male Study , enrolled in 1970-1971, were included. CRF (maximal oxygen consumption (VO 2 max)) was estimated using a bicycle ergometer test and analysed in multivariable Cox models including conventional risk factors, social class and self-reported physical activity. Death from cancer and all-cause mortality was assessed using Danish national registers. Follow-up was 100% complete. In total, 5131 men were included, mean (SD) age 48.8 (5.4) years. During 44 years of follow-up, 4486 subjects died (87.4%), 1527 (29.8%) from cancer. In multivariable models, CRF was highly significantly inversely associated with death from cancer and all-cause mortality ((HR (95% CI)) 0.83 (0.77 to 0.90) and 0.89 (0.85 to 0.93) per 10 mL/kg/min increase in estimated VO 2 max, respectively). A similar association was seen across specific cancer groups, except death from prostate cancer (1.00 (0.82 to 1.2); p=0.97; n=231). The associations between CRF and outcomes remained essentially unchanged after excluding subjects dying within 10 years (n=377) and 20 years (n=1276) of inclusion. CRF is highly significantly inversely associated with death from cancer and all-cause mortality. The associations are robust for exclusion of subjects dying within 20 years of study inclusion, thereby suggesting a minimal influence of reverse causation. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Risk of death from cardiovascular disease following breast cancer : a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gernaat, S. A.M.; Ho, P. J.; Rijnberg, N.; Emaus, M. J.; Baak, L. M.; Hartman, M.; Grobbee, D. E.; Verkooijen, H. M.

Purpose: Breast cancer incidence and survival is high, which results in high prevalence of breast cancer survivors. The risk of (death from) cardiovascular disease (CVD) is higher in patients exposed to cardiotoxic treatments, in particular if they have pre-existing CVD risk factors. This study

Nonlinear fluctuations-induced rate equations for linear birth-death processes

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Honkonen, J.

2008-05-01

The Fock-space approach to the solution of master equations for one-step Markov processes is reconsidered. It is shown that in birth-death processes with an absorbing state at the bottom of the occupation-number spectrum and occupation-number independent annihilation probability of occupation-number fluctuations give rise to rate equations drastically different from the polynomial form typical of birth-death processes. The fluctuation-induced rate equations with the characteristic exponential terms are derived for Mikhailov’s ecological model and Lanchester’s model of modern warfare.

Nonlinear fluctuation-induced rate equations for linear birth-death processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honkonen, J.

2008-01-01

The Fock-space approach to the solution of master equations for the one-step Markov processes is reconsidered. It is shown that in birth-death processes with an absorbing state at the bottom of the occupation-number spectrum and occupation-number independent annihilation probability occupation-number fluctuations give rise to rate equations drastically different from the polynomial form typical of birth-death processes. The fluctuation-induced rate equations with the characteristic exponential terms are derived for Mikhailov's ecological model and Lanchester's model of modern warfare

Magnesium in drinking water modifies the association between nitrate ingestion and risk of death from esophageal cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Yen-Hsiung; Chen, Pei-Shih; Chiu, Hui-Fen; Yang, Chun-Yuh

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to explore whether magnesium (Mg) levels in drinking water modified the effects of nitrate on esophageal cancer risk occurrence. A matched cancer case-control study was used to investigate the relationship between the risk of death from esophageal cancer and exposure to nitrate in drinking water in Taiwan. All esophageal cancer deaths of Taiwan residents from 2006 through 2010 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair-matched to cancer cases by gender, year of birth, and year of death. Information on the levels of nitrate-nitrogen (NO(3)-N) and Mg in drinking water were collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cancer cases and controls was presumed to be the source of the subject's NO(3)-N and Mg exposure via drinking water. Evidence of an interaction was noted between drinking water NO(3)-N and Mg intake. This is the first study to report effect modification by Mg intake originating from drinking water on an association between NO(3)-N exposure and increased risk mortality attributed to esophageal cancer.

Breast Cancer Disparities

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... 2.65 MB] Read the MMWR Science Clips Breast Cancer Black Women Have Higher Death Rates from Breast ... of Page U.S. State Info Number of Additional Breast Cancer Deaths Among Black Women, By State SOURCE: National ...

Age- and time-dependent changes in the rates of radiation-induced cancers in patients with ankylosing spondylitis following a single course of X-ray treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, P.G.; Doll, R.

1978-01-01

The causes of death have been analysed in 14111 patients with ankylosing spondylitis following a single course of X-ray treatment. Patients who were re-treated with X-rays were followed until the end of the year following their second course of treatment and deaths subsequent to this time were ignored. An attempt was made to follow the remaining patients to 1 January 1970, or their date of death or emigration, whichever was the earlier. A total of 7455 (52.8%) patients were re-treated before 1 January 1970, 1759 (12.5%) patients had died and 269 (1.9%) had emigrated. A total of 208 (1.5%) patients were lost to follow-up and the remaining 4420 (31.3%), who had all received one course of treatment, were alive. The number of deaths from all causes was 66% greater than the expected number computed from national age and sex specific mortality rates. There were 31 deaths from leukaemia (6.5 expected), 259 from cancers of ''heavily irradiated'' sites (167.5 expected) and 79 from cancers of ''lightly irradiated'' sites, which was not significantly higher than the 65.6 expected. The ratio of observed to expected deaths and the excess death rate from leukaemia was greatest in the period three to five years after first treatment and subsequently declined. The ratio of observed to expected deaths from cancers of heavily irradiated sites was high in the two years following treatment, fell to a minimum six to eight years after treatment and then rose. Data for individual heavily irradiated sites showed little variation in the ratio of observed to expected numbers of deaths, apart from those due to tumours of the spinal cord. The ratio of observed to expected deaths for both leukaemia and cancers of the heavily irradiated sites showed no apparent change according to the age of the patients at their first treatment but the excess death rate showed a highly significant increase with increasing age at first treatment

Targeting death receptors to fight cancer: from biological rational to clinical implementation.

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Mocellin, S

2010-01-01

Considering that most currently available chemotherapeutic drugs work by inducing cell apoptosis, it is not surprising that many expectations in cancer research come from the therapeutic exploitation of the naturally occurring death pathways. Receptor mediated apoptosis depends upon the engagement of specific ligands with their respective membrane receptors and - within the frame of complex regulatory networks - modulates some key physiological and pathological processes such as lymphocyte survival, inflammation and infectious diseases. A pivotal observation was that some of these pathways may be over activated in cancer under particular circumstances, which opened the avenue for tumor-specific therapeutic interventions. Although one death-related ligand (e.g., tumor necrosis factor, TNF) is currently the basis of effective anticancer regimens in the clinical setting, the systemic toxicity is hampering its wide therapeutic exploitation. However, strategies to split the therapeutic from the toxic TNF activity are being devised. Furthermore, other death receptor pathways (e.g., Fas/FasL, TRAIL/TRAIL receptor) are being intensively investigated in order to therapeutically exploit their activity against cancer. This article summarizes the current knowledge on the molecular features of death receptor pathways that make them an attractive target for anticancer therapeutics. In addition, the results so far obtained in the clinical oncology setting as well as the issues to be faced while interfering with these pathways for therapeutic purposes will be overviewed.

Mulberry anthocyanins improves thyroid cancer progression mainly by inducing apoptosis and autophagy cell death

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hou-Long Long

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Dietary anthocyanin compounds have multiple biological effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-atherosclerotic characteristics. The present study evaluated the anti-tumor capacity of mulberry anthocyanins (MA in thyroid cancer cells. Our data showed that MA suppressed SW1736 and HTh-7 cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, flow cytometry results indicated that MA significantly increased SW1736 and HTh-7 cell apoptosis. We additionally observed that SW1736 and HTh-7 cell autophagy was markedly enhanced after MA treatment. Importantly, anthocyanin-induced cell death was largely abolished by 3-methyladenine (3-MA or chloroquine diphosphate salt (CQ treatment, suggesting that MA-induced SW1736 and HTh-7 cell death was partially dependent on autophagy. In addition, activation of protein kinase B (Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR, and ribosomal protein S6 (S6 were significantly suppressed by anthocyanin exposure. In summary, MA may serve as an adjunctive therapy for thyroid cancer patients through induction of apoptosis and autophagy-dependent cell death. Keywords: Mulberry anthocyanins, Thyroid cancer, Apoptosis, Autophagic death

Decreases in Smoking-Related Cancer Mortality Rates Are Associated with Birth Cohort Effects in Korean Men.

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Jee, Yon Ho; Shin, Aesun; Lee, Jong-Keun; Oh, Chang-Mo

2016-12-05

Background: This study aimed to examine trends in smoking-related cancer mortality rates and to investigate the effect birth cohort on smoking-related cancer mortality in Korean men. Methods: The number of smoking-related cancer deaths and corresponding population numbers were obtained from Statistics Korea for the period 1984-2013. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to detect changes in trends in age-standardized mortality rates. Birth-cohort specific mortality rates were illustrated by 5 year age groups. Results: The age-standardized mortality rates for oropharyngeal decreased from 2003 to 2013 (annual percent change (APC): -3.1 (95% CI, -4.6 to -1.6)) and lung cancers decreased from 2002 to 2013 (APC -2.4 (95% CI -2.7 to -2.2)). The mortality rates for esophageal declined from 1994 to 2002 (APC -2.5 (95% CI -4.1 to -0.8)) and from 2002 to 2013 (APC -5.2 (95% CI -5.7 to -4.7)) and laryngeal cancer declined from 1995 to 2013 (average annual percent change (AAPC): -3.3 (95% CI -4.7 to -1.8)). By the age group, the trends for the smoking-related cancer mortality except for oropharyngeal cancer have changed earlier to decrease in the younger age group. The birth-cohort specific mortality rates and age-period-cohort analysis consistently showed that all birth cohorts born after 1930 showed reduced mortality of smoking-related cancers. Conclusions: In Korean men, smoking-related cancer mortality rates have decreased. Our findings also indicate that current decreases in smoking-related cancer mortality rates have mainly been due to a decrease in the birth cohort effect, which suggest that decrease in smoking rates.

Spiritual Well-being May Reduce the Negative Impacts of Cancer Symptoms on the Quality of Life and the Desire for Hastened Death in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients.

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Wang, Yin-Chih; Lin, Chia-Chin

2016-01-01

Spirituality is a central component of the well-being of terminally ill cancer patients. The aim of this study was to examine the mediating or moderating role of spiritual well-being in reducing the impact of cancer-related symptoms on quality of life and the desire for hastened death in terminally ill cancer patients. Eighty-five terminally ill cancer patients were assessed using the Taiwanese version of the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-being, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the Schedule of Attitudes Toward Hastened Death. Spiritual well-being was significantly negatively correlated with symptom severity (r = -0.46, P quality of life (r = -0.54) and positively correlated with hopelessness (r = 0.51, P quality of life. Spiritual well-being was a partial mediator between symptom severity and the desire for hastened death. The meaning subscale of spiritual well-being was a more significant predictor of the desire for hastened death and quality of life than the faith subscale was. Spiritual well-being may reduce the negative impacts of cancer on quality of life and the desire for hastened death. Appropriate spiritual care may reduce the negative impact of severe cancer symptoms on quality of life and the desire for hastened death in terminally ill cancer patients.

Childhood death rates declined in Sweden from 2000 to 2014 but deaths from external causes were not always investigated.

Science.gov (United States)

Otterman, Gabriel; Lahne, Klara; Arkema, Elizabeth V; Lucas, Steven; Janson, Staffan; Hellström-Westas, Lena

2018-03-08

Countries that conduct systematic child death reviews report a high proportion of modifiable characteristics among deaths from external causes, and this study examined the trends in Sweden. We analysed individual-level data on external, ill-defined and unknown causes from the Swedish cause of death register from 2000 to 2014, and mortality rates were estimated for children under the age of one and for those aged 1-14 and 15-17 years. Child deaths from all causes were 7914, and 2006 (25%) were from external, ill-defined and unknown causes: 610 (30%) were infants, 692 (34%) were 1-14 and 704 (35%) were 15-17. The annual average was 134 cases (range 99-156) during the study period. Mortality rates from external, ill-defined and unknown causes in children under 18 fell 19%, from 7.4 to 6.0 per 100 000 population. A sizeable number of infant deaths (8.0%) were registered without a death certificate during the study period, but these counts were lower in children aged 1-14 (1.3%) and 15-17 (0.9%). Childhood deaths showed a sustained decline from 2000 to 2014 in Sweden and a quarter were from external, ill-defined or unknown causes. Systematic, interagency death reviews could yield information that could prevent future deaths. ©2018 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

In Situ Gelation-Induced Death of Cancer Cells Based on Proteinosomes.

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Zhou, Yuting; Song, Jianmin; Wang, Lei; Xue, Xuting; Liu, Xiaoman; Xie, Hui; Huang, Xin

2017-08-14

Hydrogels are an excellent type of material that can be utilized as a platform for cell culture. However, when a bulky hydrogel forms on the inside of cancer cells, the result would be different. In this study, we demonstrate a method for in situ gelation inside cancer cells that can efficiently induce cell death. Glutathione-responsive proteinosomes with good biocompatibility were prepared as carriers for sodium alginate to be endocytosed by cancer cells, where the chelation between sodium alginate and free calcium ions in the culture medium occurs during the diffusion process. The uptake of the hydrogel-loaded proteinosomes into the cancer cells, and then the triggered release of hydrogel with concomitant aggregation, was well-confirmed by monitoring the change of the Young's modulus of the cells based on AFM force measurements. Accordingly, when a large amount of hydrogel formed in cells, the cell viability would be inhibited by ∼90% by MTT assay at a concentration of 5.0 μM of hydrogel-loaded proteinosomes after 48 h incubation, which clearly proves the feasibility of the demonstrated method for killing cancer cells. Although more details regarding the mechanism of cell death should be conducted in the near future, such a demonstrated method of in situ gelation inside cells provides another choice for killing cancer cells.

The convergence of lung cancer rates between blacks and whites under the age of 40, United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Jemal, Ahmedin; Center, Melissa M; Ward, Elizabeth

2009-12-01

Lung cancer rates in the United States have been consistently higher in blacks than in whites at all ages in men and at younger ages in women. However, since the 1970s, smoking initiation decreased more rapidly among blacks than whites. We examined trends in lung cancer rates for white and black young adults (ages 20-39) from 1992 to 2006 using joinpoint models and black-to-white rate ratios by sex. Lung cancer death rates in 20- to 39-year-olds significantly decreased in all groups but was much steeper for blacks than for whites. From 1992 to 1994 and 2004 to 2006, the black-to-white mortality rate ratio (95% confidence interval) decreased from 2.16 (1.90-2.44) to 1.28 (1.05-1.55) for men and from 1.47 (1.25-1.71) to 0.97 (0.78-1.19) for women. A similar convergence was observed in the lung cancer incidence rates. These findings suggest that if current smoking trends in the young continue, racial differences in overall lung cancer rates in men will be eliminated in the next 40 to 50 years.

Nitrate in drinking water and risk of death from bladder cancer: an ecological case-control study in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Hui-Fen; Tsai, Shang-Shyue; Yang, Chun-Yuh

2007-06-01

The relationship between nitrate levels in drinking water and bladder cancer development is controversial. A matched cancer case-control with nitrate ecology study was used to investigate the association between bladder cancer mortality occurrence and nitrate exposure from Taiwan drinking water. All bladder cancer deaths of Taiwan residents from 1999 through 2003 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair-matched to the cases by gender, year of birth,and year of death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each cancer case. Data on nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) levels in drinking water throughout Taiwan were collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cancer cases and controls was assumed to be the source of the subject's nitrate exposure via drinking water. The adjusted odds ratios for bladder cancer death for those with high nitrate levels in their drinking water were 1.76 (1.28-2.42) and 1.96 (1.41-2.72) as compared to the lowest tertile. The results of the present study show that there was a significant positive relationship between the levels of nitrate in drinking water and risk of death from bladder cancer.

Death and population dynamics affect mutation rate estimates and evolvability under stress in bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Frenoy, Antoine; Bonhoeffer, Sebastian

2018-05-01

The stress-induced mutagenesis hypothesis postulates that in response to stress, bacteria increase their genome-wide mutation rate, in turn increasing the chances that a descendant is able to better withstand the stress. This has implications for antibiotic treatment: exposure to subinhibitory doses of antibiotics has been reported to increase bacterial mutation rates and thus probably the rate at which resistance mutations appear and lead to treatment failure. More generally, the hypothesis posits that stress increases evolvability (the ability of a population to generate adaptive genetic diversity) and thus accelerates evolution. Measuring mutation rates under stress, however, is problematic, because existing methods assume there is no death. Yet subinhibitory stress levels may induce a substantial death rate. Death events need to be compensated by extra replication to reach a given population size, thus providing more opportunities to acquire mutations. We show that ignoring death leads to a systematic overestimation of mutation rates under stress. We developed a system based on plasmid segregation that allows us to measure death and division rates simultaneously in bacterial populations. Using this system, we found that a substantial death rate occurs at the tested subinhibitory concentrations previously reported to increase mutation rate. Taking this death rate into account lowers and sometimes removes the signal for stress-induced mutagenesis. Moreover, even when antibiotics increase mutation rate, we show that subinhibitory treatments do not increase genetic diversity and evolvability, again because of effects of the antibiotics on population dynamics. We conclude that antibiotic-induced mutagenesis is overestimated because of death and that understanding evolvability under stress requires accounting for the effects of stress on population dynamics as much as on mutation rate. Our goal here is dual: we show that population dynamics and, in particular, the

Active and passive smoking and risk of death from pancreatic cancer: findings from the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yingsong; Yagyu, Kiyoko; Ueda, Junko; Kurosawa, Michiko; Tamakoshi, Akiko; Kikuchi, Shogo

2013-01-01

There is uncertainty in the risk of pancreatic cancer with particular aspects of smoking, such as a dose-response relationship and cumulative amount, in Japanese men and women. Very few studies have addressed the role of passive smoking in pancreatic cancer among Japanese women. We examined the association between active or passive smoking and the risk of death from pancreatic cancer using data from the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study. The cohort participants (46,395 men and 64,190 women) were followed-up for mortality from baseline (1988-1990) through December 31, 2009. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). During follow-up, we recorded 611 pancreatic cancer deaths. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, current smokers had a significantly increased risk of death from pancreatic cancer compared with non-smokers, with an RR of 1.70 (95% CI: 1.33-2.19). The risk of death from pancreatic cancer significantly increased with increasing numbers of cigarettes smoked per day. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in public spaces was not associated with risk of death from pancreatic cancer. The RR for women who reported ETS exposure was 1.20 (95% CI: 0.87-1.67). Women exposed to ETS during childhood or adolescence had 1.21-fold increased risk, but the association was statistically insignificant. Cigarette smoking is associated with an approximately 70% increase in the risk of death from pancreatic cancer. Further studies with improved exposure assessment are needed to better quantify the association between passive smoking and pancreatic cancer. Copyright © 2013 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A three-protein biomarker panel assessed in diagnostic tissue predicts death from prostate cancer for men with localized disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Severi, Gianluca; FitzGerald, Liesel M; Muller, David C; Pedersen, John; Longano, Anthony; Southey, Melissa C; Hopper, John L; English, Dallas R; Giles, Graham G; Mills, John

2014-01-01

Only a minority of prostate cancers lead to death. Because no tissue biomarkers of aggressiveness other than Gleason score are available at diagnosis, many nonlethal cancers are treated aggressively. We evaluated whether a panel of biomarkers, associated with a range of disease outcomes in previous studies, could predict death from prostate cancer for men with localized disease. Using a case-only design, subjects were identified from three Australian epidemiological studies. Men who had died of their disease, “cases” (N = 83), were matched to “referents” (N = 232), those who had not died of prostate cancer, using incidence density sampling. Diagnostic tissue was retrieved to assess expression of AZGP1, MUC1, NKX3.1, p53, and PTEN by semiquantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC). Poisson regression was used to estimate mortality rate ratios (MRRs) adjusted for age, Gleason score, and stage and to estimate survival probabilities. Expression of MUC1 and p53 was associated with increased mortality (MRR 2.51, 95% CI 1.14–5.54, P = 0.02 and 3.08, 95% CI 1.41–6.95, P = 0.005, respectively), whereas AZGP1 expression was associated with decreased mortality (MRR 0.44, 95% CI 0.20–0.96, P = 0.04). Analyzing all markers under a combined model indicated that the three markers were independent predictors of prostate cancer death and survival. For men with localized disease at diagnosis, assessment of AZGP1, MUC1, and p53 expression in diagnostic tissue by IHC could potentially improve estimates of risk of dying from prostate cancer based only on Gleason score and clinical stage

Nitrates in drinking water and the risk of death from brain cancer: does hardness in drinking water matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Chi-Kung; Yang, Ya-Hui; Yang, Chun-Yuh

2011-01-01

The objectives of this study were to (1) examine the relationship between nitrate levels in public water supplies and risk of death from brain cancer and (2) determine whether calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) levels in drinking water might modify the influence of nitrates on development of brain cancer. A matched cancer case-control study was used to investigate the relationship between the risk of death from brain cancer and exposure to nitrates in drinking water in Taiwan. All brain cancer deaths of Taiwan residents from 2003 through 2008 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair-matched to cancer cases by gender, year of birth, and year of death. Information on the levels of nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N), Ca, and Mg in drinking water was obtained from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cancer cases and controls was presumed to be the source of the subject's NO₃-N, Ca, and Mg exposure via drinking water. Relative to individuals whose NO₃-N exposure level was cancer occurrence was 1.04 (0.85-1.27) for individuals who resided in municipalities served by drinking water with a NO₃-N exposure ≥ 0.38 ppm. No marked effect modification was observed due to Ca and Mg intake via drinking water on brain cancer occurrence.

Apoptotic Cell Death Induced by Resveratrol Is Partially Mediated by the Autophagy Pathway in Human Ovarian Cancer Cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fangfang Lang

Full Text Available Resveratrol (trans-3,4,5'-trihydroxystilbene is an active compound in food, such as red grapes, peanuts, and berries. Resveratrol exhibits an anticancer effect on various human cancer cells. However, the mechanism of resveratrol-induced anti-cancer effect at the molecular level remains to be elucidated. In this study, the mechanism underlying the anti-cancer effect of resveratrol in human ovarian cancer cells (OVCAR-3 and Caov-3 was investigated using various molecular biology techniques, such as flow cytometry, western blotting, and RNA interference, with a major focus on the potential role of autophagy in resveratrol-induced apoptotic cell death. We demonstrated that resveratrol induced reactive oxygen species (ROS generation, which triggers autophagy and subsequent apoptotic cell death. Resveratrol induced ATG5 expression and promoted LC3 cleavage. The apoptotic cell death induced by resveratrol was attenuated by both pharmacological and genetic inhibition of autophagy. The autophagy inhibitor chloroquine, which functions at the late stage of autophagy, significantly reduced resveratrol-induced cell death and caspase 3 activity in human ovarian cancer cells. We also demonstrated that targeting ATG5 by siRNA also suppressed resveratrol-induced apoptotic cell death. Thus, we concluded that a common pathway between autophagy and apoptosis exists in resveratrol-induced cell death in OVCAR-3 human ovarian cancer cells.

Repeated assessments of symptom severity improve predictions for risk of death among patients with cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutradhar, Rinku; Atzema, Clare; Seow, Hsien; Earle, Craig; Porter, Joan; Barbera, Lisa

2014-12-01

Although prior studies show the importance of self-reported symptom scores as predictors of cancer survival, most are based on scores recorded at a single point in time. To show that information on repeated assessments of symptom severity improves predictions for risk of death and to use updated symptom information for determining whether worsening of symptom scores is associated with a higher hazard of death. This was a province-based longitudinal study of adult outpatients who had a cancer diagnosis and had assessments of symptom severity. We implemented a time-to-death Cox model with a time-varying covariate for each symptom to account for changing symptom scores over time. This model was compared with that using only a time-fixed (baseline) covariate for each symptom. The regression coefficients of each model were derived based on a randomly selected 60% of patients, and then, the predictive performance of each model was assessed via concordance probabilities when applied to the remaining 40% of patients. This study had 66,112 patients diagnosed with cancer and more than 310,000 assessments of symptoms. The use of repeated assessments of symptom scores improved predictions for risk of death compared with using only baseline symptom scores. Increased pain and fatigue and reduced appetite were the strongest predictors for death. If available, researchers should consider including changing information on symptom scores, as opposed to only baseline information on symptom scores, when examining hazard of death among patients with cancer. Worsening of pain, fatigue, and appetite may be a flag for impending death. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Air pollution in relation to US cancer mortality rates: an ecological study; likely role of carbonaceous aerosols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grant, W.B. [Sunlight Nutrients & Health Research Center SUNARC, San Francisco, CA (United States)

2009-09-15

There are large geographical variations of cancer mortality rates in the United States. In a series of ecological studies in the U.S., a number of risk-modifying factors including alcohol, diet, ethnic background, poverty, smoking, solar ultraviolet-B (UVB), and urban/rural residence have been linked to many types of cancer. Air pollution also plays a role in cancer risk. Cancer mortality rates averaged by state for two periods, 1950-1969 and 1970-1994, were used in multiple-linear regression analyses with respect to many, of the risk-modifying factors mentioned with the addition of an air pollution index in the form of a map of acid deposition in 1985. This index is correlated with emissions from coal-fired power plants. In addition, lung cancer mortality rates for five-Year periods from 1970-74 to 1990-94 were used in multiple linear regression analyses including air pollution and cigarette smoking. The air pollution index correlated with respiratory, digestive tract, urogenital, female, blood and skin cancer. Air pollution was estimated to account for 5% of male cancer deaths and 3% of female cancer deaths between 1970-1994. Solar UVB was inversely correlated with all these types of cancer except the respirator, skin and cervical cancer. Cigarette smoking was directly linked to lung cancer but not to other types of cancer in this study. Combustion of coal, diesel fuel and wood is the likely source of air pollution that affects cancer risk on a large scale, through production of black carbon aerosols with adsorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Cancer-selective death of human breast cancer cells by leelamine is mediated by bax and bak activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sehrawat, Anuradha; Kim, Su-Hyeong; Hahm, Eun-Ryeong; Arlotti, Julie A; Eiseman, Julie; Shiva, Sruti S; Rigatti, Lora H; Singh, Shivendra V

2017-02-01

The present study is the first to report inhibition of breast cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo and suppression of self-renewal of breast cancer stem cells (bCSC) by a pine bark component (leelamine). Except for a few recent publications in melanoma, anticancer pharmacology of this interesting phytochemical is largely elusive. Leelamine (LLM) dose-dependently inhibited viability of MDA-MB-231 (triple-negative), MCF-7 (estrogen receptor-positive), and SUM159 (triple-negative) human breast cancer cells in association with apoptotic cell death induction. To the contrary, a normal mammary epithelial cell line derived from fibrocystic breast disease and spontaneously immortalized (MCF-10A) was fully resistant to LLM-mediated cell growth inhibition and apoptosis induction. LLM also inhibited self-renewal of breast cancer stem cells. Apoptosis induction by LLM in breast cancer cells was accompanied by a modest increase in reactive oxygen species production, which was not due to inhibition of mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes. Nevertheless, ectopic expression of manganese superoxide dismutase conferred partial protection against LLM-induced cell death but only at a lower yet pharmacologically relevant concentration. Exposure of breast cancer cells to LLM resulted in (a) induction and/or activation of multidomain proapoptotic proteins Bax and Bak, (b) caspase-9 activation, and (c) cytosolic release of cytochrome c. Bax and Bak deficiency in immortalized fibroblasts conferred significant protection against cell death by LLM. Intraperitoneal administration of LLM (7.5 mg/kg; 5 times/wk) suppressed the growth of orthotopic SUM159 xenografts in mice without any toxicity. In conclusion, the present study provides critical preclinical data to warrant further investigation of LLM. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Heart Disease Death Rates Among Blacks and Whites Aged ≥35 Years - United States, 1968-2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Dyke, Miriam; Greer, Sophia; Odom, Erika; Schieb, Linda; Vaughan, Adam; Kramer, Michael; Casper, Michele

2018-03-30

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In 2015, heart disease accounted for approximately 630,000 deaths, representing one in four deaths in the United States. Although heart disease death rates decreased 68% for the total population from 1968 to 2015, marked disparities in decreases exist by race and state. 1968-2015. The National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) data on deaths in the United States were abstracted for heart disease using diagnosis codes from the eighth, ninth, and tenth revisions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-8, ICD-9, and ICD-10) for 1968-2015. Population estimates were obtained from NVSS files. National and state-specific heart disease death rates for the total population and by race for adults aged ≥35 years were calculated for 1968-2015. National and state-specific black-white heart disease mortality ratios also were calculated. Death rates were age standardized to the 2000 U.S. standard population. Joinpoint regression was used to perform time trend analyses. From 1968 to 2015, heart disease death rates decreased for the total U.S. population among adults aged ≥35 years, from 1,034.5 to 327.2 per 100,000 population, respectively, with variations in the magnitude of decreases by race and state. Rates decreased for the total population an average of 2.4% per year, with greater average decreases among whites (2.4% per year) than blacks (2.2% per year). At the national level, heart disease death rates for blacks and whites were similar at the start of the study period (1968) but began to diverge in the late 1970s, when rates for blacks plateaued while rates for whites continued to decrease. Heart disease death rates among blacks remained higher than among whites for the remainder of the study period. Nationwide, the black-white ratio of heart disease death rates increased from 1.04 in 1968 to 1.21 in 2015, with large increases occurring during the 1970s and 1980s followed by small but steady

Cancer statistics for African Americans, 2016: Progress and opportunities in reducing racial disparities.

