Real-world treatment patterns for patients receiving second-line and third-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review of recently published studies.

Most patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have a poor prognosis and receive limited benefit from conventional treatments, especially in later lines of therapy. In recent years, several novel therapies have been approved for second- and third-line treatment of advanced NSCLC. In light of these approvals, it is valuable to understand the uptake of these new treatments in routine clinical practice and their impact on patient care.

Feasibility of linking population-based cancer registries and cancer center biorepositories.

Purpose: Biospecimen-based research offers tremendous promise as a way to increase understanding of the molecular epidemiology of cancers. Population-based cancer registries can augment this research by providing more clinical detail and long-term follow-up information than is typically available from biospecimen annotations. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of this concept, we performed a pilot linkage between the California Cancer Registry (CCR) and the University of California, Davis Cancer Center Biorepository (UCD CCB) databases to determine if we could identify patients with records in both databases.

CK20 and CK7 protein expression in colorectal cancer: demonstration of the utility of a population-based tissue microarray.

The ability to use archival tissue to test externally valid hypotheses of carcinogenesis is dependent on the availability of population-based samples of cancer tissue. Tissue microarrays (TMAs) provide an efficient format for developing population-based samples of tissue. A TMA was constructed consisting of archival tissue from patients diagnosed with invasive colorectal cancer in the state of Hawaii in 1995.

Family history of heart disease and cardiovascular disease risk-reducing behaviors.

Background: Family history is an important cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor. Preventive behaviors, including lifestyle modifications, can attenuate CVD risk. We studied the association between family history-based heart disease (HD) risk and CVD risk-reducing behaviors.

Fluoroquinolone use and Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.

We performed a case-control study to evaluate the association between antibiotic use and Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD), matching for admission unit and time at risk for CDAD. A multivariable regression model showed that treatment with fluoroquinolones (odds ratio 12.7; 95% confidence interval 2.

Endocrine tumors of the uterine cervix: incidence, demographics, and survival with comparison to squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: The aim was to describe the epidemiology of endocrine tumors of the cervix in comparison with invasive squamous cell carcinomas using population-based data reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End-Results (SEER) program.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of actively followed cases reported to SEER from 1973 to 1998. Incidence, demographic characteristics, and survival were compared for endocrine and squamous tumors.

Primary malignant neoplasms of the appendix: a population-based study from the surveillance, epidemiology and end-results program, 1973-1998.

Background: Cancer of the appendix is an uncommon disease that is rarely suspected rarely before surgery. Although several case series of these tumors have been published, little research has been anchored in population-based data on cancer of the appendix.

Methods: This analysis included all actively followed cases of appendiceal neoplasms reported to the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End-Results (SEER) program between 1973 and 1998.

Severity-of-illness markers as predictors of nosocomial infection in adult intensive care unit patients.

Background: Patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) are at high risk for acquiring nosocomial infections. We examined the association between markers of severity of illness at ICU admission and the development of ICU-attributable nosocomial infections.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 851 patients admitted to the medical or surgical ICU in an urban teaching hospital from January 1997 to January 1998.