A cohort study of permanently reduced work ability in breast cancer patients.

Purpose: The aims of this cohort study were to explore various longitudinal aspects of employment and disability pension due to permanently reduced work ability among women with breast cancer and to investigate the impact of breast cancer on income.

Patients And Methods: In a national register-based controlled cohort study from Norway, 1,548 women diagnosed with breast cancer (all stages) between 1992 and 1996 at the age 45-54 years and 1,548 cancer-free women matched for age, municipality and civil status were followed for up to 14 years. Medical data from the Cancer Registry of Norway were linked with longitudinal data on employment, social security benefits and socio-demography collected from other national official registries.

Gene variations in sex hormone pathways and the risk of testicular germ cell tumour: a case-parent triad study in a Norwegian-Swedish population.

Background: Testicular germ cell tumour (TGCT) is the most common cancer in young men, and an imbalance between the estrogen and androgen levels in utero is hypothesized to influence TGCT risk. Thus, polymorphisms in genes involved in the action of sex hormones may contribute to variability in an individual's susceptibility to TGCT.

Methods: We conducted a Norwegian-Swedish case-parent study.

Barriers to the implementation of surveillance for stage I testicular seminoma.

Purpose: Postorchiectomy adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for Stage I seminoma can be associated with long-term toxicity, and management strategies with a lower treatment burden achieve the same excellent cure rate. Because studies suggest that radiation oncologists in the United States continue to recommend RT for these patients, we sought to identify factors associated with management recommendations.

Methods And Materials: We conducted a one-time internet-based survey among 491 randomly selected American radiation oncologists self-described as specializing in genitourinary oncology.

Bother problems in prostate cancer patients after curative treatment.

Background: Most previous studies of prostate cancer (CaP) patients have focused on functional side effects. In the decision about treatment, the patients' subjective experience of function (bother) should also be considered. In this prospective study of CaP patients, we used both categorical and dimensional methods to examine changes of sexual, urinary, and bowel bother after robot-assisted prostatectomy (RALP), after high dose radiotherapy alone (RAD), or with adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (RAD + ADT).

Change in employment status of 5-year cancer survivors.

Aims: To follow the employment status of 5-year cancer survivors for 5 years after diagnosis with their first lifetime invasive cancer and to identify socio-demographic, work-related and cancer-related predictors of employment status after 5 years.

Methods: This prospective registry study concerned all 3278 people in Norway (18-61 years old) diagnosed with their first lifetime invasive cancer in 1999 and alive in 2004 and a cancer-free control group (n = 6368) matched by sex, age, educational level and employment status in 1998.

Results: The employment rate among male cancer survivors declined steadily every year, from 94% the year before diagnosis (1998) to 77% 5 years after diagnosis (2004).

Impact of long-term serum platinum concentrations on neuro- and ototoxicity in Cisplatin-treated survivors of testicular cancer.

Purpose: Cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity and ototoxicity (NTX) are important adverse effects after chemotherapy for testicular cancer (TC). Although serum platinum is measurable years after therapy, its impact on NTX has not been evaluated.

Patients And Methods: In all, 169 cisplatin-treated survivors of TC provided blood samples at Survey I and reported NTX during Survey I (1998-2002) and Survey II (2007-2008).

Why do patients with radiation-induced sarcomas have a poor sarcoma-related survival?

Background: This study aims to provide reasons for the poor sarcoma-related survival in patients with radiation-induced sarcoma (RIS).

Methods: We performed a case-control study comparing sarcoma-related survival of 98 patients with RIS to that of 239 sporadic high-grade malignant sarcomas.

Results: The cumulative sarcoma-related 5-year survival was 32% (95% confidence interval (CI): 22-42) for patients with RIS vs 51% (95% CI: 44-58) for controls (P<0.

"The impact of cancer scale" version 1: psychometric testing of the Norwegian translation in a heterogeneous sample of cancer survivors.

Purpose: The impact of cancer scale version 1 (IOC-1) from 2006 has only been tested psychometrically in a heterogeneous sample of 193 American long-term cancer survivors (LTSs). The Norwegian version of IOC-1 compares the psychometric findings of that study with those observed in a heterogeneous sample of 809 Norwegian LTSs.