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DeSantis, Carol E; Siegel, Rebecca L; Sauer, Ann Goding; Miller, Kimberly D; Fedewa, Stacey A; Alcaraz, Kassandra I; Jemal, Ahmedin

2016-07-01

In this article, the American Cancer Society provides the estimated number of new cancer cases and deaths for blacks in the United States and the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, screening, and risk factors for cancer. Incidence data are from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, and mortality data are from the National Center for Health Statistics. Approximately 189,910 new cases of cancer and 69,410 cancer deaths will occur among blacks in 2016. Although blacks continue to have higher cancer death rates than whites, the disparity has narrowed for all cancers combined in men and women and for lung and prostate cancers in men. In contrast, the racial gap in death rates has widened for breast cancer in women and remained level for colorectal cancer in men. The reduction in overall cancer death rates since the early 1990s translates to the avoidance of more than 300,000 deaths among blacks. In men, incidence rates from 2003 to 2012 decreased for all cancers combined (by 2.0% per year) as well as for the top 3 cancer sites (prostate, lung, and colorectal). In women, overall rates during the corresponding time period remained unchanged, reflecting increasing trends in breast cancer combined with decreasing trends in lung and colorectal cancer rates. Five-year relative survival is lower for blacks than whites for most cancers at each stage of diagnosis. The extent to which these disparities reflect unequal access to health care versus other factors remains an active area of research. Progress in reducing cancer death rates could be accelerated by ensuring equitable access to prevention, early detection, and high-quality treatment. CA Cancer J Clin 2016;66:290-308. © 2016 American Cancer Society. © 2016 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Patterns in place of cancer death in the State of Qatar: a population-based study.

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Hassan Mohsen

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: International studies show that most people prefer to die at home; however, hospitals remain the most common place of death (PoD. This study aims to investigate the patterns in PoD and the associated factors, which are crucial for end-of-life cancer care enhancement. METHOD: This retrospective, population-based study analyzed all registered cancer deaths in Qatar between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2012 (n = 1,224. The main outcome measures were patient characteristics: age, gender, nationality, cancer diagnosis, year of death, and PoD. Time trends for age-standardized proportions of death in individual PoDs were evaluated using chi-square analysis. Odds ratio (OR were determined for variables associated with the most preferred (acute palliative care unit [APCU] and hematology/oncology ward versus least preferred (ICU and general medicine ward PoDs in Qatar, stratified by nationality. RESULTS: The hematology/oncology ward was the most common PoD (32.4%; 95% CI 26.7-35.3% followed by ICU (31.4%; 95% CI 28.7-34.3%, APCU (26.9%; 95% CI 24.3-29.6%, and general medicine ward (9.2%; 95% CI 7.6-11.1%. APCU trended upward (+0.057/year; p<0.001, while the hematology/oncology ward trended downward (-0.055/year; p<0.001. No statistically significant changes occurred in the other PoDs; home deaths remained low (0.4%; 95% Cl 0.38-0.42. Qataris who died from liver cancer (OR 0.23 and aged 65 or older (OR 0.64 were less likely to die in the APCU or hematology/oncology ward (p<0.05. Non-Qataris who died from pancreatic cancer (OR 3.12 and female (OR 2.05 were more likely to die in the APCU or hematology/oncology ward (p<0.05. Both Qataris and non-Qataris who died from hematologic malignancy (OR 0.18 and 0.41, respectively were more likely to die in the ICU or general medicine ward (p<0.05. CONCLUSION: A high percentage of cancer deaths in Qatar occur in hospital. As home was the preferred PoD for most people, effective home care and hospice

Decreases in Smoking-Related Cancer Mortality Rates Are Associated with Birth Cohort Effects in Korean Men

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Yon Ho Jee

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background: This study aimed to examine trends in smoking-related cancer mortality rates and to investigate the effect birth cohort on smoking-related cancer mortality in Korean men. Methods: The number of smoking-related cancer deaths and corresponding population numbers were obtained from Statistics Korea for the period 1984–2013. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to detect changes in trends in age-standardized mortality rates. Birth-cohort specific mortality rates were illustrated by 5 year age groups. Results: The age-standardized mortality rates for oropharyngeal decreased from 2003 to 2013 (annual percent change (APC: −3.1 (95% CI, −4.6 to −1.6 and lung cancers decreased from 2002 to 2013 (APC −2.4 (95% CI −2.7 to −2.2. The mortality rates for esophageal declined from 1994 to 2002 (APC −2.5 (95% CI −4.1 to −0.8 and from 2002 to 2013 (APC −5.2 (95% CI −5.7 to −4.7 and laryngeal cancer declined from 1995 to 2013 (average annual percent change (AAPC: −3.3 (95% CI −4.7 to −1.8. By the age group, the trends for the smoking-related cancer mortality except for oropharyngeal cancer have changed earlier to decrease in the younger age group. The birth-cohort specific mortality rates and age-period-cohort analysis consistently showed that all birth cohorts born after 1930 showed reduced mortality of smoking-related cancers. Conclusions: In Korean men, smoking-related cancer mortality rates have decreased. Our findings also indicate that current decreases in smoking-related cancer mortality rates have mainly been due to a decrease in the birth cohort effect, which suggest that decrease in smoking rates.

US County-Level Trends in Mortality Rates for Major Causes of Death, 1980-2014.

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Dwyer-Lindgren, Laura; Bertozzi-Villa, Amelia; Stubbs, Rebecca W; Morozoff, Chloe; Kutz, Michael J; Huynh, Chantal; Barber, Ryan M; Shackelford, Katya A; Mackenbach, Johan P; van Lenthe, Frank J; Flaxman, Abraham D; Naghavi, Mohsen; Mokdad, Ali H; Murray, Christopher J L

2016-12-13

County-level patterns in mortality rates by cause have not been systematically described but are potentially useful for public health officials, clinicians, and researchers seeking to improve health and reduce geographic disparities. To demonstrate the use of a novel method for county-level estimation and to estimate annual mortality rates by US county for 21 mutually exclusive causes of death from 1980 through 2014. Redistribution methods for garbage codes (implausible or insufficiently specific cause of death codes) and small area estimation methods (statistical methods for estimating rates in small subpopulations) were applied to death registration data from the National Vital Statistics System to estimate annual county-level mortality rates for 21 causes of death. These estimates were raked (scaled along multiple dimensions) to ensure consistency between causes and with existing national-level estimates. Geographic patterns in the age-standardized mortality rates in 2014 and in the change in the age-standardized mortality rates between 1980 and 2014 for the 10 highest-burden causes were determined. County of residence. Cause-specific age-standardized mortality rates. A total of 80 412 524 deaths were recorded from January 1, 1980, through December 31, 2014, in the United States. Of these, 19.4 million deaths were assigned garbage codes. Mortality rates were analyzed for 3110 counties or groups of counties. Large between-county disparities were evident for every cause, with the gap in age-standardized mortality rates between counties in the 90th and 10th percentiles varying from 14.0 deaths per 100 000 population (cirrhosis and chronic liver diseases) to 147.0 deaths per 100 000 population (cardiovascular diseases). Geographic regions with elevated mortality rates differed among causes: for example, cardiovascular disease mortality tended to be highest along the southern half of the Mississippi River, while mortality rates from self-harm and

Risk Factors for Upper and Lower Urinary Tract Cancer Death in a Japanese Population: Findings from the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk (JACC Study).

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Washio, Masakazu; Mori, Mitsuru; Mikami, Kazuya; Miki, Tsuneharu; Watanabe, Yoshiyuki; Nakao, Masahiro; Kubo, Tatsuhiko; Suzuki, Koji; Ozasa, Kotaro; Wakai, Kenji; Tamakoshi, Akiko

2016-01-01

The incidence of bladder cancer is lower in Asian than in Western countries. However, the crude incidence and mortality of bladder cancer have recently increased in Japan because of the increased number of senior citizens. We have already reported risk factors for urothelial cancer in a large populationbased cohort study in Japan (JACC study). However, we did not evaluate the cancer risk in the upper and lower urinary tract separately in our previous study. Here we evaluated the risk of cancer death in the upper and lower urinary tracts, separately, using the database of the JACC study. The analytic cohort included 46,395 males and 64,190 females aged 40 to 79 years old. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to determine hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals. Current smoking increased the risk of both upper and lower urinary tract cancer deaths. A history of kidney disease was associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer death, even after controlling for age, sex and smoking status. The present study confirmed that current smoking increases the risk of both upper and lower urinary tract cancer deaths and indicated the possibility that a history of kidney disease may be a risk factor for bladder cancer death in the Japanese population.

Death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) and signal transduction: regulation in cancer.

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Michie, Alison M; McCaig, Alison M; Nakagawa, Rinako; Vukovic, Milica

2010-01-01

Death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) is a pro-apoptotic serine/threonine protein kinase that is dysregulated in a wide variety of cancers. The mechanism by which this occurs has largely been attributed to promoter hypermethylation, which results in gene silencing. However, recent studies indicate that DAPK expression can be detected in some cancers, but its function is still repressed, suggesting that DAPK activity can be subverted at a post-translational level in cancer cells. This review will focus on recent data describing potential mechanisms that may alter the expression, regulation or function of DAPK.

A survey of occupational cancer in the rubber and cablemaking industries: analysis of deaths occurring in 1972-74.

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Fox, A J; Collier, P F

1976-11-01

The records of 40 867 men employed for at least one year in the rubber and cablemaking industries have now been observed for eight years. This analysis compares the mortality pattern for 1972-74 with that previously reported for 1968-71. It indicates a significant excess of deaths due to cancer of the bladder throughout the industry including men who had not been exposed to acknowledged bladder carcinogens. This excess is in deaths occurring in 1973 and 1974 in the 45-64 and 65 years plus age groups. The two sectors of the industry where this excess is significant are footwear and footwear supplies except adhesives, and the tyre sector. The excess of all cancers taken together previously noted throughout the study population for 1968-71 is confirmed for 1972-74 as is the excess for lung cancers. The greater excess in the tyre sector is also confirmed, particularly in those men in the 55-64 year age group and those who entered the industry between 1950 and 1960. While men employed in 1967 on moulding, press, autoclave, and pan curing, and workers in finished goods, stores, packaging, and despatch continue to have more lung cancer deaths than expected for 1972-74, the excess is no longer statistically significant. An excess of cancer of the stomach which was overlooked in 1968-71 is not confirmed in 1972-74 but is nevertheless high when the total period of study 1968-74 is considered. The limitations of the study are discussed with particular reference to extrapolating the results to the whole industry. We conclude that there is a higher rate of lung cancer in the tyre sector of the industry and that immediate investigations are required to test the hypothesis concerning the recent excess of bladder cancers. Attention should now be paid to the control of exposures to all potential hazards in the industry.

The importance of good death components among cancer patients, the general population, oncologists, and oncology nurses in Japan: patients prefer "fighting against cancer".

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Miyashita, Mitsunori; Kawakami, Sachiko; Kato, Daiki; Yamashita, Hideomi; Igaki, Hiroshi; Nakano, Kimiko; Kuroda, Yujiro; Nakagawa, Keiichi

2015-01-01

The objectives of this study were to compare the importance of components of a good death among cancer patients, the general population, oncologists, and oncology nurses, and explore which patients preferred "fighting against cancer." We conducted a cross-sectional anonymous self-reported survey of cancer patients who visited a radiation oncology outpatient clinic, oncologists, and oncology nurses at the Tokyo University Hospital and a random sample of the general population in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The outcomes were 18 previously developed components of a good death in Japanese cancer care consisting of 57 attributes. Three hundred ten patients, 353 subjects from the general population, 109 oncologists, and 366 oncology nurses participated. The desire to "fight against cancer" was highly significantly different between patients and oncologists (effect size [ES] = -1.40; P = 0.001) and patients and oncology nurses (ES = -1.12; P = 0.001). "Physical and cognitive control" was, similarly, highly significantly different between patients and oncologists (ES = -1.30; P = 0.001) and patients and oncology nurses (ES = -1.06; P = 0.001). Patients who emphasized "maintaining hope and pleasure" (P = 0.0001), "unawareness of death" (P = 0.0001), and "good relationship with family" (P = 0.004) favored "fighting against cancer." The patients, however, who emphasized "physical and psychological comfort" did not significantly favor "fighting against cancer" (P = 0.004). The importance of good death components differed between groups. Medical professionals should be aware of the diversity of values surrounding death and assess the patient's values and discuss them to support his or her quality of life. In addition, the development of care and a medical/social system to maintain hope and pleasure after failure of anticancer treatment is necessary.

Can we rely on cancer mortality data? Checking the validity of cervical cancer mortality data for Slovenia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Primic Zakelj, M.; Pompe Kirn, V.; Skrlec, F.; Selb, J.

2001-01-01

Background. Valid inference on cervical cancer mortality is very difficult since - on the basis of death certificates - it is not always possible to distinguish between cervix, corpus and unspecified uterine cancer deaths. Our aim was to estimate the extent to which cervical cancer as the official cause of death reflects the true mortality from cervical cancer in Slovenia. Material and methods. The data on 2245 deaths from cervix, corpus uteri, and uterus-unspecified cancers for the period 1985-1999 were linked to the Cancer Registry of Slovenia database from the mortality database of Slovenia. Results. Officially, in the period 1985-1999, there were 878 cervical cancer deaths. The comparison of these causes of death with the cancer sites registered in the Cancer Registry revealed that they include only 87.7% patients with a previous diagnosis of cervical cancer. Of 650 corpus uteri cancer deaths, 17. 1 % of patients were registered to have cervical cancer, and of 717 unspecified uterine cancer deaths, 31.4% were registered. Taking into account the correctly identified cervical cancer cases among cervical cancer deaths and misclassified cervical cancer deaths as corpus uteri and unspecified uterine, the corrected number of deaths would be 1106. Conclusions. When evaluating the impact of cervical cancer mortality from national mortality rates, the stated underestimation should be taken into account. However, this does not hold for some other cancers. (author)

Death by suicide and other externally caused injuries following a cancer diagnosis: the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study.

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Yamauchi, Takashi; Inagaki, Masatoshi; Yonemoto, Naohiro; Iwasaki, Motoki; Inoue, Manami; Akechi, Tatsuo; Iso, Hiroyasu; Tsugane, Shoichiro

2014-09-01

There have been very few population-based prospective studies that have investigated the risks of deaths by suicide and other externally caused injuries (ECIs) among cancer patients in an Asian population. This study investigated whether the risk of death by both suicide and ECIs increases during the first year following the initial diagnosis of cancer. Data were analyzed from a population-based cohort of Japanese residents between 1990 and 2010, collected during the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study. Poisson regression models were used to calculate adjusted risk ratios (RRs) for both suicide and ECI deaths. To adjust for unmeasured confounding factors, case-crossover analyses were conducted for all patients with cancer who died by suicide and ECIs. A population-based cohort of 102,843 Japanese residents was established. During the follow-up period, there were 34 suicides and 48 ECI deaths among patients with cancer, as compared with 527 suicides and 707 ECI deaths among those who did not have cancer. Analyses revealed that those who were newly diagnosed with cancer were at a greatly increased risk of death by suicide and ECIs within the first year after their diagnosis (suicide RR = 23.9, 95% CI: 13.8-41.6; ECI RR = 18.8, 95% CI: 11.4-31.0). Furthermore, the case-crossover analyses generally confirmed the results of the Poisson regressions. The risks of suicide and ECI deaths within the first year after a cancer diagnosis were higher than those among cancer-free populations. A diagnosis of cancer is a critical experience that may increase the risk of fatal outcomes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cancer incidence and mortality in China, 2013.

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Chen, Wanqing; Zheng, Rongshou; Zhang, Siwei; Zeng, Hongmei; Xia, Changfa; Zuo, Tingting; Yang, Zhixun; Zou, Xiaonong; He, Jie

2017-08-10

National Central Cancer Registry of China (NCCRC) updated nationwide statistics of cancer incidence and mortality in China using population-based cancer registration data in 2013 from all available cancer registries. In 2016, 255 registries' data were qualified and included in this analysis. We estimated numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in China in 2013 using age-specific rates and corresponding national population stratified by area, sex, age group (0, 1-4, 5-9, 10-14…85+) and cancer type. The world Segi's population was applied for age-standardized rates. All rates were expressed per 100,000 person-year. A total of 3,682,000 new cancer cases and 2,229,300 cancer deaths were estimated in China in 2013. Cancers of lung, female breast, stomach, liver, colon-rectum and esophagus were the most common cancers, accounting for about half of all cancer new cases. Lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer were the five leading causes of cancer death, accounting for about 60% of all cancer deaths. The cancer patterns showed differences not only between male and female, but also among different geographic regions in China. For overall cancers, the age-standardized incidence rates were stable during the past decades in male, but significantly increased by 2.2% per year in female. Cancer poses a major threat to public health and the cancer burden keep raising in China. The annual updated cancer statistics can provide scientific basis for cancer prevention and control. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Dying to Be Noticed: Epigenetic Regulation of Immunogenic Cell Death for Cancer Immunotherapy

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Brianne Cruickshank

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Immunogenic cell death (ICD activates both innate and adaptive arms of the immune system during apoptotic cancer cell death. With respect to cancer immunotherapy, the process of ICD elicits enhanced adjuvanticity and antigenicity from dying cancer cells and consequently, promotes the development of clinically desired antitumor immunity. Cancer ICD requires the presentation of various “hallmarks” of immunomodulation, which include the cell-surface translocation of calreticulin, production of type I interferons, and release of high-mobility group box-1 and ATP, which through their compatible actions induce an immune response against cancer cells. Interestingly, recent reports investigating the use of epigenetic modifying drugs as anticancer therapeutics have identified several connections to ICD hallmarks. Epigenetic modifiers have a direct effect on cell viability and appear to fundamentally change the immunogenic properties of cancer cells, by actively subverting tumor microenvironment-associated immunoevasion and aiding in the development of an antitumor immune response. In this review, we critically discuss the current evidence that identifies direct links between epigenetic modifications and ICD hallmarks, and put forward an otherwise poorly understood role for epigenetic drugs as ICD inducers. We further discuss potential therapeutic innovations that aim to induce ICD during epigenetic drug therapy, generating highly efficacious cancer immunotherapies.

Association between unilateral or bilateral mastectomy and breast cancer death in patients with unilateral ductal carcinoma.

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Agarwal, Shailesh; Pappas, Lisa; Agarwal, Jayant

2017-01-01

Utilization of bilateral mastectomy for unilateral breast cancer is increasing despite cost and surgical risks with conflicting reports of survival benefit. Current studies evaluating death after bilateral mastectomy have included patients treated both with breast conservation therapy and unilateral mastectomy. In this study, we directly compared breast cancer-specific death of patients who underwent bilateral or unilateral mastectomy for unilateral breast cancer using a matched cohort analysis. This was an observational study of women diagnosed with unilateral breast cancer from 1998 through 2002, using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. A 4-to-1 matched cohort of patients was selected including 14,075 patients. Mortality of the groups was compared using Cox proportional hazards models for cause-specific death. A total of 41,510 patients diagnosed with unilateral breast cancer were included. Unilateral mastectomy was performed in 93% of patients, while bilateral mastectomy was performed in the remaining 7% of patients. When 4-to-1 matching was performed, 11,260 unilateral mastectomy and 2,815 bilateral mastectomy patients were included. Patients with bilateral mastectomy did not have a significantly lower hazard of breast cancer-specific death when compared with patients with unilateral mastectomy (hazard ratio: 0.92 vs 1.00, p =0.11). Bilateral mastectomy did not provide a clinically or statistically significant breast cancer-specific mortality benefit over unilateral mastectomy based on a matched cohort analysis of a nationwide population database. These findings should be interpreted in the context of patient preference and alternative benefits of bilateral mastectomy.

International comparisons of preterm birth: higher rates of late preterm birth are associated with lower rates of stillbirth and neonatal death.

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Lisonkova, S; Sabr, Y; Butler, B; Joseph, K S

2012-12-01

To examine international rates of preterm birth and potential associations with stillbirths and neonatal deaths at late preterm and term gestation. Ecological study. Canada, USA and 26 countries in Europe. All deliveries in 2004. Information on preterm birth (Statistics Canada, the EURO-PERISTAT project and the National Center for Health Statistics. Pearson correlation coefficients and random-intercept Poisson regression were used to examine the association between preterm birth rates and gestational age-specific stillbirth and neonatal death rates. Rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated after adjustment for maternal age, parity and multiple births. Stillbirths and neonatal deaths ≥ 32 and ≥ 37 weeks of gestation. International rates of preterm birth (births. Preterm birth rates at 32-36 weeks were inversely associated with stillbirths at ≥ 32 weeks (adjusted rate ratio 0.94, 95% CI 0.92-0.96) and ≥ 37 weeks (adjusted rate ratio 0.88, 95% CI 0.85-0.91) of gestation and inversely associated with neonatal deaths at ≥ 32 weeks (adjusted rate ratio 0.88, 95% CI 0.85-0.91) and ≥ 37 weeks (adjusted rate ratio 0.82, 95% CI 0.78-0.86) of gestation. Countries with high rates of preterm birth at 32-36 weeks of gestation have lower stillbirth and neonatal death rates at and beyond 32 weeks of gestation. Contemporary rates of preterm birth are indicators of both perinatal health and obstetric care services. © 2012 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2012 RCOG.

Rates of TBI-related Deaths by Age Group - United States, 2001 - 2010

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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Changes in the rates of TBI-related deaths vary depending on age. For persons 44 years of age and younger, TBI-related deaths decreased between the periods of...

Triptolide induces lysosomal-mediated programmed cell death in MCF-7 breast cancer cells

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Owa C

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Chie Owa, Michael E Messina Jr, Reginald HalabyDepartment of Biology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USABackground: Breast cancer is a major cause of death; in fact, it is the most common type, in order of the number of global deaths, of cancer in women worldwide. This research seeks to investigate how triptolide, an extract from the Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, induces apoptosis in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Accumulating evidence suggests a role for lysosomal proteases in the activation of apoptosis. However, there is also some controversy regarding the direct participation of lysosomal proteases in activation of key apoptosis-related caspases and release of mitochondrial cytochrome c. In the present study, we demonstrate that triptolide induces an atypical, lysosomal-mediated apoptotic cell death in MCF-7 cells because they lack caspase-3.Methods: MCF-7 cell death was characterized via cellular morphology, chromatin condensation, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide colorimetric cell growth inhibition assay and the expression levels of proapoptotic proteins. Acridine orange and LysoTracker® staining were performed to visualize lysosomes. Lysosomal enzymatic activity was monitored using an acid phosphatase assay and western blotting of cathepsin B protein levels in the cytosolic fraction, which showed increased enzymatic activity in drug-treated cells.Results: These experiments suggest that triptolide-treated MCF-7 cells undergo atypical apoptosis and that, during the early stages, lysosomal enzymes leak into the cytosol, indicating lysosomal membrane permeability.Conclusion: Our results suggest that further studies are warranted to investigate triptolide's potential as an anticancer therapeutic agent.Keywords: triptolide, MCF-7 breast cancer cells, apoptosis, lysosomes, lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP

[Analysis on probability of premature death and cause eliminated life expectancy of major non-communicable diseases in Chongqing Municipality, 2016].

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Ding, X B; Tang, W W; Mao, D Q; Jiao, Y; Shen, Z Z

2017-11-06

Objective: To analyze the premature death probability and cause-eliminated life expectancy of cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes in Chongqing residents in 2016 so as to provide recommendation for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) prevention and control in Chongqing. Methods: Death cases of Chongqing Municipality between January 1(st) and December 31(st), 2016 were reported through death case registry system of national center for disease prevention and control. Death cases were sorted by international classification of disease (ICD-10). Mortality rate, standardized mortality rate, constituent ratio, premature death probability, life expectancy, and cause-eliminated life expectancy of four major NCDs were analyzed. Results: A total of 218 004 death cases were reported in Chongqing, 2016, and the mortality rate was 731.73/100 000. Of them, a total of 179 637 death cases of the four major NCDs including cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes were reported, accounting for 82.40% of all death cases. The mortality rate and standardized mortality rate of four major NCDs was 602.95/100 000 and 455.82/100 000, respectively. The premature death probability of four major NCDs was 15.96%, and males (25.39%) had a higher premature death probability than females (10.78%). The premature death probability of cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes were 6.01%, 8.32%, 2.05%, and 0.43%, respectively. Life expectancy would increase by 6.02, 3.19, 1.89, and 0.19 years, after eliminating cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes respectively. Conclusion: The premature death probability of major NCDs was high in Chongqing, and males had a higher premature death probability than females did. Intervention and health management of the population should be conducted according to different gender-based risk factors to reduce the premature death probability.

The prevalence of deranged C-reactive protein and albumin in patients with incurable cancer approaching death.

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Gray, Sarah; Axelsson, Bertil

2018-01-01

Amongst patients with incurable cancer approaching death, cachexia is common and associated with adverse outcomes. The term cachexia lacks a universally accepted definition and there is no consensus regarding which variables are to be measured. Furthermore, an elevated C-reactive protein is a common clinical challenge in this patient group. This study aims to add to the ongoing discussion regarding the definition of cancer cachexia and to study the role of C-reactive protein and s-albumin in this context. A 1-year cohort, consisting of 155 cancer patients enrolled in a specialized palliative home care team in the city of Östersund, Sweden, that were deceased during the year of 2015 was studied. Laboratory measures were studied within 0-30 and 31-60 days prior to death. C-reactive protein >10 mg/L and coinciding s-albumin death was noted. The prevalence of "laboratory cachexia" was 85% 0-30 days prior to death compared to 66% 31-60 days prior to death (pdeath, with a median of 47 days. The median values for C-reactive protein and s-albumin within 0-30 days prior to death were 84mg/L and 23g/L respectively. Could markedly deranged values of C-reactive protein and s-albumin, such as found in this study, signal a relatively short remaining survival time in patients with incurable cancer and no clinical signs of ongoing infection? The role of "laboratory cachexia" in this context as well as the cut off values for the laboratory measures included may be further discussed.

CDC Vital Signs: Breast Cancer

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... 2.65 MB] Read the MMWR Science Clips Breast Cancer Black Women Have Higher Death Rates from Breast ... of Page U.S. State Info Number of Additional Breast Cancer Deaths Among Black Women, By State SOURCE: National ...

Immediate in vivo target-specific cancer cell death after near infrared photoimmunotherapy

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Mitsunaga Makoto

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Near infrared (NIR photoimmunotherapy (PIT is a new type of cancer treatment based on a monoclonal antibody (mAb-NIR phthalocyanine dye, (IR700 conjugate. In vitro cancer-specific cell death occurs during NIR light exposure in cells previously incubated with mAb-IR700 conjugates. However, documenting rapid cell death in vivo is more difficult. Methods A luciferase-transfected breast cancer cell (epidermal growth factor receptor+, MDA-MB-468luc cells was produced and used for both in vitro and in vivo experiments for monitoring the cell killing effect of PIT. After validation of cytotoxicity with NIR exposure up to 8 J/cm2in vitro, we employed an orthotopic breast cancer model of bilateral MDA-MB-468luc tumors in female athymic mice, which subsequently received a panitumumab-IR700 conjugate in vivo. One side was used as a control, while the other was treated with NIR light of dose ranging from 50 to 150 J/cm2. Bioluminescence imaging (BLI was performed before and after PIT. Results Dose-dependent cell killing and regrowth was successfully monitored by the BLI signal in vitro. Although tumor sizes were unchanged, BLI signals decreased by >95% immediately after PIT in vivo when light intensity was high (>100 J/cm2, however, in mice receiving lower intensity NIR (50 J/cm2, tumors recurred with gradually increasing BLI signal. Conclusion PIT induced massive cell death of targeted tumor cells immediately after exposure of NIR light that was demonstrated with BLI in vivo.

Rational Design of Regulators of Programmed Cell Death in Human Breast Cancer

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Cowburn, David

2000-01-01

The purpose of this research is to develop a better understanding of the intricate pathways of cell death and their contributions to breast cancers, with the goal of designing potential therapeutic...

The effects of air pollutants on the mortality rate of lung cancer and leukemia.

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Dehghani, Mansooreh; Keshtgar, Laila; Javaheri, Mohammad Reza; Derakhshan, Zahra; Oliveri Conti, Gea; Zuccarello, Pietro; Ferrante, Margherita

2017-05-01

World Health Organization classifies air pollution as the first cause of human cancer. The present study investigated impact of air pollutants on the mortality rates of lung cancer and leukemia in Shiraz, one of the largests cities of Iran. This cross‑sectional (longitudinal) study was carried out in Shiraz. Data on six main pollutants, CO, SO2, O3, NO2, PM10 and PM2.5, were collected from Fars Environmental Protection Agency for 3,001 days starting from 1 January, 2005. Also, measures of climatic factors (temperature, humidity, and air pressure) were obtained from Shiraz Meteorological Organization. Finally, data related to number of deaths due to lung and blood cancers (leukemia) were gathered from Shiraz University Hospital. Relationship between variations of pollutant concentrations and cancers in lung and blood was investigated using statistical software R and MiniTab to perform time series analysis. Results of the present study revealed that the mortality rate of leukemia had a direct significant correlation with concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide in the air (Pcar sharing.

Patterns in place of cancer death in the State of Qatar: a population-based study.

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Mohsen, Hassan; Haddad, Pascale; Allam, Ayman; Hassan, Azza

2014-01-01

International studies show that most people prefer to die at home; however, hospitals remain the most common place of death (PoD). This study aims to investigate the patterns in PoD and the associated factors, which are crucial for end-of-life cancer care enhancement. This retrospective, population-based study analyzed all registered cancer deaths in Qatar between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2012 (n = 1,224). The main outcome measures were patient characteristics: age, gender, nationality, cancer diagnosis, year of death, and PoD. Time trends for age-standardized proportions of death in individual PoDs were evaluated using chi-square analysis. Odds ratio (OR) were determined for variables associated with the most preferred (acute palliative care unit [APCU] and hematology/oncology ward) versus least preferred (ICU and general medicine ward) PoDs in Qatar, stratified by nationality. The hematology/oncology ward was the most common PoD (32.4%; 95% CI 26.7-35.3%) followed by ICU (31.4%; 95% CI 28.7-34.3%), APCU (26.9%; 95% CI 24.3-29.6%), and general medicine ward (9.2%; 95% CI 7.6-11.1%). APCU trended upward (+0.057/year; pQatar occur in hospital. As home was the preferred PoD for most people, effective home care and hospice programs are needed to improve end-of-life cancer care.

