Publications by authors named "Susan Rohland"
Objective: To evaluate and describe attitudes, quality of life (Qol), needs and preferences of patients with head and neck cancer after 3 years of follow-up care.
Methods: This is an exploratory prospective study of recurrence-free patients. Survey results were compared between 1-, 2- and 3-year post-treatment and by disease characteristics.
Objective: The experience of a cancer diagnosis and receiving treatment can have profound impacts on health and subsequently patients may require significant support. Often, these needs are not identified or addressed. Given that less is known about the follow-up requirements for head and neck cancer patients, this study aimed to describe their follow-up needs and preferences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In the absence of clear evidence on the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) over conventional radiotherapy (RT) for HPV+ve and for HPV-ve oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), this study compares the treatments and outcomes from pre-CRT years to post-CRT years.
Methods: A population-based retrospective treatment-effectiveness study based on all patients with OPC treated in Ontario Canada in 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2004. Charts were reviewed, tissue samples were requested and tissue was tested for p16 or in situ hybridisation.
An obesity paradox has been described, whereby obese patients have better health outcomes than normal weight patients in certain clinical situations, including cardiac surgery. However, the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and resource utilization and costs in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is largely unknown. We examined resource utilization and cost data for 53,224 patients undergoing CABG in Ontario, Canada over a 10-year period between 2002 and 2011.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the ten-year trends in utilization of bioequivalent doses of statin amongst elderly patients with diabetes according to sex/gender in Ontario, Canada.
Methods: A cohort of patients with diabetes (>65 years) was constructed using the Ontario Diabetes Database Statin utilization data (2003-2012) was obtained from the Ontario Drug Benefit Program for both women and men. Bioequivalent doses for statins were calculated according to the dosing conversion factor in therapeutic interchange programs in clinical practice.
Background: The "obesity paradox" reflects an observed relationship between obesity and decreased morbidity and mortality, suggesting improved health outcomes for obese individuals. Studies examining the relationship between high body mass index (BMI) and adverse outcomes after cardiac surgery have reported conflicting results.
Methods And Results: The study population (N=78 762) was comprised of adult patients who had undergone first-time coronary artery bypass (CABG) or combined CABG/aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery from April 1, 1998 to October 31, 2011 in Ontario (data from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences).
Objective: We compared the cause-specific survival of patients who received radiotherapy to those who received surgery for cure of their prostate cancer using a number of design and analytic steps to mitigate confounding by indication.
Methods: This was a case-cohort study of 2213 patients in the Ontario Cancer Registry diagnosed between 1990 and 1998 who were either treatment candidates or received curative radiotherapy or surgery. Cases included patients who died of prostate cancer within 10 years.
Background: Treatment choice in prostate cancer is influenced by pre-existing comorbid illnesses, but information about their individual prognostic impact is sparse, and only 1 comorbidity index has been developed for this setting. The authors assessed the impact of individual comorbid illnesses on the risk of early, other-cause death in prostate cancer treatment candidates and propose a modification of an existing comorbidity scale.
Methods: A population-based case-cohort study included patients diagnosed from 1990 through 1998 in Ontario, Canada who had planned curative radiotherapy or prostatectomy.
Oral cavity cancers can be detected early yet many are diagnosed with advanced disease. We assessed risk factors for advanced stage disease in a population-based study. Study population was all Ontario patients with anterior tongue or floor of mouth cancers diagnosed between 1991 and 2000 (n=2033).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Inflammatory mediators have a role in the initiation and progression of prostate cancer. Observed anti-cancer effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have consisted largely of those that inhibit inflammatory mechanisms thought to promote an aggressive disease phenotype. Epidemiologic studies have supported a chemopreventive effect but there is little research on a possible protective role against prostate cancer aggressiveness and progression to advanced disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Comorbidity is important to consider in clinical research on curative prostate carcinoma because of the role of competing risks. Five chart-based comorbidity indices were assessed for their ability to predict survival.
Methods: This was a case-cohort study of prostate carcinoma patient cohort treated with curative intent in Toronto and Southeast Cancer Care Ontario regions between 1990 and 1996; the subcohort was drawn from these men, whereas cases were cohort members who died from causes other than prostate carcinoma.
Background: Comorbidities are diseases or conditions that coexist with a disease of interest. The importance of comorbidities is that they can alter treatment decisions, change resource utilization, and confound the results of survival analysis.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the best comorbidity index to use in survival analysis of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.