Preclinical studies have demonstrated that antagonism of β₂-adrenergic signaling inhibits several pathways necessary for breast tumor progression and metastasis. A series of population-based ...observational studies were conducted to examine associations between beta blocker use and breast tumor characteristics at diagnosis or breast cancer-specific mortality.
Linked national cancer registry and prescription dispensing data were used to identify women with a diagnosis of stage I to IV invasive breast cancer between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2006. Women taking propranolol (β₁/β₂ antagonist; n = 70) or atenolol (β₁ antagonist; n = 525), in the year before breast cancer diagnosis were matched (1:2) to women not taking a beta blocker (n = 4,738). Associations between use of propranolol or atenolol and risk of local tumor invasion at diagnosis (T4 tumor), nodal or metastatic involvement at diagnosis (N2/N3/M1 tumor), and time to breast cancer-specific mortality were assessed.
Propranolol users were significantly less likely to present with a T4 (odds ratio OR, 0.24, 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.85) or N2/N3/M1 (OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.88) tumor compared with matched nonusers. The cumulative probability of breast cancer-specific mortality was significantly lower for propranolol users compared with matched nonusers (hazard ratio, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.60). There was no difference in T4 or N2/N3/M1 tumor incidence or breast cancer-specific mortality between atenolol users and matched nonusers.
The results provide evidence in humans to support preclinical observations suggesting that inhibiting the β₂-adrenergic signaling pathway can reduce breast cancer progression and mortality.
Recent studies have suggested that statins, an established drug group in the prevention of cardiovascular mortality, could delay or prevent breast cancer recurrence but the effect on disease-specific ...mortality remains unclear. We evaluated risk of breast cancer death among statin users in a population-based cohort of breast cancer patients. The study cohort included all newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in Finland during 1995-2003 (31,236 cases), identified from the Finnish Cancer Registry. Information on statin use before and after the diagnosis was obtained from a national prescription database. We used the Cox proportional hazards regression method to estimate mortality among statin users with statin use as time-dependent variable. A total of 4,151 participants had used statins. During the median follow-up of 3.25 years after the diagnosis (range 0.08-9.0 years) 6,011 participants died, of which 3,619 (60.2%) was due to breast cancer. After adjustment for age, tumor characteristics, and treatment selection, both post-diagnostic and pre-diagnostic statin use were associated with lowered risk of breast cancer death (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.38-0.55 and HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.44-0.67, respectively). The risk decrease by post-diagnostic statin use was likely affected by healthy adherer bias; that is, the greater likelihood of dying cancer patients to discontinue statin use as the association was not clearly dose-dependent and observed already at low-dose/short-term use. The dose- and time-dependence of the survival benefit among pre-diagnostic statin users suggests a possible causal effect that should be evaluated further in a clinical trial testing statins' effect on survival in breast cancer patients.
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Due to clinical advances, cancer survivors are living longer but have an increased risk of a second primary cancer (SPC). This cross-sectional study aims to examine SPC prevalence ...in immigrant women and compare healthcare use (HCU) and cancer screening in immigrants with SPC versus (1) immigrants with a single cancer and (2) US-born women with SPC. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The study population will include adult women with breast/gynecologic primary cancer (PC) from the 2005, 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2015 National Health Interview Survey. First-generation immigrant or US-born status will be defined by region of birth. SPC includes diagnosis with a second cancer type ≥1 year after the initial PC diagnosis. We will compare the prevalence of ≥1 SPC in immigrant and US-born women. To evaluate HCU and cancer screening differences, we will assess sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors, risk behaviors, length of US residence, and citizenship status with descriptive statistics. In regression analyses, we will compare number of provider visits and cancer screening rates in immigrant women with SPC versus immigrants with PC alone and US-born women with SPC after matching by age and PC type. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Disparities in cancer diagnosis, quality of care, receipt of recommended treatment, and screening rates among immigrants in the US are well documented. Therefore, we hypothesize that immigrant cancer survivors will have similar or higher rates of SPC compared to women born in the US with variations based on health status. We further hypothesize that immigrants with SPC will report lower rates of HCU after diagnosis of their first cancer and cancer screening compared to US-born women. However, we expect that immigrants with SPC will report similar or higher rates of HCU and cancer screening compared to immigrant women with PC alone. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: To our knowledge, this study will be the first to describe SPC among immigrant cancer survivors in the US. This research will inform interventions to improve cancer care delivery and ultimately reduce SPC in immigrants with cancer.
ASCO believes that high-quality observational studies can advance evidence-based practice for cancer care and are complementary to randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Observational studies can ...generate hypotheses by evaluating novel exposures or biomarkers and by revealing patterns of care and relationships that might not otherwise be discovered. Researchers can then test these hypotheses in RCTs. Observational studies can also answer or inform questions that either have not been or cannot be answered by RCTs. In addition, observational studies can be used for postmarketing surveillance of new cancer treatments, particularly in vulnerable populations. The incorporation of observational research as part of clinical decision making is consistent with the position of many leading institutions. ASCO identified five overarching recommendations to enhance the role of observational research in clinical decision making: (1) improve the quality of electronic health data available for research, (2) improve interoperability and the exchange of electronic health information, (3) ensure the use of rigorous observational research methodologies, (4) promote transparent reporting of observational research studies, and (5) protect patient privacy.