Survival rates and predictors of survival among colorectal cancer patients in a Malaysian tertiary hospital.

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Magaji, Bello Arkilla; Moy, Foong Ming; Roslani, April Camilla; Law, Chee Wei

2017-05-18

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death globally. It is the second most common cancer among both males and females in Malaysia. The economic burden of colorectal cancer is likely to increase over time owing to its current trend and aging population. Cancer survival analysis is an essential indicator for early detection and improvement in cancer treatment. However, there was a scarcity of studies concerning survival of colorectal cancer patients as well as its predictors. Therefore, we aimed to determine the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates, compare survival rates among ethnic groups and determine the predictors of survival among colorectal cancer patients. This was an ambidirectional cohort study conducted at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All Malaysian citizens or permanent residents with histologically confirmed diagnosis of colorectal cancer seen at UMMC from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2010 were included in the study. Demographic and clinical characteristics were extracted from the medical records. Patients were followed-up until death or censored at the end of the study (31st December 2010). Censored patients' vital status (whether alive or dead) were cross checked with the National Registration Department. Survival analyses at 1-, 3- and 5-year intervals were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Log-rank test was used to compare the survival rates, while Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was carried out to determine the predictors of 5-year colorectal cancer survival. Among 1212 patients, the median survival for colorectal, colon and rectal cancers were 42.0, 42.0 and 41.0 months respectively; while the 1-, 3-, and 5-year relative survival rates ranged from 73.8 to 76.0%, 52.1 to 53.7% and 40.4 to 45.4% respectively. The Chinese patients had the lowest 5-year survival compared to Malay and Indian patients. Based on the 814

Senescent cells re-engineered to express soluble programmed death receptor-1 for inhibiting programmed death receptor-1/programmed death ligand-1 as a vaccination approach against breast cancer.

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Chen, Zehong; Hu, Kang; Feng, Lieting; Su, Ruxiong; Lai, Nan; Yang, Zike; Kang, Shijun

2018-06-01

Various types of vaccines have been proposed as approaches for prevention or delay of the onset of cancer by boosting the endogenous immune system. We previously developed a senescent-cell-based vaccine, induced by radiation and veliparib, as a preventive and therapeutic tool against triple-negative breast cancer. However, the programmed death receptor-1/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) pathway was found to play an important role in vaccine failure. Hence, we further developed soluble programmed death receptor-1 (sPD1)-expressing senescent cells to overcome PD-L1/PD-1-mediated immune suppression while vaccinating to promote dendritic cell (DC) maturity, thereby amplifying T-cell activation. In the present study, sPD1-expressing senescent cells showed a particularly active status characterized by growth arrest and modified immunostimulatory cytokine secretion in vitro. As expected, sPD1-expressing senescent tumor cell vaccine (STCV/sPD-1) treatment attracted more mature DC and fewer exhausted-PD1 + T cells in vivo. During the course of the vaccine studies, we observed greater safety and efficacy for STCV/sPD-1 than for control treatments. STCV/sPD-1 pre-injections provided complete protection from 4T1 tumor challenge in mice. Additionally, the in vivo therapeutic study of mice with s.c. 4T1 tumor showed that STCV/sPD-1 vaccination delayed tumorigenesis and suppressed tumor progression at early stages. These results showed that STCV/sPD-1 effectively induced a strong antitumor immune response against cancer and suggested that it might be a potential strategy for TNBC prevention. © 2018 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

A project for increasing the rate of participation in mammographic breast cancer screening in Kyoto prefecture to 50%

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakajima, Hiroo; Fujiwara, Ikuya; Mizuta, Naruhiko; Sakaguchi, Koichi; Hachimine, Yasushi; Kageyama, Norio; Sawai, Kiyoshi; Nishida, Naoko

2007-01-01

The rate of participation in breast cancer screening carried out by inspection and palpation associated with mammography in Kyoto Prefecture has been still low. In order to decrease the rate of breast cancer death, a high rate of screening participation must be achieved. We have organized the Kyoto Executive Committee of Pink Ribbon Activity aiming at the goal of achieving a 50% rate of participation in mammography screening by the end of 2010, and undertaken the following campaign activities: performing free screening, distribution and display of posters and leaflets about breast cancer screening, cooperation with various media to spread educational and informative messages, cooperation with a commercial institute in Kyoto City to distribute useful information, performing free breast cancer screening, and holding public lecture meetings, distribution of leaflets at student festivals at universities and colleges in Kyoto, and holding a ''Pink Ribbon symposium'' in a cosponsored company. All the above projects were performed successfully and many participants attended. We will continue these activities until the 50% participation rate is achieved. (author)

Care managers' views on death and caring for older cancer patients in Japan.

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Matsui, Miho; Kanai, Emi; Kitagawa, Akiko; Hattori, Keiko

2013-12-01

Care managers (CMs) have an important role in coordinating care for cancer patients who are in the end-of-life stage; however, little is known about their views of death and their experiences while caring for older cancer patients. This study was conducted to examine CMs' views of death and caring for older cancer patients in a home care setting in Japan. Convenience sampling was undertaken, and 35 offices from 43 approached services agreed to participate. The final valid sample included responses from 136 CMs (90.7%). Most CMs, including nurses, care workers, home helpers, and social workers in home care settings, experienced difficulty in managing the care of cancer patients in the end-of-life stage. Respondents reported a wide array of experiences with end-of-life care, care management, and seminar attendance, and their ages and Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying (FATCOD) scores were associated factors. Moreover, multiple regression analysis indicated that better attitudes toward caring for the dying were positively associated with seminar attendance. These results suggest that CMs need education about palliative and end-of-life care in order to promote good home care for cancer patients.

The prevalence of deranged C-reactive protein and albumin in patients with incurable cancer approaching death.

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Sarah Gray

Full Text Available Amongst patients with incurable cancer approaching death, cachexia is common and associated with adverse outcomes. The term cachexia lacks a universally accepted definition and there is no consensus regarding which variables are to be measured. Furthermore, an elevated C-reactive protein is a common clinical challenge in this patient group. This study aims to add to the ongoing discussion regarding the definition of cancer cachexia and to study the role of C-reactive protein and s-albumin in this context.A 1-year cohort, consisting of 155 cancer patients enrolled in a specialized palliative home care team in the city of Östersund, Sweden, that were deceased during the year of 2015 was studied. Laboratory measures were studied within 0-30 and 31-60 days prior to death. C-reactive protein >10 mg/L and coinciding s-albumin <30 g/L was referred to as "laboratory cachexia". Also, the number of days from the first found "laboratory cachexia" until death was noted.The prevalence of "laboratory cachexia" was 85% 0-30 days prior to death compared to 66% 31-60 days prior to death (p<0.01. The majority of patients (75% had an onset of "laboratory cachexia" within 0-120 days prior to death, with a median of 47 days. The median values for C-reactive protein and s-albumin within 0-30 days prior to death were 84mg/L and 23g/L respectively.Could markedly deranged values of C-reactive protein and s-albumin, such as found in this study, signal a relatively short remaining survival time in patients with incurable cancer and no clinical signs of ongoing infection? The role of "laboratory cachexia" in this context as well as the cut off values for the laboratory measures included may be further discussed.

Game theory in the death galaxy: interaction of cancer and stromal cells in tumour microenvironment.

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Wu, Amy; Liao, David; Tlsty, Thea D; Sturm, James C; Austin, Robert H

2014-08-06

Preventing relapse is the major challenge to effective therapy in cancer. Within the tumour, stromal (ST) cells play an important role in cancer progression and the emergence of drug resistance. During cancer treatment, the fitness of cancer cells can be enhanced by ST cells because their molecular signalling interaction delays the drug-induced apoptosis of cancer cells. On the other hand, competition among cancer and ST cells for space or resources should not be ignored. We explore the population dynamics of multiple myeloma (MM) versus bone marrow ST cells by using an experimental microecology that we call the death galaxy, with a stable drug gradient and connected microhabitats. Evolutionary game theory is a quantitative way to capture the frequency-dependent nature of interactive populations. Therefore, we use evolutionary game theory to model the populations in the death galaxy with the gradients of pay-offs and successfully predict the future densities of MM and ST cells. We discuss the possible clinical use of such analysis for predicting cancer progression.

Six-fold difference in the stomach cancer mortality rate between northern and southern Iran.

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Zendehdel, Kazem; Marzban, Maryam; Nahvijou, Azin; Jafari, Nahid

2012-12-01

Stomach cancer is the most common cancer in Iran. A multi-ethnic population and wide variation in the environmental risk factors may lead to variations in cancer risk within this country. We have designed an ecological study and evaluated geographical variation regarding mortality from stomach cancer and its established risk factors in Iran.  We used the Iranian National Causes of Death Registry and estimated the age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) of stomach cancer in 29 Iranian provinces, stratified by sex and area of residence (rural/urban).  The average ASMR of stomach cancer among Iranian males was 15 per 100,000 and for females it was 8.1 per 100,000. The highest and lowest mortality rates were observed in Kurdistan with an ASMR of 29.1 per 100,000 in northwestern Iran and Hormozgan that had an ASMR of 5.0 per 100,000 in southern Iran. Males had approximately a two-fold higher ASMR compared to females, as did rural residents when compared with urban residents. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was about 90% in the province of Ardabil (a high-risk area) and 27% in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan (a low-risk area).  The wide geographical variation and high mortality rate of stomach cancer in Iran is likely due to differences in the exposure to the environmental risk factors among people living in the high- and low-risk areas, particularly H. pylori infection, a well-established risk factor of stomach cancer.

Life-style and death patterns of the Missouri RLDS church members.

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McEvoy, L; Land, G

1981-12-01

Members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (RLDS) are dissuaded from the use of tobacco, alcohol, and hot drinks. A well-balanced diet is also stressed. This study compares the 1972-78 mortality experience of the Missouri RLDS with three other population groups. The findings show Missouri RLDS experiencing age-adjusted death rates which are 22.6 percent lower than rates for Missouri non-RLDs whites; 19.6 per cent lower than the non-RLDS of Independence, Missouri; and 14.4 per cent lower than Utah residents. The RLDS display lower death rates than the two Missouri comparison groups for each of seven selected causes-particularly lung cancer, pneumonia/influenza, and violent deaths. Comparisons between the Missouri RLDS and Utah residents show an inconsistent pattern, with Utah residents having non-significantly lower death rates for lung cancer and ischemic heart disease, but with the Missouri RLDS having significantly lower rates for pneumonia/influenza and violent deaths. These inconsistencies are of interest because 72 per cent of Utah's population belong to the Mormon Church which advocates life-styles similar to the RLDS. If these disparate mortality patterns persist under a more direct comparison between the Missouri RLDS and Utah Mormons, they could provide the opportunity to assess the impact of similar life-styles in separate settings.

Lung Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity

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... the Biggest Cancer Killer in Both Men and Women” Stay Informed Rates by Race and Ethnicity for Other Kinds of Cancer All Cancers Combined Breast Cervical Colorectal (Colon) HPV-Associated Ovarian Prostate Skin Uterine Cancer Home Lung Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity Language: ...

Deaths from nasopharyngeal cancer among waiters and waitresses in Chinese restaurants.

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Yu, Ignatius T S; Chiu, Yuk-lan; Wong, Tze-wai; Tang, Jin-ling

2004-10-01

Previous studies have shown that waiters have a high risk of developing cancers of the buccal cavity and pharynx, but nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) has not been specifically studied. This study was carried out to investigate whether waiters/waitresses in Chinese restaurants have an increased risk of dying from NPC. A mortality odds ratio study was used to estimate the relative risk of dying from NPC for waiters/waitresses working in Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong during the period 1986-1995, using the general population as the external comparison group and deceased kitchen workers as an internal comparison group. Cases were deaths from NPC and the controls were deaths from the selected sets of reference causes. Seventeen deaths from NPC were identified among 415 deceased waiters and four NPC deaths occurred among 140 deceased waitresses. The adjusted mortality odds ratio (aMOR) for NPC was increased among waiters, being 3.02 (95% CI 1.82-5.00) and 2.61 (95% CI 1.02-6.69) in the external and internal comparisons, respectively. For waitresses, the aMOR was 4.58 (95% CI 1.63-12.86) in the external comparison. Analysis by duration of union membership suggested a dose-response relationship. An increased risk of dying from NPC was observed among waiters/waitresses and could not be fully explained by bias or confounding factors. Possible risk factors related to poor indoor air quality in the service areas of Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong should be further investigated.

Providing clinicians and patients with actual prognosis: cancer in the context of competing causes of death.

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Howlader, Nadia; Mariotto, Angela B; Woloshin, Steven; Schwartz, Lisa M

2014-11-01

To isolate progress against cancer from changes in competing causes of death, population cancer registries have traditionally reported cancer prognosis (net measures). But clinicians and cancer patients generally want to understand actual prognosis (crude measures): the chance of surviving, dying from the specific cancer and from competing causes of death in a given time period. To compare cancer and actual prognosis in the United States for four leading cancers-lung, breast, prostate, and colon-by age, comorbidity, and cancer stage and to provide templates to help patients, clinicians, and researchers understand actual prognosis. Using population-based registry data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, we calculated cancer prognosis (relative survival) and actual prognosis (five-year overall survival and the "crude" probability of dying from cancer and competing causes) for three important prognostic determinants (age, comorbidity [Charlson-score from 2012 SEER-Medicare linkage dataset] and cancer stage at diagnosis). For younger, healthier, and earlier stage cancer patients, cancer and actual prognosis estimates were quite similar. For older and sicker patients, these prognosis estimates differed substantially. For example, the five-year overall survival for an 85-year-old patient with colorectal cancer is 54% (cancer prognosis) versus 22% (actual prognosis)-the difference reflecting the patient's substantial chance of dying from competing causes. The corresponding five-year chances of dying from the patient's cancer are 46% versus 37%. Although age and comorbidity lowered actual prognosis, stage at diagnosis was the most powerful factor: The five-year chance of colon cancer death was 10% for localized stage and 83% for distant stage. Both cancer and actual prognosis measures are important. Cancer registries should routinely report both cancer and actual prognosis to help clinicians and researchers understand the difference between

Blocking CD147 induces cell death in cancer cells through impairment of glycolytic energy metabolism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baba, Miyako; Inoue, Masahiro; Itoh, Kazuyuki; Nishizawa, Yasuko

2008-01-01

CD147 is a multifunctional transmembrane protein and promotes cancer progression. We found that the anti-human CD147 mouse monoclonal antibody MEM-M6/1 strongly induces necrosis-like cell death in LoVo, HT-29, WiDr, and SW620 colon cancer cells and A2058 melanoma cells, but not in WI-38 and TIG-113 normal fibroblasts. Silencing or overexpression of CD147 in LoVo cells enhanced or decreased the MEM-M6/1 induced cell death, respectively. CD147 is known to form complex with proton-linked monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs), which is critical for lactate transport and intracellular pH (pHi) homeostasis. In LoVo cells, CD147 and MCT-1 co-localized on the cell surface, and MEM-M6/1 inhibited the association of these molecules. MEM-M6/1 inhibited lactate uptake, lactate release, and reduced pHi. Further, the induction of acidification was parallel to the decrease of the glycolytic flux and intracellular ATP levels. These effects were not found in the normal fibroblasts. As cancer cells depend on glycolysis for their energy production, CD147 inhibition might induce cell death specific to cancer cells

Colorectal Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity

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... Associated Lung Ovarian Prostate Skin Uterine Cancer Home Colorectal Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity Language: English (US) ... Tweet Share Compartir The rate of people getting colorectal cancer or dying from colorectal cancer varies by race ...

Prostate Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity

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... HPV-Associated Lung Ovarian Skin Uterine Cancer Home Prostate Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity Language: English (US) ... Tweet Share Compartir The rate of men getting prostate cancer or dying from prostate cancer varies by race ...

[Study on smoking-attributed mortality by using all causes of death surveillance system in Tianjin].

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Guohong; Zhang, Hui; Li, Wei; Wang, Dezheng; Xu, Zhongliang; Song, Guide; Zhang, Ying; Shen, Chengfeng; Zheng, Wenlong; Xue, Xiaodan; Shen, Wenda

2016-03-01

To understand the smoking-attributed mortality by inclusion of smoking information into all causes of death surveillance. Since 2010, the information about smoking status, smoking history and the number of cigarettes smoked daily had been added in death surveillance system. The measures of training, supervision, check, sampling survey and telephone verifying were taken to increase death reporting rate and reduce data missing rate and underreporting rate. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors for smoking-attributed mortality. During the study period (2010-2014), the annual death reporting rates ranged from 6.5‰ to 7.0‰. The reporting rates of smoking status, smoking history and the number of cigarettes smoked daily were 95.53%, 98.63% and 98.58%, respectively. Compared with the nonsmokers, the RR of males was 1.38 (1.33-1.43) for all causes of death and 3.07 (2.91-3.24) for lung cancer due to smoking, the RR of females was 1.46 (1.39-1.54) for all causes of death and 4.07 (3.81-4.35) for lung cancer due to smoking, respectively. The study of smoking attributed mortality can be developed with less investment by using the stable and effective all causes of death surveillance system in Tianjin.

Changes in causes of death and risk of cancer in Danish patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease.

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Orskov, Bjarne; Sørensen, Vibeke Rømming; Feldt-Rasmussen, Bo; Strandgaard, Svend

2012-04-01

With the improved prognosis in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), causes of death and the risk of cancer might have changed. This was investigated in a Danish population with ADPKD and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) between 1 January 1993 and 31 December 2008. Data were retrieved from three Danish national registries and a total of 823 patients were identified of which 431 had died during the study period. The 16 years were divided into two 8-year periods and the causes of death were divided into six categories: cancer, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, infection, other and unknown. Cardiovascular disease was the major cause of death. A multivariate competing risk model comparing the two 8-year periods, adjusted for age at ESRD, gender and treatment modality, showed that deaths from cardiovascular disease decreased by 35% [hazard ratios (HR) 0.65, P=0.008] and deaths from cerebrovascular disease decreased by 69% (HR 0.31, P=0.0003) from the first to the second time period. There were no significant changes between the time periods in death from cancer, infection, other or unknown. From the first to the second 8-year interval, the prevalence of cancer increased by 35% (P=0.0002) while the cancer incidence was stable. In Danish patients with ADPKD and ESRD, there was a significant reduction in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular deaths from 1993 to 2008. The prevalence of cancer increased without significant change in cancer incidence or deaths from cancer.

Effects of a randomized gratitude intervention on death-related fear of recurrence in breast cancer survivors.

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Otto, Amy K; Szczesny, Elana C; Soriano, Emily C; Laurenceau, Jean-Philippe; Siegel, Scott D

2016-12-01

Among the most prevalent and distressing concerns endorsed by breast cancer survivors is fear of cancer recurrence (FOR), and one of the most salient facets is the worry that a recurrence of cancer could cause one's death. The primary goal of the present study was to test the effects of a brief, low-cost gratitude intervention on overall FOR and death-related FOR, positing pursuit of meaningful goals as a theoretically driven putative mediator. To replicate published tests of similar gratitude-eliciting interventions, positive affect (PA) was also considered as an outcome. Sixty-seven women with early stage breast cancer were randomly assigned to either a 6-week online gratitude intervention or a 6-week online control condition. Outcomes were assessed at pre- and posttreatment, as well as 1 month and 3 months after the end of treatment. The mediator, meaningful goal pursuit, was measured via assessments over the 6-week intervention period. Results revealed that patients in the gratitude intervention experienced a significant decrease in death-related FOR compared to the control condition. Moreover, this effect was significantly mediated by meaningful goal pursuit (and not by PA). The gratitude intervention was also found to prevent declines in PA observed in the control condition. Overall, findings support the notion that a brief gratitude intervention can promote well-being and psychological adaptation to cancer by stimulating the pursuit of meaningful goals and subsequently reducing death-related FOR. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Apoptotic induction of skin cancer cell death by plant extracts.

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Thuncharoen, Walairat; Chulasiri, Malin; Nilwarangkoon, Sirinun; Nakamura, Yukio; Watanapokasin, Ramida

2013-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of plant extracts on cancer apoptotic induction. Human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cell line, obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC, Manassas, VA), was maintained in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) at 37 degrees C, 5% carbon dioxide (CO2). Plant extract solutions were obtained from S & J international enterprises public company limited. These plant extracts include 50% hydroglycol extracts from Etlingera elatior (Jack) R.M.Smith (torch ginger; EE), Rosa damascene (damask rose; DR) and Rafflesia kerrii Meijer (bua phut; RM). The cell viability, time and dose dependency were determined by MTT (3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. A431 cells were treated with the plant extracts and stained with Hoechst 33342 fluorescent staining dye. Cell viability was demonstrated by the inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50). The anti-proliferative effects were shown to be dependent on time and dose. Typical characteristics of apoptosis which are cell morphological changes and chromatin condensation were clearly observed. The plant extracts was shown to be effective for anti-proliferation and induction of apoptosis cell death in skin cancer cells. Therefore, mechanisms underlying the cell death and its potential use for treatment of skin cancer will be further studied.

Patterns in Place of Cancer Death in the State of Qatar: A Population-Based Study

Science.gov (United States)

Mohsen, Hassan; Haddad, Pascale; Allam, Ayman; Hassan, Azza

2014-01-01

Background International studies show that most people prefer to die at home; however, hospitals remain the most common place of death (PoD). This study aims to investigate the patterns in PoD and the associated factors, which are crucial for end-of-life cancer care enhancement. Method This retrospective, population-based study analyzed all registered cancer deaths in Qatar between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2012 (n = 1,224). The main outcome measures were patient characteristics: age, gender, nationality, cancer diagnosis, year of death, and PoD. Time trends for age-standardized proportions of death in individual PoDs were evaluated using chi-square analysis. Odds ratio (OR) were determined for variables associated with the most preferred (acute palliative care unit [APCU] and hematology/oncology ward) versus least preferred (ICU and general medicine ward) PoDs in Qatar, stratified by nationality. Results The hematology/oncology ward was the most common PoD (32.4%; 95% CI 26.7–35.3%) followed by ICU (31.4%; 95% CI 28.7–34.3%), APCU (26.9%; 95% CI 24.3–29.6%), and general medicine ward (9.2%; 95% CI 7.6–11.1%). APCU trended upward (+0.057/year; pQatar occur in hospital. As home was the preferred PoD for most people, effective home care and hospice programs are needed to improve end-of-life cancer care. PMID:25536076

Trends in oral cavity, pharyngeal, oesophageal and gastric cancer mortality rates in Spain, 1952-2006: an age-period-cohort analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Seoane-Mato, Daniel; Aragonés, Nuria; Ferreras, Eva; García-Pérez, Javier; Cervantes-Amat, Marta; Fernández-Navarro, Pablo; Pastor-Barriuso, Roberto; López-Abente, Gonzalo

2014-04-11

Although oral cavity, pharyngeal, oesophageal and gastric cancers share some risk factors, no comparative analysis of mortality rate trends in these illnesses has been undertaken in Spain. This study aimed to evaluate the independent effects of age, death period and birth cohort on the mortality rates of these tumours. Specific and age-adjusted mortality rates by tumour and sex were analysed. Age-period-cohort log-linear models were fitted separately for each tumour and sex, and segmented regression models were used to detect changes in period- and cohort-effect curvatures. Among men, the period-effect curvatures for oral cavity/pharyngeal and oesophageal cancers displayed a mortality trend that rose until 1995 and then declined. Among women, oral cavity/pharyngeal cancer mortality increased throughout the study period whereas oesophageal cancer mortality decreased after 1970. Stomach cancer mortality decreased in both sexes from 1965 onwards. Lastly, the cohort-effect curvature showed a certain degree of similarity for all three tumours in both sexes, which was greater among oral cavity, pharyngeal and oesophageal cancers, with a change point in evidence, after which risk of death increased in cohorts born from the 1910-1920s onwards and decreased among the 1950-1960 cohorts and successive generations. This latter feature was likewise observed for stomach cancer. While the similarities of the cohort effects in oral cavity/pharyngeal, oesophageal and gastric tumours support the implication of shared risk factors, the more marked changes in cohort-effect curvature for oral cavity/pharyngeal and oesophageal cancer could be due to the greater influence of some risk factors in their aetiology, such as smoking and alcohol consumption. The increase in oral cavity/pharyngeal cancer mortality in women deserves further study.

[Trend of cancer mortality in Hebei province, 1973-2013].

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, D; Li, D J; Shi, J; Zhang, Y C; Guo, T T; He, Y T

2018-01-10

Objective: To analyze the data of malignant tumor mortality and change in disease burden in Hebei province from 1973 to 2013. Methods: Cancer mortality rate, age-standardized mortality rate and the years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLLs) were calculated by using the data from three rounds of all death causes survey and database of cancer registry in Hebei during 1973-2013. Results: From 1973 to 2013, a linear upward of malignant tumor mortality was observed, with a 51.57% increase. The mortality rate during 1973-1975 was 98.52/100 000 and it was 149.33/100 000 during 2011-2013. During 1973-1975, the YLLs was 17.0/1 000 in males and 12.8/1 000 in females. While during 2011-2013, the YLLs was 23.2/1 000 in males and 15.9/1 000 in females. During 1973-1975, esophagus cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer were top three leading causes of deaths. During 2011-2013, lung cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer were main leading causes of deaths. During the past 40 years, the deaths of esophagus cancer and cervix cancer decreased dramatically, but the deaths of lung cancer and breast cancer increased sharply. Conclusions: The disease burden caused by malignant tumor is becoming more serious in Hebei. It is necessary to strengthen the primary prevention and screening of malignant tumor.

Controlled population-based comparative study of USA and international adult [55-74] neurological deaths 1989-2014.

