Significant Disparities in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Outcomes by Race/Ethnicity and Sociodemographic Factors.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) disproportionately affects racial/ethnic minorities. We evaluated the impact of income and geography on racial/ethnic disparities across the HCC care cascade in the U.S.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Etiology Drives Survival Outcomes: A Population-Based Analysis.

Background: Previous survival studies on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by etiology are limited to hospital-based series, restricted cohorts, and monolithic etiologic categories. We studied population-based survival by seven mutually exclusive HCC etiologic groups-standalone hepatitis-C virus (HCV), hepatitis-B virus (HBV), alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and dual etiology HCV-HBV, HCV-ALD, and HBV-ALD-accounting for clinical and sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: All HCC cases diagnosed during 2005 to 2018 from the Florida Cancer Registry were linked for etiology using statewide discharge and viral hepatitis data.

Odds of Developing Cancer Among Male and Female Volunteer Firefighters in Florida: A Case-Control Study Design.

Objective: Determine whether volunteer firefighters in Florida are at increased odds of developing cancer compared with nonfirefighters.

Methods: A case-control study design was implemented to assess the odds of developing cancer among male and female volunteer firefighters in Florida. Gender-specific age and calendar year-adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated.

Disparities in incidence and survival for patients with Ewing sarcoma in Florida.

Background: Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a malignant bone tumor most commonly affecting non-Hispanic White (NHW) adolescent males, though recognition among Hispanic individuals is rising. Prior population-based studies in the United States (US), utilizing Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) have shown higher all-cause mortality among White Hispanics, Blacks, and those of low socioeconomic status (SES). Florida is not part of SEER but is home to unique Hispanic populations including Cubans, Puerto Ricans, South Americans that contrasts with the Mexican Hispanic majority in other US states.

Avanzando Caminos (Leading Pathways): design and procedures of the Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Study.

Avanzando Caminos (Leading Pathways): The Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Cohort Study aims to examine the influence of sociocultural, medical, stress-related, psychosocial, lifestyle, behavioral, and biological factors on symptom burden, health-related quality of life, and clinical outcomes among Hispanics/Latinos who have been previously treated for cancer. Avanzando Caminos is a prospective, cohort-based study of 3000 Hispanics/Latinos who completed primary cancer treatment within the past 5 years that is representative of the general Hispanic/Latino population in the United States. Participants will complete self-report measures at baseline (time [T] 1), 6 months (T2), 1 year (T3), 2 years (T4), 3 years (T5), 4 years (T6), and 5 years (T7).

ZIP Code to Genomic Code: Neighborhood Disadvantage, Aggressive Breast Cancer Biology, and Breast Cancer Outcomes.

Objective: To determine the association between objective (geospatial) and subjective (perceived) measures of neighborhood disadvantage (ND) and aggressive breast cancer tumor biology, defined using validated social adversity-associated transcription factor (TF) activity and clinical outcomes.

Background: ND is associated with shorter breast cancer recurrence-free survival (RFS), independent of individual, tumor, and treatment characteristics, suggesting potential unaccounted biological mechanisms by which ND influences RFS.

Methods: We quantified TF-binding motif prevalence within promoters of differentially expressed genes for 147 tissue samples prospectively collected on the protocol.

Assessing racial, ethnic, and nativity disparities in US cancer mortality using a new integrated platform.

Background: Foreign-born populations in the United States have markedly increased, yet cancer trends remain unexplored. Survey-based Population-Adjusted Rate Calculator (SPARC) is a new tool for evaluating nativity differences in cancer mortality.

Methods: Using SPARC, we calculated 3-year (2016-2018) age-adjusted mortality rates and rate ratios for common cancers by sex, age group, race and ethnicity, and nativity.

Trends and Disparities in Curative-Intent Treatment for Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Population-Based Analysis of Surgery and SBRT.

