Publications by authors named "Chun Chao"

Case-control studies of sun exposure and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) have consistently reported inverse associations with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk, but prospective studies have yielded mixed results. Few studies have explored these exposures in relation to multiple myeloma (MM) risk. To further evaluate these associations with NHL and MM risk and identify etiologically relevant exposure timing, we pooled data on 566,693 individuals from 6 United States (U.

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Importance: Little is known about the nature of change in goals of care (GOC) over time among adolescents and younger adult (AYA) patients aged 12 to 39 years with cancer near the end of life. Understanding how GOC evolve may guide clinicians in supporting AYA patients in making end-of-life decisions.

Objective: To assess frequency, timing, and evolution of documented GOC among AYA patients with cancer in the last 90 days of life.

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Background: Guidelines now recommend initiating colorectal cancer (CRC) screening at age 45 years rather than 50 years, but little is known about screening completion and yield among people aged 45 to 49 years.

Objective: To evaluate fecal immunochemical test (FIT) completion and yield in patients aged 45 to 49 versus 50 years.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

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Introduction: In 2018, the US Preventive Services Task Force updated cervical cancer screening recommendations to allow for screening every 5 years with primary human papillomavirus (HPV) testing in combination with cytology (cotesting) or every 5 years with primary HPV screening alone. Despite these changes, the uptake of primary HPV screening has been lower than expected. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the patient perspective of an integrated health system transition from cotesting to primary HPV testing among a 30- to 65-year-old cohort.

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Background: Disparities in ovarian cancer survival for African American women are multifactorial. We evaluated racial and ethnic differences in time to ovarian cancer surgery in members of an integrated health care system.

Patients And Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we identified women diagnosed with invasive epithelial-type ovarian cancer between January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2014, at an integrated health care system in the United States.

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The weathering hypothesis proposes that marginalized people experience faster biologic aging due to cumulative stress which translates to chronic disease disparities. We assessed telomere length (TL) differences, an aging biomarker, by sexual orientation (bisexual, gay/lesbian, straight) among 102,258 individuals enrolled in the Resource for Genetic Epidemiology Research on Aging Cohort during 2008 through 2011 (mean age of 60.6 years, 58% female, and 7.

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Current clinical guidelines recommended primary human papillomavirus (HPV) screening for cervical cancer testing. Previous studies reported patient-level barriers (e.g.

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Background: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer have historically been understudied. Few studies have examined survival disparities associated with racial/ethnic and socioeconomic status (SES) and do not account for the influence of insurance status and access to care. We evaluated the association of SES and race/ethnicity with overall mortality for AYA patients who were members of an integrated health system with relatively equal access to care.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The AYA Horizon Study analyzed cancer treatment patterns and birth outcomes for 555 individuals diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy, compared to 2,667 matched individuals without cancer.
  • - The study found that cancer diagnosis during pregnancy significantly increased risks of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and cesarean deliveries, while no link was found with low Apgar scores.
  • - A significant portion of patients received chemotherapy (41%), with many starting during pregnancy, and most underwent surgery (86%), whereas radiation treatment occurred only after pregnancy.
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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the associations between neighborhood income, education, and neighborhood racial composition (measured as a low percentage of white residents) and risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes (DM), and severe depression among survivors of AYA cancer and matched non-cancer peers.

Methods: Two-year survivors of AYA cancers diagnosed at age 15-39 yrs at Kaiser Permanente Southern California (diagnosed 2000-2012) and individually matched (1:13) non-cancer subjects were included. The development of CVD, DM, and severe depression was ascertained via electronic health records.

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Introduction: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed critical challenges in providing care to ovarian cancer (OC) patients, including delays in OC diagnosis and treatment initiation. To accommodate for delays in OC surgery, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) recommended preferential use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy during the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of the COVID-19 pandemic with neoadjuvant chemotherapy use in patients diagnosed with OC.

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Accurately identifying life-threatening prostate cancer (PCa) at time of diagnosis remains an unsolved problem. We evaluated whether DNA methylation status of selected candidate genes can predict the risk of metastasis beyond clinical risk factors in men with untreated PCa. A nested case-control study was conducted among men diagnosed with localized PCa at Kaiser Permanente California between 01/01/1997-12/31/2006 who did not receive curative treatments.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study investigated how adolescents and young adults with cancer received different types of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, in their last 90 days of life between 2009 and 2019.
  • Out of 1,836 patients, 35% received chemotherapy, while 24% got targeted therapy, 7% immunotherapy, and 5% investigational drugs, showing a trend toward increased use of these therapies over time.
  • Over 50% of the patients received at least one form of systemic cancer-directed therapy in their last three months, highlighting the need to align treatment decisions with the patients' preferences during advanced illness.
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Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), a common complication in cancer patients, occurs more often during the initial phase of treatment. However, information on VTE beyond the first two years after diagnosis ('late VTE') is scarce, particularly in young survivors.