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Pritchard, C; Rosenorn-Lanng, E; Silk, A; Hansen, L

2017-12-01

A population-based controlled study to determine whether adult (55-74 years) neurological disease deaths are continuing to rise and are there significant differences between America and the twenty developed countries 1989-91 and 2012-14. Total Neurological Deaths (TND) rates contrasted against control Cancer and Circulatory Disease Deaths (CDD) extrapolated from WHO data. Confidence intervals compare USA and the other countries over the period. The Over-75's TND and population increases are examined as a context for the 55-74 outcomes. Male neurological deaths rose >10% in eleven countries, the other countries average rose 20% the USA 43% over the period. Female neurological deaths rose >10% in ten counties, averaging 14%, the USA up 68%. USA male and female neurological deaths increased significantly more than twelve and seventeen countries, respectively. USA over-75s population increased by 49%, other countries 56%. Other countries TND up 187% the USA rose fourfold. Male and female cancer and CDD fell in every country averaging 26% and 21%, respectively, and 64% and 67% for CDD. Male neurological rates rose significantly more than Cancer and CCD in every country; Female neurological deaths rose significantly more than cancer in 17 countries and every country for CDD. There was no significant correlation between increases in neurological deaths and decreases in control mortalities. There are substantial increases in neurological deaths in most countries, significantly so in America. Rises in the 55-74 and over-75's rates are not primarily due to demographic changes and are a matter of concern warranting further investigation. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Predictors of home death of home palliative cancer care patients: a cross-sectional nationwide survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Fukui, Sakiko; Fujita, Junko; Tsujimura, Mayuko; Sumikawa, Yuka; Hayashi, Yayoi

2011-11-01

To identify factors influencing the place of death among home palliative cancer care patients, focusing on the role of nurses in terms of pre- and post-discharge from hospital to home care settings. A cross-sectional nationwide questionnaire survey was conducted at 1000 randomly selected homecare agencies in Japan. The questionnaires were completed by primary community nurses of home palliative patients just after their discharge. A total of 568 responses were analyzed (effective response rate, 69%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed the following independent factors of place of death among those patients: desire for home death at referral by both patient and family caregiver; caregiver relationship to patient as daughter or daughter-in-law; totally bedridden functional status of patient; patient not suffering from depression and/or anxiety at referral; patients and caregivers duly informed about the dying process/death in detail, as well as instructed by community nurses about pain management and how to treat/prevent bedsores in home care settings. This study demonstrated the importance of both the hospital and community nurses' role in increasing the patients' chance of dying at home. Hospital nurses should support early transfer to home palliative care according to their assessment of the desire of patient/family caregiver for home death, the patients' clinical status, and caregivers' ability to provide patient care at home. Community nurses should inform patients/family caregiver in detail about the dying process/death just after discharge, relieve patient pain, treat/prevent bedsores, and instruct family caregivers on their symptom control. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Heart Disease Death Rates Among Blacks and Whites Aged ≥35 Years — United States, 1968–2015

Science.gov (United States)

Van Dyke, Miriam; Greer, Sophia; Odom, Erika; Schieb, Linda; Vaughan, Adam; Kramer, Michael; Casper, Michele

2018-01-01

Problem/Condition Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In 2015, heart disease accounted for approximately 630,000 deaths, representing one in four deaths in the United States. Although heart disease death rates decreased 68% for the total population from 1968 to 2015, marked disparities in decreases exist by race and state. Period Covered 1968–2015. Description of System The National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) data on deaths in the United States were abstracted for heart disease using diagnosis codes from the eighth, ninth, and tenth revisions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-8, ICD-9, and ICD-10) for 1968–2015. Population estimates were obtained from NVSS files. National and state-specific heart disease death rates for the total population and by race for adults aged ≥35 years were calculated for 1968–2015. National and state-specific black-white heart disease mortality ratios also were calculated. Death rates were age standardized to the 2000 U.S. standard population. Joinpoint regression was used to perform time trend analyses. Results From 1968 to 2015, heart disease death rates decreased for the total U.S. population among adults aged ≥35 years, from 1,034.5 to 327.2 per 100,000 population, respectively, with variations in the magnitude of decreases by race and state. Rates decreased for the total population an average of 2.4% per year, with greater average decreases among whites (2.4% per year) than blacks (2.2% per year). At the national level, heart disease death rates for blacks and whites were similar at the start of the study period (1968) but began to diverge in the late 1970s, when rates for blacks plateaued while rates for whites continued to decrease. Heart disease death rates among blacks remained higher than among whites for the remainder of the study period. Nationwide, the black-white ratio of heart disease death rates increased from 1.04 in 1968 to 1.21 in 2015, with large increases

An analysis of the death of main malignant tumor of inhabitants in nuclear power station area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Mingqiang; Lu Zunrong; Zheng Wen; Chen Guopei

1997-01-01

The authors reported the analysis on the death millimeter situation of inhabitants living around one nuclear power station during pre-operation period of 1988∼1991 and 1992∼1993 operating period. Total surrey population in six years is 2585521 person year, gross malignant tumour death rate is 116.38 x 10 -5 , calibrated death rate is 97.04 x 10 -5 , of which male is 129.20 x 10 -5 , female 65.39 x 10 -5 . An extremely significant difference is noted statistically. Individual annual death rate is 112.00 x 10 -5 , 120.15 x 10 -5 , 125.17 x 10 -5 , 116.45 x 10 -5 , 105.42 x 10 -5 and 119.16 x 10 -5 respectively. The statistical difference was no marked. The highest mortality rate is from the liver cancer, then from the cancer of the lung, of the stomach and of the esophagus. 94 cases died from leukemia with a mortality rate of 3.64 x 10 -5 , and 5 died from thyroid carcinoma, accounting for 0.17% of the total death cases

Meaningful Communication Before Death, but Not Present at the Time of Death Itself, Is Associated With Better Outcomes on Measures of Depression and Complicated Grief Among Bereaved Family Members of Cancer Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Otani, Hiroyuki; Yoshida, Saran; Morita, Tatsuya; Aoyama, Maho; Kizawa, Yoshiyuki; Shima, Yasuo; Tsuneto, Satoru; Miyashita, Mitsunori

2017-09-01

Few studies have explored the clinical significance of the family's presence or absence at the moment of a patient's death and meaningful communication (saying "goodbye") in terms of post-bereavement outcomes. To explore the potential association between the family's depression/complicated grief and their presence at the moment of a patient's death and the patient's communication with the family. A nationwide questionnaire survey was conducted on 965 family members of cancer patients who had died at palliative care units. More than 90% of family members wished to have been present at the moment of death (agree: 40%, n = 217; strongly agree: 51%, n = 280); 79% (n = 393) thereof were present. Families' presence at death was not significantly associated with the occurrence of depression and complicated grief, but the dying patient's ability to say "goodbye" to the family beforehand was (depression: adjusted odds rate, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.26-0.69 adjusted P = 0.001; complicated grief: adjusted odds rate, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.29-0.94 adjusted P = 0.009). Many families wished to be present at the moment of the patient's death; however, meaningful communication (saying "goodbye") between the patient and family members, and not their presence or absence itself, was associated with better outcomes on measures of depression or complicated grief. Health care professionals could consider promoting both mutual communication (relating to preparation for death) between family members and patients before imminent death, as well as the family's presence at the moment of death. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nitrates in drinking water and the risk of death from rectal cancer: does hardness in drinking water matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Chih-Ching; Chen, Chih-Cheng; Wu, Deng-Chuang; Yang, Chun-Yuh

2010-01-01

The objectives of this study were to (1) examine the relationship between nitrate levels in public water supplies and increased risk of death from rectal cancer and (2) determine whether calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) levels in drinking water might modify the effects of nitrate on development of rectal cancer. A matched case-control study was used to investigate the relationship between the risk of death from rectal cancer and exposure to nitrate in drinking water in Taiwan. All rectal cancer deaths of Taiwan residents from 2003 through 2007 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair-matched to the cases by gender, year of birth, and year of death. Information on the levels of nitrate-nitrogen (NO(3)-N), Ca, and Mg in drinking water was collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cancer cases and controls was presumed to be the source of the subject's NO(3)-N, Ca, and Mg exposure via drinking water. Relative to individuals whose NO(3)-N exposure level was cancer occurrence was 1.15 (1.01-1.32) for individuals who resided in municipalities served by drinking water with a NO(3)-N exposure > or =0.38 ppm. There was no apparent evidence of an interaction between drinking water NO(3)-N levels with low Mg intake via drinking water. However, evidence of a significant interaction was noted between drinking-water NO(3)-N concentrations and Ca intake via drinking water. Our findings showed that the correlation between NO(3)-N exposure and risk of rectal cancer development was influenced by Ca in drinking water. This is the first study to report effect modification by Ca intake from drinking water on the association between NO(3)-N exposure and risk of rectal cancer occurrence. Increased knowledge of the mechanistic interaction between Ca and NO(3)-N in reducing rectal cancer risk will aid in public policymaking and setting

Cancer incidence and mortality rate in children of A-bomb survivors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshimoto, Yasuhiko

1992-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the previous findings of carcinogenesis and mortality rate in children born to A-bomb survivors. The Radiation Effects Research Foundation has collected 72,228 children born to A-bomb survivors from May 1946 through 1984. Of their parents, 31,159 parents had been exposed to significant doses (≥0.01 Sv), with a mean genital dose of 0.435 Sv. Among a hypothetic population of 100,000 children of A-bomb survivors exposed to an mean genital dose of 0.4 SV, radiation-induced diseases were considered to occur in only 250 children or less. An earlier large-scale survey during the period 1948-1956 has revealed an evidence of significant increase in stillborn, congenital malformation, and infantile death. In the 1946-1982 survey concerning carcinogenesis in 72,216 children of A-bomb survivors, cancer was found to be detected in 92 children, with no statistically significant increase in cancer risk with increasing radiation doses in their parents. The survey on mortality rate in 67,586 children of A-bomb survivors has revealed no evidence of significant increase in mortality rate from diseases, other than cancer, and in the incidence of lethal cancer. For A-bomb survivors, genetic doubling doses were considered to be 1 Sv or more. Further, when genetic doubling doses are calculated, the contribution rate of genital cell disturbance should be considered in the incidence of spontaneously induced disease. There is no supportive evidence of genetic effects of A-bomb radiation in children of A-bomb survivors; however, genetic effects of A-bomb radiation cannot be denied completely. Continuing survey is expected to be done for children of A-bomb survivors. (N.K.)

System care improves trauma outcome: patient care errors dominate reduced preventable death rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Thoburn, E; Norris, P; Flores, R; Goode, S; Rodriguez, E; Adams, V; Campbell, S; Albrink, M; Rosemurgy, A

1993-01-01

A review of 452 trauma deaths in Hillsborough County, Florida, in 1984 documented that 23% of non-CNS trauma deaths were preventable and occurred because of inadequate resuscitation or delay in proper surgical care. In late 1988 Hillsborough County organized a County Trauma Agency (HCTA) to coordinate trauma care among prehospital providers and state-designated trauma centers. The purpose of this study was to review county trauma deaths after the inception of the HCTA to determine the frequency of preventable deaths. 504 trauma deaths occurring between October 1989 and April 1991 were reviewed. Through committee review, 10 deaths were deemed preventable; 2 occurred outside the trauma system. Of the 10 deaths, 5 preventable deaths occurred late in severely injured patients. The preventable death rate has decreased to 7.0% with system care. The causes of preventable deaths have changed from delayed or inadequate intervention to postoperative care errors.

Association Between Bereaved Families' Sense of Security and Their Experience of Death in Cancer Patients: Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Igarashi, Ayumi; Miyashita, Mitsunori; Morita, Tatsuya; Akizuki, Nobuya; Akiyama, Miki; Shirahige, Yutaka; Sato, Kazuki; Yamamoto-Mitani, Noriko; Eguchi, Kenji

2016-05-01

The sense of security scale was developed to indicate care quality within the community. Bereaved families have perspective to evaluate the quality of the care system. The aim was to examine associations between end-of-life care and sense of security regarding regional cancer care among bereaved families. A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted with families of cancer patients who died in regional areas of Japan. A total of 1046 family caregivers of patients responded to surveys (effective response rate of 65%). In multiple regression analyses, the families' higher age (P patients' end of life (P = 0.016), lower caregiving burden (P patient death, including being free from physical distress (P security. Quality of death and lower burden on family caregivers were associated with families' sense of security. This suggests strategies for improving care quality for each patient to improve the sense of security. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Life and death.

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd, J W

1983-03-01

In contrast with the other lectures given in the course on humanics and bioethics at the UOEH, which address the questions of life and death from the standpoint of the physician or the philosopher, this lecture considers these issues as seen by the cancer patient who has had a close encounter with death. The attitudes of Americans concerning abortion, the use of life-support systems, "mercy killings", suicide and the use of cancer chemotherapy are discussed with particular emphasis on restraints imposed by the courts, the churches and the family systems. An attempt is made to contrast the American and Japanese attitudes on these questions but this is difficult because of different cultural and religious backgrounds. The author describes his own experiences as a cancer patient who has approached death very closely and the changes in his own attitude toward life which results from the encounter with death. He also talks about the joy of being alive and describes his own experience with receiving cancer chemotherapy, the resulting discomfort and inconveniences and his feelings about a "tolerable" existence. Finally, the author considers the question of the "quality of life" for the cancer patient who has a violent reaction to certain forms of chemotherapy. This is a dilemma for the patient and the doctor who must consider the choice between death and a miserable existence.

Pneumonitis and pneumonitis-related death in cancer patients treated with programmed cell death-1 inhibitors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cui P

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Peng-Fei Cui,1–3,* Jun-Xun Ma,1,* Fei-Xue Wang,1,* Jing Zhang,1 Hai-Tao Tao,1 Yi Hu1 1First Department of Medical Oncology, 2Department of Graduate Administration, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 3Health Bureau of the 75709 Army, Central Theater of the Chinese PLA, Wuhan, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: We conducted a meta-analysis of published clinical trials to determine the relationship between the risks of pneumonitis and pneumonitis-related death and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1 inhibitor treatment in patients with cancer.Materials and methods: We examined clinical trials from the Medline and Google Scholar databases. Data from original studies and review articles were also cross-referenced and evaluated. Randomized Phase II and Phase III trials of pembrolizumab and nivolumab treatment in patients with cancer were eligible for the analysis. Information about the participants, all-grade and high-grade pneumonitis, and pneumonitis-related death was extracted from each study and analyzed.Results: After the exclusion of ineligible studies, 12 clinical trials were included in the analysis. The odds ratio (OR for all-grade pneumonitis after PD-1 inhibitor treatment was 4.59 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.51–8.37; P<0.00001, and the OR for high-grade pneumonitis after PD-1 inhibitor treatment was 3.83 (95% CI: 1.54–9.48; P=0.004. The OR for pneumonitis-related death after PD-1 inhibitor treatment was 2.47 (95% CI: 0.41–14.81; P=0.32. Moreover, the OR for all-grade pneumonitis after nivolumab/ipilimumab combination therapy versus nivolumab monotherapy was 3.54 (95% CI: 1.52–8.23; P=0.003, and that for high-grade pneumonitis after nivolumab/ipilimumab combination therapy versus nivolumab monotherapy was 2.35 (95% CI: 0.45–12.13; P=0.31. Treated cancer appeared to have no effect on the risk of pneumonitis.Conclusion: Our data showed that PD-1 inhibitors were associated with increased risks of all

A Study of Triple Negative Breast Cancer at a Tertiary Cancer Care ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

cause of cancer deaths worldwide. It is the ... Background: Triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are a diverse and heterogeneous group .... nonHispanic black patients with breast cancer, at 24.6%. ... chance of breast conservation rates.

A Nationwide Survey of Quality of End-of-Life Cancer Care in Designated Cancer Centers, Inpatient Palliative Care Units, and Home Hospices in Japan: The J-HOPE Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyashita, Mitsunori; Morita, Tatsuya; Sato, Kazuki; Tsuneto, Satoru; Shima, Yasuo

2015-07-01

End-of-life (EOL) cancer care in general hospitals and home care has not previously been evaluated in Japan. This study aimed to evaluate EOL cancer care from the perspective of bereaved family members in nationwide designated cancer centers, inpatient palliative care units (PCUs), and home hospices in Japan. We conducted a cross-sectional, anonymous, self-report questionnaire survey for bereaved family members of cancer patients in March 2008 for 56 designated cancer centers and in June 2007 for 100 PCUs and 14 home hospices. Outcomes were overall care satisfaction, structure and process of care (Care Evaluation Scale), and achievement of a good death (Good Death Inventory). In designated cancer centers, PCUs, and home hospices, 2794 (response rate 59%), 5312 (response rate 69%), and 292 (response rate 67%) bereaved family members participated, respectively. Mean scores for overall care satisfaction were high for all places of death, at 4.3 ± 1.2 for designated cancer centers, 5.0 ± 1.2 for PCUs, and 5.0 ± 1.0 for home hospices. Designated cancer centers showed significantly lower ratings than PCUs and home hospices for structure and process of care and achievement of a good death (P = 0.0001 each). Home hospices were rated significantly higher than PCUs for achievement of a good death (P = 0.0001). The main findings of this study were: (1) overall, bereaved family members were satisfied with end-of-life care in all three places of death; (2) designated cancer centers were inferior to PCUs and home hospices and had more room for improvement; and 3) home hospices were rated higher than PCUs for achieving a good death, although home hospices remain uncommon in Japan. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The fall in the rate of death from heart diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bemski, G.

1983-01-01

A self limiting interaction between heart disease producing factors and genetic factors is postulated. Such an interaction could be responsable for the fall in rate of death from ischemic disease observed in the United States. (Author) [pt

Radiation-induced inheritable changes in the death-rate of cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bychkovskaya, I.B.; Ochinskaya, G.K.

1980-01-01

By the use of an original technique (regeneration of individual lines from sister cells) it was demonstrated on various individually cultivated protozoa (Amoeba proteus, Paramecium caudatum and Climacostomum virens) that even weak direct and indirect radiation effects can induce an appreciable increase in the death-rate of descendants. After a certain dose threshold, the effect did not depend on the power of the attack and remained at the same level for as long as 3 years. The observed changes were qualitatively different from known types of inheritable changes leading to cell death

Dehydroabietic Acid Derivative QC4 Induces Gastric Cancer Cell Death via Oncosis and Apoptosis

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Dongjun Luo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. QC4 is the derivative of rosin’s main components dehydroabietic acid (DHA. We investigated the cytotoxic effect of QC4 on gastric cancer cells and revealed the mechanisms beneath the induction of cell death. Methods. The cytotoxic effect of QC4 on gastric cancer cells was evaluated by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. The underlying mechanisms were tested by administration of cell death related inhibitors and detection of apoptotic and oncosis related proteins. Cytomembrane integrity and organelles damage were confirmed by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH leakage assay, mitochondrial function test, and cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration detection. Results. QC4 inhibited cell proliferation dose- and time-dependently and destroyed cell membrane integrity, activated calpain-1 autolysis, and induced apoptotic protein cleavage in gastric cancer cells. The detection of decreased ATP and mitochondrial membrane potential, ROS accumulation, and cytosolic free Ca2+ elevation confirmed organelles damage in QC4-treated gastric cancer cells. Conclusions. DHA derivative QC4 induced the damage of cytomembrane and organelles which finally lead to oncosis and apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. Therefore, as a derivative of plant derived small molecule DHA, QC4 might become a promising agent in gastric cancer therapy.

Optical and Functional Imaging in Lung Cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K.H. van der Leest (Cor)

2010-01-01

textabstractLung cancer is the second most common cancer in men and women, and is the leading cause of cancer related death. In industrialized countries the mortality rate of lung cancer is higher than the mortality rate of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer combined 1. When lung cancer is

Count Data On Cancer Death In Ohio A Bayesian Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walaa Hamdi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This paper considers statistical modeling of count data on cancer death in Ohio State. We obtained count data on male and female from a website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and used Bayesian analyses to find suitable models which help us to do inferences and predictions for next year. To assist us in selecting appropriate models we use criteria such as the DIC. In this paper we analyze the data to spatial longitudinal so we can capture possible correlations. Using our analyses we make predictions of the numbers of people who will die with cancer in a future year in Ohio State.

Impact of socioeconomic deprivation on rate and cause of death in severe mental illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Julie Langan; McLean, Gary; Park, John; Martin, Daniel J; Connolly, Moira; Mercer, Stewart W; Smith, Daniel J

2014-09-12

Socioeconomic status has important associations with disease-specific mortality in the general population. Although individuals with Severe Mental Illnesses (SMI) experience significant premature mortality, the relationship between socioeconomic status and mortality in this group remains under investigated. We aimed to assess the impact of socioeconomic status on rate and cause of death in individuals with SMI (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) relative to the local (Glasgow) and wider (Scottish) populations. Cause and age of death during 2006-2010 inclusive for individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder registered on the Glasgow Psychosis Clinical Information System (PsyCIS) were obtained by linkage to the Scottish General Register Office (GRO). Rate and cause of death by socioeconomic status, measured by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), were compared to the Glasgow and Scottish populations. Death rates were higher in people with SMI across all socioeconomic quintiles compared to the Glasgow and Scottish populations, and persisted when suicide was excluded. Differences were largest in the most deprived quintile (794.6 per 10,000 population vs. 274.7 and 252.4 for Glasgow and Scotland respectively). Cause of death varied by socioeconomic status. For those living in the most deprived quintile, higher drug-related deaths occurred in those with SMI compared to local Glasgow and wider Scottish population rates (12.3% vs. 5.9%, p = socioeconomic quintiles compared to the Glasgow and Scottish populations but was most marked in the most deprived quintiles when suicide was excluded as a cause of death. Further work assessing the impact of socioeconomic status on specific causes of premature mortality in SMI is needed.

Anti-cancer effect of bee venom toxin and melittin in ovarian cancer cells through induction of death receptors and inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 pathway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jo, Miran; Park, Mi Hee; Kollipara, Pushpa Saranya; An, Byeong Jun; Song, Ho Sueb; Han, Sang Bae; Kim, Jang Heub; Song, Min Jong; Hong, Jin Tae

2012-01-01

We investigated whether bee venom and melittin, a major component of bee venom, inhibit cell growth through enhancement of death receptor expressions in the human ovarian cancer cells, SKOV3 and PA-1. Bee venom (1–5 μg/ml) and melittin (0.5–2 μg/ml) inhibited the growth of SKOV3 and PA-1 ovarian cancer cells by the induction of apoptotic cell death in a dose dependent manner. Consistent with apoptotic cell death, expression of death receptor (DR) 3 and DR6 was increased in both cancer cells, but expression of DR4 was increased only in PA-1 cells. Expression of DR downstream pro-apoptotic proteins including caspase-3, 8, and Bax was concomitantly increased, but the phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3 and the expression of Bcl-2 were inhibited by treatment with bee venom and melittin in SKOV3 and PA-1 cells. Expression of cleaved caspase-3 was increased in SKOV3, but cleaved caspase-8 was increased in PA-1 cells. Moreover, deletion of DR3, DR4, and DR6 by small interfering RNA significantly reversed bee venom and melittin-induced cell growth inhibitory effect as well as down regulation of STAT3 by bee venom and melittin in SKOV3 and PA-1 ovarian cancer cell. These results suggest that bee venom and melittin induce apoptotic cell death in ovarian cancer cells through enhancement of DR3, DR4, and DR6 expression and inhibition of STAT3 pathway. -- Highlights: ► Some studies have showed that bee venom and/or melittin have anti-cancer effects. ► We found that bee venom and melittin inhibited cell growth in ovarian cancer cells. ► Bee venom and melittin induce apoptosis in SKOV3 and PA-1.

Murraya koenigii leaf extract inhibits proteasome activity and induces cell death in breast cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Noolu, Bindu; Ajumeera, Rajanna; Chauhan, Anitha; Nagalla, Balakrishna; Manchala, Raghunath; Ismail, Ayesha

2013-01-09

Inhibition of the proteolytic activity of 26S proteasome, the protein-degrading machine, is now considered a novel and promising approach for cancer therapy. Interestingly, proteasome inhibitors have been demonstrated to selectively kill cancer cells and also enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Recently, polyphenols/flavonoids have been reported to inhibit proteasome activity. Murraya koenigii Spreng, a medicinally important herb of Indian origin, has been used for centuries in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Here we show that Murraya koenigii leaves (curry leaves), a rich source of polyphenols, inhibit the proteolytic activity of the cancer cell proteasome, and cause cell death. Hydro-methanolic extract of curry leaves (CLE) was prepared and its total phenolic content [TPC] determined by, the Folin-Ciocalteau's method. Two human breast carcinoma cell lines: MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 and a normal human lung fibroblast cell line, WI-38 were used for the studies. Cytotoxicity of the CLE was assessed by the MTT assay. We studied the effect of CLE on growth kinetics using colony formation assay. Growth arrest was assessed by cell cycle analysis and apoptosis by Annexin-V binding using flow cytometry. Inhibition of the endogenous 26S proteasome was studied in intact cells and cell extracts using substrates specific to 20S proteasomal enzymes. CLE decreased cell viability and altered the growth kinetics in both the breast cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. It showed a significant arrest of cells in the S phase albeit in cancer cells only. Annexin V binding data suggests that cell death was via the apoptotic pathway in both the cancer cell lines. CLE treatment significantly decreased the activity of the 26S proteasome in the cancer but not normal cells. Our study suggests M. koenigii leaves to be a potent source of proteasome inhibitors that lead to cancer cell death. Therefore, identification of active component(s) from the leaf

Global Prostate Cancer Incidence and Mortality Rates According to the Human Development Index.

Science.gov (United States)

Khazaei, Salman; Rezaeian, Shahab; Ayubi, Erfan; Gholamaliee, Behzad; Pishkuhi, Mahin Ahmadi; Khazaei, Somayeh; Mansori, Kamyar; Nematollahi, Shahrzad; Sani, Mohadeseh; Hanis, Shiva Mansouri

2016-01-01

Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the leading causes of death, especially in developed countries. The human development index (HDI) and its dimensions seem correlated with incidence and mortality rates of PC. This study aimed to assess the association of the specific components of HDI (life expectancy at birth, education, gross national income per 1000 capita, health, and living standards) with burden indicators of PC worldwide. Information of the incidence and mortality rates of PC was obtained from the GLOBOCAN cancer project in year 2012 and data about the HDI 2013 were obtained from the World Bank database. The correlation between incidence, mortality rates, and the HDI parameters were assessed using STATA software. A significant inequality of PC incidence rates was observed according to concentration indexes=0.25 with 95% CI (0.22, 0.34) and a negative mortality concentration index of -0.04 with 95% CI (-0.09, 0.01) was observed. A positive significant correlation was detected between the incidence rates of PC and the HDI and its dimensions including life expectancy at birth, education, income, urbanization level and obesity. However, there was a negative significant correlation between the standardized mortality rates and the life expectancy, income and HDI.

Induction of cancer cell death by proton beam in tumor hypoxic region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hur, T. R.; Lee, Y. M.; Park, J. W.; Sohn, E. J.

2006-05-01

The physical properties of charged particles such as protons are uniquely suited to target the radiation dose precisely in the tumor. In proton therapy, the Bragg peak is spread out by modulating or degrading the energy of the particles to cover a well defined target volume at a given depth. Due to heterogeneity in the various tumors and end-points as well as in the physical properties of the beams considered, it is difficult to fit the various results into a clear general description of the biological effect of proton in tumor therapy. Tumor hypoxia is a main obstacle to radiotherapy, including gamma-ray. Survived tumor cells under hypoxic region are resistant to radiation and more aggressive to be metastasized. To investigate the dose of proton beam to induce cell death of various tumor cells and hypoxic tumor cells at the Bragg peak in vitro, we used 3 kinds of tumor cells, lung cancer, leukemia and hepatoma cells. Proton beam induces apoptosis in Lewis lung carcinoma cells dose dependently and, slightly in leukemia but not in hepatoma cells at all. Above 1000 gray of proton beam, 60% of cells died even the hypoxic cells in Lewis lung carcinoma cells. But the Molt-4 leukemia cells showed milder effect, 20% cell death by the above 1000 Gray of proton beam and typical resistant pattern (5-10%) of hypoxia in desferrioxamine treated cells. Hepatoma cells (HepG2) were not responsive to proton beam even in rather higher dose (4000G). However, by the gamma-irradiation, Molt-4 was more sensitive than hepatoma or lung cancer cells, but still showed hypoxic resistance. The cell death by proton beam in Lewis lung carcinoma cells was confirmed by PARP cleavage and may be mediated by increased p53. Pro-caspases were also activated and cleaved by the proton beam irradiations for lung cancer cell death. In conclusion, high dose of proton beam (above 1000 gray) may be a good therapeutic radiation even in hypoxic region at the Bragg peak, but further investigations about the

Cancer Mortality Pattern in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akinde, O. R.; Phillips, A. A.; Oguntunde, O. A.; Afolayan, O. M.

2014-01-01

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and about 70% of all cancer deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. The cancer mortality pattern is quite different in Africa compared to other parts of the world. Extensive literature research showed little or no information about the overall deaths attributable to cancer in Nigeria. Aims and Objectives. This study aims at providing data on the patterns of cancer deaths in our center using the hospital and autopsy death registers. Methodology. Demographic, clinical data of patients who died of cancer were extracted from death registers in the wards and mortuary over a period of 14 years (2000-2013). Results. A total of 1436 (4.74%) cancer deaths out of 30287 deaths recorded during the period. The male to female ratio was 1:2.2 and the peak age of death was between 51 and 60 years. Overall, breast cancer was responsible for most of the deaths. Conclusion. The study shows that the cancers that accounted for majority of death occurred in organs that were accessible to screening procedures and not necessary for survival. We advise regular screening for precancerous lesions in these organs so as to reduce the mortality rate and burden of cancer.Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and about 70% of all cancer deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. The cancer mortality pattern is quite different in Africa compared to other parts of the world. Extensive literature research showed little or no information about the overall deaths attributable to cancer in Nigeria. Aims and Objectives. This study aims at providing data on the patterns of cancer deaths in our center using the hospital and autopsy death registers. Methodology. Demographic, clinical data of patients who died of cancer were extracted from death registers in the wards and mortuary over a period of 14 years (2000-2013). Results. A total of 1436 (4.74%) cancer deaths out of 30287 deaths recorded during the period. The male to female

Avoidable deaths in Greenland 1968-1985

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerregaard, Peter; Juel, K

1990-01-01

and several showed an increasing time trend. The regional patterns were particularly clear for infectious diseases and accidents, which showed low mortality rates in the capital and other towns and high mortality rates in settlements and in the remote East Greenland, while mortality rates from suicides...... and political will of the society. A list of avoidable deaths is proposed for Greenland which includes, inter alia, meningitis, lung cancer, acute respiratory infections, suicides, boat accidents and alcohol related diseases and accidents. All were considerably more common in Greenland than in Denmark...... and alcohol related diseases were high in the capital and East Greenland and low in West Greenlandic settlements. It is concluded that further studies on preventable diseases and causes of death, in particular certain infectious diseases, accidents and suicides, are needed....

Prostate cancer incidence rates in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Lisa W; Ritchey, Jamie; Devesa, Susan S; Quraishi, Sabah M; Zhang, Hongmei; Hsing, Ann W

2011-01-01

African American men have among the highest prostate cancer incidence rates in the world yet rates among their African counterparts are unclear. In this paper, we compared reported rates among black men of Sub-Saharan African descent using data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program for 1973-2007. Although population-based data in Africa are quite limited, the available data from IARC showed that rates among blacks were highest in the East (10.7-38.1 per 100,000 man-years, age-adjusted world standard) and lowest in the West (4.7-19.8). These rates were considerably lower than those of 80.0-195.3 observed among African Americans. Rates in Africa increased over time (1987-2002) and have been comparable to those for distant stage in African Americans. These patterns are likely due to differences between African and African American men in medical care access, screening, registry quality, genetic diversity, and Westernization. Incidence rates in Africa will likely continue to rise with improving economies and increasing Westernization, warranting the need for more high-quality population-based registration to monitor cancer incidence in Africa.

Eclalbasaponin II induces autophagic and apoptotic cell death in human ovarian cancer cells

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Yoon Jin Cho

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Triterpenoids echinocystic acid and its glycosides, isolated from several Eclipta prostrata, have been reported to possess various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-diabetic activity. However, the cytotoxicity of the triterpenoids in human cancer cells and their molecular mechanism of action are poorly understood. In the present study, we found that eclalbasaponin II with one glucose moiety has potent cytotoxicity in three ovarian cancer cells and two endometrial cancer cells compared to an aglycone echinocystic acid and eclalbasaponin I with two glucose moiety. Eclalbasaponin II treatment dose-dependently increased sub G1 population. Annexin V staining revealed that eclalbasaponin II induced apoptosis in SKOV3 and A2780 ovarian cancer cells. In addition, eclalbasaponin II-induced cell death was associated with characteristics of autophagy; an increase in acidic vesicular organelle content and elevation of the levels of LC3-II. Interestingly, autophagy inhibitor BaF1 suppressed the eclalbasaponin II-induced apoptosis. Moreover, eclalbasaponin II activated JNK and p38 signaling and inhibited the mTOR signaling. We further demonstrated that pre-treatment with a JNK and p38 inhibitor and mTOR activator attenuated the eclalbasaponin II-induced autophagy. This suggests that eclalbasaponin II induces apoptotic and autophagic cell death through the regulation of JNK, p38, and mTOR signaling in human ovarian cancer cells.

