Financial Insolvency as a Risk Factor for Early Mortality Among Patients With Cancer.

Purpose: Patients with cancer are more likely to file for bankruptcy than the general population, but the impact of severe financial distress on health outcomes among patients with cancer is not known.

Methods: We linked Western Washington SEER Cancer Registry records with federal bankruptcy records for the region. By using propensity score matching to account for differences in several demographic and clinical factors between patients who did and did not file for bankruptcy, we then fit Cox proportional hazards models to examine the relationship between bankruptcy filing and survival.

Redactable and auditable data access for bioinformatics research.

Presently, the process of extraction and dissemination of data subsets for research from clinical data warehouses is cumbersome and error prone. Furthermore, large-scale research projects often involve multiple users of the same data extract; each of these users may be authorized to access different data elements and specific subsets of the data extract. Once initial data extraction has been done for a research project, capability to transform the data for individual users and track which data are being accessed by which users in a secure environment is lacking in existing systems.

Is a comparative clinical trial for breast cancer tumor markers to monitor disease recurrence warranted? A value of information analysis.

Background: Breast cancer tumor markers are used by some clinicians to screen for disease recurrence risk. Since there is limited evidence of benefit, additional research may be warranted.

Aim: To assess the potential value of a randomized clinical trial of breast tumor marker testing in routine follow-up of high-risk, stage II-III breast cancer survivors.

Impact of prostate cancer on sexual relationships: a longitudinal perspective on intimate partners' experiences.

Introduction: In this prospective study of localized prostate cancer patients and their partners, we analyzed how partner issues evolve over time, focusing on satisfaction with care, influence of cancer treatment, and its impact on relationship with patient, cancer worry, and personal activities.

Aims: Our study aims were twofold: (i) to determine whether the impact of treatment on patients and partners moderate over time and (ii) if receiving surgery (i.e.