Incidence, treatment patterns, and mortality for patients with breast cancer during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic created significant disruptions in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer (BC). Several public health measures were taken with limited evidence on their potential impact. In this observational study, we sought to compare the incidence of BC, treatment patterns, and mortality during 2020 versus 2018 and 2019.

Associations of radiotherapy receipt with lung cancer risk by histological subtype among breast cancer survivors in the United States.

Radiotherapy for breast cancer has been associated with an increased risk of secondary malignancies, including primary lung cancer. Whether this association varies by histological subtype of lung cancer remains unknown. Based on the data from 12 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries, we examined the association between radiotherapy receipt and the risk of subtype-specific subsequent primary lung cancer (SPLC) among female first primary breast cancer cases diagnosed between ages 20 and 84 from 1992 to 2020.

Cell Populations in Human Breast Cancers are Molecularly and Biologically Distinct with Age.

Aging is associated with increased breast cancer risk and outcomes are worse for the oldest and youngest patients, regardless of subtype. It is not known how cells in the breast tumor microenvironment are impacted by age and how they might contribute to age-related disease pathology. Here, we discover age-associated differences in cell states and interactions in human estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) using new computational analyses of existing single-cell gene expression data.

Contribution of health insurance to racial and ethnic disparities in advanced stage diagnosis of 10 cancers.

For many cancer sites, it is unclear to what extent differences in health insurance coverage contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in stage III-IV diagnoses. Using the National Cancer Database (1,893,026 patients aged 18-64 years, diagnosed between 2013-2019), we investigated a potential mediating role of health insurance (privately insured vs uninsured) in explaining racial and ethnic disparities in stage at diagnosis of 10 cancers (ie, breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, cervical, uterine, bladder, head and neck, skin melanoma), detectable early through screening, physical examination, or clinical symptoms. The analyses provided evidence of mediation of non-Hispanic Black vs White disparities in eight cancers (range of proportions mediated: 4.

Regional Variation in Deescalated Therapy in Older Adults With Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Importance: Although trial data support the omission of axillary surgery and radiation therapy (RT) in women aged 70 years or older with T1N0 hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer, potential overtreatment in older adults with frailty persists.

Objective: To determine how much geospatial variation in locoregional therapy may be attributed to region vs patient factors.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cross-sectional study included women aged 70 years or older who were diagnosed with HR+/ERBB2-negative (ERBB2-) breast cancer from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2017.

See Me, Hear Me: Racial Discrimination Among Women Seeking Breast Cancer Care.

Discrimination can contribute to worse health outcomes, but its prevalence in breast cancer is not well studied. We aimed to understand how women with stage I-III breast cancer faced discrimination in health care and everyday settings through a cross-sectional survey. 296 women, 178 (60%) Non-Hispanic White (NHW), 76 (26%) Non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and 42 (14%) Hispanic participated.

Breast cancer statistics 2024.

This is the American Cancer Society's biennial update of statistics on breast cancer among women based on high-quality incidence and mortality data from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Breast cancer incidence continued an upward trend, rising by 1% annually during 2012-2021, largely confined to localized-stage and hormone receptor-positive disease. A steeper increase in women younger than 50 years (1.

Neratinib and ado-trastuzumab emtansine for pretreated and untreated human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer brain metastases: Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium trial 022.

Background: Treatment options for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer brain metastases (BCBMs) remain limited. We previously reported central nervous system (CNS) activity for neratinib and neratinib-capecitabine. Preclinical data suggest that neratinib may overcome resistance to ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) when given in combination.

Optimal Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Targeted Therapy for Early Breast Cancer-Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4 and 6 Inhibitors: ASCO Guideline Rapid Recommendation Update.

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Physician-level variation in axillary surgery in older adults with T1N0 hormone receptor-positive breast cancer: A retrospective population-based cohort study.

Introduction: We sought to determine how considerations specific to older adults impact between- and within-surgeon variation in axillary surgery use in women ≥70 years with T1N0 HR+ breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: Females ≥70 years with T1N0 HR+/HER2-negative breast cancer diagnosed from 2013 to 2015 in SEER-Medicare were identified and linked to the American Medical Association Masterfile. The outcome of interest was axillary surgery.

