Factors Associated with Self-reported COVID-19 Infection and Hospitalization among Patients Seeking Care at a Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Background: COVID-19 infection severity differs by race and ethnicity, but its long-term effect on cancer-related outcomes is unknown. Therefore, information on COVID-19 history is critical to ascertain among new cancer patients in order to advance research on its impact on cancer outcomes and potentially related health disparities.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 16,025 new patients seeking care at Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) between 2021 and 2022.

Examining disparities in large-scale patient-reported data capture using digital tools among cancer patients at clinical intake.

Background: Patient-reported data can improve quality of healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. Moffitt Cancer Center ("Moffitt") administers the Electronic Patient Questionnaire (EPQ) to collect data on demographics, including sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), medical history, cancer risk factors, and quality of life. Here we investigated differences in EPQ completion by demographic and cancer characteristics.

Demographic disparities in receipt of care at a comprehensive cancer center.

Background: National Cancer Institute cancer centers (NCICCs) provide specialized cancer care including precision oncology and clinical treatment trials. While these centers can offer novel therapeutic options, less is known about when patients access these centers or at what timepoint in their disease course they receive specialized care. This is especially important since precision diagnostics and receipt of the optimal therapy upfront can impact patient outcomes and previous research suggests that access to these centers may vary by demographic characteristics.

Assessing the Contribution of Scanned Outside Documents to the Completeness of Real-World Data Abstraction.

Purpose: Electronic health record (EHR) data are widely used in precision medicine, quality improvement, disease surveillance, and population health management. However, a significant amount of EHR data are stored in unstructured formats including scanned documents external to the treatment facility presenting an informatics challenge for secondary use. Studies are needed to characterize the clinical information uniquely available in scanned outside documents (SODs) to understand to what extent the availability of such information affects the use of these real-world data for cancer research.

History of keratinocyte carcinoma and survival after a second primary malignancy: the Moffitt Cancer Center patient experience.

Purpose: History of keratinocyte carcinoma (KC) has been associated with survival following the diagnosis of a second primary malignancy (SPM), with the direction of the association varying by cancer type. Research is needed to elucidate the role of other key factors in this association.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among patients newly diagnosed and/or treated at Moffitt Cancer Center in December 2008-April 2020 with breast cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (NHL/CLL) (n = 29,156).

Using increased trust in medical researchers to increase minority recruitment: The RECRUIT cluster randomized clinical trial.

While extensive literature exists on barriers and strategies to increase minority participation in clinical trials, progress is limited. Few strategies were evaluated in randomized trials. We studied the impact of RECRUIT, a trust-based, cluster randomized minority recruitment trial layered on top of four traditional NIH-funded parent trials (BMT CTN, CABANA, PACES, STEADY-PD III; fifty specialty sites).

Cutaneous Human Papillomaviruses and the Risk of Keratinocyte Carcinomas.

Cutaneous human papillomavirus (cuHPV) infections may be novel targets for skin cancer prevention and treatment, but critical information regarding the development of virus-positive skin cancers following cuHPV infection has been lacking. In this study, baseline cuHPV infection was measured by serology and viral DNA detection in eyebrow hairs (EBH) and forearm skin swabs (SSW) among 1,008 individuals undergoing routine skin cancer screening exams and followed for incidence of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cuSCC). Baseline β-HPV detection, particularly in SSW, significantly predicted cuSCC (HR = 4.

Association between Human Polyomaviruses and Keratinocyte Carcinomas: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: A positive association between Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) infection and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cuSCC) has been observed in at least one previous case-control study. To evaluate this association in a prospective context, we investigated infections with human polyomaviruses (HPyV), including MCPyV, as predictors of keratinocyte carcinomas, including cuSCC and basal cell carcinoma (BCC), among a cohort of immunocompetent individuals enrolled in the Viruses in Skin Cancer (VIRUSCAN) Study.

Methods: Associations between markers of baseline HPyV infection (serum antibodies and viral DNA in eyebrow hairs and skin swabs) and incident keratinocyte carcinomas were modeled using Cox proportional hazards regression.

Cutaneous viral infections associated with ultraviolet radiation exposure.

