Allostatic Load, Educational Attainment, and Risk of Cancer Mortality Among US Men.

Importance: Health disparities among racial and ethnic minoritized populations, particularly for cancer mortality rates, remain a major public health concern. Men from underrepresented backgrounds (Black and Hispanic men, specifically) face the pervasive effects of discrimination in their daily lives, which also contribute to the complex associations among allostatic load (a marker of chronic stress), educational opportunities, and elevated risks of cancer mortality.

Objective: To elucidate the associations among educational attainment, allostatic load, and cancer mortality risk among men.

Longitudinal Trends of Comorbidities and Survival Among Kidney Cancer Patients in Asian Population.

Background: Comorbidity could influence cancer diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, or survival. Although comorbidity burden in kidney cancer patients is high, limited evidence exists on the longitudinal patterns of individual comorbidity prevalence and its impact on overall survival among kidney cancer patients, particularly in Asian populations.

Methods: We included adults diagnosed with kidney cancer between 2010 and 2021 using the Korean nationwide health insurance database.

Calcium Channel Blocker Versus Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitor in Risk of Kidney Cancer Among Patients With Hypertension: A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study.

Background: Use of antihypertensive medications could be associated with an increased risk of kidney cancer. Despite their various mechanisms of action, whether this association differs between different classes of medications remains unclear.

Objective: The objective of this study is to compare the risk of kidney cancer between first-line treatment options of antihypertensive medications in a hypertensive population.

The hidden costs: a qualitative analysis exploring the experience of prostate cancer treatment-related side effects on sexual function and urinary incontinence among Black survivors and their caregivers.

Purpose: Prostate cancer (PCa) disproportionately affects Black men in the U.S., leading to high incidence and mortality rates.

Trace Element Concentrations of Arsenic and Selenium in Toenails and Risk of Prostate Cancer among Pesticide Applicators.

Prostate cancer is a common cancer among males in the US, but little is known about its risk factors, including trace elements. The primary aim of this study was to examine prostate cancer and its association with arsenic and selenium in toenails. We conducted a small, nested case-control study of men residing in Iowa within the Agricultural Health Study cohort, where we also collected toenail samples to test for arsenic and other trace elements.

Trends in pre-biopsy MRI usage for prostate cancer detection, 2007-2022.

Background: Clinical guidelines favor MRI before prostate biopsy due to proven benefits. However, adoption patterns across the US are unclear.

Methods: This study used the Merative™ Marketscan® Commercial & Medicare Databases to analyze 872,829 prostate biopsies in 726,663 men from 2007-2022.

Polygenic score for body mass index in relation to mortality among patients with renal cell cancer.

Background: The association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality among individuals with renal cell cancer (RCC) is debated, with some observational studies suggesting a lower mortality associated with higher BMI. However, methodological issues such as confounding and reverse causation may bias these findings. Using BMI-associated genetic variants can avoid these biases and generate more valid estimates.

Increased risk of cardiovascular disease among kidney cancer survivors: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major concern of morbidity and mortality among cancer survivors. However, few evidence exists on the short- and long-term risk of CVD in kidney cancer (KCa) survivors.

Methods: In this nationwide, large population-based retrospective cohort study, we used the Korean national health insurance and medical checkup survey linkage database (2007-2021), drawn from the entire Korean population.

Ambient air pollution and urological cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological evidence.

Exposure to ambient air pollution has significant adverse health effects; however, whether air pollution is associated with urological cancer is largely unknown. We conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis with epidemiological studies, showing that a 5 μg/m increase in PM exposure is associated with a 6%, 7%, and 9%, increased risk of overall urological, bladder, and kidney cancer, respectively; and a 10 μg/m increase in NO is linked to a 3%, 4%, and 4% higher risk of overall urological, bladder, and prostate cancer, respectively. Were these associations to reflect causal relationships, lowering PM levels to 5.

Air pollution mixture associated with oxidative stress exacerbation and symptoms deterioration in allergic rhinitis patients: Evidence from a panel study.

With allergic rhinitis (AR) on the rise globally, there has been a growing focus on the role of environmental pollutants in the onset of AR. However, the potential mechanisms by how and which these pollutants exacerbate AR conditions remain unknown. This panel study of 49 patients diagnosed with AR over one year aimed to assess the individual and combined effects of short-term exposure to multiple ambient pollutants on oxidative stress, symptoms, and quality of life among patients with AR.

Exposure to particulate matter may affect semen quality via trace metals: Evidence from a retrospective cohort study on fertile males.

Particulate matter (PM) exposure may be associated with male semen quality. Besides, PM exposure induces up and down levels of trace metals in tissues or organs. The levels of trace metals in semen are critical for adverse male semen quality.

Associations of Lower Extremity Muscle Strength, Area, and Specific Force With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Older Men: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Background: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in older men are associated with an increased risk of mobility limitations. Lower extremity muscle quality may represent a novel shared mechanism of both LUTS and mobility limitations.