Functional decline in older breast cancer survivors treated with and without chemotherapy and non-cancer controls: results from the Hurria Older PatiEnts (HOPE) prospective study.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess whether physical functional decline in older women with early-stage breast cancer is driven by cancer, chemotherapy, or a combination of both.

Methods: We prospectively sampled three groups of women aged ≥ 65: 444 with early-stage breast cancer receiving chemotherapy (BC Chemo), 98 with early-stage breast cancer not receiving chemotherapy (BC Control), and 100 non-cancer controls (NC Control). Physical function was assessed at two timepoints (T1 [baseline] and T2 [3, 4, or 6 months]) using the Physical Functioning Subscale (PF-10) of the RAND 36-item Short Form.

Racial disparities in outcomes of patients with stage I-III triple-negative breast cancer after adjuvant chemotherapy: a post-hoc analysis of the E5103 randomized trial.

Purpose: Breast cancer mortality is higher in Black women than other racial groups. This difference has been partially attributed to a higher proportion of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, it is uncertain if survival disparities exist in racially diverse TNBC patients receiving similar treatments.

Developmental Windows for Effects of Choline and Folate on Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurotransmission During Human Gestation.

Choline and folate are critical nutrients for fetal brain development, but the timing of their influence during gestation has not been previously characterized. At different periods during gestation, choline stimulation of α7-nicotinic receptors facilitates conversion of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors from excitatory to inhibitory and recruitment of GluR1-R2 receptors for faster excitatory responses to glutamate. The outcome of the fetal development of inhibition and excitation was assessed in 159 newborns by P50 cerebral auditory-evoked responses.

Assessment of Temporary Warfarin Reversal in Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices: the KVAD Study.

Background: Patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) require interruption of warfarin for invasive procedures, but parenteral bridging is associated with many complications. Four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) can temporarily restore hemostasis in patients undergoing anticoagulation with warfarin.

Objectives: This pilot study evaluated the strategy of using variable-dose 4F-PCC to immediately and temporarily reverse warfarin before invasive procedures without holding warfarin in patients with LVADs.

Leadless pacemaker tine damage and fracture: novel complications of a novel device fixation mechanism.

Background: Leadless pacemakers represent a paradigm-changing advancement. However, they required innovative and novel device design, including the use of nitinol tines for fixation.

Objective: We aimed to understand the potential for fracture in the novel tine-based fixation mechanism.

Surgically Induced Scleritis Associated With Suture Hypersensitivity Following Strabismus Surgery.

A 67-year-old woman with history of mild suture hyper-sensitivity presented with localized scleritis after strabismus surgery. After infection was ruled out, the patient was prescribed topical and systemic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and systemic steroids, which led to full clinical resolution. .

An Ophthalmology Virtual Externship during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study.

 The evolution of medical school curricula, characterized by truncated preclinical periods and reduced emphasis on ophthalmology, presents formidable obstacles to early exposure for aspiring medical students. The constraints imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic further exacerbated the limitations on opportunities, compelling the implementation of innovative initiatives aimed at augmenting students' ophthalmology education through virtual means.  This article assesses the impact of an Ophthalmology Virtual Externship (OVE) on medical students' knowledge, interest, confidence, and seeking mentorship in ophthalmology.

Falls prechemotherapy and toxicity-related hospitalization during adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer in older women: Results from the prospective multicenter HOPE trial.

Background: Older women with breast cancer frequently experience toxicity-related hospitalizations during adjuvant chemotherapy. Although the geriatric assessment can identify those at risk, its use in clinic remains limited. One simple, low-cost marker of vulnerability in older persons is fall history.

Trends in Locoregional Therapy in Older Women with Early-Stage Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer by Frailty and Life Expectancy.

Background: In women ≥ 70 years of age with T1N0 hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer, breast surgery type and omission of axillary surgery or radiation therapy (RT) do not impact overall survival. Although frailty and life expectancy ideally factor into therapy decisions, their impact on therapy receipt is unclear. We sought to identify trends in and factors associated with locoregional therapy type by frailty and life expectancy.