Methods: We performed exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analyses, tests of internal consistency, correlational studies with various other tests and a change over time examination in order to test reliability and validity of the IOC-1.

Gonadal function and parenthood 20 years after treatment for childhood lymphoma: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Gonadal function decades after treatment for childhood lymphoma (CL) is not well described. This cross-sectional study had two aims: (1) describe long-term gonadal function and fertility in childhood lymphoma survivors (CLSs), and (2) explore anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) as a measure of ovarian function in CLSs.

Procedure: Seventy-four male and 62 female CLSs participated in a survey consisting of a questionnaire, clinical examination, and blood/semen analysis.

Management of localized seminoma, stage I-II: SIU/ICUD Consensus Meeting on Germ Cell Tumors (GCT), Shanghai 2009.

The treatment of patients with Stage I-II seminoma has changed considerably in the past decade, and in November 2009, an International Consensus meeting was held under the sponsorship of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), Société Internationale d'Urologie (SIU), and International Consultation on Urological Diseases (ICUD) to review recent updates in the published data and develop international consensus guidelines on the treatment of this group of patients. In Stage I disease, the consensus conference recommended that patients should be informed of all treatment options, including the potential benefits and side effects of each treatment. It was agreed that this discussion should include a review of the possible salvage treatment effects.

Can sexual bother after radical prostatectomy be predicted preoperatively? Findings from a prospective national study of the relation between sexual function, activity and bother.

Unlabelled: What's known on the subject? And what does the study add? Sexual function is often impaired after radical prostatectomy resulting in reduced sexual activity and sexual bother. The main focus in the literature concerning sexual adverse effects has been on erectile dysfunction and impairment of sexual function rather than the actual sexual bother it causes, although the sexual bother is most important to the individual patient's quality of life. The relation between these measures, and in particular preoperative prediction of postoperative sexual bother, has only been studied in a limited way and with varying results.

Higher levels of fatigue are associated with higher CRP levels in disease-free breast cancer survivors.

Objective: To investigate the associations between level of fatigue and various potential inflammatory biomarkers for fatigue after multivariate adjustments for possible confounders in a sample of 299 disease-free survivors of breast cancer (BCSs) at a mean of 4 years post diagnosis.

Methods: Medical record data were used for cancer-related information, and a follow-up mailed survey collected data on fatigue, depression, anxiety and insomnia symptoms as well as information on demographics, physical health, medication and lifestyle. Blood samples drawn at an outpatient examination were analyzed for leukocyte count, high sensitivity C-reactive Protein (CRP), interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1 (sTNF-R1) and neopterin.

Methods for prospective studies of adverse effects as applied to prostate cancer patients treated with surgery or radiotherapy without hormones.

Background: Recently two new methods for prospective studies of adverse effects after treatment have been developed: Proportions of patients regaining 90% of baseline function score (PBS-90) and Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE). We compared these methods to examine changes of sexual, urinary, and bowel functions after robot-assisted prostatectomy (RALP) and conformal external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in patients without androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Methods: The post-treatment functional course was studied prospectively in 254 patients (N = 150 RALP and N = 104 EBRT) with PBS-90 and GEE.

Patient reported outcomes of symptoms and quality of life among cancer patients treated with palliative pelvic radiation: a pilot study.

Background: There is limited high-quality research investigating the efficacy of palliative radiation (PPR) with regard to symptoms and quality of life (QOL) among cancer patients with pelvic soft tissue tumors. As a result, clinicians are left with mainly retrospective studies, without reliable data on which to base treatment decisions. As a first step of a subsequent analysis of PPR's efficacy, we aimed to determine whether it is feasible to prospectively measure symptoms and QOL among patients treated with PPR.

A prospective study of cognitive complaints in patients with testicular cancer.

Unlabelled: Self-reported memory and concentration problems (cognitive complaints) among testicular cancer patients treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy during the 1990-ies were prospectively explored. The chemotherapy group had significantly higher prevalence of cognitive complaints compared to the radiotherapy group at 3-months follow-up, while at 12-months no significant group difference was found. Treatment modality (chemotherapy vs.

