Disparities in Utilization of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy Among Older Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A SEER-Medicare Analysis.

Purpose: In the United States, there are disparities in access to care for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on the basis of socioeconomic and racial/ethnic factors. This study investigates the association between race/ethnicity and the utilization of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy among older patients with advanced NSCLC (aNSCLC).

Methods: This retrospective study used data from the SEER-Medicare-linked database.

Participation in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Clinical Trials in the United States by Race/Ethnicity.

Introduction: Despite efforts by Cancer Centers and community organizations to increase diversity in clinical trials, significant racial/ethnic disparities remain. Given the high mortality rates in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), it is important to increase diversity in NSCLC trials, ensuring all patients benefit from advances in new treatment modalities.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated the distribution of racial/ethnic minority enrollment in NSCLC clinical trials using data from ClinicalTrials.

Iron and cancer: overview of the evidence from population-based studies.

Iron is an essential nutrient required for various physiological processes in the body. However, iron imbalance can potentially contribute to initiating and promoting cancer development. Epidemiological studies have investigated the relationship between dietary iron intake and the risk of different types of cancer, yet, not all studies have consistently shown a significant association between dietary iron and cancer risk.

Sodium Intake and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Predominantly Low-Income Black and White US Residents.

Importance: Epidemiologic evidence regarding the outcomes of dietary sodium intake on mortality remains limited for low-income individuals, particularly Black people.

Objective: To investigate the associations of excessive dietary sodium with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among predominantly low-income Black and White Americans.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study included participants aged 40 to 79 years from the Southern Community Cohort Study who were recruited at Community Health Centers in 12 southeastern states from 2002 to 2009.

Persistent poverty disparities in incidence and outcomes among oral and pharynx cancer patients.

Purpose: Disparities in oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer based on race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status have been reported, but the impact of living within areas that are persistently poor at the time of diagnosis and outcome is unknown. This study aimed to investigate whether the incidence, 5-year relative survival, stage at diagnosis, and mortality among patients with oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers varied by persistent poverty.

Methods: Data were drawn from the SEER database (2006-2017) and included individuals diagnosed with oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers.

Associations between Plasma Tocopherols and Lung Cancer Risk: Results from the Southern Community Cohort Study.

Background: Despite the various anticancer activities of tocopherols, little is known about tocopherols associated with lung cancer risk among low-income African Americans (AA) and European Americans (EA) who are disproportionately affected by the disease.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study that included 209 incident lung cancer cases and 406 matched controls within the Southern Community Cohort Study. Using biospecimens collected at cohort enrollment, plasma levels of α-, β/γ-, δ-, and total-tocopherols were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection.

Lung Cancer Risk Prediction Models for Asian Ever-Smokers.

Introduction: Although lung cancer prediction models are widely used to support risk-based screening, their performance outside Western populations remains uncertain. This study aims to evaluate the performance of 11 existing risk prediction models in multiple Asian populations and to refit prediction models for Asians.

Methods: In a pooled analysis of 186,458 Asian ever-smokers from 19 prospective cohorts, we assessed calibration (expected-to-observed ratio) and discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]) for each model.

Association of Healthy Lifestyles With Risk of Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias in Low-Income Black and White Americans.

Background And Objectives: Although the importance of healthy lifestyles for preventing Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) has been recognized, epidemiologic evidence remains limited for non-White or low-income individuals who bear disproportionate burdens of ADRD. This population-based cohort study aims to investigate associations of lifestyle factors, individually and together, with the risk of ADRD among socioeconomically disadvantaged Americans.

Methods: In the Southern Community Cohort Study, comprising two-thirds self-reported Black and primarily low-income Americans, we identified incident ADRD using claims data among participants enrolled in Medicare for at least 12 consecutive months after age 65 years.

Prediagnosis Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Lung Cancer Survival: A Pooled Analysis of 11 Cohorts.

Background: Little is known about the association between physical activity before cancer diagnosis and survival among lung cancer patients. In this pooled analysis of 11 prospective cohorts, we investigated associations of prediagnosis leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) with all-cause and lung cancer-specific mortality among incident lung cancer patients.

Methods: Using self-reported data on regular engagement in exercise and sports activities collected at study enrollment, we assessed metabolic equivalent hours (MET-h) of prediagnosis LTPA per week.

Obesity at early adulthood increases risk of gastric cancer from the Health Examinees-Gem (HEXA-G) study.