Methods: We evaluated associations of thigh skeletal muscle measures (strength, area, and specific force) with total LUTS severity (American Urologic Association Symptom Index; AUASI) and voiding and storage subscores among 352 men aged ≥60 years enrolled in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

The impact of marital status on tumor aggressiveness, treatment, and screening among black and white men diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Purpose: To examine the association of marital status with prostate cancer outcomes in a racially-diverse cohort.

Methods: The study population consisted of men (1010 Black; 1070 White) with incident prostate cancer from the baseline North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer (PCaP) cohort. Marital status at time of diagnosis and screening history were determined by self-report.

Investigating the Joint Effect of Allostatic Load among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults with Risk of Cancer Mortality.

Sexual minorities (SM) have higher chronic physiologic stress as indicated by allostatic load (AL), which may be explained in part by consistent experiences of discriminatory practices. This is one of the first studies to examine the joint effects of SM status and AL on the association with long-term risk for cancer death. Retrospective analyses were conducted on 12,470 participants using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from years 2001 through 2010 linked with the National Death Index through December 31, 2019.

Groundwater constituents and the incidence of kidney cancer.

Background: Kidney cancer incidence demonstrates significant geographic variation suggesting a role for environmental risk factors. This study sought to evaluate associations between groundwater exposures and kidney cancer incidence.

Methods: The authors identified constituents from 18,506 public groundwater wells in all 58 California counties measured in 1996-2010, and obtained county-level kidney cancer incidence data from the California Cancer Registry for 2003-2017.

"Ultimately, You Realize You're on Your Own": The Impact of Prostate Cancer on Gay and Bisexual Men Couples.

An estimated one in three gay and bisexual (GB) male couples receive a prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis over their life course with limited understanding of the impacts on their relationships. Psychological distress related to PCa diagnosis and treatment-related side effects have been shown to disrupt established GB partnership dynamics. Communication barriers often develop within GB relationships affected by PCa, further exacerbating couple tensions, isolating partners, and lowering quality of life for both patients and partners.

The Role of BMI in Allostatic Load and Risk of Cancer Death.

Introduction: Obesity and proinflammatory conditions are associated with increased risks of cancer. The associations of baseline allostatic load with cancer mortality and whether this association is modified by body mass index (BMI) were examined.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in March-September 2022 using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey years 1988 through 2010 linked with the National Death Index through December 31, 2019.

Crosstalk of necroptosis and pyroptosis defines tumor microenvironment characterization and predicts prognosis in clear cell renal carcinoma.

Pyroptosis and necroptosis are two recently identified forms of immunogenic cell death in the tumor microenvironment (TME), indicating a crucial involvement in tumor metastasis. However, the characteristics of necroptosis and pyroptosis that define tumor microenvironment and prognosis in ccRCC patients remain unknown. We systematically investigated the transcriptional variation and expression patterns of Necroptosis and Pyroptosis related genes (NPRGs).

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Rural-Urban Trends in 5-Year Survival of Patients With Lung, Prostate, Breast, and Colorectal Cancers: 1975-2011 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER).

Importance: Considering reported rural-urban cancer incidence and mortality trends, rural-urban cancer survival trends are important for providing a comprehensive description of cancer burden. Furthermore, little is known about rural-urban differences in survival trends by racial and ethnic groups.

Objective: To examine national rural-urban trends in 5-year cancer-specific survival probabilities for lung, prostate, breast, and colorectal cancers in a diverse sample of racial and ethnic groups.

Ambient UVR and Environmental Arsenic Exposure in Relation to Cutaneous Melanoma in Iowa.

Intermittent sun exposure is the major environmental risk factor for cutaneous melanoma (CM). Cumulative sun exposure and other environmental agents, such as environmental arsenic exposure, have not shown consistent associations. Ambient ultraviolet radiation (UVR) was used to measure individual total sun exposure as this is thought to be less prone to misclassification and recall bias.

Why Do Epidemiologic Studies Find an Inverse Association Between Intraprostatic Inflammation and Prostate Cancer: A Possible Role for Colliding Bias?

Inflammation is an emerging risk factor for prostate cancer based largely on evidence from animal models and histopathologic observations. However, findings from patho-epidemiologic studies of intraprostatic inflammation and prostate cancer have been less supportive, with inverse associations observed in many studies of intraprostatic inflammation and prostate cancer diagnosis. Here, we propose collider stratification bias as a potential methodologic explanation for these inverse findings and provide strategies for conducting future etiologic studies of intraprostatic inflammation and prostate cancer.

Community Health Behaviors and Geographic Variation in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Survival Among Women.

Introduction: Despite overall reductions in colorectal cancer (CRC) morbidity and mortality, survival disparities by sex persist among young patients (age <50 years). Our study sought to quantify variance in early-onset CRC survival accounted for by individual/community-level characteristics among a population-based cohort of US women.

Methods: Geographic hot spots-counties with high early-onset CRC mortality rates among women-were derived using 3 geospatial autocorrelation approaches with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention national mortality data.