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BACKGROUND:To the authors' knowledge, the survival benefit of local therapy in the setting of advanced prostate cancer remains unknown. The authors investigated whether prostate-directed treatment with either surgery or radiotherapy versus conservative treatment in the setting of locally advanced or metastatic disease was associated with improved survival within a cohort of men from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Breast and Prostate Cancer Data Quality and Patterns of Care Study (CDC POC-BP). METHODS:Men diagnosed with locally advanced (cT3-T4 or N+ and M0) or metastatic prostate cancer were identified. The authors compared survival by treatment type, categorized as conservative (androgen deprivation therapy only) versus aggressive (radical prostatectomy or any type of radiotherapy). Nine-year overall survival and prostate cancer-specific survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine factors independently associated with 9-year prostate cancer-specific survival. RESULTS:For men with advanced, nonmetastatic prostate cancer, conservative treatment alone was associated with a 4 times higher likelihood of prostate cancer mortality compared with men treated with surgery (hazard ratio, 4.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.44-12.14). In contrast, no difference was found between conservative versus aggressive treatment after adjusting for covariates for men with metastatic disease. The 9-year prostate cancer-specific survival rate was 27% for those receiving aggressive treatment versus 24% for men undergoing conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS:The authors did not observe a survival advantage with local therapy in addition to standard androgen deprivation therapy for men with metastatic prostate cancer. However, the results of the current study did affirm advantages in the setting of locally advanced disease. Aggressive local therapy in the setting of metastatic disease needs to be studied carefully before clinical adoption. Cancer 2018;124:1921-8. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

BackgroundThe fertility of adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer can be threatened by treatments, but to the authors' knowledge little is known regarding the extent to which providers discuss this with patients or recommend fertility preservation, or the patient and physician characteristics associated with these interactions.MethodsQuestionnaires from 459 AYA patients with cancer who were diagnosed between 2007 and 2008 and recruited through 7 US population-based cancer registries were analyzed using sex-specific multivariable models. The authors assessed characteristics associated with not discussing therapy effects on fertility or fertility preservation options, and not making fertility preservation arrangements.ResultsMales without a medical oncologist were more likely not to be told that therapy might affect fertility than those with a medical oncologist (male odds ratio [OR], 2.28; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.03-5.00). Individuals without insurance (male OR, 2.91 [95% CI, 1.41-5.91] and female OR, 5.46 [95% CI, 1.59-18.72]); those raising children aged

BackgroundThe authors investigated the prevalence of pretreatment urinary, sexual, hormonal, and bowel dysfunction in a contemporary, population-based prostate cancer cohort. They also explored the associations between baseline function and age, comorbidity, and timing of baseline survey completion with respect to treatment.MethodsThe Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Surgery and Radiation (CEASAR) study is a population-based, prospective cohort study that enrolled 3691 men with incident prostate cancer during 2011 and 2012. Pretreatment function was ascertained using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index-26 (EPIC-26). Data were stratified by age, comorbidity, and timing of baseline survey completion with respect to treatment. Unadjusted and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relations between exposures and pretreatment function.ResultsAfter applying exclusion criteria, the study cohort comprised 3072 men. A strikingly high proportion of men reported inability to obtain erections satisfactory for intercourse (45%) and some degree of urinary incontinence (17%) at baseline. Sexual function was particularly age-sensitive, with patients aged ≤60 years reporting summary scores in excess of 30 points higher than patients aged ≥75 years (P < .001). Compared with the healthiest men, highly comorbid patients reported less favorable function in each domain, including urinary incontinence (summary score, 89.5 vs 74.1; P < .001) and sexual function (summary score, 70.8 vs 32.9; P < .001). Although statistically significant differences in summary scores were identified between patients who completed the baseline questionnaire before treatment (52%) versus after treatment (48%), the absolute differences were small (range, 1-3 points).ConclusionsPatients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer exhibit a wide distribution of pretreatment function. The current data may be used to redefine the population "at risk" for treatment-related harms.

Background: Despite mandated insurance coverage for breast reconstruction following mastectomy, health care costs are increasingly passed on to women through cost-sharing arrangements and high-deductible health plans. In this population-based study, the authors assessed perceived financial and employment declines related to breast reconstruction following mastectomy., Methods: Women with early-stage breast cancer (stages 0-II) diagnosed between July 2013 and May 2015 who underwent mastectomy were identified through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries of Georgia and Los Angeles and were surveyed. Primary outcome measures included patients' appraisal of their financial and employment status after cancer treatment. Multivariable models evaluated the association between breast reconstruction and primary outcomes., Results: Among 883 patients with breast cancer who underwent mastectomy, 44.2% did not undergo breast reconstruction, and 55.8% underwent reconstruction. Overall, 21.9% of the cohort reported being worse off financially since their diagnosis (25.8% with reconstruction vs 16.6% without reconstruction; P = .002). Women who underwent reconstruction reported higher out-of-pocket medical expenses (32.1% vs 15.6% with expenses greater than $5000; P < .001). Reconstruction was independently associated with a perceived decline in financial status (odds ratio, 1.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-3.22; P = .013). Among women who were employed at the time of their diagnosis, there was no association between reconstruction and a perceived decline in employment status (P = .927)., Conclusions: In this diverse cohort of women who underwent mastectomy, those who elected to undergo reconstruction experienced higher out-of-pocket medical expenses and self-reported financial decline. Patients, providers, and policymakers should be aware of the potential financial implications related to reconstruction despite mandatory insurance coverage., (© 2021 American Cancer Society.)

Background: To the authors' knowledge, studies regarding risk perception among survivors of thyroid cancer are scarce., Methods: The authors surveyed patients who were diagnosed with differentiated thyroid cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries of Georgia and Los Angeles County (2632 patients; 63% response rate). The analytic cohort was defined by a ≤5% risk of disease recurrence and mortality (1597 patients). Patients estimated their recurrence and mortality risks separately (increments of 10% and endpoints of ≤5% and ≥95%). Both outcomes were dichotomized between reasonably accurate estimates (risk perception of ≤5% or 10%) versus overestimation (risk perception of ≥20%). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with risk overestimation, and the relationships between overestimation and both worry and quality of life were evaluated., Results: In the current study sample, 24.7% of patients overestimated their recurrence risk and 12.5% overestimated their mortality risk. A lower educational level was associated with overestimating disease recurrence (≤high school diploma: odds ratio [OR], 1.64 [95% CI, 1.16-2.31]; and some college: OR, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.02-1.81]) and mortality (≤high school diploma: OR, 1.86 [95% CI, 1.18-2.93]) risk compared with those attaining at least a college degree. Hispanic ethnicity was found to be associated with overestimating recurrence risk (OR, 1.44, 95% CI 1.02-2.03) compared with their white counterparts. Worry about recurrence and death was found to be greater among patients who overestimated versus those who had a reasonably accurate estimate of their risk of disease recurrence and mortality, respectively (P < .001). Patients who overestimated mortality risk also reported a decreased physical quality of life (mean T score, 43.1; 95% CI, 41.6-44.7) compared with the general population., Conclusions: Less educated patients and Hispanic patients were more likely to report inaccurate risk perceptions, which were associated with worry and a decreased quality of life., (© 2019 American Cancer Society.)