Emerging evidence has indicated a possible link between obesity in early life with subsequent cancer risks, but its association with gastric cancer remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the association of obesity at ages 18-20 and 35 with the later risk of gastric cancer among the Korean population. Included were 122,724 individuals who participated in the large-scale prospective cohort study, the Health Examinees-Gem (HEXA-G) study, during 2004-2017.

Cholesterol and Egg Intakes with Cardiometabolic and All-Cause Mortality among Chinese and Low-Income Black and White Americans.

We examined the associations of dietary cholesterol and egg intakes with cardiometabolic and all-cause mortality among Chinese and low-income Black and White Americans. Included were 47,789 Blacks, 20,360 Whites, and 134,280 Chinese aged 40-79 years at enrollment. Multivariable Cox models with restricted cubic splines were applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for mortality outcomes using intakes of 150 mg cholesterol/day and 1 egg/week as the references.

Associations of circulating choline and its related metabolites with cardiometabolic biomarkers: an international pooled analysis.

Background: Choline is an essential nutrient; however, the associations of choline and its related metabolites with cardiometabolic risk remain unclear.

Objective: We examined the associations of circulating choline, betaine, carnitine, and dimethylglycine (DMG) with cardiometabolic biomarkers and their potential dietary and nondietary determinants.

Methods: The cross-sectional analyses included 32,853 participants from 17 studies, who were free of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney diseases, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Circulating trimethylamine N-oxide in association with diet and cardiometabolic biomarkers: an international pooled analysis.

Background: Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a diet-derived, gut microbial-host cometabolite, has been linked to cardiometabolic diseases. However, the relations remain unclear between diet, TMAO, and cardiometabolic health in general populations from different regions and ethnicities.

Objectives: To examine associations of circulating TMAO with dietary and cardiometabolic factors in a pooled analysis of 16 population-based studies from the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Association of sleep duration and quality with elevated hs-CRP among healthy Korean adults.

This study aimed to investigate the association of sleep duration and quality with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) among middle-aged and elderly Koreans. Among a total of 74,867 participants (25,069 men and 49,798 women) recruited for the Health Examinees (HEXA) study, adjusted geometric means of hs-CRP level were compared across categories of sleep duration (<6, 6-7, 8-9, and ≥10 hours) and sleep quality (difficulty in initiating sleep and maintaining sleep) using ANCOVA models. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for elevated hs-CRP (>3 mg/L) associated with sleep characteristics were estimated using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models.

Cost-Effectiveness of Drug Treatment for Chinese Patients With Stage I Hypertension According to the 2017 Hypertension Clinical Practice Guidelines.

Systolic/diastolic blood pressure of 130 to 139/80 to 89 mm Hg has been defined as stage I hypertension by the 2017 Hypertension Clinical Practice Guidelines. Drug treatment is recommended for stage I hypertensive patients aged ≥65 years without cardiovascular disease in the 2017 Hypertension Clinical Practice Guidelines but not in the 2018 Chinese guidelines. However, the cost-effectiveness of drug treatment among this subgroup of Chinese patients is unclear.

Soy Intake and Colorectal Cancer Risk: Results from a Pooled Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies Conducted in China and Japan.

Background: Soy is commonly consumed in east Asian countries and is suggested to reduce colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. However, results from epidemiologic studies are inconsistent, despite the anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties of soy isoflavones and soy protein.

Objective: We evaluated the association between soy isoflavones and soy protein and CRC risk using 4 prospective cohort studies from China and Japan.

Quantifying the association of low-intensity and late initiation of tobacco smoking with total and cause-specific mortality in Asia.

Background: Little is known about the health harms associated with low-intensity smoking in Asians who, on average, smoke fewer cigarettes and start smoking at a later age than their Western counterparts.

Methods: In this pooled analysis of 738 013 Asians from 16 prospective cohorts, we quantified the associations of low-intensity (<5 cigarettes/day) and late initiation (≥35 years) of smoking with mortality outcomes. HRs and 95% CIs were estimated for each cohort by Cox regression.

Urinary metabolites and risk of coronary heart disease: A prospective investigation among urban Chinese adults.

Background And Aims: Studies have linked several metabolites to the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) among Western populations, but prospective studies among Asian populations on the metabolite-CHD association remain limited.

Methods And Results: We evaluated the association of urinary metabolites with CHD risk among Chinese adults in a nested case-control study of 275 incident cases and 275 matched controls (127 pairs of men and 148 pairs of women). Fifty metabolites were measured by a predefined metabolomics panel and adjusted using urinary creatinine.