Leisure time physical activity reduces the risk of premature mortality, but the years of life expectancy gained at different levels remains unclear. Our objective was to determine the years of life ...gained after age 40 associated with various levels of physical activity, both overall and according to body mass index (BMI) groups, in a large pooled analysis.
We examined the association of leisure time physical activity with mortality during follow-up in pooled data from six prospective cohort studies in the National Cancer Institute Cohort Consortium, comprising 654,827 individuals, 21-90 y of age. Physical activity was categorized by metabolic equivalent hours per week (MET-h/wk). Life expectancies and years of life gained/lost were calculated using direct adjusted survival curves (for participants 40+ years of age), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) derived by bootstrap. The study includes a median 10 y of follow-up and 82,465 deaths. A physical activity level of 0.1-3.74 MET-h/wk, equivalent to brisk walking for up to 75 min/wk, was associated with a gain of 1.8 (95% CI: 1.6-2.0) y in life expectancy relative to no leisure time activity (0 MET-h/wk). Higher levels of physical activity were associated with greater gains in life expectancy, with a gain of 4.5 (95% CI: 4.3-4.7) y at the highest level (22.5+ MET-h/wk, equivalent to brisk walking for 450+ min/wk). Substantial gains were also observed in each BMI group. In joint analyses, being active (7.5+ MET-h/wk) and normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9) was associated with a gain of 7.2 (95% CI: 6.5-7.9) y of life compared to being inactive (0 MET-h/wk) and obese (BMI 35.0+). A limitation was that physical activity and BMI were ascertained by self report.
More leisure time physical activity was associated with longer life expectancy across a range of activity levels and BMI groups. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.
To update the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology guideline on pharmacologic interventions for breast cancer (BC) risk reduction.
A systematic review of randomized controlled trials and ...meta-analyses published from June 2007 through June 2012 was completed using MEDLINE and Cochrane Collaboration Library. Primary outcome of interest was BC incidence (invasive and noninvasive). Secondary outcomes included BC mortality, adverse events, and net health benefits. Guideline recommendations were revised based on an Update Committee's review of the literature.
Nineteen articles met the selection criteria. Six chemoprevention agents were identified: tamoxifen, raloxifene, arzoxifene, lasofoxifene, exemestane, and anastrozole.
In women at increased risk of BC age ≥ 35 years, tamoxifen (20 mg per day for 5 years) should be discussed as an option to reduce the risk of estrogen receptor (ER) -positive BC. In postmenopausal women, raloxifene (60 mg per day for 5 years) and exemestane (25 mg per day for 5 years) should also be discussed as options for BC risk reduction. Those at increased BC risk are defined as individuals with a 5-year projected absolute risk of BC ≥ 1.66% (based on the National Cancer Institute BC Risk Assessment Tool or an equivalent measure) or women diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ. Use of other selective ER modulators or other aromatase inhibitors to lower BC risk is not recommended outside of a clinical trial. Health care providers are encouraged to discuss the option of chemoprevention among women at increased BC risk. The discussion should include the specific risks and benefits associated with each chemopreventive agent.
Life expectancy among people with HIV (PWH) is increasing, making chronic conditions-including cancer-increasingly relevant. Among PWH, cancer burden has shifted from AIDS-defining cancers (ADCs) ...toward non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs).
We described incidence of cancer in a claims-based cohort of Medicaid beneficiaries. We included 43,426,043 Medicaid beneficiaries (180,058 with HIV) from 14 US states, aged 18-64, with >6 months of enrollment (with no dual enrollment in another insurance) and no evidence of a prveious cancer.
We estimated cumulative incidence of site-specific cancers, NADCs, and ADCs, by baseline HIV status, using age as the time scale and accounting for death as a competing risk. We compared cumulative incidence across HIV status to estimate risk differences. We examined cancer incidence overall and by sex, race/ethnicity, and calendar period.
PWH had a higher incidence of ADCs, infection-related NADCs, and death. For NADCs such as breast, prostate, and colon cancer, incidence was similar or higher among PWH below age 50, but higher among those without HIV by age 65. Incidence of lung and head and neck cancer was always higher for female beneficiaries with HIV, whereas the curves crossed for male beneficiaries. We saw only small differences in incidence trends by race/ethnicity.
Our findings suggest an increased risk of certain NADCs at younger ages among PWH, even when compared against other Medicaid beneficiaries, and highlight the importance of monitoring PWH for ADCs and NADCs. Future work should explore possible mechanisms explaining the differences in incidence for specific cancer types.
Higher adiposity increases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), but whether this relationship varies by anatomical sub-site or by sex is unclear. Further, the metabolic alterations mediating the ...effects of adiposity on CRC are not fully understood.
