Publications by authors named "Elizabeth Molina Kuna"

Article Synopsis
  • Small cell prostate cancer (SCPC) is a rare, aggressive cancer with limited treatment guidelines, prompting this study to assess patient data and outcomes.
  • The study analyzed 74 patients treated between 2010-2023, finding that most had metastatic disease and the primary treatment was platinum chemotherapy plus etoposide, with a median overall survival of 8.3 months for those with metastatic SCPC.
  • Results showed that cisplatin plus etoposide improved survival over carboplatin plus etoposide, but there is no clear consensus on the best treatment, highlighting the need for further research in real-world clinical practices.
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Background: In metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), androgen deprivation therapy and standard of care treatment intensification with docetaxel and/or an androgen receptor signaling inhibitor (ARSI) are associated with improved survival outcomes for appropriate patients.

Methods: This retrospective study selected patients with de novo mHSPC diagnosed between 2014 and 2023 from CancerLinQ Discovery®, a United States (US)-based, de-identified clinical database. Patient-level data, including clinical characteristics, treatments, and demographics, were collected from CancerLinQ.

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Objective: To determine whether neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) vs dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (ddMVAC) before radical cystectomy improves overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and pathologic complete response (pCR) for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer with secondary analyses of pathological downstaging and toxicity.

Materials And Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis identified studies of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with neoadjuvant GC compared to ddMVAC from PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE. Random-effect models for pooled log-transformed hazard ratios (HR) for OS and PFS and pooled odds ratios for pCR and downstaging were developed using the generic inverse variance method and Mantel-Haenszel method, respectively.

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Introduction: To investigate the actual cost of hematuria evaluation using nationally representative claims data, given that the workup for hematuria burdens the healthcare system with significant associated costs. We hypothesized that evaluation with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) confers more cost to hematuria evaluation than renal ultrasound (US).

Methods: Using a national, privately insured database (MarketScan), we identified all individuals with an incident diagnosis of hematuria.

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Delays in diagnosis and time to diagnosis generally are used interchangeably in cancer disparity research, but these terms may have important differences. Although these terms are related, we hypothesize that time to diagnosis is determined by the aggressiveness of the tumor based on intrinsic factors such as tumor biology, whereas delays in diagnosis are caused by extrinsic factors such as socioeconomic status, leading to presentation at higher stage of disease due to barriers of care. We conducted a retrospective study of 306 patients diagnosed with Wilms tumor at Children's Hospital Colorado between 1971 and 2016 identifying patient barriers as extrinsic markers and using unfavorable histology and loss of heterozygosity as markers of aggressive tumor biology.

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Purpose: A medical record-level cohort study to investigate demographic and socioeconomic factors influencing treatment, timing of care, and survival outcomes in pediatric patients diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) tumors.

Methods: Using electronic health records of patients at Children's Hospital Colorado from 1986-2020, we identified 898 patients treated for CNS tumors. The primary outcomes of interest were 5-year survival, timing of diagnosis, and treatment.

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Purpose: Electronic health records (EHR) and data warehouses contain large amounts of data that hold promise for understanding and improving population health management. Utilizing the Health Data Compass (HDC) warehouse, a comprehensive and novel database of adult Coloradans who have completed curative-intent cancer treatment within a health care system was created. By analyzing patient demographics and health care utilization among this group, gaps in and barriers to coordinated care post-active cancer treatment may be identified and better understood.

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Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is more aggressive as compared to other subtypes of breast cancer with characteristic metastatic patterns and a poor prognosis. The standard of care for early-stage TNBC is historically anthracycline and taxane-based chemotherapy (ATAX). Despite the effectiveness of this regimen, anthracyclines carry a small but important risk of cardiotoxicity, which is specifically a concern in the older population.

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