Role of non-canonical Beclin 1-independent autophagy in cell death induced by resveratrol in human breast cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Scarlatti, F; Maffei, R; Beau, I; Codogno, P; Ghidoni, R

2008-08-01

Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in grapes and other fruit and vegetables, is a powerful chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic molecule potentially of interest for the treatment of breast cancer. The human breast cancer cell line MCF-7, which is devoid of caspase-3 activity, is refractory to apoptotic cell death after incubation with resveratrol. Here we show that resveratrol arrests cell proliferation, triggers death and decreases the number of colonies of cells that are sensitive to caspase-3-dependent apoptosis (MCF-7 casp-3) and also those that are unresponsive to it (MCF-7vc). We demonstrate that resveratrol (i) acts via multiple pathways to trigger cell death, (ii) induces caspase-dependent and caspase-independent cell death in MCF-7 casp-3 cells, (iii) induces only caspase-independent cell death in MCF-7vc cells and (iv) stimulates macroautophagy. Using BECN1 and hVPS34 (human vacuolar protein sorting 34) small interfering RNAs, we demonstrate that resveratrol activates Beclin 1-independent autophagy in both cell lines, whereas cell death via this uncommon form of autophagy occurs only in MCF-7vc cells. We also show that this variant form of autophagic cell death is blocked by the expression of caspase-3, but not by its enzymatic activity. In conclusion, this study reveals that non-canonical autophagy induced by resveratrol can act as a caspase-independent cell death mechanism in breast cancer cells.

Cancer mortality and other causes of death in users of geothermal hot water.

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Kristbjornsdottir, Adalbjorg; Rafnsson, Vilhjalmur

2015-01-01

Residents of geothermal areas have increased incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast, prostate, and kidney cancers. The aim was to study whether this is also reflected in cancer mortality among the population using geothermal hot water for space heating, washing, and showering. The follow-up was from 1981 to 2009. Personal identifier of those 5-64 years of age was used in record linkage with nationwide death registry. Thus, vital and emigration status was ascertained. The exposed population was defined as inhabitants of communities with district heating generated from geothermal wells since 1972. Reference populations were inhabitants of other areas with different degrees of volcanic/geothermal activity. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were adjusted for age, gender, education, housing, reproductive factors and smoking habits. Among those using geothermal water, the HR for all causes of death was 0.98 (95% CI 0.91-1.05) as compared with cold reference area. The HR for breast cancer was 1.53 (1.04-2.24), prostate cancer 1.74 (1.21-2.52), kidney cancer 1.78 (1.03-3.07), and for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 2.01 (1.05-3.38). HR for influenza was 3.36 (1.32-8.58) and for suicide 1.49 (1.03-2.17). The significant excess mortality risk of breast and prostate cancers, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma confirmed the results of similarly designed studies in Iceland on cancer incidence among populations from high-temperature geothermal areas and users of geothermal hot water. The risk is not confined to cancers with good prognosis, but also concerns fatal cancers. Further studies are needed on the chemical and physical content of the water and the environment emissions in geothermal areas.

Targeted cancer cell death induced by biofunctionalized magnetic nanowires

KAUST Repository

Contreras, Maria F.; Ravasi, Timothy; Kosel, Jü rgen

2014-01-01

Magnetic micro and nanomaterials are increasingly interesting for biomedical applications since they possess many advantageous properties: they can become biocompatible, they can be functionalized to target specific cells and they can be remotely manipulated by magnetic fields. The goal of this study is to use antibody-functionalized nickel nanowires (Ab-NWs) as an alternative method in cancer therapy overcoming the limitations of current treatments that lack specificity and are highly cytotoxic. Ab-NWs have been incubated with cancer cells and a 12% drop on cell viability was observed for a treatment of only 10 minutes and an alternating magnetic field of low intensity and low frequency. It is believed that the Ab-NWs vibrate transmitting a mechanical force to the targeted cells inducing cell death. © 2014 IEEE.

Targeted cancer cell death induced by biofunctionalized magnetic nanowires

KAUST Repository

Contreras, Maria F.

2014-02-01

Magnetic micro and nanomaterials are increasingly interesting for biomedical applications since they possess many advantageous properties: they can become biocompatible, they can be functionalized to target specific cells and they can be remotely manipulated by magnetic fields. The goal of this study is to use antibody-functionalized nickel nanowires (Ab-NWs) as an alternative method in cancer therapy overcoming the limitations of current treatments that lack specificity and are highly cytotoxic. Ab-NWs have been incubated with cancer cells and a 12% drop on cell viability was observed for a treatment of only 10 minutes and an alternating magnetic field of low intensity and low frequency. It is believed that the Ab-NWs vibrate transmitting a mechanical force to the targeted cells inducing cell death. © 2014 IEEE.

Role of mitochondria-associated hexokinase II in cancer cell death induced by 3-Bromopyruvate

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhao; Zhang, Hui; Lu, Weiqin; Huang, Peng

2009-01-01

Summary It has long been observed that cancer cells rely more on glycolysis to generate ATP and actively use certain glycolytic metabolic intermediates for biosynthesis. Hexokinase II (HKII) is a key glycolytic enzyme that plays a role in the regulation of the mitochondria-initiated apoptotic cell death. As a potent inhibitor of hexokinase, 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) is known to inhibit cancer cell energy metabolism and trigger cell death, supposedly through depletion of cellular ATP. The current study showed that 3-BrPA caused a covalent modification of HKII protein and directly triggered its dissociation from mitochondria, leading to a specific release of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) from the mitochondria to cytosol and eventual cell death. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed a physical interaction between HKII and AIF. Using a competitive peptide of HKII, we showed that the dissociation of hexokinase II from mitochondria alone could cause apoptotic cell death, especially in the mitochondria-deficient ρ0 cells that highly express HKII. Interestingly, the dissociation of HKII itself did no directly affect the mitochondrial membrane potential, ROS generation, and oxidative phosphorylation. Our study suggests that the physical association between HKII and AIF is important for the normal localization of AIF in the mitochondria, and disruption of this protein complex by 3-BrPA leads to their release from the mitochondria and eventual cell death. PMID:19285479

Anti-cancer effect of bee venom toxin and melittin in ovarian cancer cells through induction of death receptors and inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Jo, Miran; Park, Mi Hee; Kollipara, Pushpa Saranya; An, Byeong Jun; Song, Ho Sueb; Han, Sang Bae; Kim, Jang Heub; Song, Min Jong; Hong, Jin Tae

2012-01-01

We investigated whether bee venom and melittin, a major component of bee venom, inhibit cell growth through enhancement of death receptor expressions in the human ovarian cancer cells, SKOV3 and PA-1. Bee venom (1-5 μg/ml) and melittin (0.5-2 μg/ml) inhibited the growth of SKOV3 and PA-1 ovarian cancer cells by the induction of apoptotic cell death in a dose dependent manner. Consistent with apoptotic cell death, expression of death receptor (DR) 3 and DR6 was increased in both cancer cells, but expression of DR4 was increased only in PA-1 cells. Expression of DR downstream pro-apoptotic proteins including caspase-3, 8, and Bax was concomitantly increased, but the phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3 and the expression of Bcl-2 were inhibited by treatment with bee venom and melittin in SKOV3 and PA-1 cells. Expression of cleaved caspase-3 was increased in SKOV3, but cleaved caspase-8 was increased in PA-1 cells. Moreover, deletion of DR3, DR4, and DR6 by small interfering RNA significantly reversed bee venom and melittin-induced cell growth inhibitory effect as well as down regulation of STAT3 by bee venom and melittin in SKOV3 and PA-1 ovarian cancer cell. These results suggest that bee venom and melittin induce apoptotic cell death in ovarian cancer cells through enhancement of DR3, DR4, and DR6 expression and inhibition of STAT3 pathway. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mitochondria-targeted vitamin E analogs inhibit breast cancer cell energy metabolism and promote cell death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Gang; Zielonka, Jacek; McAllister, Donna M; Mackinnon, A Craig Jr; Joseph, Joy; Dwinell, Michael B; Kalyanaraman, Balaraman

2013-01-01

Recent research has revealed that targeting mitochondrial bioenergetic metabolism is a promising chemotherapeutic strategy. Key to successful implementation of this chemotherapeutic strategy is the use of new and improved mitochondria-targeted cationic agents that selectively inhibit energy metabolism in breast cancer cells, while exerting little or no long-term cytotoxic effect in normal cells. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxicity and alterations in bioenergetic metabolism induced by mitochondria-targeted vitamin E analog (Mito-chromanol, Mito-ChM) and its acetylated ester analog (Mito-ChMAc). Assays of cell death, colony formation, mitochondrial bioenergetic function, intracellular ATP levels, intracellular and tissue concentrations of tested compounds, and in vivo tumor growth were performed. Both Mito-ChM and Mito-ChMAc selectively depleted intracellular ATP and caused prolonged inhibition of ATP-linked oxygen consumption rate in breast cancer cells, but not in non-cancerous cells. These effects were significantly augmented by inhibition of glycolysis. Mito-ChM and Mito-ChMAc exhibited anti-proliferative effects and cytotoxicity in several breast cancer cells with different genetic background. Furthermore, Mito-ChM selectively accumulated in tumor tissue and inhibited tumor growth in a xenograft model of human breast cancer. We conclude that mitochondria-targeted small molecular weight chromanols exhibit selective anti-proliferative effects and cytotoxicity in multiple breast cancer cells, and that esterification of the hydroxyl group in mito-chromanols is not a critical requirement for its anti-proliferative and cytotoxic effect

Geographic Access to Cancer Care and Mortality Among Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Tai, Eric; Hallisey, Elaine; Peipins, Lucy A; Flanagan, Barry; Lunsford, Natasha Buchanan; Wilt, Grete; Graham, Shannon

2018-02-01

Adolescents with cancer have had less improvement in survival than other populations in the United States. This may be due, in part, to adolescents not receiving treatment at Children's Oncology Group (COG) institutions, which have been shown to increase survival for some cancers. The objective of this ecologic study was to examine geographic distance to COG institutions and adolescent cancer mortality. We calculated cancer mortality among adolescents and sociodemographic and healthcare access factors in four geographic zones at selected distances surrounding COG facilities: Zone A (area within 10 miles of any COG institution), Zones B and C (concentric rings with distances from a COG institution of >10-25 miles and >25-50 miles, respectively), and Zone D (area outside of 50 miles). The adolescent cancer death rate was highest in Zone A at 3.21 deaths/100,000, followed by Zone B at 3.05 deaths/100,000, Zone C at 2.94 deaths/100,000, and Zone D at 2.88 deaths/100,000. The United States-wide death rate for whites without Hispanic ethnicity, blacks without Hispanic ethnicity, and persons with Hispanic ethnicity was 2.96 deaths/100,000, 3.10 deaths/100,000, and 3.26 deaths/100,000, respectively. Zone A had high levels of poverty (15%), no health insurance coverage (16%), and no vehicle access (16%). Geographic access to COG institutions, as measured by distance alone, played no evident role in death rate differences across zones. Among adolescents, socioeconomic factors, such as poverty and health insurance coverage, may have a greater impact on cancer mortality than geographic distance to COG institution.

Cancer resistance in the blind mole rat is mediated by concerted necrotic cell death mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Gorbunova, Vera; Hine, Christopher; Tian, Xiao; Ablaeva, Julia; Gudkov, Andrei V.; Nevo, Eviatar; Seluanov, Andrei

2012-01-01

Blind mole rats Spalax (BMR) are small subterranean rodents common in the Middle East. BMR is distinguished by its adaptations to life underground, remarkable longevity (with a maximum documented lifespan of 21 y), and resistance to cancer. Spontaneous tumors have never been observed in spalacids. To understand the mechanisms responsible for this resistance, we examined the growth of BMR fibroblasts in vitro of the species Spalax judaei and Spalax golani. BMR cells proliferated actively for 7–20 population doublings, after which the cells began secreting IFN-β, and the cultures underwent massive necrotic cell death within 3 d. The necrotic cell death phenomenon was independent of culture conditions or telomere shortening. Interestingly, this cell behavior was distinct from that observed in another long-lived and cancer-resistant African mole rat, Heterocephalus glaber, the naked mole rat in which cells display hypersensitivity to contact inhibition. Sequestration of p53 and Rb proteins using SV40 large T antigen completely rescued necrotic cell death. Our results suggest that cancer resistance of BMR is conferred by massive necrotic response to overproliferation mediated by p53 and Rb pathways, and triggered by the release of IFN-β. Thus, we have identified a unique mechanism that contributes to cancer resistance of this subterranean mammal extremely adapted to life underground. PMID:23129611

A Case-Control Study to Estimate the Impact of the Icelandic Population-Based Mammography Screening Program on Breast Cancer Death

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gabe, R.; Tryggvadottir, L.; Sigfusson, B.F.; Olafsdottir, G.H.; Sigurarsson , K. [Icelandic Cancer Society (Krabbameinsfelag Islands), Reykjavik (Iceland); Duffy, S.W. [Cancer Research UK, Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Stati stics, Wolfson Inst. of Preventive Medicine, London (United Kingdom)

2007-11-15

Background: The Icelandic breast cancer screening program, initiated November 1987 in Reykjavik and covering the whole country from December 1989, comprises biennial invitation to mammography for women aged 40-69 years old. Purpose: To estimate the impact of mammography service screening in Iceland on deaths from breast cancer. Material and Methods: Cases were deaths from breast cancer from 1990 onwards in women aged 40 and over at diagnosis, during the period November 1987 to December 31, 2002. Age- and screening-area-matched, population-based controls were women who had also been invited to screening but were alive at the time their case died. Results: Using conditional logistic regression on the data from 226 cases and 902 controls, the odds ratio for the risk of death from breast cancer in those attending at least one screen compared to those never screened was 0.59 (95% CI 0.41-0.84). After adjustment for healthy-volunteer bias and screening-opportunity bias, the odds ratio was 0.65 (95% CI 0.39-1.09). Conclusion: These results indicate a 35-40% reduction in breast cancer deaths by attending the Icelandic breast cancer screening program. These results are consistent with the overall evidence from other observational evaluations of mammography-based programs.

A Case-Control Study to Estimate the Impact of the Icelandic Population-Based Mammography Screening Program on Breast Cancer Death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gabe, R.; Tryggvadottir, L.; Sigfusson, B.F.; Olafsdottir, G.H.; Sigurarsson, K.; Duffy, S.W.

2007-01-01

Background: The Icelandic breast cancer screening program, initiated November 1987 in Reykjavik and covering the whole country from December 1989, comprises biennial invitation to mammography for women aged 40-69 years old. Purpose: To estimate the impact of mammography service screening in Iceland on deaths from breast cancer. Material and Methods: Cases were deaths from breast cancer from 1990 onwards in women aged 40 and over at diagnosis, during the period November 1987 to December 31, 2002. Age- and screening-area-matched, population-based controls were women who had also been invited to screening but were alive at the time their case died. Results: Using conditional logistic regression on the data from 226 cases and 902 controls, the odds ratio for the risk of death from breast cancer in those attending at least one screen compared to those never screened was 0.59 (95% CI 0.41-0.84). After adjustment for healthy-volunteer bias and screening-opportunity bias, the odds ratio was 0.65 (95% CI 0.39-1.09). Conclusion: These results indicate a 35-40% reduction in breast cancer deaths by attending the Icelandic breast cancer screening program. These results are consistent with the overall evidence from other observational evaluations of mammography-based programs

Annonaceous acetogenin mimic AA005 induces cancer cell death via apoptosis inducing factor through a caspase-3-independent mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Bing; Wang, Tong-Dan; Shen, Shao-Ming; Yu, Yun; Mao, Chan; Yao, Zhu-Jun; Wang, Li-Shun

2015-03-18

Annonaceous acetogenins are a family of natural products with antitumor activities. Annonaceous acetogenin mimic AA005 reportedly inhibits mammalian mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone reductase (Complex I) and induces gastric cancer cell death. However, the mechanisms underlying its cell-death-inducing activity are unclear. We used SW620 colorectal adenocarcinoma cells to study AA005 cytotoxic activity. Cell deaths were determined by Trypan blue assay and flow cytometry, and related proteins were characterized by western blot. Immunofluorescence and subcellular fractionation were used to evaluate AIF nuclear translocation. Reactive oxygen species were assessed by using redox-sensitive dye DCFDA. AA005 induces a unique type of cell death in colorectal adenocarcinoma cells, characterized by lack of caspase-3 activation or apoptotic body formation, sensitivity to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor Olaparib (AZD2281) but not pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD.fmk, and dependence on apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF). AA005 treatment also reduced expression of mitochondrial Complex I components, and leads to accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the early stage. Blocking ROS formation significantly suppresses AA005-induced cell death in SW620 cells. Moreover, blocking activation of RIP-1 by necroptosis inhibitor necrotatin-1 inhibits AIF translocation and partially suppresses AA005-induced cell death in SW620 cells demonstrating that RIP-1 protein may be essential for cell death. AA005 may trigger the cell death via mediated by AIF through caspase-3 independent pathway. Our work provided new mechanisms for AA005-induced cancer cell death and novel clues for cancer treatment via AIF dependent cell death.

Cases study of lung cancer deaths and analysis of radon levels in house-room of Mexicali, B. C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez B, G.; Reyna C, M. A.

2009-10-01

The lung cancer is a case of health of more importance as much in women as in men, with more frequency that the cancer of mamma, colon and prostate on the whole. A factor that influences in the cancer generation originating serious complications it is the exposition to radioactive substances in closed places, as house-room. In the investigation study, levels of radon concentration were measured in interiors of Mexicali homes, to study the relationship that this gas could have with the death cases by lung cancer into population. The gas radon is radioactive and it adheres easily to particles that remain suspended in air; when inhaling them small explosions take place inside the alveoli, changing the DNA of cells and lung cancer is generated. The meteorological, geographical and urban characteristics of Mexicali, favor conditions so that certain areas of the city present high indexes of suspended particles in atmosphere. One sample of gas radon inside 100 house-rooms, the analysis was made by paved and not paved colonies and for sex, to establish if the death cases by lung cancer had relationship with the genus and/or with some of two groups of colonies. The study found that the major number of deaths it was presented in colonies in which lacked the paving service and always happened with more frequency in women; and that in homes of having died by lung cancer the radon concentrations were more high that the homes where there was not death cases, with significant differences that go from 9.2% to 70%. This investigation project is presented as a cases study in the Mexicali City. (Author)

Psychological process from hospitalization to death among uninformed terminal liver cancer patients in Japan

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Kobori Eiko

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although the attitude among doctors toward disclosing a cancer diagnosis is becoming more positive, informing patients of their disease has not yet become a common practice in Japan. We examined the psychological process, from hospitalization until death, among uninformed terminal cancer patients in Japan, and developed a psychological model. Methods Terminal cancer patients hospitalized during the recruiting period voluntarily participated in in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed by grounded theory. Results Of the 87 uninformed participants at the time of hospitalization, 67% (N = 59 died without being informed of their diagnosis. All were male, 51–66 years of age, and all experienced five psychological stages: anxiety and puzzlement, suspicion and denial, certainty, preparation, and acceptance. At the end of each stage, obvious and severe feelings were observed, which were called "gates." During the final acceptance stage, patients spent a peaceful time with family, even talking about their dreams with family members. Conclusion Unlike in other studies, the uninformed patients in this study accepted death peacefully, with no exceptional cases. Despite several limitations, this study showed that almost 70% of the uninformed terminal cancer patients at hospitalization died without being informed, suggesting an urgent need for culturally specific and effective terminal care services for cancer patients in Japan.

Genistein cooperates with the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat to induce cell death in prostate cancer cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Phillip Cornel J

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Among American men, prostate cancer is the most common, non-cutaneous malignancy that accounted for an estimated 241,000 new cases and 34,000 deaths in 2011. Previous studies have suggested that Wnt pathway inhibitory genes are silenced by CpG hypermethylation, and other studies have suggested that genistein can demethylate hypermethylated DNA. Genistein is a soy isoflavone with diverse effects on cellular proliferation, survival, and gene expression that suggest it could be a potential therapeutic agent for prostate cancer. We undertook the present study to investigate the effects of genistein on the epigenome of prostate cancer cells and to discover novel combination approaches of other compounds with genistein that might be of translational utility. Here, we have investigated the effects of genistein on several prostate cancer cell lines, including the ARCaP-E/ARCaP-M model of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT, to analyze effects on their epigenetic state. In addition, we investigated the effects of combined treatment of genistein with the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat on survival in prostate cancer cells. Methods Using whole genome expression profiling and whole genome methylation profiling, we have determined the genome-wide differences in genetic and epigenetic responses to genistein in prostate cancer cells before and after undergoing the EMT. Also, cells were treated with genistein, vorinostat, and combination treatment, where cell death and cell proliferation was determined. Results Contrary to earlier reports, genistein did not have an effect on CpG methylation at 20 μM, but it did affect histone H3K9 acetylation and induced increased expression of histone acetyltransferase 1 (HAT1. In addition, genistein also had differential effects on survival and cooperated with the histone deacteylase inhibitor vorinostat to induce cell death and inhibit proliferation. Conclusion Our results suggest that

Characteristics of visiting nurse agencies with high home death rates: A prefecture-wide study in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Kashiwagi, Masayo; Tamiya, Nanako; Murata, Masako

2015-08-01

The purpose of the present study was to identify characteristics of visiting nurse agencies (VNA) in Japan with high home death rates by a prefecture-wide survey. A cross-sectional study of visiting nurse agencies (n = 101) in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, was completed. Data included the basic characteristics of each VNA, the type of services provided, level of coordination with other service providers, total number of VNA patients who died per year and place of death and contractual relationship with home-care supporting clinics providing end-of-life care services in the home 24 h a day. The VNA characteristics were analyzed by logistic regression, using the home death rate per VNA as a dependent variable. A total 69 agencies, excluding those that did not report number of deaths (n = 14) and those without deaths during the year (n = 6), were analyzed. The median home death rate of the 69 VNA was 29.8%. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that higher home death rate was significantly associated with lack of attachment to a hospital, existence of a contractual relationship with home-care supporting clinics and existence of an interactive information exchange through telephone/face-to-face communication with attending physicians. In order to increase the home death rate of people using VNA, policymakers must consider establishing home-based service systems within the community that can provide home end-of-life care services 24 h a day, and support the interactive exchange of information between the visiting nurse and the attending physician. © 2014 The Authors. Geriatrics & Gerontology International published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Japanese Geriatrics Society.

Mathematical modelling of the death rate dynamics in mammals with intestinal form of radiation sicleness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smirnova, O.A.

1990-01-01

A mathematical models has been developed to describe the death rate dynamics in irradiated mammals. The model links statistical biometric functions with statistical and dynamic characteristics of the organism's 'critical' system. There is an agreement between the results of modelling and experiments with respect to death rate dynamics of small laboratory animals subjected to acute and chronic irradiation with doses and dose-rates at which small intestine epithelium is 'ctitical'

Agreement between death-certificate and autopsy diagnoses among atomic-bomb survivors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ron, E.; Carter, R.L.; Jablon, S.; Mabuchi, Kiyohiko.

1993-11-01

Using the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission/Radiation Effects Research Foundation series of over 5000 autopsies, we examined death-certificate accuracy for several disease categories and assessed the effect of potential modifying factors on this accuracy. For 12 cause-of-death categories, the overall percent agreement between death-certificate and autopsy diagnoses was only 52.5%. Although neoplasms had the highest detection rate (on the death certificate) in the study, still almost 25% of cancers diagnosed at autopsy were missed on the death certificate. Only for neoplasms and external causes of death were confirmation and detection rates above 70%. Confirmation rates were between 50% and 70% for infectious and parasitic diseases and heart and other vascular diseases. Detection rates reached a similar level for infectious and parasitic, cerebrovascular, and digestive diseases. Specificity rates were above 90% for all but the cerebrovascular disease category. Overall agreement decreased with increasing age of the decedents and was lower for deaths occurring outside of hospital vs those occurring in a hospital. There was some suggestion that agreement rates were higher for more-recent deaths but no indication that radiation dose, sex, city of residence, or inclusion in a biennial clinical-examination program influenced agreement. Because the inaccuracy of death-certificate diagnoses can have major implications for many aspects of health research and planning, it is important to be aware that death-certificate accuracy is low and can vary widely depending on the patient's age at death and the place of death. (J.P.N.)

The Prognostic Value of TRAIL and its Death Receptors in Cervical Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maduro, John H.; Noordhuis, Maartje G.; Hoor, Klaske A. ten; Pras, Elisabeth; Arts, Henriette J.G.; Eijsink, Jasper J.H.; Hollema, Harry; Mom, Constantijne H.; Jong, Steven de; Vries, Elisabeth G.E. de; Bock, Geertruida H. de; Zee, Ate G.J. van der

2009-01-01

Purpose: Preclinical data indicate a synergistic effect on apoptosis between irradiation and recombinant human (rh) tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), making the TRAIL death receptors (DR) interesting drug targets. The aim of our study was to analyze the expression of DR4, DR5, and TRAIL in cervical cancer and to determine their predictive and prognostic value. Methods and Materials: Tissue microarrays were constructed from tumors of 645 cervical cancer patients treated with surgery and/or (chemo-)radiation between 1980 and 2004. DR4, DR5, and TRAIL expression in the tumor was studied by immunohistochemistry and correlated to clinicopathological variables, response to radiotherapy, and disease-specific survival. Results: Cytoplasmatic DR4, DR5, and TRAIL immunostaining were observed in cervical tumors from 99%, 88%, and 81% of the patients, respectively. In patients treated primarily with radiotherapy, TRAIL-positive tumors less frequently obtained a pathological complete response than TRAIL-negative tumors (66.3% vs. 79.0 %; in multivariate analysis: odds ratio: 2.09, p ≤0.05). DR4, DR5, and TRAIL expression were not prognostic for disease-specific survival. Conclusions: Immunostaining for DR4, DR5, and TRAIL is frequently observed in the cytoplasm of tumor cells in cervical cancer patients. Absence of TRAIL expression was associated with a higher pathological complete response rate to radiotherapy. DR4, DR5, or TRAIL were not prognostic for disease-specific survival.

The Global Burden of Cancer 2013

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

IMPORTANCE Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide. Current estimates of cancer burden in individual countries and regions are necessary to inform local cancer control strategies. OBJECTIVE To estimate mortality, incidence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 28 cancers in 188 countries by sex from 1990 to 2013. EVIDENCE REVIEW The general methodology of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2013 study was used. Cancer registries were the source for cancer incidence data as well as mortality incidence (MI) ratios. Sources for cause of death data include vital registration system data, verbal autopsy studies, and other sources. The MI ratios were used to transform incidence data to mortality estimates and cause of death estimates to incidence estimates. Cancer prevalence was estimated using MI ratios as surrogates for survival data; YLDs were calculated by multiplying prevalence estimates with disability weights, which were derived from population-based surveys; YLLs were computed by multiplying the number of estimated cancer deaths at each age with a reference life expectancy; and DALYs were calculated as the sum of YLDs and YLLs. FINDINGS In 2013 there were 14.9 million incident cancer cases, 8.2 million deaths, and 196.3 million DALYs. Prostate cancer was the leading cause for cancer incidence (1.4 million) for men and breast cancer for women (1.8 million). Tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer was the leading cause for cancer death in men and women, with 1.6 million deaths. For men, TBL cancer was the leading cause of DALYs (24.9 million). For women, breast cancer was the leading cause of DALYs (13.1 million). Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) per 100 000 and age-standardized death rates (ASDRs) per 100 000 for both sexes in 2013 were higher in developing vs developed countries for stomach cancer (ASIR, 17 vs 14; ASDR, 15 vs 11), liver cancer (ASIR, 15 vs 7; ASDR, 16

Demographic trade-offs in a neutral model explain death-rate--abundance-rank relationship.

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Lin, Kui; Zhang, Da-Yong; He, Fangliang

2009-01-01

The neutral theory of biodiversity has been criticized for its neglect of species differences. Yet it is much less heeded that S. P. Hubbell's definition of neutrality allows species to differ in their birth and death rates as long as they have an equal per capita fitness. Using the lottery model of competition we find that fitness equalization through birth-death trade-offs can make species coexist longer than expected for demographically identical species, whereas the probability of monodominance for a species under zero-sum neutral dynamics is equal to its initial relative abundance. Furthermore, if newly arising species in a community survive preferentially they are more likely to slip through the quagmire of rareness, thus creating a strong selective bias favoring their community membership. On the other hand, high-mortality species, once having gained a footing in the community, are more likely to become abundant due to their compensatory high birth rates. This unexpected result explains why a positive association between species abundance and per capita death rate can be seen in tropical-forest communities. An explicit incorporation of interspecific trade-offs between birth and death into the neutral theory increases the theory's realism as well as its predictive power.

Radon and risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular diseases in the German uranium miners cohort study. Follow-up 1946-2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kreuzer, Michaela; Grosche, B.; Schnelzer, M.; Tschense, A.; Dufey, F.; Walsh, L.

