Search

Aim: To estimate the risk of cancer incidence and mortality among patients with alcoholic liver disease in South Korea. Methods: A matched cohort study was conducted, including 1,042,185 men (alcoholic liver disease cases: 208,437; controls: 833,748) and 100,400 women (alcoholic liver disease cases: 20,080; controls: 80,320), matched for sex, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index at a 1:4 ratio. The risk of cancer incidence and mortality in the alcoholic liver disease group was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: Both men and women with alcoholic liver disease had an elevated risk of all‐cancer and liver cancer incidence and mortality in comparison with the control group. In men, alcoholic liver disease was associated with a significantly higher risk of development of 10 cancer types, including lip, oral cavity, and pharynx; esophagus; liver; gallbladder and biliary tract; pancreas; larynx; lung; kidney; thyroid gland; and leukemia. Subgroup analysis by hepatitis B and C infection showed increased hazard ratios of all cancer incidences and mortality in the alcoholic liver disease group, regardless of hepatitis B or C infection status. In both sexes, a higher number and more years of hospital or clinic visits for alcoholic liver disease were associated with an increased risk of incidence and mortality from all cancers and liver cancer. A more profound dose–response relationship between alcoholic liver disease and alcohol consumption was observed in women than in men. Conclusions: Our findings emphasize the need for a clinical surveillance program and the early detection of cancer in patients with alcoholic liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We hypothesized that lower socioeconomic status (SES) was associated with higher all‐cause mortality in patients newly diagnosed with cancer, particularly in the elderly population. Methods: We collected study patients from the stratified random sample of Korean National Health Insurance Elderly Cohort (2002‐2015). The Cox's proportional hazards model was used to investigate the risk factors for mortality. Income level and composite deprivation index (CDI) 2010 were used to define the SES: low, intermediate, and high SES groups. The comorbidities were measured using Charlson Comorbidity Index score. After a wash‐out period (2002), the final study population was 108 626 (2003‐2015). Results: In multivariate analysis, low SES was associated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.05‐1.12, P < 0.001) and cancer‐specific survival (CSS) (HR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.06‐1.16, P < 0.001) particularly for patients aged 70‐79 years. High SES was favorable prognostic factor of OS in patients aged 60‐69 years (HR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.81‐0.89, P < 0.001), 70‐79 years (HR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.87‐0.93, P < 0.001), and ≥80 years (HR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.87‐0.96, P < 0.001). However, SES was not associated with CSS in advanced age patients (≥80 years). Patients with low SES manifesting colorectal, urinary, liver, gastric, melanoma, and esophageal cancers demonstrated worse OS, compared to patients with intermediate SES. Also, low SES patients with urinary, liver, or colorectal cancers or melanoma demonstrated worse CSS compared to those with intermediate SES. Conclusion: Low SES at the time of cancer diagnosis is associated with increased risk of OS and CSS in elderly patients. Depending on cancer sites, different patterns of OS and CSS were observed according to SES. Further elucidation of the causes underlying these phenomena is needed along with appropriate support for elderly cancer patients with low SES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]