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Background: The objective of this study was to estimate probabilities of cancer-specific death and competing death for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In addition, we attempted to construct competing risk nomograms to predict prognosis for patients with HNSCC using a large population-based cohort., Methods: Patients diagnosed with nonmetastatic HNSCC between 2000 and 2010 were identified from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Program to form the analytic cohort. We estimated cumulative incident function (CIF) of cancer-specific mortality and competing mortality. Nomograms for predicting probability of death were built with proportional subdistribution hazard models., Results: The study cohort included 23,494 patients with HNSCC. The 5-year CIF for cancer-specific death and competing death were 26.7 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 26-27.3 %) and 12.7 % (95 % CI 12.2-13.3 %), respectively; 10-year CIF were 32.8 % (95 % CI 31.9-33.6 %) and 23 % (95 % CI 22.1-24 %), respectively. On multivariate analysis, increasing cause-specific mortality was associated with increasing age, increasing tumor size, black race, single status, advanced T and N classifications, and high tumor grade. Increasing probability of competing mortality had a relationship with increasing age, male, black race, single status and nonradiotherapy. Models showed good accuracy with c-index of 0.73 for cause-specific mortality model and 0.69 for competing mortality model., Conclusions: We constructed competing risk nomograms for HNSCC using population-based data. The model used for building nomograms represented good performance. These nomograms can serve to guide management of patients with HNSCC.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the probability of death for patients with thyroid cancer and construct a comprehensive nomogram based on a competing risks model to predict cumulative incidence of death resulting from thyroid cancer, other cancers, and non-cancer-related causes., Patients and Methods: Patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer between 1988 and 2003 were selected for the study from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. We estimated probabilities of death resulting from thyroid cancer, other cancers, and noncancer causes and analyzed associations of patient and tumor characteristics with probability of death. A nomogram for predicting probability of death was built using a proportional subdistribution hazard competing risks model., Results: The entire cohort comprised 29,225 patients with malignant thyroid cancer. Median duration of follow-up until censoring or death was 85 months (range, 0 to 239 months). Five-year probabilities of death resulting from thyroid cancer, other cancer, and noncancer causes were 1.9%, 0.8%, and 1.7%, respectively. Increasing age and tumor size, male sex, poorly differentiated carcinoma, lymph node involvement, and regional and metastatic disease were associated with increased cumulative incidence of death resulting from thyroid cancer., Conclusion: A nomogram based on a competing risks model was developed for predicting the probability of death for patients with thyroid cancer. Performance of the model was excellent. This nomogram may be useful for patients and clinicians when predictions are needed.

Recent studies have demonstrated that cell populations intended for therapeutic purposes that are cultured in heterologous animal products can acquire xenoantigens, potentially limiting their utility. In investigations of the immune response to murine embryonic stem cells, we found that a strong antibody response was generated after the second infusion. Both polyclonal and monoclonal antibody responses, derived from immunized mice, were found to be specific for bovine apolipoprotein B-100, which binds to abundant low-density lipoprotein receptors on the cell surface and is internalized. Here we show that in the majority of patients administered 3 different types of cell-based therapies using cells grown in fetal calf serum-containing media, an antibody response to bovine apolipoprotein B-100 develops after the second infusion and is the dominant specificity. The known and potential clinical effects of such antibodies are discussed.