2010-01-01

Data from the German uranium miners cohort study were analyzed to investigate the radon-related risk of mortality from cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The Wismut cohort includes 58,987 men who were employed for at least 6 months from 1946 to 1989 at the former Wismut uranium mining company in Eastern Germany. By the end of 2003, a total of 3,016 lung cancer deaths, 3,355 deaths from extrapulmonary cancers, 5,141 deaths from heart diseases and 1,742 deaths from cerebrovascular diseases were observed. Although a number of studies have already been published on various endpoints in the Wismut cohort, the aim of the present analyses is to provide a direct comparison of the magnitude of radon-related risk for different cancer sites and cardiovascular diseases using the same data set, the same follow-up period and the same statistical methods. A specific focus on a group of cancers of the extrathoracic airways is also made here, due to the assumed high organ doses from absorbed radon progeny. Internal Poisson regression was used to estimate the excess relative risk (ERR) per unit of cumulative exposure to radon in working level months (WLM) and its 95% confidence limits (CI). There was a statistically significant increase in the risk of lung cancer with increasing radon exposure (ERR/WLM = 0.19%; 95% CI: 0.17%; 0.22%). A smaller, but also statistically significant excess was found for cancers of the extrathoracic airways and trachea (ERR/WLM = 0.062%; 95% CI: 0.002%; 0.121%). Most of the remaining nonrespiratory cancer sites showed a positive relationship with increasing radon exposure, which, however, did not reach statistical significance. No increase in risk was noted for coronary heart diseases (ERR/WLM = 0.0003%) and cerebrovascular diseases (ERR/WLM = 0.001%). The present data provide clear evidence of an increased radon-related risk of death from lung cancer, some evidence for an increased radon-related risk of death from cancers of the extrathoracic airways

Radon and risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular diseases in the German uranium miners cohort study: follow-up 1946-2003.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreuzer, Michaela; Grosche, B; Schnelzer, M; Tschense, A; Dufey, F; Walsh, L

2010-05-01

Data from the German uranium miners cohort study were analyzed to investigate the radon-related risk of mortality from cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The Wismut cohort includes 58,987 men who were employed for at least 6 months from 1946 to 1989 at the former Wismut uranium mining company in Eastern Germany. By the end of 2003, a total of 3,016 lung cancer deaths, 3,355 deaths from extrapulmonary cancers, 5,141 deaths from heart diseases and 1,742 deaths from cerebrovascular diseases were observed. Although a number of studies have already been published on various endpoints in the Wismut cohort, the aim of the present analyses is to provide a direct comparison of the magnitude of radon-related risk for different cancer sites and cardiovascular diseases using the same data set, the same follow-up period and the same statistical methods. A specific focus on a group of cancers of the extrathoracic airways is also made here, due to the assumed high organ doses from absorbed radon progeny. Internal Poisson regression was used to estimate the excess relative risk (ERR) per unit of cumulative exposure to radon in working level months (WLM) and its 95% confidence limits (CI). There was a statistically significant increase in the risk of lung cancer with increasing radon exposure (ERR/WLM = 0.19%; 95% CI: 0.17%; 0.22%). A smaller, but also statistically significant excess was found for cancers of the extrathoracic airways and trachea (ERR/WLM = 0.062%; 95% CI: 0.002%; 0.121%). Most of the remaining nonrespiratory cancer sites showed a positive relationship with increasing radon exposure, which, however, did not reach statistical significance. No increase in risk was noted for coronary heart diseases (ERR/WLM = 0.0003%) and cerebrovascular diseases (ERR/WLM = 0.001%). The present data provide clear evidence of an increased radon-related risk of death from lung cancer, some evidence for an increased radon-related risk of death from cancers of the extrathoracic airways

Murraya koenigii leaf extract inhibits proteasome activity and induces cell death in breast cancer cells

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Noolu Bindu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Inhibition of the proteolytic activity of 26S proteasome, the protein-degrading machine, is now considered a novel and promising approach for cancer therapy. Interestingly, proteasome inhibitors have been demonstrated to selectively kill cancer cells and also enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Recently, polyphenols/flavonoids have been reported to inhibit proteasome activity. Murraya koenigii Spreng, a medicinally important herb of Indian origin, has been used for centuries in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Here we show that Murraya koenigii leaves (curry leaves, a rich source of polyphenols, inhibit the proteolytic activity of the cancer cell proteasome, and cause cell death. Methods Hydro-methanolic extract of curry leaves (CLE was prepared and its total phenolic content [TPC] determined by, the Folin-Ciocalteau’s method. Two human breast carcinoma cell lines: MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 and a normal human lung fibroblast cell line, WI-38 were used for the studies. Cytotoxicity of the CLE was assessed by the MTT assay. We studied the effect of CLE on growth kinetics using colony formation assay. Growth arrest was assessed by cell cycle analysis and apoptosis by Annexin-V binding using flow cytometry. Inhibition of the endogenous 26S proteasome was studied in intact cells and cell extracts using substrates specific to 20S proteasomal enzymes. Results CLE decreased cell viability and altered the growth kinetics in both the breast cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. It showed a significant arrest of cells in the S phase albeit in cancer cells only. Annexin V binding data suggests that cell death was via the apoptotic pathway in both the cancer cell lines. CLE treatment significantly decreased the activity of the 26S proteasome in the cancer but not normal cells. Conclusions Our study suggests M. koenigii leaves to be a potent source of proteasome inhibitors that lead to cancer cell death

Impact of unlinked deaths and coding changes on mortality trends in the Swiss National Cohort.

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Schmidlin, Kurt; Clough-Gorr, Kerri M; Spoerri, Adrian; Egger, Matthias; Zwahlen, Marcel

2013-01-04

Results of epidemiological studies linking census with mortality records may be affected by unlinked deaths and changes in cause of death classification. We examined these issues in the Swiss National Cohort (SNC). The SNC is a longitudinal study of the entire Swiss population, based on the 1990 (6.8 million persons) and 2000 (7.3 million persons) censuses. Among 1,053,393 deaths recorded 1991-2007 5.4% could not be linked using stringent probabilistic linkage. We included the unlinked deaths using pragmatic linkages and compared mortality rates for selected causes with official mortality rates. We also examined the impact of the 1995 change in cause of death coding from version 8 (with some additional rules) to version 10 of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), using Poisson regression models with restricted cubic splines. Finally, we compared results from Cox models including and excluding unlinked deaths of the association of education, marital status, and nationality with selected causes of death. SNC mortality rates underestimated all cause mortality by 9.6% (range 2.4%-17.9%) in the 85+ population. Underestimation was less pronounced in years nearer the censuses and in the 75-84 age group. After including 99.7% of unlinked deaths, annual all cause SNC mortality rates were reflecting official rates (relative difference between -1.4% and +1.8%). In the 85+ population the rates for prostate and breast cancer dropped, by 16% and 21% respectively, between 1994 and 1995 coincident with the change in cause of death coding policy. For suicide in males almost no change was observed. Hazard ratios were only negligibly affected by including the unlinked deaths. A sudden decrease in breast (21% less, 95% confidence interval: 12%-28%) and prostate (16% less, 95% confidence interval: 7%-23%) cancer mortality rates in the 85+ population coincided with the 1995 change in cause of death coding policy. Unlinked deaths bias analyses of absolute mortality rates

Impact of unlinked deaths and coding changes on mortality trends in the Swiss National Cohort

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Schmidlin Kurt

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Results of epidemiological studies linking census with mortality records may be affected by unlinked deaths and changes in cause of death classification. We examined these issues in the Swiss National Cohort (SNC. Methods The SNC is a longitudinal study of the entire Swiss population, based on the 1990 (6.8 million persons and 2000 (7.3 million persons censuses. Among 1,053,393 deaths recorded 1991–2007 5.4% could not be linked using stringent probabilistic linkage. We included the unlinked deaths using pragmatic linkages and compared mortality rates for selected causes with official mortality rates. We also examined the impact of the 1995 change in cause of death coding from version 8 (with some additional rules to version 10 of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD, using Poisson regression models with restricted cubic splines. Finally, we compared results from Cox models including and excluding unlinked deaths of the association of education, marital status, and nationality with selected causes of death. Results SNC mortality rates underestimated all cause mortality by 9.6% (range 2.4% - 17.9% in the 85+ population. Underestimation was less pronounced in years nearer the censuses and in the 75–84 age group. After including 99.7% of unlinked deaths, annual all cause SNC mortality rates were reflecting official rates (relative difference between −1.4% and +1.8%. In the 85+ population the rates for prostate and breast cancer dropped, by 16% and 21% respectively, between 1994 and 1995 coincident with the change in cause of death coding policy. For suicide in males almost no change was observed. Hazard ratios were only negligibly affected by including the unlinked deaths. A sudden decrease in breast (21% less, 95% confidence interval: 12% - 28% and prostate (16% less, 95% confidence interval: 7% - 23% cancer mortality rates in the 85+ population coincided with the 1995 change in cause of death coding policy

Cystine addiction of triple-negative breast cancer associated with EMT augmented death signaling.

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Tang, X; Ding, C-K; Wu, J; Sjol, J; Wardell, S; Spasojevic, I; George, D; McDonnell, D P; Hsu, D S; Chang, J T; Chi, J-T

2017-07-27

Despite the advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, breast cancers still cause significant mortality. For some patients, especially those with triple-negative breast cancer, current treatments continue to be limited and ineffective. Therefore, there remains an unmet need for a novel therapeutic approach. One potential strategy is to target the altered metabolic state that is rewired by oncogenic transformation. Specifically, this rewiring may render certain outside nutrients indispensable. To identify such a nutrient, we performed a nutrigenetic screen by removing individual amino acids to identify possible addictions across a panel of breast cancer cells. This screen revealed that cystine deprivation triggered rapid programmed necrosis, but not apoptosis, in the basal-type breast cancer cells mostly seen in TNBC tumors. In contrast, luminal-type breast cancer cells are cystine-independent and exhibit little death during cystine deprivation. The cystine addiction phenotype is associated with a higher level of cystine-deprivation signatures noted in the basal type breast cancer cells and tumors. We found that the cystine-addicted breast cancer cells and tumors have strong activation of TNFα and MEKK4-p38-Noxa pathways that render them susceptible to cystine deprivation-induced necrosis. Consistent with this model, silencing of TNFα and MEKK4 dramatically reduces cystine-deprived death. In addition, the cystine addiction phenotype can be abrogated in the cystine-addictive cells by miR-200c, which converts the mesenchymal-like cells to adopt epithelial features. Conversely, the introduction of inducers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cystine-independent breast cancer cells conferred the cystine-addiction phenotype by modulating the signaling components of cystine addiction. Together, our data reveal that cystine-addiction is associated with EMT in breast cancer during tumor progression. These findings provide the genetic and

Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort Model of Lung Cancer Mortality

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Bhikhari P. Tharu

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Background The objective of this study was to analyze the time trend for lung cancer mortality in the population of the USA by 5 years based on most recent available data namely to 2010. The knowledge of the mortality rates in the temporal trends is necessary to understand cancer burden.Methods Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort model was fitted using Poisson regression with histogram smoothing prior to decompose mortality rates based on age at death, period at death, and birth-cohort.Results Mortality rates from lung cancer increased more rapidly from age 52 years. It ended up to 325 deaths annually for 82 years on average. The mortality of younger cohorts was lower than older cohorts. The risk of lung cancer was lowered from period 1993 to recent periods.Conclusions The fitted Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort model with histogram smoothing prior is capable of explaining mortality rate of lung cancer. The reduction in carcinogens in cigarettes and increase in smoking cessation from around 1960 might led to decreasing trend of lung cancer mortality after calendar period 1993.

Causes of death in long-term survivors of non-small cell lung cancer: A regional Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results study.

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Kanitkar, Amaraja A; Schwartz, Ann G; George, Julie; Soubani, Ayman O

2018-01-01

Survival from lung cancer is improving. There are limited data on the causes of death in 5-year survivors of lung cancer. The aim of this study is to explore the causes of death in long-term survivors of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and describe the odds of dying from causes other than lung cancer in this patient population. An analysis of 5-year survivors of newly diagnosed NSCLC from 1996 to 2007, in Metropolitan Detroit included in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, was done. Of 23,059 patients identified, 3789 (16.43%) patients were alive at 5-year period (long-term survivors) and 1897 (50.06%) patients died in the later follow-up period (median 88 months; range 1-219 months). The causes of death besides lung cancer were observed in 55.2% of these patients. The most common causes of death were cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) (16%), chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (11%), and other malignancies (8%). Patients older than 65 years, males, and those who underwent surgery for treatment of lung cancer faced a greater likelihood of death by other causes as compared to lung cancer (OR: 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18-1.77; OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.02-1.51; and OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.06-1.82, respectively). Five-year survivors of NSCLC more commonly die from causes such as CVDs, lung diseases, and other malignancies. Aggressive preventive and therapeutic measures of these diseases may further improve the outcome in this patient population.

Self-rated health as a predictor of survival among patients with advanced cancer.

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Shadbolt, Bruce; Barresi, Jane; Craft, Paul

2002-05-15

Evidence is emerging about the strong predictive relationship between self-rated health (SRH) and survival, although there is little evidence on palliative populations where an accurate prediction of survival is valuable. Thus, the relative importance of SRH in predicting the survival of ambulatory patients with advanced cancer was examined. SRH was compared to clinical assessments of performance status, as well as to quality-of-life measures. By use of a prospective cohort design, 181 patients (76% response rate) with advanced cancer were recruited into the study, resurveyed at 18 weeks, and observed to record deaths. The average age of patients was 62 years (SD = 12). The median survival time was 10 months. SRH was the strongest predictor of survival from baseline. Also, a Cox regression comparing changes in SRH over time yielded hazard ratios suggesting the relative risk (RR) of dying was greater for fair ratings at 18 weeks (approximately 3 times) compared with consistent good or better ratings; the RR was even greater (4.2 and 6.2 times) for poor ratings, especially when ratings were poor at baseline and 18 weeks (31 times). Improvement in SRH over time yielded the lowest RR. SRH is valid, reliable, and responsive to change as a predictor of survival of advanced cancer. These qualities suggest that SRH should be considered as an additional tool by oncologists to assess patients. Similarly, health managers could use SRH as an indicator of disease severity in palliative care case mix. Finally, SRH could provide a key to help us understand the human side of disease and its relationship with medicine.

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Cancer Death in the Finnish Prostate Cancer Screening Trial.

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Thea Veitonmäki

Full Text Available Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, especially aspirin, have been associated with lowered cancer incidence and mortality. We examined overall cancer mortality and mortality from specific cancer sites among the 80,144 men in the Finnish Prostate Cancer Screening Trial. Information on prescription drug use was acquired from the national drug reimbursement database. Over-the-counter use information was gathered by a questionnaire. Hazard ratios (HR and 95% confidence intervals (CI by prescription and over-the-counter NSAID use for overall and specific cancer deaths were calculated using Cox regression. During the median follow-up time of 15 years, 7,008 men died from cancer. Men with prescription NSAID use had elevated cancer mortality (HR 2.02 95% CI 1.91-2.15 compared to non-users. The mortality risk was increased for lung, colorectal and pancreas cancer mortality (HR 2.68, 95%CI 2.40-2.99, HR 1.91, 95% CI 1.57-2.32 and HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.58-2.37, respectively. The increased risk remained in competing risks regression (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05-1.18. When the usage during the last three years of follow-up was excluded, the effect was reversed (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.65-0.73. Cancer mortality was not decreased for prescription or over-the-counter aspirin use. However, in the competing risk regression analysis combined prescription and over-the-counter aspirin use was associated with decreased overall cancer mortality (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.70-0.82. Cancer mortality was increased for NSAID users. However, the risk disappeared when the last 3 years were excluded.

A population-based study of tumor gene expression and risk of breast cancer death among lymph node-negative patients.

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Habel, Laurel A; Shak, Steven; Jacobs, Marlena K; Capra, Angela; Alexander, Claire; Pho, Mylan; Baker, Joffre; Walker, Michael; Watson, Drew; Hackett, James; Blick, Noelle T; Greenberg, Deborah; Fehrenbacher, Louis; Langholz, Bryan; Quesenberry, Charles P

2006-01-01

The Oncotype DX assay was recently reported to predict risk for distant recurrence among a clinical trial population of tamoxifen-treated patients with lymph node-negative, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. To confirm and extend these findings, we evaluated the performance of this 21-gene assay among node-negative patients from a community hospital setting. A case-control study was conducted among 4,964 Kaiser Permanente patients diagnosed with node-negative invasive breast cancer from 1985 to 1994 and not treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. Cases (n = 220) were patients who died from breast cancer. Controls (n = 570) were breast cancer patients who were individually matched to cases with respect to age, race, adjuvant tamoxifen, medical facility and diagnosis year, and were alive at the date of death of their matched case. Using an RT-PCR assay, archived tumor tissues were analyzed for expression levels of 16 cancer-related and five reference genes, and a summary risk score (the Recurrence Score) was calculated for each patient. Conditional logistic regression methods were used to estimate the association between risk of breast cancer death and Recurrence Score. After adjusting for tumor size and grade, the Recurrence Score was associated with risk of breast cancer death in ER-positive, tamoxifen-treated and -untreated patients (P = 0.003 and P = 0.03, respectively). At 10 years, the risks for breast cancer death in ER-positive, tamoxifen-treated patients were 2.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7-3.9%), 10.7% (95% CI 6.3-14.9%), and 15.5% (95% CI 7.6-22.8%) for those in the low, intermediate and high risk Recurrence Score groups, respectively. They were 6.2% (95% CI 4.5-7.9%), 17.8% (95% CI 11.8-23.3%), and 19.9% (95% CI 14.2-25.2%) for ER-positive patients not treated with tamoxifen. In both the tamoxifen-treated and -untreated groups, approximately 50% of patients had low risk Recurrence Score values. In this large, population-based study of lymph

Self assessment and detection of breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Priyanka; Yadav, Umesh

2016-01-01

Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths in India. Approx. three million patients suffering from the disease while Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India. Post operative radiotherapy after the breast conservative surgery and mastectomy have been shown to reduce the rates of local recurrence and death due to breast carcinomas. Hence awareness of breast cancer signs, symptoms and self assessment plays critical role in the care of breast cancer patients

Profile of lung cancer in kuwait.

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El-Basmy, Amani

2013-01-01

Lung cancer is the most frequent cancer in males and the fourth most frequent site in females, worldwide. This study is the first to explore the profile of lung cancer in Kuwait. Cases of primary lung cancer (Kuwaiti) in Kuwait cancer Registry (KCR) were grouped in 4 periods (10 years each) from 1970-2009. Epidemiological measures; age standardized incidence rate (ASIR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), Standardized rate ratio (SRR) and Cumulative risk and Forecasting to year 2020-2029 used for analysis. Between years, 2000-2009 lung cancer ranked the 4th and the 9th most frequent cancer in males and females respectively. M:F ratio 1:3. Mean age at diagnosis (95%CI) was 65.2 (63.9-66.4) years. The estimated risk of developing lung cancer before the age of 75 years in males is 1.8% (1/56), and 0.6 (1/167) in females. The ASIR for male cases was 11.7, 17.1, 17.0, 14.0 cases/100,000 population in the seventies, eighties, nineties and in 2000-2009 respectively. Female ASIR was 2.3, 8.4, 5.1, 4.4 cases/100,000 population in the same duration. Lung cancer is the leading cause cancer death in males 168 (14.2%) and the fifth cause of death due to cancer in females accounting for 6.1% of all cancer deaths. The ASMR (95%CI) was 8.1 (6.6-10.0) deaths/100,000 population and 2.8 (1.3-4.3) deaths/100,000 population in males and females respectively. The estimated Mortality to incidence Ratio was 0.6. The incidence of lung cancer between years 2000-2009 is not different from that reported in the seventies. KCR is expecting the number of lung cancer cases to increase.

miR-106a suppresses tumor cells death in colorectal cancer through targeting ATG7.

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Hao, Haibin; Xia, Guangfeng; Wang, Chao; Zhong, Fuping; Liu, Laipeng; Zhang, Dong

2017-06-01

Autophagy-related gene 7 (ATG7) and miR-106a play an important role in cancer cell autophagy and apoptosis, but the outcome of ATG7 and miR-106a in colorectal cancer (CRC) still remains not clear. In this study, we found that ATG7 and miR-106a expression were mutually related with cell death and prognosis in CRC patients. In addition, we also showed that ATG7 and miR-106a expression were changeable in colorectal cancer cell lines when compared with normal cell lines, but ATG7 and miR-106a mRNA level was negatively correlated. Furthermore, ATG7 protein and mRNA levels decreased after over-expression of miR-106a, whereas the suppression of ATG7 had the opposite effect. We confirmed that miR-106a down-regulated ATG7 mRNA level by binding the specific sequence of ATG7 mRNA 3'UTR region. Moreover, the over-expression of ATG7 induced CRC cells death both in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our study data demonstrated that ATG7 aggravated the cell death of CRC, which was inhibited by miR-106a.

Comparative study of control selection in a national population-based case-control study: Estimating risk of smoking on cancer deaths in Chinese men.

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Jiang, Jingmei; Liu, Boqi; Nasca, Philip C; Han, Wei; Zou, Xiaonong; Zeng, Xianjia; Tian, Xiaobing; Wu, Yanping; Zhao, Ping; Li, Junyao

2009-10-28

To assess the validation of a novel control selection design by comparing the consistency between the new design and a routine design in a large case-control study that was incorporated into a nationwide mortality survey in China. A nationwide mortality study was conducted during 1989-1991. Surviving spouses or other relatives of all adults who died during 1986-1988 provided detailed information about their own as well as the deceased person's smoking history. In this study, 130,079 males who died of various smoking-related cancers at age 35 or over were taken as cases, while 103,248 male surviving spouses (same age range with cases) of women who died during the same period and 49,331 males who died from causes other than those related to smoking were used as control group 1 and control group 2, respectively. Consistency in the results when comparing cases with each of the control groups was assessed. Consistency in the results was observed in the analyses using different control groups although cancer deaths varied with region and age. Equivalence could be ascertained using a 15% criterion in most cancer deaths which had high death rates in urban areas, but they were uncertain for most cancers in rural areas irrespective of whether the hypothesis testing showed significant differences or not. Sex-matched living spouse control design as an alternative control selection for a case-control study is valid and feasible, and the basic principles of the equivalence study are also supported by epidemiological survey data.

Patients with pancreatic cancer and relatives talk about preferred place of death and what influenced their preferences: a qualitative study.

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Chapple, Alison; Evans, Julie; McPherson, Ann; Payne, Sheila

2011-12-01

To explore reasons why people with pancreatic cancer, who are reaching the end of their lives, say they wish to die at home or elsewhere, and why preferences may change. Qualitative study using semistructured interviews followed by thematic analysis. Respondents recruited from different parts of the UK during 2009/2010. 16 people with experience of pancreatic cancer (8 patients and 8 bereaved relatives) who discussed place of death in detail during an in-depth interview (from a total sample of 32 people with pancreatic cancer and eight relatives of others who had died of this disease). People's preferences were affected by their perceptions and previous experiences of care available at home, in a hospice or hospital. Preferences were also shaped by fears about possible loss of dignity, or fears of becoming a burden. Some people thought that a home death might leave bad memories for other members of the family. People with pancreatic cancer and their relatives were aware that preferences might change (or had changed) as death approached. The National Health Service End of Life Care Strategy for England seeks to meet the needs of people who are dying and promotes better support for home deaths. More information is needed about why patients hold different views about place of care and place of death, why patients' preferences change and what importance patients attach to place of death. Health professionals should bear this in mind if the subject is raised during advance care planning.

[Epidemiological analysis on mortality of cancer in China, 2015].

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Lan, L; Zhao, F; Cai, Y; Wu, R X; Meng, Q

2018-01-10

Objective: To understand the distribution of cancer deaths in China in 2015 and provide reference for the prevention and control of cancer. Methods: Based on the results of Global Burden of Disease 2015, the cancer death distributions in different age groups, sex groups, provinces or by different malignant tumor in Chinese were described. Results: The age-standardized mortality rate of cancer was 159.01/100 000 in China in 2015. The mortality rate was highest in age group ≥70 years (1 102.73/100 000), and lowest in age group 5-14 years (5.40/100 000). The mortality rate in males was 2.15 times higher than that in females. The first 5 provinces with high cancer mortality rate were Anhui, Qinghai, Sichuan, Guangxi and Henan. Lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer and colorectal cancer ranked 1-5 in term of mortality rate. Conclusion: The cancer mortality differed with age, gender, area and different malignant tumors, suggesting the necessity to develop targeted prevention and control strategies.

Mortality from cancer and all causes among British radiologists

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, P.G.; Doll, R.

1981-01-01

The mortality of men who joined a British radiological society between 1897 and 1954 has been compared with that of (i) all men in England and Wales, (ii) men in social class 1, and (iii) male medical practitioners. Radiologists who entered the profession before 1921 suffered a death rate from cancer 75% higher than that of medical practitioners. Among these men there was a statistically significant excess of deaths from cancers of the pancreas (6 against 1.9 expected), lung (8 against 3.7), and skin (6 against 0.8), and from leukaemia (4 against 0.7). There were 72 deaths from cancer among men who entered the study after 1920 and 68.6 deaths were expected, based upon rates among medical practitioners. For no individual cancer site did the observed number of deaths exceed the expected number. There was some evidence, however, that the ratio of observed to expected cancer increased with the duration of time that men were included in the study. Among those followed for more than 30 years there were 30 deaths against 22.1 expected. It is not possible to make a close estimate of the dose of radiation received by the men in this study, but those who entered between 1920 and 1945 could have received an accumulated whole-body dose of the order of 1-5 Gy(100 to 500 rad). For all non-cancer causes of death combined, the death rate among radiologists is lower than that among all men in England and Wales, men in social class 1, and male medical practitioners. The data offer no support for the concept of a non-specific aging effect of radiation. (author)

Deaths of cancer cells observed after X-Ray irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuwahara, Yoshikazu; Oikawa, Toshiyuki; Ochiai, Yasushi; Fukumoto, Motoi; Kurihara, Ai; Noma, Naoto; Shimura, Tsutomu; Fukumoto, Manabu; Ohkubo, Yasuhito

2011-01-01

Radiation induces cell death by apoptosis, autophagy (autophagic cell death, APCD), necrosis, which are respectively called type I, II, III programmed cell death, senescence, mitotic catastrophe, etc. This paper mainly describes details of authors' studies on APCD of clinically relevant radioresistant (CRR) HepG2-8960-R cells established from proliferating survivor even after repeated X-irradiation of >30 days x 2 Gy/day to the parent HepG2 cells. Autophagy forms autophagosome where many proteins are thoroughly degraded differing from proteasomal ubiquitin system, has been known essentially related to death and survival of injured cells under certain tissue conditions, and is distinguishable from other modes of cell death by morphological and cytochemical means. One of important authors' findings is as follows. APCD of CRR cells is normally seen in 20% and of the parent strain, 5%. When they are X-irradiated at 10 Gy, APCD of the latter is more (70%) than the former (40%), and no APCD is induced by 2 Gy x 5 days in the former in contrast to the latter. APCD by radiation is thus conceivably suppressed in CRR cells, suggesting that their radioresistance can be reversed by treatment to induce APCD. Autophagy is usually suppressed by mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and when CRR cells are treated with rapamycin, they become radiosensitive to the comparable level to the parent HepG2. When HepG2 cells are treated with 3-methyladenine, an inhibitor of autophagy, or Beclin siRNA, they become radioresistant. For effectiveness of APCD induction and suppression on cancer therapy, results are contradictory in certain reports and autophagy should be a problem to be further elucidated from radiation biology aspect. (author)

Long-term dynamics of death rates of emphysema, asthma, and pneumonia and improving air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Kravchenko, Julia; Akushevich, Igor; Abernethy, Amy P; Holman, Sheila; Ross, William G; Lyerly, H Kim

2014-01-01

The respiratory tract is a major target of exposure to air pollutants, and respiratory diseases are associated with both short- and long-term exposures. We hypothesized that improved air quality in North Carolina was associated with reduced rates of death from respiratory diseases in local populations. We analyzed the trends of emphysema, asthma, and pneumonia mortality and changes of the levels of ozone, sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and particulate matters (PM2.5 and PM10) using monthly data measurements from air-monitoring stations in North Carolina in 1993-2010. The log-linear model was used to evaluate associations between air-pollutant levels and age-adjusted death rates (per 100,000 of population) calculated for 5-year age-groups and for standard 2000 North Carolina population. The studied associations were adjusted by age group-specific smoking prevalence and seasonal fluctuations of disease-specific respiratory deaths. Decline in emphysema deaths was associated with decreasing levels of SO2 and CO in the air, decline in asthma deaths-with lower SO2, CO, and PM10 levels, and decline in pneumonia deaths-with lower levels of SO2. Sensitivity analyses were performed to study potential effects of the change from International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 to ICD-10 codes, the effects of air pollutants on mortality during summer and winter, the impact of approach when only the underlying causes of deaths were used, and when mortality and air-quality data were analyzed on the county level. In each case, the results of sensitivity analyses demonstrated stability. The importance of analysis of pneumonia as an underlying cause of death was also highlighted. Significant associations were observed between decreasing death rates of emphysema, asthma, and pneumonia and decreases in levels of ambient air pollutants in North Carolina.

