No Significant Association Between Herpes Zoster and Breast Cancer: A German Outpatient Study with over 120,000 Participants.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate a possible association between Herpes Zoster (HZ) and the subsequent diagnosis of breast cancer (BC).

Methods: Utilizing the Disease Analyzer database, anonymized medical records from German office-based practices were accessed. Longitudinal data of female patients aged 18 years and above diagnosed with HZ between 2005 and 2021 were included.

Negative Association Between Schizophrenia and Subsequent Cancer Diagnoses-A Retrospective Cohort Study from Germany.

Background: Since previous studies have reported contradictory findings regarding the relationship between schizophrenia and cancer, we evaluated the association between schizophrenia and cancer diagnoses.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the IQVIA Disease Analyzer database was utilized to examine the incidence of cancer among patients aged over 18 years diagnosed with schizophrenia in German general practices from 2005 to 2022. Patients with schizophrenia were compared with those without the condition, with adjustments made for age, sex, index year of diagnosis, average annual practitioners visit frequency, and comorbidity.

Is there an association between mastitis and breast cancer? a retrospective cohort study from Germany.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to explore the association between mastitis and subsequent breast cancer.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included women aged ≥ 18 years with an initial mastitis diagnosis from 315 office-based gynecologists in Germany between January 2005 and December 2021. Women without mastitis were matched to women with mastitis using propensity score matching based on age, index year, average yearly consultation frequency during the follow-up period, and coexisting diseases such as obesity, benign mammary dysplasia, hypertrophy of the breast, unspecified lump of breast, and other disorders of the breast.

Prognostic impact of selection criteria of current adjuvant endocrine therapy trials NATALEE and monarchE in postmenopausal HRpos/HER2neg breast cancer patients treated with upfront letrozole.

Background: The monarchE and NATALEE trials demonstrated the benefit of CDK4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) therapy in adjuvant breast cancer (BC) treatment. Patient selection, based on clinical characteristics, delineated those at high (monarchE) and high/intermediate recurrence risk (NATALEE). This study employed a historical patient cohort to describe the proportion and prognosis of patients eligible for adjuvant CDK4/6i trials.

Long-term Follow-up and Safety of Patients after an Upfront Therapy with Letrozole for Early Breast Cancer in Routine Clinical Care - The PreFace Study.

Introduction: Adjuvant treatment of patients with early-stage breast cancer (BC) should include an aromatase inhibitor (AI). Especially patients with a high recurrence risk might benefit from an upfront therapy with an AI for a minimum of five years. Nevertheless, not much is known about the patient selection for this population in clinical practice.

Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptors and Ligands in Context of Bevacizumab Response in Ovarian Carcinoma: An Exploratory Analysis of AGO-OVAR11/ICON-7.

With more novel drugs being approved for the treatment of ovarian carcinoma, the question remains to what extent patients benefit from antiangiogenic treatment with bevacizumab, either in combination with poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors or as single-agent maintenance. As fibroblast growth factor receptors and their ligands (FGFRs/FGFs) are key players in angiogenic signaling and have been linked to resistance to several drugs, we investigated the prognostic or predictive potential of FGFs/FGFRs signaling in the context of bevacizumab treatment within the prospective phase III AGO-OVAR11/ICON-7 study. FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3, FGFR4, FGF1, and FGF19 gene expressions were determined in 380 ovarian carcinoma tumor samples collected from German centers in the multicenter phase III AGO-OVAR11 trial/ICON-7 trial.

German longitudinal prescription database (LRx): Description of characteristics, use in pharmacoepidemiological research, and limitations .

Large databases have played a critical role in pharmacoepidemiological research in the last decade, with this role likely to gain further importance in the future. The aim of the present paper is to describe the characteristics, the recent use, and the limitations of the German longitudinal prescription (LRx) database. The LRx database contains patient-level data on prescriptions collected in retail pharmacies, corresponding to ~ 80% of prescriptions reimbursed by statutory health insurance funds in Germany.

Therapy delay due to COVID-19 pandemic among European women with breast cancer: prevalence and associated factors.

Purpose: This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer (BC) care, analyzing treatment delays and factors associated with them.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed data from the Oncology Dynamics (OD) database. Surveys of 26,933 women with BC performed between January 2021 and December 2022 in Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain were examined.

Association between gout and subsequent breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study including 67,598 primary care patients in Germany.

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to analyze the cumulative incidence of breast cancer following gout and to investigate the association between gout and subsequent breast cancer in 67,598 primary care patients in Germany.

Methods: This study included adult female patients (≥ 18 years) with an initial diagnosis of gout in 1284 general practices in Germany between January 2005 and December 2020. Individuals without gout were matched to gout patients using propensity score matching based on average yearly consultation frequency during the follow-up period, diabetes, obesity, chronic bronchitis/COPD diagnoses, and diuretic therapy.

Initiation of Antiresorptive Drug Treatment during Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer-A Retrospective Cohort Study of 161,492 Patients in Germany.

Background: The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to measure the proportion of women with an initial prescription of an antiresorptive drug (bisphosphonates or denosumab) during five years of endocrine breast cancer therapy.

