Metabolic profiles to predict long-term cancer and mortality: the use of latent class analysis.

Background: Metabolites are genetically and environmentally determined. Consequently, they can be used to characterize environmental exposures and reveal biochemical mechanisms that link exposure to disease. To explore disease susceptibility and improve population risk stratification, we aimed to identify metabolic profiles linked to carcinogenesis and mortality and their intrinsic associations by characterizing subgroups of individuals based on serum biomarker measurements.

A Single Educational Seminar Increases Confidence and Decreases Dropout from Active Surveillance by 5 Years After Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer.

Background: Researchers remain divided on the major causes of dropout from active surveillance (AS), with rates of up to 38% among men with no evidence of prostate cancer (PC) progression.

Objective: To develop and evaluate an educational intervention in terms of adherence to AS among men with low- to intermediate-risk PC.

Design, Setting, And Participants: We first carried out focus group discussions with men who had remained on and dropped out of AS to inform an intervention to increase adherence to AS.

The global prevalence of erectile dysfunction: a review.

Objective: To evaluate the global prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED); as well as its association with physiological and pathological ageing by examining the relationship between ED and cardiovascular disease (CVD), benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and dementia. We also aimed to characterise discrepancies caused by the use of different ED screening tools.

Methods: The Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE) and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) were searched to find population-based studies investigating the prevalence of ED and the association between ED and CVD, BPH, and dementia in the general population.

Chronic inflammatory diseases, anti-inflammatory medications and risk of prostate cancer: a population-based case-control study.

Background: Whether chronic inflammation increases prostate cancer risk remains unclear. This study investigated whether chronic inflammatory diseases (CID) or anti-inflammatory medication use (AIM) were associated with prostate cancer risk.

Methods: Fifty-five thousand nine hundred thirty-seven cases (all prostate cancer, 2007-2012) and 279,618 age-matched controls were selected from the Prostate Cancer Database Sweden.

Consistent Biopsy Quality and Gleason Grading Within the Global Active Surveillance Global Action Plan 3 Initiative: A Prerequisite for Future Studies.

Within the Movember Foundation's Global Action Plan Prostate Cancer Active Surveillance (GAP3) initiative, 25 centers across the globe collaborate to standardize active surveillance (AS) protocols for men with low-risk prostate cancer (PCa). A centralized PCa AS database, comprising data of more than 15000 patients worldwide, was created. Comparability of the histopathology between the different cohorts was assessed by a centralized pathology review of 445 biopsies from 15 GAP3 centers.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer: a nationwide investigation on survival.

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have investigated the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and its effect on survival patients with non-metastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, these RCTs have limited external validity and generalisability and, therefore, the current study aims to use real world evidence in the form of observational data to identify the effect that NAC may have on survival, compared to the use of radical cystectomy (RC) alone. The study cohort (consisting of 944 patients) was selected as a target trial from the Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe).

How to measure temporal changes in care pathways for chronic diseases using health care registry data.

Background: Disease trajectories for chronic diseases can span over several decades, with several time-dependent factors affecting treatment decisions. Thus, there is a need for long-term predictions of disease trajectories to inform patients and healthcare professionals on the long-term outcomes and provide information on the need of future health care. Here, we propose a state transition model to describe and predict disease trajectories up to 25 years after diagnosis in men with prostate cancer (PCa), as a proof of principle.

Immune mediator expression signatures are associated with improved outcome in ovarian carcinoma.

Immune and inflammatory cascades may play multiple roles in ovarian cancer. We aimed to identify relationships between expression of immune and inflammatory mediators and patient outcomes. We interrogated differential gene expression of 44 markers and marker combinations (n = 1,978) in 1,656 ovarian carcinoma patient tumors, alongside matched 5-year overall survival (OS) data in silico.

Baseline serum folate, vitamin B12 and the risk of prostate and breast cancer using data from the Swedish AMORIS cohort.

Purpose: The roles of folate and vitamin B12 in prostate cancer (PCa) or breast cancer (BC) development are unclear. We investigated their roles using the prospective Swedish Apolipoprotein MOrtality RISk (AMORIS) study.

Methods: 8,783 men and 19,775 women with vitamin B12 and folate serum measurements were included.

Survival after radiotherapy versus radical cystectomy for primary muscle-invasive bladder cancer: A Swedish nationwide population-based cohort study.

Background: Studies of survival comparing radical cystectomy (RC) and radiotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer have provided inconsistent results and have methodological limitations. The aim of the study was to investigate risk of death after radiotherapy as compared to RC.

Methods: We selected patients with muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma without distant metastases, treated with radiotherapy or RC from 1997 to 2014 in the Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe) and estimated absolute and relative risk of bladder cancer death and all-cause death.

Transcatheter or surgical repair for degenerative mitral regurgitation in elderly patients: A propensity-weighted analysis.

Objective: To compare the outcomes of MitraClip and surgical mitral repair in low-intermediate risk elderly patients affected by degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR).