Customizing Therapies for Lung Cancer | Center for Cancer Research

Science.gov (United States)

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in both men and women. Although there have been modest improvements in short-term survival over the last few decades, five-year survival rates for lung cancer remain low at only 16 percent. Treatment for lung cancer depends on the stage of the disease at diagnosis, but generally consists of some combination of surgery,

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate Dehydrogenase (GAPDH) Is Pyruvylated during 3-Bromopyruvate Mediated Cancer Cell Death

Science.gov (United States)

Ganapathy-Kanniappan, Shanmugasundaram; Geschwind, Jean-Francois H.; Kunjithapatham, Rani; Buijs, Manon; Vossen, Josephina A.; Tchernyshyov, Irina; Cole, Robert N.; Syed, Labiq H.; Rao, Pramod P.; Ota, Shinichi; Vali, Mustafa

2013-01-01

Background The pyruvic acid analog 3-bromopyruvate (3BrPA) is an alkylating agent known to induce cancer cell death by blocking glycolysis. The anti-glycolytic effect of 3BrPA is considered to be the inactivation of glycolytic enzymes. Yet, there is a lack of experimental documentation on the direct interaction of 3BrPA with any of the suggested targets during its anticancer effect. Methods and Results In the current study, using radiolabeled (14C) 3BrPA in multiple cancer cell lines, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was identified as the primary intracellular target of 3BrPA, based on two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoretic autoradiography, mass spectrometry and immunoprecipitation. Furthermore, in vitro enzyme kinetic studies established that 3BrPA has marked affinity to GAPDH. Finally, Annexin V staining and active caspase-3 immunoblotting demonstrated that apoptosis was induced by 3BrPA. Conclusion GAPDH pyruvylation by 3BrPA affects its enzymatic function and is the primary intracellular target in 3BrPA mediated cancer cell death. PMID:20044597

Nonthermal-plasma-mediated animal cell death

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Wanil; Woo, Kyung-Chul; Kim, Gyoo-Cheon; Kim, Kyong-Tai

2011-01-01

Animal cell death comprising necrosis and apoptosis occurred in a well-regulated manner upon specific stimuli. The physiological meanings and detailed molecular mechanisms of cell death have been continuously investigated over several decades. Necrotic cell death has typical morphological changes, such as cell swelling and cell lysis followed by DNA degradation, whereas apoptosis shows blebbing formation and regular DNA fragmentation. Cell death is usually adopted to terminate cancer cells in vivo. The current strategies against tumour are based on the induction of cell death by adopting various methods, including radiotherapy and chemotherapeutics. Among these, radiotherapy is the most frequently used treatment method, but it still has obvious limitations. Recent studies have suggested that the use of nonthermal air plasma can be a prominent method for inducing cancer cell death. Plasma-irradiated cells showed the loss of genomic integrity, mitochondrial dysfunction, plasma membrane damage, etc. Tumour elimination with plasma irradiation is an emerging concept in cancer therapy and can be accelerated by targeting certain tumour-specific proteins with gold nanoparticles. Here, some recent developments are described so that the mechanisms related to plasma-mediated cell death and its perspectives in cancer treatment can be understood.

Nonthermal-plasma-mediated animal cell death

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Wanil; Woo, Kyung-Chul; Kim, Kyong-Tai [Department of Life Science, Division of Molecular and Life Science, Pohang University of Science and Technology, San 31, Hyoja Dong, Pohang 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Gyoo-Cheon, E-mail: ktk@postech.ac.kr [Department of Oral Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan 626-810 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-01-12

Animal cell death comprising necrosis and apoptosis occurred in a well-regulated manner upon specific stimuli. The physiological meanings and detailed molecular mechanisms of cell death have been continuously investigated over several decades. Necrotic cell death has typical morphological changes, such as cell swelling and cell lysis followed by DNA degradation, whereas apoptosis shows blebbing formation and regular DNA fragmentation. Cell death is usually adopted to terminate cancer cells in vivo. The current strategies against tumour are based on the induction of cell death by adopting various methods, including radiotherapy and chemotherapeutics. Among these, radiotherapy is the most frequently used treatment method, but it still has obvious limitations. Recent studies have suggested that the use of nonthermal air plasma can be a prominent method for inducing cancer cell death. Plasma-irradiated cells showed the loss of genomic integrity, mitochondrial dysfunction, plasma membrane damage, etc. Tumour elimination with plasma irradiation is an emerging concept in cancer therapy and can be accelerated by targeting certain tumour-specific proteins with gold nanoparticles. Here, some recent developments are described so that the mechanisms related to plasma-mediated cell death and its perspectives in cancer treatment can be understood. (topical review)

Nonthermal-plasma-mediated animal cell death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Wanil; Woo, Kyung-Chul; Kim, Kyong-Tai; Kim, Gyoo-Cheon

2011-01-01

Animal cell death comprising necrosis and apoptosis occurred in a well-regulated manner upon specific stimuli. The physiological meanings and detailed molecular mechanisms of cell death have been continuously investigated over several decades. Necrotic cell death has typical morphological changes, such as cell swelling and cell lysis followed by DNA degradation, whereas apoptosis shows blebbing formation and regular DNA fragmentation. Cell death is usually adopted to terminate cancer cells in vivo. The current strategies against tumour are based on the induction of cell death by adopting various methods, including radiotherapy and chemotherapeutics. Among these, radiotherapy is the most frequently used treatment method, but it still has obvious limitations. Recent studies have suggested that the use of nonthermal air plasma can be a prominent method for inducing cancer cell death. Plasma-irradiated cells showed the loss of genomic integrity, mitochondrial dysfunction, plasma membrane damage, etc. Tumour elimination with plasma irradiation is an emerging concept in cancer therapy and can be accelerated by targeting certain tumour-specific proteins with gold nanoparticles. Here, some recent developments are described so that the mechanisms related to plasma-mediated cell death and its perspectives in cancer treatment can be understood. (topical review)

Calculating expected years of life lost for assessing local ethnic disparities in causes of premature death

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katcher Brian S

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A core function of local health departments is to conduct health assessments. The analysis of death certificates provides information on diseases, conditions, and injuries that are likely to cause death – an important outcome indicator of population health. The expected years of life lost (YLL measure is a valid, stand-alone measure for identifying and ranking the underlying causes of premature death. The purpose of this study was to rank the leading causes of premature death among San Francisco residents, and to share detailed methods so that these analyses can be used in other local health jurisdictions. Methods Using death registry data and population estimates for San Francisco deaths in 2003–2004, we calculated the number of deaths, YLL, and age-standardized YLL rates (ASYRs. The results were stratified by sex, ethnicity, and underlying cause of death. The YLL values were used to rank the leading causes of premature death for men and women, and by ethnicity. Results In the years 2003–2004, 6312 men died (73,627 years of life lost, and 5726 women died (51,194 years of life lost. The ASYR for men was 65% higher compared to the ASYR for women (8971.1 vs. 5438.6 per 100,000 persons per year. The leading causes of premature deaths are those with the largest average YLLs and are largely preventable. Among men, these were HIV/AIDS, suicide, drug overdose, homicide, and alcohol use disorder; and among women, these were lung cancer, breast cancer, hypertensive heart disease, colon cancer, and diabetes mellitus. A large health disparity exists between African Americans and other ethnic groups: African American age-adjusted overall and cause-specific YLL rates were higher, especially for homicide among men. Except for homicide among Latino men, Latinos and Asians have comparable or lower YLL rates among the leading causes of death compared to whites. Conclusion Local death registry data can be used to measure, rank, and

Cell death induced by taxanes in sensitive and resistant breast cancer cells

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Ehrlichová, Marie; Truksa, Jaroslav; Naďová, Zuzana; Gut, I.; Kovář, Jan

2004-01-01

Roč. 37, č. 2 (2004), s. 120-121 ISSN 0960-7722. [Meeting of the European study group for cell proliferation /26./. Praha, 13.05.2004-16.05.2004] R&D Projects: GA MZd NL6715 Keywords : breast cancer cells * cell death * taxanes Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.907, year: 2004

Cancer-specific mortality, cure fraction, and noncancer causes of death among diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients in the immunochemotherapy era.

Science.gov (United States)

Howlader, Nadia; Mariotto, Angela B; Besson, Caroline; Suneja, Gita; Robien, Kim; Younes, Naji; Engels, Eric A

2017-09-01

Survival after the diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has been increasing since 2002 because of improved therapies; however, long-term outcomes for these patients in the modern treatment era are still unknown. Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data, this study first assessed factors associated with DLBCL-specific mortality during 2002-2012. An epidemiologic risk profile, based on clinical and demographic characteristics, was used to stratify DLBCL cases into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups. The proportions of DLBCL cases that might be considered cured in these 3 risk groups was estimated. Risks of death due to various noncancer causes among DLBCL cases versus the general population were also calculated with standardized mortality ratios (SMRs). Overall, 8274 deaths were recorded among 18,047 DLBCL cases; 76% of the total deaths were attributed to DLBCL, and 24% were attributed to noncancer causes. The 10-year survival rates for the low-, medium-, and high-risk groups were 80%, 60%, and 36%, respectively. The estimated cure proportions for the low-, medium-, and high-risk groups were 73%, 49%, and 27%, respectively; however, these cure estimates were uncertain because of the need to extrapolate the survival curves beyond the follow-up time. Mortality risks calculated with SMRs were elevated for conditions including vascular diseases (SMR, 1.3), infections (SMR, 3.1), gastrointestinal diseases (SMR, 2.5), and blood diseases (SMR, 4.6). These mortality risks were especially high within the initial 5 years after the diagnosis and declined after 5 years. Some DLBCL patients may be cured of their cancer, but they continue to experience excess mortality from lymphoma and other noncancer causes. Cancer 2017;123:3326-34. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

(+)-Grandifloracin, an antiausterity agent, induces autophagic PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cell death.

Science.gov (United States)

Ueda, Jun-ya; Athikomkulchai, Sirivan; Miyatake, Ryuta; Saiki, Ikuo; Esumi, Hiroyasu; Awale, Suresh

2014-01-01

Human pancreatic tumors are known to be highly resistant to nutrient starvation, and this prolongs their survival in the hypovascular (austere) tumor microenvironment. Agents that retard this tolerance to nutrient starvation represent a novel antiausterity strategy in anticancer drug discovery. (+)-Grandifloracin (GF), isolated from Uvaria dac, has shown preferential toxicity to PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells under nutrient starvation, with a PC50 value of 14.5 μM. However, the underlying mechanism is not clear. In this study, GF was found to preferentially induce PANC-1 cell death in a nutrient-deprived medium via hyperactivation of autophagy, as evidenced by a dramatic upregulation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3. No change was observed in expression of the caspase-3 and Bcl-2 apoptosis marker proteins. GF was also found to strongly inhibit the activation of Akt, a key regulator of cancer cell survival and proliferation. Because pancreatic tumors are highly resistant to current therapies that induce apoptosis, the alternative cell death mechanism exhibited by GF provides a novel therapeutic insight into antiausterity drug candidates.

Programmed cell death 6 interacting protein (PDCD6IP) and Rabenosyn-5 (ZFYVE20) are potential urinary biomarkers for upper gastrointestinal cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Husi, Holger; Skipworth, Richard J E; Cronshaw, Andrew; Stephens, Nathan A; Wackerhage, Henning; Greig, Carolyn; Fearon, Kenneth C H; Ross, James A

2015-06-01

Cancer of the upper digestive tract (uGI) is a major contributor to cancer-related death worldwide. Due to a rise in occurrence, together with poor survival rates and a lack of diagnostic or prognostic clinical assays, there is a clear need to establish molecular biomarkers. Initial assessment was performed on urine samples from 60 control and 60 uGI cancer patients using MS to establish a peak pattern or fingerprint model, which was validated by a further set of 59 samples. We detected 86 cluster peaks by MS above frequency and detection thresholds. Statistical testing and model building resulted in a peak profiling model of five relevant peaks with 88% overall sensitivity and 91% specificity, and overall correctness of 90%. High-resolution MS of 40 samples in the 2-10 kDa range resulted in 646 identified proteins, and pattern matching identified four of the five model peaks within significant parameters, namely programmed cell death 6 interacting protein (PDCD6IP/Alix/AIP1), Rabenosyn-5 (ZFYVE20), protein S100A8, and protein S100A9, of which the first two were validated by Western blotting. We demonstrate that MS analysis of human urine can identify lead biomarker candidates in uGI cancers, which makes this technique potentially useful in defining and consolidating biomarker patterns for uGI cancer screening. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Does calcium in drinking water modify the association between nitrate in drinking water and risk of death from colon cancer?

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Hui-Fen; Tsai, Shang-Shyue; Chen, Pei-Shih; Wu, Trong-Neng; Yang, Chun-Yuh

2011-09-01

The objective of this study was to explore whether calcium (Ca) levels in drinking water modified the effects of nitrate on colon cancer risk. A matched case-control study was used to investigate the relationship between the risk of death from colon cancer and exposure to nitrate in drinking water in Taiwan. All colon cancer deaths of Taiwan residents from 2003 through 2007 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair-matched to the cases by gender, year of birth and year of death. Information on the levels of nitrate-nitrogen (NO(3)-N) and Ca in drinking water have been collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cases and controls was assumed to be the source of the subject's NO(3)-N and Ca exposure via drinking water. We observed evidence of an interaction between drinking water NO(3)-N and Ca intake via drinking water. This is the first study to report effect modification by Ca intake from drinking water on the association between NO(3)-N exposure and risk of colon cancer mortality.

Non-chemotoxic induction of cancer cell death using magnetic nanowires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Contreras MF

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Maria F Contreras,1 Rachid Sougrat,2 Amir Zaher,3 Timothy Ravasi,1,3 Jürgen Kosel3 1Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, 2Advanced Nanofabrication Imaging and Characterization, 3Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abstract: In this paper, we show that magnetic nanowires with weak magnetic fields and low frequencies can induce cell death via a mechanism that does not involve heat production. We incubated colon cancer cells with two concentrations (2.4 and 12 µg/mL of nickel nanowires that were 35 nm in diameter and exposed the cells and nanowires to an alternating magnetic field (0.5 mT and 1 Hz or 1 kHz for 10 or 30 minutes. This low-power field exerted a force on the magnetic nanowires, causing a mechanical disturbance to the cells. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that the nanostructures were internalized into the cells within 1 hour of incubation. Cell viability studies showed that the magnetic field and the nanowires separately had minor deleterious effects on the cells; however, when combined, the magnetic field and nanowires caused the cell viability values to drop by up to 39%, depending on the strength of the magnetic field and the concentration of the nanowires. Cell membrane leakage experiments indicated membrane leakage of 20%, suggesting that cell death mechanisms induced by the nanowires and magnetic field involve some cell membrane rupture. Results suggest that magnetic nanowires can kill cancer cells. The proposed process requires simple and low-cost equipment with exposure to only very weak magnetic fields for short time periods. Keywords: cell death induction, low frequency alternating magnetic field, nanomedicine, nanowire internalization, nickel nanowires

Cytotoxic macrophage-released tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) as a killing mechanism for cancer cell death after cold plasma activation

Science.gov (United States)

Kaushik, Nagendra Kumar; Kaushik, Neha; Min, Booki; Choi, Ki Hong; Hong, Young June; Miller, Vandana; Fridman, Alexander; Choi, Eun Ha

2016-03-01

The present study aims at studying the anticancer role of cold plasma-activated immune cells. The direct anti-cancer activity of plasma-activated immune cells against human solid cancers has not been described so far. Hence, we assessed the effect of plasma-treated RAW264.7 macrophages on cancer cell growth after co-culture. In particular, flow cytometer analysis revealed that plasma did not induce any cell death in RAW264.7 macrophages. Interestingly, immunofluorescence and western blot analysis confirmed that TNF-α released from plasma-activated macrophages acts as a tumour cell death inducer. In support of these findings, activated macrophages down-regulated the cell growth in solid cancer cell lines and induced cell death in vitro. Together our findings suggest plasma-induced reactive species recruit cytotoxic macrophages to release TNF-α, which blocks cancer cell growth and can have the potential to contribute to reducing tumour growth in vivo in the near future.

Cytotoxic macrophage-released tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) as a killing mechanism for cancer cell death after cold plasma activation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaushik, Nagendra Kumar; Kaushik, Neha; Min, Booki; Choi, Ki Hong; Hong, Young June; Choi, Eun Ha; Miller, Vandana; Fridman, Alexander

2016-01-01

The present study aims at studying the anticancer role of cold plasma-activated immune cells. The direct anti-cancer activity of plasma-activated immune cells against human solid cancers has not been described so far. Hence, we assessed the effect of plasma-treated RAW264.7 macrophages on cancer cell growth after co-culture. In particular, flow cytometer analysis revealed that plasma did not induce any cell death in RAW264.7 macrophages. Interestingly, immunofluorescence and western blot analysis confirmed that TNF-α released from plasma-activated macrophages acts as a tumour cell death inducer. In support of these findings, activated macrophages down-regulated the cell growth in solid cancer cell lines and induced cell death in vitro. Together our findings suggest plasma-induced reactive species recruit cytotoxic macrophages to release TNF-α, which blocks cancer cell growth and can have the potential to contribute to reducing tumour growth in vivo in the near future. (paper)

Cancer risks from ingestion of radiostrontium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raabe, O. G.

2004-07-01

Studies have been conducted of the lifetime effects in 403 beagles of the skeletal uptake in seven logarithmically increasing dosage groups of ingested Sr-90. The Sr-90 was fed during skeletal developmental from mid-gestation to adulthood at age 540 days resulting in lifetime protracted beta radiation exposure of the skeleton and some adjacent tissues. Statistical analysis of all types of cancer deaths in the 403 exposed beagles and in 162 unexposed controls indicated that deaths caused by five types of cancer were significantly elevated by high level exposure to Sr-90; these were (1) myeloid leukemia, (2) bone sarcoma, (3) squamous cell carcinoma of periodontal origin, (4) nasal carcinoma, and (5) oral carcinoma. Dose response analysis of these radiation-induced cancer deaths showed non-linear relationships with marked thresholds. A mean lifetime skeletal absorbed dose of 22.5 +/-5.7 Gy SD (22.5 +/-5.7 Sv SD) was associated with the lowest dosage group in which any radiation induced cancer deaths were observed. Three-dimensional models of the observed dose-rate/time/response relationships were fir with maximum likelihood regression methods to describe the risks of death associated with the different types of radiation-induced cancer. The models show that a life-time virtual threshold for cancer risk occurs because the time required to induce cancer is longer at lower radiation dose rates and may exceed the natural life span. Scaling these results to predict human cancer risks from ingestion of Sr-90 shows negligible risks for people whose lifetime cumulative skeletal dose is less than 10 Sv. (Author)

Non-chemotoxic induction of cancer cell death using magnetic nanowires

KAUST Repository

Contreras, Maria F.; Sougrat, Rachid; Zaher, Amir Omar; Ravasi, Timothy; Kosel, Jü rgen

2015-01-01

In this paper, we show that magnetic nanowires with weak magnetic fields and low frequencies can induce cell death via a mechanism that does not involve heat production. We incubated colon cancer cells with two concentrations (2.4 and 12 μg/mL) of nickel nanowires that were 35 nm in diameter and exposed the cells and nanowires to an alternating magnetic field (0.5 mT and 1 Hz or 1 kHz) for 10 or 30 minutes. This low-power field exerted a force on the magnetic nanowires, causing a mechanical disturbance to the cells. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that the nanostructures were internalized into the cells within 1 hour of incubation. Cell viability studies showed that the magnetic field and the nanowires separately had minor deleterious effects on the cells; however, when combined, the magnetic field and nanowires caused the cell viability values to drop by up to 39%, depending on the strength of the magnetic field and the concentration of the nanowires. Cell membrane leakage experiments indicated membrane leakage of 20%, suggesting that cell death mechanisms induced by the nanowires and magnetic field involve some cell membrane rupture. Results suggest that magnetic nanowires can kill cancer cells. The proposed process requires simple and low-cost equipment with exposure to only very weak magnetic fields for short time periods. © 2015 Contreras et al.

Non-chemotoxic induction of cancer cell death using magnetic nanowires

KAUST Repository

Contreras, Maria F.

2015-03-01

In this paper, we show that magnetic nanowires with weak magnetic fields and low frequencies can induce cell death via a mechanism that does not involve heat production. We incubated colon cancer cells with two concentrations (2.4 and 12 μg/mL) of nickel nanowires that were 35 nm in diameter and exposed the cells and nanowires to an alternating magnetic field (0.5 mT and 1 Hz or 1 kHz) for 10 or 30 minutes. This low-power field exerted a force on the magnetic nanowires, causing a mechanical disturbance to the cells. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that the nanostructures were internalized into the cells within 1 hour of incubation. Cell viability studies showed that the magnetic field and the nanowires separately had minor deleterious effects on the cells; however, when combined, the magnetic field and nanowires caused the cell viability values to drop by up to 39%, depending on the strength of the magnetic field and the concentration of the nanowires. Cell membrane leakage experiments indicated membrane leakage of 20%, suggesting that cell death mechanisms induced by the nanowires and magnetic field involve some cell membrane rupture. Results suggest that magnetic nanowires can kill cancer cells. The proposed process requires simple and low-cost equipment with exposure to only very weak magnetic fields for short time periods. © 2015 Contreras et al.

Programmed death-1 & its ligands: promising targets for cancer immunotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Shrimali, Rajeev K; Janik, John E; Abu-Eid, Rasha; Mkrtichyan, Mikayel; Khleif, Samir N

2015-01-01

Novel strategies for cancer treatment involving blockade of immune inhibitors have shown significant progress toward understanding the molecular mechanism of tumor immune evasion. The preclinical findings and clinical responses associated with programmed death-1 (PD-1) and PD-ligand pathway blockade seem promising, making these targets highly sought for cancer immunotherapy. In fact, the anti-PD-1 antibodies, pembrolizumab and nivolumab, were recently approved by the US FDA for the treatment of unresectable and metastatic melanoma resistant to anticytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 antibody (ipilimumab) and BRAF inhibitor. Here, we discuss strategies of combining PD-1/PD-ligand interaction inhibitors with other immune checkpoint modulators and standard-of-care therapy to break immune tolerance and induce a potent antitumor activity, which is currently a research area of key scientific pursuit.

Trends in Cancer Mortality Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Balmant, Nathalie Vieira; de Souza Reis, Rejane; de Oliveira Santos, Marceli; Pinto Oliveira, Julio; de Camargo, Beatriz

2017-06-01

Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer comprise an intermediate age group between pediatric and adult oncology, and have a spectrum of different types of cancers. Survival among this group has not improved as much as in younger children with cancer. The aim of this study was evaluate the trends in cancer mortality of AYA aged 15-29 years in Brazil. Data were extracted from the Atlas of Cancer Mortality databases from 1979 to 2013. Age-specific mortality rates were calculated based on the deaths from each type of cancer and the period via a direct method using the proposed world population age groups. To identify significant changes in the trends, we performed joinpoint regression analysis. The mortality rates per million were 54 deaths in those aged 15-19 years, 61 deaths in those aged 20-24 years, and 88 deaths in those aged 25-29 years. Leukemias, lymphomas, and central nervous system (CNS) tumors occurred at high rates in all age groups. Rates of cervical cancer were highest in those aged 25-29 years. There were significant increases in mortality trends in the North and Northeast regions for all tumor groups, especially CNS tumors. A small decrease in the mortality rate from lymphomas was observed in the South and Southeast regions. Mortality in Brazilian AYA was slightly higher than in other studies conducted throughout the world. When separated by tumor type, Brazil presents a specific pattern, with high mortality from cervical cancer.

Temporal trends and regional variations in gastrointestinal cancer mortality in Peru, 2005-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández-Vásquez, Akram; Bendezú-Quispe, Guido; Azañedo, Diego; Huarez, Bertha; Rodríguez-Lema, Belén

2016-01-01

To estimate and analyze the evolution of mortality rates of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer in Peru and its regions between 2005-2014. We performed a nationwide secondary analysis of Peru's Health Ministry registry of deaths during the period 2005-2014, with a focus on regional differences. Deaths registered with codes C15 to C25 (malignant neoplasms of digestive organs) from the ICD-10 were included. Calculation of age-standarized mortality rates and years of life lost (YLL) due to GI cancer per 100,000 habitants were also performed. Data of 67,527 deaths from GI cancers was analyzed, 35,055 (51.91%) were women. In 2005, the number of GI cancer deaths was 6,484, for 2014, 7,532 cases were recorded. The GI cancer age-standarized mortality rates at the country level showed a decrease of 12.70% between 2005-2014. Stomach cancer presented the highest age-standarized mortality rate despite showing a downward trend in the last years, equal for gallbladder, liver and biliary tract, and esophagus cancer. Colorectal, small intestine and anus cancer show a progressive increase. In 2014, Callao (48.8), Huancavelica (48.5), La Libertad (39.6), Lambayeque (40.5) and Huanuco (38.9) had the highest rates. The three types of GI cancers with the highest rates of YLL in 2014 were stomach cancer (118.51), followed by liver and biliary tract cancer (58.68) and colorectal (44.86). GI cancer mortality in Peru is high and a priority issue in regions like Huancavelica, Huanuco, Callao, La Libertad and Lambayeque. Stomach cancer remains the most frequent GI cancer, but with a downward trend in the study period.

Dietary habits and risk of urothelial cancer death in a large-scale cohort study (JACC Study) in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakauchi, Fumio; Mori, Mitsuru; Washio, Masakazu; Watanabe, Yoshiyuki; Ozasa, Kotaro; Hayashi, Kyohei; Miki, Tsuneharu; Nakao, Masahiro; Mikami, Kazuya; Ito, Yoshinori; Wakai, Kenji; Tamakoshi, Akiko

2004-01-01

In the present study, the associations of dietary habits with the risk of urothelial cancer death were evaluated taking into consideration sex, age, and smoking habits. The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study was established in 1988-1990 and consisted of 47,997 men and 66,520 women observed until the end of 1999. A self-administered food-frequency questionnaire was used as a baseline survey. Hazard ratios for dietary factors were calculated by Cox's proportional hazards model. During the observation period, 63 men and 25 women died of urothelial cancer. Increasing age, male gender, and history of smoking were all significantly associated with increased risk of urothelial cancer death. A high intake of milk and fruits other than oranges reduced the risk significantly and dose dependently, in particular among subjects with smoking history. However, consumption of butter and yogurt had no associations with the risk. Intakes of cabbage, lettuce, green leafy vegetables, carrots, squash, tomatoes, and oranges were not significantly associated with the risk. It was suggested that urothelial cancer death could be potentially preventable by smoking cessation and regular intake of milk and fruit.

The bioenergetic signature of isogenic colon cancer cells predicts the cell death response to treatment with 3-bromopyruvate, iodoacetate or 5-fluorouracil.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Aragó, María; Cuezva, José M

2011-02-08

Metabolic reprogramming resulting in enhanced glycolysis is a phenotypic trait of cancer cells, which is imposed by the tumor microenvironment and is linked to the down-regulation of the catalytic subunit of the mitochondrial H+-ATPase (β-F1-ATPase). The bioenergetic signature is a protein ratio (β-F1-ATPase/GAPDH), which provides an estimate of glucose metabolism in tumors and serves as a prognostic indicator for cancer patients. Targeting energetic metabolism could be a viable alternative to conventional anticancer chemotherapies. Herein, we document that the bioenergetic signature of isogenic colon cancer cells provides a gauge to predict the cell-death response to the metabolic inhibitors, 3-bromopyruvate (3BrP) and iodoacetate (IA), and the anti-metabolite, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The bioenergetic signature of the cells was determined by western blotting. Aerobic glycolysis was determined from lactate production rates. The cell death was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Cellular ATP concentrations were determined using bioluminiscence. Pearson's correlation coefficient was applied to assess the relationship between the bioenergetic signature and the cell death response. In vivo tumor regression activities of the compounds were assessed using a xenograft mouse model injected with the highly glycolytic HCT116 colocarcinoma cells. We demonstrate that the bioenergetic signature of isogenic HCT116 cancer cells inversely correlates with the potential to execute necrosis in response to 3BrP or IA treatment. Conversely, the bioenergetic signature directly correlates with the potential to execute apoptosis in response to 5-FU treatment in the same cells. However, despite the large differences observed in the in vitro cell-death responses associated with 3BrP, IA and 5-FU, the in vivo tumor regression activities of these agents were comparable. Overall, we suggest that the determination of the bioenergetic signature of colon carcinomas could

The bioenergetic signature of isogenic colon cancer cells predicts the cell death response to treatment with 3-bromopyruvate, iodoacetate or 5-fluorouracil

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Cuezva José M

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Metabolic reprogramming resulting in enhanced glycolysis is a phenotypic trait of cancer cells, which is imposed by the tumor microenvironment and is linked to the down-regulation of the catalytic subunit of the mitochondrial H+-ATPase (β-F1-ATPase. The bioenergetic signature is a protein ratio (β-F1-ATPase/GAPDH, which provides an estimate of glucose metabolism in tumors and serves as a prognostic indicator for cancer patients. Targeting energetic metabolism could be a viable alternative to conventional anticancer chemotherapies. Herein, we document that the bioenergetic signature of isogenic colon cancer cells provides a gauge to predict the cell-death response to the metabolic inhibitors, 3-bromopyruvate (3BrP and iodoacetate (IA, and the anti-metabolite, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU. Methods The bioenergetic signature of the cells was determined by western blotting. Aerobic glycolysis was determined from lactate production rates. The cell death was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Cellular ATP concentrations were determined using bioluminiscence. Pearson's correlation coefficient was applied to assess the relationship between the bioenergetic signature and the cell death response. In vivo tumor regression activities of the compounds were assessed using a xenograft mouse model injected with the highly glycolytic HCT116 colocarcinoma cells. Results We demonstrate that the bioenergetic signature of isogenic HCT116 cancer cells inversely correlates with the potential to execute necrosis in response to 3BrP or IA treatment. Conversely, the bioenergetic signature directly correlates with the potential to execute apoptosis in response to 5-FU treatment in the same cells. However, despite the large differences observed in the in vitro cell-death responses associated with 3BrP, IA and 5-FU, the in vivo tumor regression activities of these agents were comparable. Conclusions Overall, we suggest that the

Symptom prevalence, intensity, and distress in patients with inoperable lung cancer in relation to time of death

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tishelman, Carol; Petersson, Lena-Marie; Degner, Lesley F.; Sprangers, Mirjam A. G.

2007-01-01

Purpose To examine symptom prevalence, intensity, and association with distress in patients with inoperable lung cancer (LC), using time to death as point of reference. Patients and Methods A consecutive sample of 400 patients completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer

Pathophysiological mechanisms of death resistance in colorectal carcinoma.