The complex interplay between ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and cutaneous viral infections in the context of cancer etiology is challenging to unravel, given the limited information on the independent association between UVR and cutaneous viral infections. Using multiple biomarkers of infection with 24 types of cutaneous human papillomavirus (HPV) and 4 types of polyomaviruses (HPyV), we investigated cross-sectional associations with recent UVR exposure, using skin pigmentation measured by spectrophotometer. Age- and sex-adjusted associations between UVR and viral seropositivity, viral DNA present in eyebrow hairs (EBH) and skin swabs (SSW) were estimated using logistic regression.

Viruses in Skin Cancer (VIRUSCAN): Study Design and Baseline Characteristics of a Prospective Clinic-Based Cohort Study.

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that cutaneous viral infections are risk factors for the development of keratinocyte carcinomas. The Viruses in Skin Cancer (VIRUSCAN) Study, a prospective cohort study, was established in 2014 to investigate the risk of keratinocyte carcinoma associated with cutaneous human papillomavirus and polyomavirus infection and the possible interaction with ultraviolet radiation exposure (UVR).

Methods/results: VIRUSCAN incorporates repeated measures of viral infection using multiple markers of infection and quantitative measures of UVR using a spectrophotometer.

An Emerging Issue in Oncogenic Virology: the Role of Beta Human Papillomavirus Types in the Development of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Evidence suggests that beta human papillomaviruses (HPVs), together with ultraviolet radiation, contribute to the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Beta HPVs appear to be not the main drivers of carcinogenesis but rather facilitators of the accumulation of ultraviolet-induced DNA mutations. Beta HPVs are promoters of skin carcinogenesis, although they are dispensable for the maintenance of the malignant phenotype.

Beta Human Papillomavirus and Associated Diseases.

The cutaneous human papillomavirus (HPV), mostly from β- and γ-HPV genus, is ubiquitously distributed throughout the human body and may be part of the commensal flora. The association of β-HPVs and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) development was initially reported in patients with the rare genetic disorder Epidermodysplasia verruciformis. Likewise, immunosuppressed organ transplant recipients have an increased susceptibility to β-HPV infections in the skin as well as to cSCC development.

T Regulatory Cell Subpopulations Associated with Recent Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure in a Skin Cancer Screening Cohort.

UV radiation (UVR) causing DNA damage is a well-documented risk factor for nonmelanoma skin cancer. Although poorly understood, UVR may also indirectly contribute to carcinogenesis by promoting immune evasion. To our knowledge, we report the first epidemiological study designed to investigate the association between quantitative measures of UVR, obtained using a spectrophotometer, and circulating T regulatory (Treg) cells.

Cutaneous Viral Infections Across 2 Anatomic Sites Among a Cohort of Patients Undergoing Skin Cancer Screening.

Background: Findings from previous studies of cutaneous human papillomavirus (cuHPV) infection and keratinocyte carcinomas have varied due to several factors, including use of different sample types for cuHPV DNA detection. Elucidating the relationship between cuHPV infection in eyebrow hairs (EBHs) and skin swabs (SSWs) is critical for advancing the design of future studies.

Methods: DNA corresponding to 46 β-HPV and 52 γ-HPV types was measured in EBHs and SSWs obtained from 370 individuals undergoing routine skin cancer screening examinations.

Recruitment of racial and ethnic minorities to clinical trials conducted within specialty clinics: an intervention mapping approach.

Background: Despite efforts to increase diversity in clinical trials, racial/ethnic minority groups generally remain underrepresented, limiting researchers' ability to test the efficacy and safety of new interventions across diverse populations. We describe the use of a systematic framework, intervention mapping (IM), to develop an intervention to modify recruitment behaviors of coordinators and specialist investigators with the goal of increasing diversity in trials conducted within specialty clinics. To our knowledge IM has not been used in this setting.

Design of a cluster-randomized minority recruitment trial: RECRUIT.

Background: Racial/ethnic minority groups remain underrepresented in clinical trials. Many strategies to increase minority recruitment focus on minority communities and emphasize common diseases such as hypertension. Scant literature focuses on minority recruitment to trials of less common conditions, often conducted in specialty clinics and dependent on physician referrals.

Exploring Willingness of Elder Chinese in Houston to Participate in Clinical Research.

Background And Objectives: Inadequate minority participation in clinical research can threaten the applicability and strength of scientific findings. Previous research suggests that trial participation rates are lowest among Asian Americans, compared to other groups. This study explored barriers to clinical research participation among elder Chinese living in Houston, Texas.