Sequelae of treatment in long-term survivors of testis cancer.

Context: Testicular cancer patients are often diagnosed at a young age, and because of the advances in the treatment of this disease, the vast majority have a normal life expectancy after therapy. Thus, recognition of the long-term sequelae of treatment (ie, surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy) is particularly important in these patients.

Objective: To review the adverse effects and the risk of secondary malignancy in long-term survivors of testicular cancer.

Dose distribution in the thyroid gland following radiation therapy of breast cancer--a retrospective study.

Purpose: To relate the development of post-treatment hypothyroidism with the dose distribution within the thyroid gland in breast cancer (BC) patients treated with loco-regional radiotherapy (RT).

Methods And Materials: In two groups of BC patients postoperatively irradiated by computer tomography (CT)-based RT, the individual dose distributions in the thyroid gland were compared with each other; Cases developed post-treatment hypothyroidism after multimodal treatment including 4-field RT technique. Matched patients in Controls remained free for hypothyroidism.

Arm/shoulder problems and insomnia symptoms in breast cancer survivors: cross-sectional, controlled and longitudinal observations.

Objective: In breast cancer survivors (BCSs) the relation between insomnia symptoms and arm/shoulder problems has hardly been investigated. In cross-sectional and longitudinal designs we examined this association in BCSs and in comparison to age-matched controls from the general population.

Methods: Our cross-sectional sample consisted of 337 BCSs stage II/III studied in 2004 at a median of 3.

Risk of metachronous contralateral testicular germ cell tumors: a population-based study of 7,102 Norwegian patients (1953-2007).

The purpose of the study was to identify overall incidence and risk of developing a metachronous contralateral testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) and compare the risk for patients treated before and after 1980 (cisplatin became available for patients with metastatic TGCT). Our hypothesis was that the risk of metachronous TCGT would be reduced for patients with metastatic disease diagnosed after 1980. We included 7,102 men with unilateral TGCT, recorded in the Cancer Registry of Norway.

Effects of a 1-week inpatient course including information, physical activity, and group sessions for prostate cancer patients.

This study aims to explore the effects of a 1-week inpatient course including information, physical activity (PA), and group sessions on physical and mental health-related outcomes for prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Further to assess the patients' satisfaction with the course. PCa patients completed a questionnaire assessing PA, fatigue, mental distress, and quality of life 1 month before (T0) and 3 months after (T1) the course.

Late relapse of germ cell tumors.

This article highlights relevant aspects of the rare late relapses of malignant germ cell tumors (MGCTs), which by definition occur at least 2 years after successful treatment. In most reports, 1% to 6% of patients with MGCT experience a late relapse. Surgery is the most important part in the treatment of late relapses.

Self-reported cognitive problems in testicular cancer patients: relation to neuropsychological performance, fatigue, and psychological distress.

Objective: There is a concern about negative cognitive effects of systemic chemotherapy. We prospectively explored self-reported cognitive problems in testicular cancer patients (TCPs) treated with and without chemotherapy.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-two TCPs were interviewed about concentration and memory problems shortly after orchidectomy but before any additional treatment (baseline), and then at a median of 1 year after end of treatment (follow-up).

Fatigued breast cancer survivors and gene polymorphisms in the inflammatory pathway.

Chronic fatigue (CF) in breast cancer survivors (BCSs) has been associated with increased serum C-reactive protein-levels (CRP), pro-inflammatory cytokines and cytokine gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Still, there are few studies on these topics, and due to small study-cohorts the possibility to adjust for other conditions related to inflammatory processes, e.g.

Radiotherapy or surgery for spine metastases?

Background And Purpose: Radiotherapy (RT) remains the cornerstone of management of spine metastases (SM), even though surgery is a well-established treatment for selected patients. We compared the use of RT and surgery in a population-based cohort of patients with SM, investigated pre-treatment factors that were associated with use of these treatment modalities, and examined survival.

Patients And Methods: 903 patients in the south-eastern Norway who were admitted for RT or surgery for SM for the first time during an 18-month period in 2007-2008 were identified and their medical records were reviewed.