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Huang, Ching-Ying; Yu, Linda Chia-Hui

2015-11-07

Colon cancers develop adaptive mechanisms to survive under extreme conditions and display hallmarks of unlimited proliferation and resistance to cell death. The deregulation of cell death is a key factor that contributes to chemoresistance in tumors. In a physiological context, balance between cell proliferation and death, and protection against cell damage are fundamental processes for maintaining gut epithelial homeostasis. The mechanisms underlying anti-death cytoprotection and tumor resistance often bear common pathways, and although distinguishing them would be a challenge, it would also provide an opportunity to develop advanced anti-cancer therapeutics. This review will outline cell death pathways (i.e., apoptosis, necrosis, and necroptosis), and discuss cytoprotective strategies in normal intestinal epithelium and death resistance mechanisms of colon tumor. In colorectal cancers, the intracellular mechanisms of death resistance include the direct alteration of apoptotic and necroptotic machinery and the upstream events modulating death effectors such as tumor suppressor gene inactivation and pro-survival signaling pathways. The autocrine, paracrine and exogenous factors within a tumor microenvironment can also instigate resistance against apoptotic and necroptotic cell death in colon cancers through changes in receptor signaling or transporter uptake. The roles of cyclooxygenase-2/prostaglandin E2, growth factors, glucose, and bacterial lipopolysaccharides in colorectal cancer will be highlighted. Targeting anti-death pathways in the colon cancer tissue might be a promising approach outside of anti-proliferation and anti-angiogenesis strategies for developing novel drugs to treat refractory tumors.

Oral primary care: an analysis of its impact on the incidence and mortality rates of oral cancer.

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Rocha, Thiago Augusto Hernandes; Thomaz, Erika Bárbara Abreu Fonseca; da Silva, Núbia Cristina; de Sousa Queiroz, Rejane Christine; de Souza, Marta Rovery; Barbosa, Allan Claudius Queiroz; Thumé, Elaine; Rocha, João Victor Muniz; Alvares, Viviane; de Almeida, Dante Grapiuna; Vissoci, João Ricardo Nickenig; Staton, Catherine Ann; Facchini, Luiz Augusto

2017-10-30

Oral cancer is a potentially fatal disease, especially when diagnosed in advanced stages. In Brazil, the primary health care (PHC) system is responsible for promoting oral health in order to prevent oral diseases. However, there is insufficient evidence to assess whether actions of the PHC system have some effect on the morbidity and mortality from oral cancer. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of PHC structure and work processes on the incidence and mortality rates of oral cancer after adjusting for contextual variables. An ecological, longitudinal and analytical study was carried out. Data were obtained from different secondary data sources, including three surveys that were nationally representative of Brazilian PHC and carried out over the course of 10 years (2002-2012). Data were aggregated at the state level at different times. Oral cancer incidence and mortality rates, standardized by age and gender, served as the dependent variables. Covariables (sociodemographic, structure of basic health units, and work process in oral health) were entered in the regression models using a hierarchical approach based on a theoretical model. Analysis of mixed effects with random intercept model was also conducted (alpha = 5%). The oral cancer incidence rate was positively association with the proportion of of adults over 60 years (β = 0.59; p = 0.010) and adult smokers (β = 0.29; p = 0.010). The oral cancer related mortality rate was positively associated with the proportion of of adults over 60 years (β = 0.24; p oral cancer (β = 0.02; p = 0.002). Mortality was inversely associated with the coverage of primary care teams (β = -0.01; p oral cancer, but not the incidence rate of the disease. We recommend expanding investments in PHC in order to prevent oral cancer related deaths.

Perspectives on death and an afterlife in relation to quality of life, depression, and hopelessness in cancer patients without evidence of disease and advanced cancer patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laarhoven, H.W.M. van; Schilderman, J.; Verhagen, C.A.H.H.V.M.; Vissers, K.C.P.; Prins, J.B.

2011-01-01

CONTEXT: It is unknown whether cancer patients with different life expectancies have different attitudes and emotions toward death and an afterlife. Also, it is unclear whether these attitudes and emotions toward death and afterlife influence patients' distress. OBJECTIVES: To assess the

Cause of death in former miners of uranium mines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vich, Z.; Koskova, D.

1992-01-01

The mortality in a cohort of 4,803 former miners from uranium mines was analyzed with special reference to other causes of death than bronchogenic cancer. The observed frequencies of death from other causes were significantly lower than the expected rates for the period of 1968-1985 as well as in various periods of observation, this especially in the group of cardiovascular diseases, other tumors and the group of other diseases; at the same time, frequencies of death from diseases of respiratory and digestive systems and from injuries were not different from the expected rates. This may be caused by the s.c. health worker effect or by increased mortality from lung tumors at a younger age than that which is usual in the non-exposed male population. (author) 4 tabs., 14 refs

Retrospective observation on contribution and limitations of screening for breast cancer with mammography in Korea: detection rate of breast cancer and incidence rate of interval cancer of the breast.

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Lee, Kunsei; Kim, Hyeongsu; Lee, Jung Hyun; Jeong, Hyoseon; Shin, Soon Ae; Han, Taehwa; Seo, Young Lan; Yoo, Youngbum; Nam, Sang Eun; Park, Jong Heon; Park, Yoo Mi

2016-11-18

The purpose of this study was to determine the benefits and limitations of screening for breast cancer using mammography. Descriptive design with follow-up was used in the study. Data from breast cancer screening and health insurance claim data were used. The study population consisted of all participants in breast cancer screening from 2009 to 2014. Crude detection rate, positive predictive value and sensitivity and specificity of breast cancer screening and, incidence rate of interval cancer of the breast were calculated. The crude detection rate of breast cancer screening per 100,000 participants increased from 126.3 in 2009 to 182.1 in 2014. The positive predictive value of breast cancer screening per 100,000 positives increased from 741.2 in 2009 to 1,367.9 in 2014. The incidence rate of interval cancer of the breast per 100,000 negatives increased from 51.7 in 2009 to 76.3 in 2014. The sensitivities of screening for breast cancer were 74.6% in 2009 and 75.1% in 2014 and the specificities were 83.1% in 2009 and 85.7% in 2014. To increase the detection rate of breast cancer by breast cancer screening using mammography, the participation rate should be higher and an environment where accurate mammography and reading can be performed and reinforcement of quality control are required. To reduce the incidence rate of interval cancer of the breast, it will be necessary to educate women after their 20s to perform self-examination of the breast once a month regardless of participation in screening for breast cancer.

Changes in mortality rates and causes of death in a population-based cohort of persons living with and without HIV from 1996 to 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Eyawo, Oghenowede; Franco-Villalobos, Conrado; Hull, Mark W; Nohpal, Adriana; Samji, Hasina; Sereda, Paul; Lima, Viviane D; Shoveller, Jeannie; Moore, David; Montaner, Julio S G; Hogg, Robert S

2017-02-27

Non-HIV/AIDS-related diseases are gaining prominence as important causes of morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV. The purpose of this study was to characterize and compare changes over time in mortality rates and causes of death among a population-based cohort of persons living with and without HIV in British Columbia (BC), Canada. We analysed data from the Comparative Outcomes And Service Utilization Trends (COAST) study; a retrospective population-based study created via linkage between the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and Population Data BC, and containing data for HIV-infected individuals and the general population of BC, respectively. Our analysis included all known HIV-infected adults (≥ 20 years) in BC and a random 10% sample of uninfected BC adults followed from 1996 to 2012. Deaths were identified through Population Data BC - which contains information on all registered deaths in BC (BC Vital Statistics Agency dataset) and classified into cause of death categories using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 9/10 codes. Age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) and mortality rate ratios were calculated. Trend test were performed. 3401 (25%), and 47,647 (9%) individuals died during the 5,620,150 person-years of follow-up among 13,729 HIV-infected and 510,313 uninfected individuals, respectively. All-cause and cause-specific mortality rates were consistently higher among HIV-infected compared to HIV-negative individuals, except for neurological disorders. All-cause ASMR decreased from 126.75 (95% CI: 84.92-168.57) per 1000 population in 1996 to 21.29 (95% CI: 17.79-24.79) in 2011-2012 (83% decline; p ASMR reductions were also observed for hepatic/liver disease and drug abuse/overdose deaths. ASMRs for neurological disorders increased significantly over time. Non-AIDS-defining cancers are currently the leading non-HIV/AIDS-related cause of death in both HIV-infected and uninfected individuals. Despite the significant

Effectiveness of screening colonoscopy in reducing the risk of death from right and left colon cancer: a large community-based study.

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Doubeni, Chyke A; Corley, Douglas A; Quinn, Virginia P; Jensen, Christopher D; Zauber, Ann G; Goodman, Michael; Johnson, Jill R; Mehta, Shivan J; Becerra, Tracy A; Zhao, Wei K; Schottinger, Joanne; Doria-Rose, V Paul; Levin, Theodore R; Weiss, Noel S; Fletcher, Robert H

2018-02-01

Screening colonoscopy's effectiveness in reducing colorectal cancer mortality risk in community populations is unclear, particularly for right-colon cancers, leading to recommendations against its use for screening in some countries. This study aimed to determine whether, among average-risk people, receipt of screening colonoscopy reduces the risk of dying from both right-colon and left-colon/rectal cancers. We conducted a nested case-control study with incidence-density matching in screening-eligible Kaiser Permanente members. Patients who were 55-90 years old on their colorectal cancer death date during 2006-2012 were matched on diagnosis (reference) date to controls on age, sex, health plan enrolment duration and geographical region. We excluded patients at increased colorectal cancer risk, or with prior colorectal cancer diagnosis or colectomy. The association between screening colonoscopy receipt in the 10-year period before the reference date and colorectal cancer death risk was evaluated while accounting for other screening exposures. We analysed 1747 patients who died from colorectal cancer and 3460 colorectal cancer-free controls. Compared with no endoscopic screening, receipt of a screening colonoscopy was associated with a 67% reduction in the risk of death from any colorectal cancer (adjusted OR (aOR)=0.33, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.52). By cancer location, screening colonoscopy was associated with a 65% reduction in risk of death for right-colon cancers (aOR=0.35, CI 0.18 to 0.65) and a 75% reduction for left-colon/rectal cancers (aOR=0.25, CI 0.12 to 0.53). Screening colonoscopy was associated with a substantial and comparably decreased mortality risk for both right-sided and left-sided cancers within a large community-based population. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Good death in elderly adults with cancer in Japan based on perspectives of the general population.

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Akechi, Tatsuo; Miyashita, Mitsunori; Morita, Tatsuya; Okuyama, Toru; Sakamoto, Masaki; Sagawa, Ryuichi; Uchitomi, Yosuke

2012-02-01

To investigate concepts relevant to a good death in elderly adults with cancer. Cross-sectional. Japan. A national sample of 2,595 adults, including 466 aged 70 to 79. An anonymous questionnaire covering 18 domains (physical and psychological comfort, dying in a favorite place, good relationship with medical staff, maintaining hope and pleasure, not being a burden to others, good relationship with family, physical and cognitive control, environmental comfort, being respected as an individual, life completion, natural death, preparation for death, role accomplishment and contribution to others, unawareness of death, fighting against cancer, pride and beauty, control over the future, and religious and spiritual comfort) and two additional concepts (pokkuri (sudden death) and omakase (leaving the decisions to a medical expert) was completed. The difference in importance of the concept between two age groups (40-69 and 70-79) was investigated using effect sizes (ESs). Clinically significant differences in the concept of good death were observed for two domains and one component: not being a burden to others (ES = -0.24), role accomplishment and contribution to others (ES = 0.29), and omakase (leaving the decisions to a medical expert; ES = 0.60). Only a few differences in the concept of good death existed between elderly and younger adults. When caring for terminally ill elderly Japanese adults, medical staff should acknowledge that some elderly adults value the traditional paternalistic attitude of physicians and that not all people want to be actively involved in decision-making. © 2012, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2012, The American Geriatrics Society.

Preferred place of care and place of death of the general public and cancer patients in Japan.

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Yamagishi, Akemi; Morita, Tatsuya; Miyashita, Mitsunori; Yoshida, Saran; Akizuki, Nobuya; Shirahige, Yutaka; Akiyama, Miki; Eguchi, Kenji

2012-10-01

Dying at a favorite place is one of the important determinants for terminally ill cancer patients. The primary aim was to clarify (1) differences in preferred place of care and place of death among the general public across four areas across Japan and (2) preferred place of care and place of death among community-representative cancer patients. A cross-sectional mail survey was conducted on 8,000 randomly selected general population. We examined preferred place of care and place of death using two vignettes and obtained a total of 3,984 (50%) responses. For the pain scenario, approximately 50% of the general public throughout four areas chose home as their preferred place of care; and for the dependent-without-pain scenario, about 40% chose home as preferred place of care. In cancer patients, for both scenarios, approximately 40% chose home as the preferred place of care, and they were significantly less likely to choose home. The most preferred combination of place of care and place of death was home hospice for both groups. Although there were statistically significant differences in preferred place of care and place of death among the four regions, the absolute difference was less than 8%. Independent determinants of choosing home as place of care included concern about family burden and being unable to adequately respond to sudden changes out of working hours. In conclusion, establishing more accessible home and hospice service is strongly required through arranging regional resources to reduce family burden, alleviating patient-perceived burdens, and improving 24-h support at home.

Perspectives on death and an afterlife in relation to quality of life, depression, and hopelessness in cancer patients without evidence of disease and advanced cancer patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Laarhoven, Hanneke W. M.; Schilderman, Johannes; Verhagen, Constans A. H. H. V. M.; Vissers, Kris C.; Prins, Judith

2011-01-01

It is unknown whether cancer patients with different life expectancies have different attitudes and emotions toward death and an afterlife. Also, it is unclear whether these attitudes and emotions toward death and afterlife influence patients' distress. To assess the relationship of attitudes and

Fluvastatin mediated breast cancer cell death: a proteomic approach to identify differentially regulated proteins in MDA-MB-231 cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anantha Koteswararao Kanugula

Full Text Available Statins are increasingly being recognized as anti-cancer agents against various cancers including breast cancer. To understand the molecular pathways targeted by fluvastatin and its differential sensitivity against metastatic breast cancer cells, we analyzed protein alterations in MDA-MB-231 cells treated with fluvastatin using 2-DE in combination with LC-MS/MS. Results revealed dys-regulation of 39 protein spots corresponding to 35 different proteins. To determine the relevance of altered protein profiles with breast cancer cell death, we mapped these proteins to major pathways involved in the regulation of cell-to-cell signaling and interaction, cell cycle, Rho GDI and proteasomal pathways using IPA analysis. Highly interconnected sub networks showed that vimentin and ERK1/2 proteins play a central role in controlling the expression of altered proteins. Fluvastatin treatment caused proteolysis of vimentin, a marker of epithelial to mesenchymal transition. This effect of fluvastatin was reversed in the presence of mevalonate, a downstream product of HMG-CoA and caspase-3 inhibitor. Interestingly, fluvastatin neither caused an appreciable cell death nor did modulate vimentin expression in normal mammary epithelial cells. In conclusion, fluvastatin alters levels of cytoskeletal proteins, primarily targeting vimentin through increased caspase-3- mediated proteolysis, thereby suggesting a role for vimentin in statin-induced breast cancer cell death.

Leading Causes of Cancer Mortality - Caribbean Region, 2003-2013.

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Razzaghi, Hilda; Quesnel-Crooks, Sarah; Sherman, Recinda; Joseph, Rachael; Kohler, Betsy; Andall-Brereton, Glennis; Ivey, Marsha A; Edwards, Brenda K; Mery, Les; Gawryszewski, Vilma; Saraiya, Mona

2016-12-16

Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide (1); in 2012, an estimated 65% of all cancer deaths occurred in the less developed regions of the world (2). In the Caribbean region, cancer is the second leading cause of mortality, with an estimated 87,430 cancer-related deaths reported in 2012 (3). The Pan American Health Organization defines the Caribbean region as a group of 27 countries that vary in size, geography, resources, and surveillance systems.* CDC calculated site- and sex-specific proportions of cancer deaths and age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) for 21 English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries, the United States, and two U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands [USVI]), using the most recent 5 years of mortality data available from each jurisdiction during 2003-2013. The selection of years varied by availability of the data from the countries and territories in 2015. ASMR for all cancers combined ranged from 46.1 to 139.3 per 100,000. Among males, prostate cancers were the leading cause of cancer deaths, followed by lung cancers; the percentage of cancer deaths attributable to prostate cancer ranged from 18.4% in Suriname to 47.4% in Dominica, and the percentage of cancer deaths attributable to lung cancer ranged from 5.6% in Barbados to 24.4% in Bermuda. Among females, breast cancer was the most common cause of cancer deaths, ranging from 14.0% of cancer deaths in Belize to 29.7% in the Cayman Islands, followed by cervical cancer. Several of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the Caribbean can be reduced through primary and secondary preventions, including prevention of exposure to risk factors, screening, early detection, and timely and effective treatment.

Does exclusion of cancers registered only from death-certificate information diminish socio-demographic disparities in recorded survival?

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Tervonen, Hanna E; Roder, David; Morrell, Stephen; You, Hui; Currow, David C

2017-06-01

Death Certificate Only (DCO) cancer cases are commonly excluded from survival analyses due to unknown survival time. This study examines whether socio-demographic factors are associated with DCO diagnosis, and the potential effects of excluding DCO cases on socio-demographic cancer survival disparities in NSW, Australia. NSW Cancer Registry data for cases diagnosed in 2000-2008 were used in this study. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of DCO registration by socio-demographic sub-group (socio-economic disadvantage, residential remoteness, country of birth, age at diagnosis). Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate the probability of death from cancer by socio-demographic subgroup when DCO cases were included and excluded from analyses. DCO cases consisted of 1.5% (n=4336) of all cases (n=299,651). DCO diagnosis was associated with living in socio-economically disadvantaged areas (most disadvantaged compared with least disadvantaged quintile: odds ratio OR 1.25, 95%CI 1.12-1.40), living in inner regional (OR 1.16, 95%CI 1.08-1.25) or remote areas (OR 1.48, 95%CI 1.01-2.19), having an unknown country of birth (OR 1.63, 95%CI 1.47-1.81) and older age. Including or excluding DCO cases had no significant impact on hazard ratios for cancer death by socio-economic disadvantage quintile or remoteness category, and only a minor impact on hazard ratios by age. Socio-demographic factors were associated with DCO diagnosis in NSW. However, socio-demographic cancer survival disparities remained unchanged or varied only slightly irrespective of including/excluding DCO cases. Further research could examine the upper limits of DCO proportions that significantly alter estimated cancer survival differentials if DCOs are excluded. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conserved features of cancer cells define their sensitivity to HAMLET-induced death; c-Myc and glycolysis.

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Storm, P; Aits, S; Puthia, M K; Urbano, A; Northen, T; Powers, S; Bowen, B; Chao, Y; Reindl, W; Lee, D Y; Sullivan, N L; Zhang, J; Trulsson, M; Yang, H; Watson, J D; Svanborg, C

2011-12-01

HAMLET is the first member of a new family of tumoricidal protein-lipid complexes that kill cancer cells broadly, while sparing healthy, differentiated cells. Many and diverse tumor cell types are sensitive to the lethal effect, suggesting that HAMLET identifies and activates conserved death pathways in cancer cells. Here, we investigated the molecular basis for the difference in sensitivity between cancer cells and healthy cells. Using a combination of small-hairpin RNA (shRNA) inhibition, proteomic and metabolomic technology, we identified the c-Myc oncogene as one essential determinant of HAMLET sensitivity. Increased c-Myc expression levels promoted sensitivity to HAMLET and shRNA knockdown of c-Myc suppressed the lethal response, suggesting that oncogenic transformation with c-Myc creates a HAMLET-sensitive phenotype. Furthermore, HAMLET sensitivity was modified by the glycolytic state of tumor cells. Glucose deprivation sensitized tumor cells to HAMLET-induced cell death and in the shRNA screen, hexokinase 1 (HK1), 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 1 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α modified HAMLET sensitivity. HK1 was shown to bind HAMLET in a protein array containing ∼8000 targets, and HK activity decreased within 15 min of HAMLET treatment, before morphological signs of tumor cell death. In parallel, HAMLET triggered rapid metabolic paralysis in carcinoma cells. Tumor cells were also shown to contain large amounts of oleic acid and its derivatives already after 15 min. The results identify HAMLET as a novel anti-cancer agent that kills tumor cells by exploiting unifying features of cancer cells such as oncogene addiction or the Warburg effect.

Conserved features of cancer cells define their sensitivity of HAMLET-induced death; c-Myc and glycolysis

Science.gov (United States)

Storm, Petter; Puthia, Manoj Kumar; Aits, Sonja; Urbano, Alexander; Northen, Trent; Powers, Scott; Bowen, Ben; Chao, Yinxia; Reindl, Wolfgang; Lee, Do Yup; Sullivan, Nancy Liu; Zhang, Jianping; Trulsson, Maria; Yang, Henry; Watson, James; Svanborg, Catharina

2014-01-01

HAMLET is the first member of a new family of tumoricidal protein-lipid complexes that kill cancer cells broadly, while sparing healthy, differentiated cells. Many and diverse tumor cell types are sensitive to the lethal effect, suggesting that HAMLET identifies and activates conserved death pathways in cancer cells. Here we investigated the molecular basis for the difference in sensitivity between cancer cells and healthy cells. Using a combination of small hairpin RNA inhibition, proteomic and metabolomic technology we identified the c-Myc oncogene as one essential determinant of HAMLET sensitivity. Increased c-Myc expression levels promoted the sensitivity to HAMLET and shRNA knockdown of c-Myc suppressed the lethal response, suggesting that oncogenic transformation with c-Myc creates a HAMLET-sensitive phenotype. Furthermore, the HAMLET sensitivity was modified by the glycolytic state of the tumor cells. Glucose deprivation sensitized tumor cells to HAMLET-induced cell death and in the shRNA screen Hexokinase 1, PFKFB1 and HIF1α modified HAMLET sensitivity. Hexokinase 1 was shown to bind HAMLET in a protein array containing approximately 8000 targets and Hexokinase activity decreased within 15 minutes of HAMLET treatment, prior to morphological signs of tumor cell death. In parallel, HAMLET triggered rapid metabolic paralysis in carcinoma cells. The glycolytic machinery was modified and glycolysis was shifted towards the pentose phosphate pathway. Tumor cells were also shown to contain large amounts of oleic acid and its derivatives already after 15 minutes. The results identify HAMLET as a novel anti-cancer agent that kills tumor cells by exploiting unifying features of cancer cells such as oncogene-addiction or the Warburg effect. PMID:21643007

The Effect of Gynecologic Oncologist Availability on Ovarian Cancer Mortality

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Stewart, Sherri L.; Cooney, Darryl; Hirsch, Shawn; Westervelt, Lauren; Richards, Thomas B.; Rim, Sun Hee; Thomas, Cheryll C.

2015-01-01

AIM To determine the association between the distribution of gynecologic oncologist (GO) and population-based ovarian cancer death rates. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data on ovarian cancer incidence and mortality in the United States (U.S.) was supplemented with U.S. census data, and analyzed in relation to practicing GOs. GO locations were geocoded to link association between county variables and GO availability. Logistic regression was used to measure areas of high and low ovarian cancer mortality, adjusting for contextual variables. RESULTS Practicing GOs were unevenly distributed in the United States, with the greatest numbers in metropolitan areas. Ovarian cancer incidence and death rates increased as distance to a practicing GO increased. A relatively small number (153) of counties within 24 miles of a GO had high ovarian cancer death rates compared to 577 counties located 50 or more miles away with high ovarian cancer death rates. Counties located 50 or more miles away from a GO practice had an almost 60% greater odds of high ovarian cancer mortality compared to those with closer practicing GOs (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.18–2.15). CONCLUSION The distribution of GOs across the United States appears to be significantly associated with ovarian cancer mortality. Efforts that facilitate outreach of GOs to certain populations may increase geographic access. Future studies examining other factors associated with lack of GO access (e.g. insurance and other socioeconomic factors) at the individual level will assist with further defining barriers to quality ovarian cancer care in the United States. PMID:26478860

Childhood cancer after prenatal exposure to diagnostic X-ray examinations in Britain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mole, R.H.

1990-01-01

Detailed data were provided by the Oxford Survey of Childhood Cancer OSCC on deaths from childhood cancer in Britain after irradiation of the fetus during diagnostic radiology of the mother. In each age group at death, 0-5, 6-9 and 10-15 years, excess cancer deaths decreased suddenly for births in and after 1958. A major factor was concerted action initiated in 1956 to reduce radiation exposure of fetal gonads for fear of genetic hazards. Dose reduction was achieved during 1957 and early 1958 by reducing the rising rate of obstetric radiography and by virtually abandoning pelvimetry as that had been understood. In the 1970s the rate of X-raying increased again and so did cancer risk but not significantly. Direct evidence that diagnostic X-rays can cause childhood cancer is the similar excess rate per X-ray in twins and singleton births when X-raying rate is 5-6 times higher in twins. (author)

Quantitative evaluation of the lung cancer deaths attributable to residential radon: A simple method and results for all the 21 Italian Regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bochicchio, F.; Antignani, S.; Venoso, G.; Forastiere, F.

2013-01-01

Pooled analyses of epidemiological case-control studies on lung cancer and residential radon have shown that radon exposure in dwellings increases lung cancer risk, and that the increase is statistically significant also for prolonged exposures to low-medium level of radon concentration, i.e. levels commonly found in many dwellings. In this paper, a simple method to evaluate the health burden due to the presence of radon in homes (i.e. the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to radon exposure in dwellings) was presented. This method is based on the following parameters: i) the excess relative risk per unit of exposure evaluated in case-control studies; ii) the average radon concentration that can be considered representative of population exposure in dwellings; iii) the total number of lung cancer deaths occurring each year. Moreover, the interaction between radon and cigarette smoking is needed to be taken into account: in fact, although most of the persons are non-smokers, most of the lung cancer deaths attributed to radon are actually due to the multiplicative effect of radon and cigarette smoking. To show this effect, the number of radon related lung cancer deaths estimated to occur among current, former and never smokers was calculated separately for males and females, taking into account the relative risk of lung cancer for the different smoking categories and the prevalence of smoking habits. The methodology described in this work was applied to all the 21 Italian Regions in order to illustrate it. The overall fraction of lung cancer deaths attributable to radon in Italy is about 10%, with values in individual Regions ranging from 4% to 16%. The greater part of the lung cancers attributable to radon is estimated to occur among current smokers for both males and females (72% and 60%, respectively, at national level). This is due to the synergistic effects of radon and cigarette smoking, which should therefore be taken into account in policies aimed to

Out-FOXing Pancreatic Cancer | Center for Cancer Research

Science.gov (United States)

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancer types worldwide with increasing incidence and mortality rates in the United States. Consequently, it is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer death by 2020. Poor patient outcomes are due to a combination of diagnosis at an advanced stage and a lack of effective treatments. However, a better understanding of the molecular pathways at work in pancreatic cancers may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets.

Impaired Driving Death Rate, by Age and Gender, 2012 & 2014, All States

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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Rate of deaths by age/gender (per 100,000 population) for people killed in crashes involving a driver with BAC =>0.08%, 2012. 2012 Source: Fatality Analysis...

Certified causes of death in patients with mesothelioma in South East England

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Peto Julian

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mesothelioma is a highly fatal cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos fibres. In many populations, the occurrence of mesothelioma is monitored with the use of mortality data from death certification. We examine certified causes of death of patients who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and assess the validity of death certification data as a proxy for mesothelioma incidence. Methods We extracted mesothelioma registrations in the South East of England area between 2000 and 2004 from the Thames Cancer Registry database. We retained for analysis 2200 patients who had died at the time of analysis, after having excluded seven dead cases where the causes of death were not known to the cancer registry. The 2200 deaths were classified hierarchically to identify (1 mesothelioma deaths, (2 deaths certified as lung cancer deaths or (3 deaths from unspecified cancer, and (4 deaths from other causes. Results 87% of the patients had mesothelioma mentioned on the death certificate. 6% had no mention of mesothelioma but included lung cancer as a cause of death. Another 6% had no mention of mesothelioma or lung cancer, but included an unspecified cancer as a cause of death. Lastly, 2% had other causes of death specified on the death certificate. Conclusion This analysis suggests that official mortality data may underestimate the true occurrence of mesothelioma by around 10%.

Causes of death and competing risk analysis of the associated factors for non-small cell lung cancer using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Shenhai; Tian, Jintao; Song, Xiaoping; Wu, Bingqun; Liu, Limin

2018-01-01

To investigate the probability of death (POD) from any causes by time after diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the factors associated with survival for NSCLC patients. A total of 202,914 patients with NSCLC from 2004 to 2013 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) were calculated and POD from any causes at different time periods after diagnosis was explored. The predictive factors for OS, LCSS and survival from non-lung cancer deaths were investigated using multivariate analysis with Cox proportional hazards regression and competing risk regression analysis. The 5- and 10-year OS were 20.4% and 11.5%, accordingly that for LCSS were 25.5% and 18.4%, respectively. Lung cancer contributed 88.3% (n = 128,402) of the deaths. The POD from lung cancer decreased with time after diagnosis. In multivariate analysis, advanced age and advanced stage of NSCLC were associated with decreased OS and LCSS. Comparing to no surgery, any kind of resection conferred lower risk of death from lung cancer and higher risk of dying from non-lung cancer conditions except lobectomy or bilobectomy, which was associated with lower risk of death from both lung cancer and non-lung cancer conditions. Most of the patients with NSCLC died from lung cancer. Rational surveillance and treatment policies should be made for them. Early stage and lobectomy or bilobectomy were associated with improved OS and LCSS. It is reasonable to focus on early detection and optimal surgical treatment for NSCLC.

Medicare Spending for Breast, Prostate, Lung, and Colorectal Cancer Patients in the Year of Diagnosis and Year of Death.