Publications by authors named "M Ramos-Fernandez"
Background: Timely palliative and hospice care, along with advanced care planning, can reduce avoidable high-intensity care and improve quality of life at the end of life (EoL).
Objective: We examined patterns of care at EoL and evaluated predictors of high-intensity care at EoL among adults aged 18-64 with cancer.
Methods: Using data from the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry-Health Insurance Linkage Database, we examined 1359 patients diagnosed with cancer in 2010-2019, who died of cancer between 2017 and 2019 at 64 years and younger, and who were enrolled in Medicaid or private health insurance in last 30 days before death.
Background: Several studies have suggested secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (SFRP2) gene as a potential clinical biomarker in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, its diagnostic role remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the significance of SFRP2 methylation levels in a large cohort of biological specimens (including blood, adipose and colonic tissues) from patients with CRC, thereby potentially identifying new biomarker utility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To evaluate the association between concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines (BZDs) and emergency room (ER) visits and hospital admissions in patients with cancer.
Methods: Data were obtained from the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry-Health Insurance Linkage. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs and incidence rate ratio (IRR) were estimated using logistic and negative binomial regression analyses to assess the association between concurrent use of opioids and BZDs (overlap of at least 7 days) and ER visits and hospital admissions.
DNA damage has been extensively studied as a potentially helpful tool in assessing and preventing cancer, having been widely associated with the deregulation of DNA damage repair (DDR) genes and with an increased risk of cancer. Adipose tissue and tumoral cells engage in a reciprocal interaction to establish an inflammatory microenvironment that enhances cancer growth by modifying epigenetic and gene expression patterns. Here, we hypothesize that 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase 1 (OGG1)-a DNA repair enzyme-may represent an attractive target that connects colorectal cancer (CRC) and obesity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Community palliative care services are limited in Puerto Rico, leading advanced cancer patients to frequently use the emergency department (ED) at the end of life.
- A study examined the patterns of ED visits among cancer patients who died between 2011-2017, revealing that nearly half of the cohort (10,755 patients) had at least one ED visit, with some dying in the ED.
- Findings indicated that certain groups, such as women and older patients on Medicare, were less likely to visit the ED on their date of death, suggesting a need for improved palliative care awareness to enhance end-of-life care quality.