Methods: The study included women with an initial prescription of tamoxifen (TAM) or aromatase inhibitors (AIs) between January 2016 and December 2020. Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed to show the cumulative incidence of antiresorptive drug prescription for TAM and AIs separately for four age groups.

Intercontinental comparison of women with breast cancer treated by oncologists in Europe, Asia, and Latin America: a retrospective study of 99,571 patients.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the baseline data of women with breast cancer (BC) undergoing treatment in an intercontinental comparison.

Methods: This study included 99,571 women with BC from Europe (70,834), Asia (18,208), and Latin America (10,529) enrolled between 2017 and 2021, based on data from IQVIA's Oncology Dynamics database. This source is supplied with information by means of a cross-sectional partially retrospective survey collecting anonymized data on inpatients and outpatients treated by a representative panel of oncologists.

Nodal lymphangiogenesis and immunophenotypic variations of sinus endothelium in sentinel and non-sentinel lymph nodes of invasive breast carcinoma.

Several studies have demonstrated the de novo formation of lymphatic vessels or the reorganization of lymphatic sinus in tumor-draining lymph nodes, partly preceding the detection of lymphatic metastases. This "lymphovascular niche"is supposed to facilitate the survival of metastatic tumor cells. Few studies on nodal lymphangiogenesis in invasive breast cancer (BC) have been published, not considering tumor-free sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) and tumor types.

Treatment strategies in patients with gynecological sarcoma: Results of the prospective intergroup real-world registry for gynecological sarcoma in Germany (REGSA-NOGGO RU1).

Objective: Gynecological sarcomas account for 3% of all gynecological malignancies and are associated with a poor prognosis. Due to the rarity and heterogeneity of gynecological sarcomas there is still no consensus on optimal therapeutic strategies. This study's objective was to describe the treatment strategies used in patients with gynecological sarcomas in the primary course of disease.

[Immunohistology in breast diagnostics : Strategies for efficient diagnostics].

Immunohistological examinations are useful for the histopathological diagnosis of breast carcinoma in various clinical situations. This review article aims to summarize the different immunohistological options. A distinction is made between diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive markers.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Gyne-Oncological Treatment-A Retrospective Single-Center Analysis of a German University Hospital with 30,525 Patients.

The study pursues the objective of drawing a comparison between the data of gyne-oncology, gynecology, and obstetrics patient collectives of a German university hospital regarding the progression of patient number and corresponding treatment data during the five-year period of 2017-2021 to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gyne-oncological treatment. Descriptive assessment is based on data extracted from the database of the hospital controlling system QlikView for patients hospitalized at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Marburg University Hospital. Gynecology and gyne-oncology experience a maintained decline in patient number (n: -6% 2019 to 2020, -5% 2019 to 2021; n: -6% 2019 to 2020, -2% 2019 to 2021) with varying effects on the specific gyne-oncological main diagnoses.

Association between Parkinson's Disease Medication and the Risk of Lower Urinary Tract Infection (LUTI): A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: The occurrence of autonomic dysfunctions (e.g., urological dysfunctions) is a common phenomenon during the course of Parkinson's disease (PD) and resulting complications such as lower urinary tract infections (LUTI) are one of the leading causes of hospitalizations and mortality in patients with the condition.

Antihypertensive Therapy and Incidence of Cancer.

Antihypertensive pharmacological therapy includes diuretics, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers and angiotensin II receptor blockers. Besides their use in arterial hypertension, these drugs also play a major role in the therapy of portal hypertension, heart failure and coronary artery disease. Systematic analyses on the possible influence of these medications on cancer incidence are lacking.

Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic on Cervical Cancer Screening in Gynecological Practices in Germany.

Purpose: the aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Cervical Cancer Screening (CCS) in gynecological practices in Germany. Methods: The basis of the analysis was the Uniform Evaluation Standard (EBM) of the Statutory Health Insurance Scheme. This cross-sectional study included all women aged ≥20 years with at least one CCS (clinical and cytological examination) in 223 gynecological practices in Germany during the period 2018−2021.

Persistence with tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors in Germany: a retrospective cohort study with 284,383 patients.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the persistence of women on tamoxifen (TAM) and aromatase inhibitors (AIs) in Germany, and to investigate possible determinants of non-persistence.

Methods: The present retrospective cohort study was based on the IQVIA longitudinal prescription database (LRx). The study included women with an initial prescription of TAM or AIs (anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane) between January 2016 and December 2020 (index date).

Association between anti-seizure medication and the risk of lower urinary tract infection in patients with epilepsy.

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the incidence of lower urinary tract infections (LUTI) and antibiotic prescriptions within 12 months after initial prescription of anti-seizure medication (ASM) between January and December 2020 (index date) and to investigate the association between a broad spectrum of ASMs and the risk of LUTI in patients with epilepsy.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included a total of 9186 adult patients (≥18 years) with an initial diagnosis of epilepsy and a prescription of an ASM treated in 1284 general practices in Germany between January 2010 and December 2020 (index date). Six frequently prescribed ASMs with at least 1000 available patients were analyzed.