Methods: We retrospectively selected patients aged ≥75 years, with Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk Of Mortality (STS-PROM) <8%, submitted to MitraClip (n = 100) or isolated surgical repair (n = 206) for DMR at 2 centers between January 2005 and May 2017. To adjust for baseline imbalances, we used a propensity score model for average treatment effect on survival.

Real-world insights into risk of developing cardiovascular disease following GnRH agonists versus antagonists for prostate cancer: a methodological protocol to a study using five European databases.

One of the more recently investigated adverse long-term side effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists for prostate cancer (PCa) is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Studies suggest lower risk of CVD following GnRH antagonists (degarelix) than GnRH agonists. This protocol describes precise codes used to extract variables from five European databases for a study that compares risk of CVD following GnRH agonists and antagonists for PCa.

Brief behavioural intervention, delivered as standard care, to support physical activity engagement in men with prostate cancer: a pilot study protocol.

Introduction: Physical activity is beneficial to men with prostate cancer, but there remain barriers to fulfilling the potential of National Health Service trusts to support men with prostate cancer to be physically active. This article describes protocols for two pilot studies, each conducted in a different setting, designed to assess the potential of a behavioural intervention to affect patients' motivation to exercise. The intervention is theory based and inspired by recent empirical observations.

Androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer and risk of dementia.

Objectives: To study whether androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), the mainstay treatment for advanced and disseminated prostate cancer, is associated with risk of dementia.

Methods: Risk of dementia in men with prostate cancer primarily managed with ADT or watchful waiting (WW) in the Prostate Cancer Database Sweden, PCBaSe, was compared with that in prostate cancer-free men, matched on birth year and county of residency. We used Cox regression to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) for Alzheimer's and non-Alzheimer's dementia (vascular dementia, dementia secondary to other diseases or unspecified dementias) for different types and duration of ADT and oral antiandrogens (AAs) as well as for men managed with WW.

Patients' perspectives on opt-out consent for observational research: systematic review and focus group.

Background:: observational research is increasingly important in clinical decision-making. Opt-out consent has been proposed as a more practical way to obtain participants' consent for such research. The authors evaluated patients' views on opt-out consent for observational research by identifying perceived benefits and barriers.

Androgen Deprivation Therapies and Changes in Comorbidity: A Comparison of Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Agonists and Antiandrogen Monotherapy as Primary Therapy in Men with High-risk Prostate Cancer.

Background: Some studies suggest that gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists are associated with higher risk of adverse events than antiandrogens (AAs) monotherapy. However, it has been unclear whether this is due to indication bias.

Objective: To investigate rates of change in comorbidity for men on GnRH agonists versus AA monotherapy in a population-based register study.

Selenium and Sex Steroid Hormones in a U.S. Nationally Representative Sample of Men: A Role for the Link between Selenium and Estradiol in Prostate Carcinogenesis?

Background: Given the recent findings from pooled studies about a potential inverse association between selenium levels and prostate cancer risk, this cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between serum selenium and serum concentrations of sex steroid hormones including estradiol in a nationally representative sample of U.S. men to investigate one mechanism by which selenium may influence prostate cancer risk.

Can pre-diagnostic serum levels of sodium and potassium predict prostate cancer survival?

There is evidence that derangement in serum electrolytes like sodium and potassium is associated with increased morbidity and mortality among hospitalized critically ill patients, but their role in the context of cancer survival remains poorly understood. We sought to investigate the association of pre-diagnostic serum sodium and potassium with risk of overall, cancer-specific, and cardiovascular (CV) death among 11,492 men diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) from the Swedish AMORIS study. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the risk of death by clinical categories of pre-diagnostic serum sodium and potassium.

Serum glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol in relation to prostate cancer death in the Swedish AMORIS study.

Purpose: Lifestyle-related conditions such as obesity are associated with prostate cancer progression, but the associations with hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia are unclear. This study, therefore, aims to examine the association of glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol with prostate cancer death.

Methods: From the Swedish AMORIS cohort, we selected 14,150 men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1996 and 2011 who had prediagnostic measurements of serum glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol.

Reasons for Discontinuing Active Surveillance: Assessment of 21 Centres in 12 Countries in the Movember GAP3 Consortium.

Background: Careful assessment of the reasons for discontinuation of active surveillance (AS) is required for men with prostate cancer (PCa).

Objective: Using Movember's Global Action Plan Prostate Cancer Active Surveillance initiative (GAP3) database, we report on reasons for AS discontinuation.

Design, Setting, And Participants: We compared data from 10296 men on AS from 21 centres across 12 countries.

Anti-androgen monotherapy versus gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists in men with advanced, non-metastatic prostate cancer: a register-based, observational study.

Background: In randomised controlled trials, men with advanced, non-metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) treated with anti-androgen monotherapy (AA) had similar all-cause mortality as men treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists. Using real-world evidence (i.e.