A comparative study of Merkel cell carcinoma and melanoma incidence and survival in the United States, 2000-2021.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) and melanoma are important contributors to skin cancer mortality in the United States. We evaluated their epidemiology using US cancer registry data. During 2000-2021, 19,444 MCCs and 646,619 melanomas of the skin were diagnosed.

Merkel Cell Carcinoma and Immunosuppression, UV Radiation, and Merkel Cell Polyomavirus.

Importance: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare but aggressive skin cancer. Quantifying the contribution of major potentially modifiable risk factors to the burden of MCC may inform prevention efforts.

Objective: To estimate the population attributable fraction of MCC cases in the US that were attributable to major immunosuppressing conditions (eg, HIV, solid organ transplant, chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL]), ambient UV radiation [UVR] exposure, and Merkel cell polyomavirus [MCPyV]).

Differences in Trends in Cancer Incidence Rates Among People with HIV during 2001-2019 By Race and Ethnicity and By Risk Group in the United States.

Background: Cancer risk among people with HIV (PWH) has declined over time as a result of antiretroviral therapy, but it is unclear whether all racial/ethnic groups and transmission risk groups have experienced equal declines.

Methods: We used data on PWH aged ≥20 years old from the HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study during 2001-2019. We used Poisson regression to assess time trends in incidence rates for each cancer site by racial/ethnicity and risk group, adjusting for age, registry, and sex.

The burden of COVID-19 mortality among solid organ transplant recipients in the United States.

Solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) have a heightened risk of adverse coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes because of immunosuppression and medical comorbidity. We quantified the burden of COVID-19 mortality in United States (US) SOTRs. A sample of deaths documented in the US solid organ transplant registry from June 2020 through December 2022 was linked to the National Death Index to identify COVID-19 deaths and weighted to represent all SOTR deaths during the study period.

Cure models, survival probabilities, and solid organ transplantation for patients with colorectal cancer.

A previous cancer diagnosis can preclude patients from consideration for solid organ transplantation. Statistical models may improve candidate selection. We fitted statistical cure models and estimated 5-year cancer-specific survival (5yCSS) for colorectal cancer patients in the United States using registry data.

Cumulative incidence estimates for solid tumors after HCT in the CIBMTR and California Cancer Registry.

Compared with the general population, hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) survivors are at elevated risk for developing solid subsequent neoplasms (SNs). The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) is a key resource for quantifying solid SN incidence following HCT, but the completeness of SN ascertainment is uncertain. Within a cohort of 18 450 CIBMTR patients linked to the California Cancer Registry (CCR), we evaluated the completeness of solid SN data reported to the CIBMTR from 1991 to 2018 to understand the implications of using CIBMTR data alone or combined with CCR data to quantify the burden of solid SNs after HCT.

Associations between eosinophils and cancer risk in the UK Biobank.

Eosinophils exhibit anti-tumor cytotoxic responses in the tumor microenvironment and may contribute to tumor immunosurveillance. To assess the relationship between circulating eosinophils and cancer risk, we analyzed data from 443,542 adults aged 38-73 in the UK Biobank, who were initially cancer-free, had over a year of follow-up, and baseline white blood cell count measurements. Using multivariable Cox regression, we estimated hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for each quartile increase in absolute eosinophil count (AEC) across 58 cancer types, adjusting for relevant confounders.

White Blood Cell Count, Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio, and Incident Cancer in the UK Biobank.

Background: The peripheral white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) reflect levels of inflammation and adaptive immunity. They are associated with cancer prognosis, but their associations with cancer incidence are not established.

Methods: We evaluated 443,540 cancer-free adults in the UK Biobank with data on total WBC and its subsets, follow-up starting one year after baseline.

Outcomes in solid organ transplant recipients with a pretransplant diagnosis of melanoma.

Melanoma causes significant morbidity in solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs). Melanomas diagnosed before transplantation can recur with intensive immunosuppression, but outcomes have not been well studied. We evaluated 901 non-Hispanic White SOTRs with a pretransplant melanoma identified using linked transplant and cancer registry data in the United States.

