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ObjectiveTo provide population-based estimates of other-cause mortality by age and comorbidity in men with prostate cancer for use at the point of care in shared decision making.Materials and methodsWe sampled 3183 men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer from the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study, a US population-based prospective cohort. Survival analysis accounting for competing risks was used to provide predictions of other-cause and cancer-specific mortality by age, comorbidity, and tumor risk through 14 years of follow-up.ResultsOlder men had a higher absolute risk of other-cause mortality associated with comorbidity. For men with comorbidity counts of 0, 1, 2, and 3+, cumulative incidence of other-cause mortality at 14 years was 9%, 18%, 30%, and 35% for those younger than 60 years; 26%, 26%, and 48%, and 52% for those aged 60-70 years; and 49%, 57%, 66%, and 74% for those older than 70 years. Prostate cancer mortality at 14 years was 5%, 8%, and 23% for men with low-, intermediate-, and high-risk disease. Competing risk pictograms for each age/comorbidity/tumor-risk pair provide visual characterization of these risks over time.ConclusionOur survival tables may be used at the point of care as part of shared decision making. Men aged >60 years with multiple comorbidities have substantial risk of other-cause mortality within 15 years of diagnosis and should consider conservative management for low-risk disease, given its low incidence of cancer-specific mortality. Men with high-risk disease, regardless of age or comorbidity, are at greater risk for cancer mortality and may still be appropriate candidates for aggressive treatment.

BackgroundBeyond age and comorbidity, functionality can shape the long-term survival potential of patients with cancer. Accordingly, herein the authors compared mortality and receipt of cancer-directed surgery according to patient function among older adults with kidney cancer.MethodsUsing Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data from 2000 through 2009, the authors studied 28,326 elderly subjects with primary kidney cancer. Patient function was quantified using function-related indicators, claims indicative of dysfunction and disability. Adjusting for patient and cancer characteristics, competing risk regression was used to assess the relationship between function-related indicator count and cause-specific mortality and then generalized estimating equations were used to quantify the probability of surgery.ResultsA total of 13,619 adult patients (48.1%) with at least 1 function-related indicator were identified. A higher indicator category was associated with older age, greater comorbidity, female sex, unmarried status, lower socioeconomic status, and higher stage of disease (P<.001). Compared with patients with an indicator count of 0, those with an indicator count of 1 (hazard ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.04-1.16) and ≥2 (hazard ratio, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.39-1.53) were found to have higher other-cause mortality. Conversely, kidney cancer mortality varied minimally with patient function. Patients with ≥ 2 indicators received cancer-directed surgery less often than those without disability (odds ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.56-0.66), although treatment probabilities remained high for patients with locoregional disease and low for those with metastatic cancer.ConclusionsAmong older adults with kidney cancer, functional health stands as a significant predictor of long-term survival. However, receipt of cancer-directed surgery appears largely determined by cancer stage. Patient function should be considered more heavily when determin

BackgroundMultiple recurrences develop in patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. As neither the association of recurrences with survival nor the subsequent aggressive treatment in individuals with recurrent high-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer has ever been quantified, we sought to determine whether the increasing number of recurrences is associated with higher subsequent treatment and mortality rates.MethodsUsing linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data, we identified subjects with recurrent high-grade, non-muscle-invasive disease diagnosed in 1992 to 2002 and followed up until 2007. Using competing-risks regression analyses, we quantified the incidence of radical cystectomy, radiotherapy, and systemic chemotherapy after each recurrence. We then performed a propensity-score adjusted competing-risks regression analysis to determine whether the increasing recurrences portend worse survival.ResultsOf 4,521 subjects, 2,694 (59.6%) had multiple recurrences within 2 years of diagnosis. Compared with patients who only had 1 recurrence, those with ≥ 4 recurrences were less likely to undergo radical cystectomy (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.58-0.92), yet more likely to undergo radiotherapy (HR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.23-1.85) and systemic chemotherapy (HR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.15-2.18). For patients with ≥ 4 recurrences, only 25% were treated with curative intent. The 10-year cancer-specific mortality rates were 6.9%, 9.7%, 13.7%, and 15.7% for those with 1, 2, 3, and ≥ 4 recurrences, respectively.ConclusionsOnly 25% of patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer who experienced recurrences at least 4 times underwent radical cystectomy or radiotherapy. Despite portending worse outcomes, increasing recurrences do not necessarily translate into higher treatment rates.

ObjectiveTo understand the health care access issues faced by Los Angeles (LA) County's uninsured and residually uninsured after implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to identify potential solutions using a community-partnered dialogue.DesignQualitative study using a community-partnered participatory research framework.SettingCommunity forum breakout discussion.DiscussantsRepresentatives from LA County health care agencies, community health care provider organizations, local community advocacy and service organizations including uninsured individuals, and the county school district.Main outcome measuresKey structural and overarching value themes identified through community-partnered pile sort, c-coefficients measuring overlap between themes.ResultsFive overarching value themes were identified - knowledge, trust, quality, partnership, and solutions. Lack of knowledge and misinformation were identified as barriers to successful enrollment of the eligible uninsured and providing health care to undocumented individuals. Discussants noted dissatisfaction with the quality of traditional sources of health care and a broken cycle of trust and disengagement. They also described inherent trust by the uninsured in "outsider" community-based providers not related to quality.ConclusionsImproving health care for the residually uninsured after ACA implementation will require addressing dissatisfaction in safety-net providers, disseminating knowledge and providing health care through trusted nontraditional sources, and using effective and trusted partnerships between community and health care agencies with mutual respect. Community-academic partnerships can be a trusted conduit to discuss issues related to the health care of vulnerable populations.

BackgroundMuscle sampling is often used as a surrogate for staging quality in patients with bladder cancer. The association of staging quality at diagnosis and survival was examined among patients with bladder cancer.MethodsThe clinical records of all individuals within the Los Angeles Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry with an incident diagnosis of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer in 2004-2005 were reviewed. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, staging quality (presence of muscle in the specimen and mention of muscle in the pathology report), and vital status were recorded. With mixed-effects and competing-risks regression analyses, the association of patient and tumor characteristics with staging quality and cancer-specific survival was quantified.ResultsThe sample included 1865 patients, 335 urologists, and 27 pathologists. Muscle was reported to be present in 972 (52.1%), was reported to be absent in 564 (30.2%), and was not mentioned in 329 (17.7%) of the initial pathology reports. The presence of muscle did not differ according to the grade or depth of invasion. Mortality was associated with staging quality (P < .05). Among patients with high-grade disease, the 5-year cancer-specific mortality rates were 7.6%, 12.1%, and 18.8% when muscle was present, absent, and not mentioned, respectively.ConclusionsThe omission of muscle in the specimen or its mention in the pathology report in nearly half of all diagnostic resections was associated with increased mortality, particularly in patients with high-grade disease. Because urologists cannot reliably discern between high- and low-grade or Ta and T1 disease, it is contended that patients with bladder cancer should undergo adequate muscle sampling at the time of endoscopic resection.