Methods: We examined the risk of, and factors associated with, late VTE among adolescents and young adults (AYA, 15-39 years) diagnosed with cancer (2006-2018) who survived ≥2 years.

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Article Synopsis
  • Many adolescent and young adult (AYA) women diagnosed with cancer desire biological children but often lack information about how their cancer history may affect fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
  • A study analyzed the birth outcomes of 1,648 births from AYA cancer survivors compared to 7,879 births from women without cancer, focusing on risks like preterm birth, low birth weight, and small for gestational age.
  • Results indicated that while most outcomes were similar between groups, women with gynecologic cancers had a higher risk of low birth weight and a suggested increased risk of preterm birth, but chemotherapy was not linked to worse outcomes.
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Background: Little evidence exists to guide continuation of screening beyond the recommended ages of national guidelines for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, although increasing age and comorbidity burden is likely to reduce the screening benefit of lower mortality.

Objective: Characterize screening after recommended stopping ages, by age and comorbidities in a large, diverse sample.

Design: Serial cross-sectional.

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Background: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with advanced cancer identify maintaining a good quality of life (QoL) as a central goal of end-of-life care. QoL is a dynamic and subjective overarching concept that refers to an individual's relative satisfaction with their own life. Despite its importance to AYAs with advanced cancer, a patient-centered definition of QoL is lacking in this population.

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There are an estimated 650,00 survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancers in the United States, a number that is expected to markedly increase in the coming decades. The recognition of the potential for some cancer treatments to affect the health of patients for many years after the initial diagnosis has prompted investigators to examine the evolving burden of late morbidity and mortality in AYAs with cancer after treatment completion. Studies in large international cohorts of AYA cancer survivors have now shown that the burden of late effects in survivors treated during the past four decades is substantial, affecting the health and well-being of the survivor, health systems' preparedness to meet their health care needs in the future, and societal economic costs that are largely affected by loss of productivity.

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Adolescents, young adults with cancer receive limited psychosocial and spiritual support near death.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the association of comorbidity burden with overall survival, accounting for racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences in patients with cancer.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients newly diagnosed with cancer between 2010 and 2018 were identified from a large health plan in southern California. Cancer registry data were linked with electronic health records (EHR).

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There are >1.9 million survivors of adolescent and young adult cancers (AYA, diagnosed at ages 15-39) living in the U.S.

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Background: We used a genome-wide discovery approach to identify methylation markers associated with metastasis in men with localized prostate cancer (PCa), as better identification of those at high risk of metastasis can inform treatment decision-making.

Methods: We identified men with localized PCa at Kaiser Permanente California (January 1, 1997-December 31, 2006) who did not receive curative treatment and followed them for 10 years to determine metastasis status. Cases were chart review-confirmed metastasis, and controls were matched using density sampling.

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Purpose: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer receive high rates of medically intensive measures at the end of life. This study aimed to characterize the prevalence and timing of conversations about goals of care and advance care planning among AYAs at the end of life as one potential influence on care received.

Methods: This was a review of electronic health data and medical records for 1,929 AYAs age 12-39 years who died after receiving care at one of three sites between 2003 and 2019, including documented conversations about goals of care and advance care planning, and care received.

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Importance: The patient-clinician therapeutic alliance is an important aspect of high-quality cancer care. However, components of the therapeutic alliance in adolescents and young adults (AYAs, aged 12-39 years) with cancer have not been defined.

Objective: To identify components of and barriers to the therapeutic alliance between AYAs, caregivers, and clinicians from the perspective of all key stakeholders.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study examined financial hardships faced by adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors, with a specific focus on the LGBTQ+ demographic, revealing that they experience significantly higher rates of both material and psychological financial hardship compared to their non-LGBTQ+ peers.
  • Using a combination of quantitative analyses and qualitative surveys from 1,635 participants, the research found LGBTQ+ AYAs had an 18% higher chance of material hardship and a 14% higher chance of psychological hardship.
  • The findings suggest a need for targeted interventions aimed at addressing the unique financial challenges faced by LGBTQ+ AYAs, highlighting their status as an overlooked group in discussions of cancer survivorship and financial health.
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