Survival by sex and HIV status in patients with anal cancer in the USA between 2001 and 2019: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The risk of anal cancer is increased among people with HIV, particularly men who have sex with men. Estimating survival by HIV status and sex and identifying groups at high risk is crucial for documenting prognostic differences between populations. We aimed to compare all-cause and anal cancer-specific survival in patients with anal cancer with and without HIV, stratified by sex, and to identify predictors of survival, stratified by HIV status.

Sex differences in cancer incidence among solid organ transplant recipients.

Background: Males have 2-3-fold greater risk of cancer than females at most shared anatomic sites, possibly reflecting enhanced immune surveillance against cancer in females. We examined whether these sex differences remained among immunocompromised adults.

Methods: Using the Transplant Cancer Match (TCM) study, we estimated the male-to-female incidence rate ratio in TCM (M:F IRRTransplant) for 15 cancer sites diagnosed between 1995 and 2017 using Poisson regression.

Real-world use of antiretroviral therapy and risk of cancer among people with HIV in Texas.

Background: Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) may reduce cancer risk among people with HIV (PWH), but cancer-specific associations are incompletely understood.

Methods: We linked HIV and cancer registries in Texas to a national prescription claims database. cART use was quantified as the proportion of days covered (PDC).

Brief Report: The Virome of Bladder Tumors Arising in People Living With HIV.

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) have elevated risk for developing virus-related cancers. Bladder cancer risk is not increased in PLWH but is elevated among immunosuppressed solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs). BK polyomavirus and, to a lesser extent, other viruses have been detected in bladder cancers from SOTRs.

Cancers Attributable to Infections in the US in 2017: A Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Infections are largely modifiable causes of cancer. However, there remains untapped potential for preventing and treating carcinogenic infections in the US.

Objective: To estimate the percentage and number of incident cancers attributable to infections in the US among adults and children for the most recent year cancer incidence data were available (2017).

State of the science and future directions for research on HIV and cancer: Summary of a joint workshop sponsored by IARC and NCI.

An estimated 38 million people live with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide and are at excess risk for multiple cancer types. Elevated cancer risks in people living with HIV (PLWH) are driven primarily by increased exposure to carcinogens, most notably oncogenic viruses acquired through shared transmission routes, plus acceleration of viral carcinogenesis by HIV-related immunosuppression. In the era of widespread antiretroviral therapy (ART), life expectancy of PLWH has increased, with cancer now a leading cause of co-morbidity and death.

Autoimmune disease and the risk of anal cancer in the US population aged 66 years and over.

Background: In the United States, anal squamous cell carcinoma rates have increased rapidly, particularly among women 50 or older than 66 years of age. As immunosuppression is associated with increased risk, autoimmune conditions may be associated with greater risk of anal squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: We conducted a population-based, case-control study using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data (2000-2017).

Severe anal intraepithelial neoplasia trends and subsequent invasive anal cancer in the United States.

Background: Anal intraepithelial neoplasia grade III is a precursor to squamous cell carcinoma of the anus for which rates are nearly 20-fold higher in people with HIV than in the general population in the United States. We describe trends in anal intraepithelial neoplasia grade III diagnosis and risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus following anal intraepithelial neoplasia grade III by HIV status and sex.

Methods: We used data from a population-based linkage between cancer and HIV registries in 11 US states; Puerto Rico; and Washington, DC, during 1996-2019.

Risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in people with HIV in the United States, 2001-2019.

Background: People with HIV have higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma than the general population, partly because of higher prevalence of coinfection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Methods: We calculated standardized incidence ratios for hepatocellular carcinoma in people with HIV by comparing rates from people with HIV in the HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study, a population-based HIV and cancer registry linkage, to those in the general population. We used multivariable Poisson regression to estimate adjusted incidence rate ratios among people with HIV and linked the Texas HIV registry with medical claims data to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of HBV and HCV in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with logistic regression.