Background: Despite the increasing adoption of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) as a recommended alternative for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), population-based research on racial/ethnic disparities in curative-intent treatment accounting for SBRT remains limited. This study investigated trends and disparities in receiving curative-intent surgery and/or SBRT in a diverse, retrospective cohort.

Methods: Early-stage NSCLC cases (2005-2017) from the Florida cancer registry were linked to individual-level statewide discharge data containing comorbidities and specific treatment information.

Cancer mortality in Germany-born Americans and Germans.

Introduction: Comparing cancer mortality and associated risk factors among immigrant populations in a host country to those in their country of origin reveals disparities in cancer risk, access to care, diagnosis, and disease management. This study compares cancer mortality between the German resident population and Germany-born individuals who migrated to the US.

Methods: Cancer mortality data from 2008-2018 were derived for Germans from the World Health Organization database and for Germany-born Americans resident in four states (California, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York) from respective Departments of Vital Statistics.

Increasing risk of hepatocellular carcinoma with successive generations in the United States among Mexican American adults: The Multiethnic Cohort.

Background: US-born Latinos have a higher incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than foreign-born Latinos. Acculturation to unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and an immigrant self-selection effect may play a role. In this study, the authors examined the influence of generational status on HCC risk among Mexican American adults.

Associations Between Neighborhood-Level Income and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in a Majority-Minority Population.

Background: Previous studies on disparities in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) focus on race/ethnicity, with few exploring the impact of contextual factors such as neighborhood-level income. This study evaluates the effect of neighborhood-level income on disparities in TNBC among a racially and ethnically diverse cohort, after accounting for granular individual-level risk factors of TNBC.

Patients And Methods: Patients with stage I-IV breast cancer from 2005 to 2017 were identified from our local tumor registry.

Incidence of Etiology-specific Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Diverging Trends and Significant Heterogeneity by Race and Ethnicity.

Background & Aims: The main causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) include chronic hepatitis C and B viral infections (HCV, HBV), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and alcohol-related disease (ALD). Etiology-specific HCC incidence rates and temporal trends on a population-basis are needed to improve HCC control and prevention.

Methods: All 14,420 HCC cases from the Florida statewide cancer registry were individually linked to data from the hospital discharge agency and the viral hepatitis department to determine the predominant etiology of each case diagnosed during 2010 to 2018.

Lung cancer survival among Florida male firefighters.

Introduction: Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer incidence and death in the United States. Although most firefighters are fit and do not smoke, they are exposed to many known carcinogens during and in the aftermath of firefighting activities. Comprehensive epidemiologic investigations on lung cancer survival for both career and volunteer firefighters have not been undertaken.

An examination of psychometric properties of study quality assessment scales in meta-analysis: Rasch measurement model applied to the firefighter cancer literature.

Most existing quality scales have been developed with minimal attention to accepted standards of psychometric properties. Even for those that have been used widely in medical research, limited evidence exists supporting their psychometric properties. The focus of our current study is to address this gap by evaluating the psychometrics properties of two existing quality scales that are frequently used in cancer observational research: (1) Item Bank on Risk of Bias and Precision of Observational Studies developed by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International and (2) Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOQAS).

Intra-racial disaggregation reveals associations between nativity and overall survival in women with endometrial cancer.

Objective: Prior studies have demonstrated survival differences between Black women with endometrial cancer (EC) born in the US and Caribbean. Our objective was to determine if country of birth influences EC overall survival (OS) in disaggregated subpopulations of Black women.

Methods: Using the Florida Cancer Data System, women with EC diagnosed from 1981 to 2017 were identified.

Asian American Enclaves and Healthcare Accessibility: An Ecologic Study Across Five States.

Introduction: Access to primary care has been a long-standing priority for improving population health. Asian Americans, who often settle in ethnic enclaves, have been found to underutilize health care. Understanding geographic primary care accessibility within Asian American enclaves can help to ensure the long-term health of this fast-growing population.