We examined sex- and site-specific associations of adiposity with CRC risk and whether adiposity-associated metabolites explain the associations of adiposity with CRC. Genetic variants from genome-wide association studies of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR, unadjusted for BMI; N = 806,810), and 123 metabolites from targeted nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics (N = 24,925), were used as instruments. Sex-combined and sex-specific Mendelian randomization (MR) was conducted for BMI and WHR with CRC risk (58,221 cases and 67,694 controls in the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium, Colorectal Cancer Transdisciplinary Study, and Colon Cancer Family Registry). Sex-combined MR was conducted for BMI and WHR with metabolites, for metabolites with CRC, and for BMI and WHR with CRC adjusted for metabolite classes in multivariable models.
In sex-specific MR analyses, higher BMI (per 4.2 kg/m
) was associated with 1.23 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08, 1.38) times higher CRC odds among men (inverse-variance-weighted (IVW) model); among women, higher BMI (per 5.2 kg/m
) was associated with 1.09 (95% CI = 0.97, 1.22) times higher CRC odds. WHR (per 0.07 higher) was more strongly associated with CRC risk among women (IVW OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.43) than men (IVW OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.81, 1.36). BMI or WHR was associated with 104/123 metabolites at false discovery rate-corrected P ≤ 0.05; several metabolites were associated with CRC, but not in directions that were consistent with the mediation of positive adiposity-CRC relations. In multivariable MR analyses, associations of BMI and WHR with CRC were not attenuated following adjustment for representative metabolite classes, e.g., the univariable IVW OR for BMI with CRC was 1.12 (95% CI = 1.00, 1.26), and this became 1.11 (95% CI = 0.99, 1.26) when adjusting for cholesterol in low-density lipoprotein particles.
Our results suggest that higher BMI more greatly raises CRC risk among men, whereas higher WHR more greatly raises CRC risk among women. Adiposity was associated with numerous metabolic alterations, but none of these explained associations between adiposity and CRC. More detailed metabolomic measures are likely needed to clarify the mechanistic pathways.
Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate found in cruciferous vegetables, is a potent inhibitor of experimental mammary carcinogenesis and may be an effective, safe chemopreventive agent for use in ...humans. SFN acts in part on the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway to regulate a battery of cytoprotective genes. In this study, transcriptomic and proteomic changes in the estrogen receptor negative, non-tumorigenic human breast epithelial MCF10A cell line were analyzed following SFN treatment or KEAP1 knockdown with siRNA using microarray and stable isotopic labeling with amino acids in culture (SILAC), respectively. Changes in selected transcripts and proteins were confirmed by PCR and Western blot in MCF10A and MCF12A cells. There was strong correlation between the transcriptomic and proteomic responses in both the SFN treatment (
R
= 0.679,
P
< 0.05) and KEAP1 knockdown (
R
= 0.853,
P
< 0.05) experiments. Common pathways for SFN treatment and KEAP1 knockdown were xenobiotic metabolism and antioxidants, glutathione metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and NADH/NADPH regeneration. Moreover, these pathways were most prominent in both the transcriptomic and the proteomic analyses. The aldo–keto reductase family members, AKR1B10, AKR1C1, AKR1C2 and AKR1C3, as well as NQO1 and ALDH3A1, were highly upregulated at both the transcriptomic and the proteomic levels. Collectively, these studies served to identify potential biomarkers that can be used in clinical trials to investigate the initial pharmacodynamic action of SFN in the breast.
Objective
Obesity is a known risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC) and adenoma. Obese individuals have higher circulating concentrations of certain endocrine and immune factors produced by ...adipocytes thought to partially underlie the association between obesity and colorectal neoplasia. Thus, we evaluated the association of plasma concentrations of adiponectin, leptin, and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-2 (sTNFR2) with CRC and adenoma.
Methods
We ascertained 193 CRC cases and 193 matched controls, and 131 colorectal adenoma cases and 131 matched controls who had had an endoscopy nested in the CLUE II cohort of Washington County, MD. Plasma markers were measured using ELISA. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated from conditional logistic regression for quartiles of the plasma markers separately for CRC and adenoma.
Results
Adjusting for leptin and adiponectin, sTNFR2 was positively associated with CRC only in men (Q4 vs. Q1: OR = 3.14, 95% CI 1.11–8.86), which was unchanged adjusting for BMI (3.46, 95% CI 1.19–10.06). Leptin and adiponectin were not associated with CRC risk overall or in men or women. Adiponectin, leptin, and sTNFR2 were not associated with adenoma risk overall or in men or women.
Conclusion
In this study, leptin and adiponectin were not associated with colorectal carcinogenesis and thus do not appear to underlie the association between obesity and colorectal carcinogenesis. sTNFR2, which we measured as a correlate of TNF-α, was positively associated with CRC in men adjusting for BMI, suggesting that TNF-α may influence colorectal carcinogenesis independent of adipocyte production.