Treatment Interruptions and Mortality Among Puerto Rican Women With Gynecologic Cancers in Puerto Rico After Hurricanes Irma and María: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Cancer patients are among the most vulnerable populations during and after a disaster. We evaluated the impact of treatment interruption on the survival of women with gynecologic cancer in Puerto Rico following Hurricanes Irma and María.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study among a clinic-based sample of women with gynecological cancer diagnosed between January 2016 and September 2017 (n = 112) was done.

Multiple myeloma incidence, mortality, and survival differences at the intersection of sex, age, and race/ethnicity: A comparison between Puerto Rico and the United States SEER population.

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) survival has increased during the last decades due to the introduction of new therapies. We investigated the intersectionality among age, sex, and race/ethnicity to better understand the pattern of MM incidence, mortality, and survival.

Methods: Puerto Rico (PR) Central Cancer Registry and the United States of America (US) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program databases were used.

Latin America and the Caribbean Code Against Cancer 1st Edition: 17 cancer prevention recommendations to the public and to policy-makers (World Code Against Cancer Framework).

Preventable risk factors are responsible of at least 40% of cases and almost 45% of all cancer deaths worldwide. Cancer is already the leading cause of death in almost half of the Latin American and the Caribbean countries constituting a public health problem. Cost-effective measures to reduce exposures through primary prevention and screening of certain types of cancers are critical in the fight against cancer but need to be tailored to the local needs and scenarios.

Association Between Concurrent Use of Benzodiazepines and Opioids and Health Care Utilization Among Patients With Cancer in Puerto Rico.

Purpose: To evaluate the association between concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines (BZDs) and emergency room (ER) visits and hospital admissions in patients with cancer.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry-Health Insurance Linkage. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs and incidence rate ratio (IRR) were estimated using logistic and negative binomial regression analyses to assess the association between concurrent use of opioids and BZDs (overlap of at least 7 days) and ER visits and hospital admissions.

A comparative analysis of endometrial cancer disparities in incidence, mortality, and survival between women living in Puerto Rico, Non-Hispanic Blacks, Non-Hispanic Whites, and US Hispanics between 2000-2018.

Objective:  Endometrial cancer diagnosis in younger women is increasing in Puerto Rico and the United States. The study aims to evaluate the endometrial cancer trends in incidence, mortality, and survival by comparing US ethnic groups (NHW, NHB, and Hispanic) to women living in PR to assess whether disparities exist by age and stage at diagnosis on outcomes of interest.

Methods:  We performed a secondary data analysis and comparison of the age-specific and age-adjusted incidence rates, mortality rates, and the survival of endometrial cancer in PR with that of NHB, NHW, and Hispanic using data from the PR Central Cancer Registry, the SEER Program, and PR Demographic Registry from 2000 to 2018.

Racial/ethnic disparities for leukemias in Puerto Rico and the United States of America, 2015-2019.

Background: Leukemia is a cancer of the early-forming cells. Over the past decade, leukemia racial/ethnic disparities have been documented in the United States of America (USA). Although the Puerto Rican population in the USA represents the second-largest Hispanic population in the nation, most of the existing studies do not include Puerto Rico.

Breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening test use in the US territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

Background: The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening among eligible adults, but information on screening use in the US territories is limited.

Methods: To estimate the proportion of adults up-to-date with breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening based on USPSTF recommendations, we analyzed Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 2016, 2018, and 2020 for the 50 US states and DC (US) and US territories of Guam and Puerto Rico and from 2016 for the US Virgin Islands. Age-standardized weighted proportions for up-to-date cancer screening were examined overall and by select characteristics for each jurisdiction.

Perceptions of preparedness, timing of cancer diagnosis, and objective emergency preparedness among gynecological cancer patients in Puerto Rico before and after Hurricane Maria.

Objectives: This study investigated the impact of cancer diagnosis status, individual feelings of preparedness, and other covariates on objective emergency preparedness among women diagnosed with gynecological cancers before or after the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico.

Methods: This study included 240 women who were interviewed by telephone from 9/2019-11/2020. Objective emergency preparedness was assessed using a list of six items.

Trends and Factors Associated with Fecal Occult Blood Test Utilization among Hispanic Adults in Puerto Rico and the United States: BRFSS 2012-2020.

Unlabelled: Identifying factors associated with colorectal cancer screening utilization is important to guide colorectal cancer prevention and control programs. We evaluated trends and factors associated with previous-year fecal occult blood test (FOBT) use among Hispanic adults living in Puerto Rico and the U.S.

The Puerto Rico Community Cancer Control Outreach Program: Developing Capacity-Building Activities on Cancer Screening Guidelines and HPV Vaccination Recommendations for Health Care Professionals.

Objective: This study evaluated physicians' knowledge of cancer screening guidelines and human papillomavirus (HPV) recommendations.

Methods: The Puerto Rico Community Cancer Control Outreach Program in collaboration with the Comprehensive Cancer Control Program and the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program developed an educational activity for physicians who attended a professional annual meeting. This activity consisted of 2 sessions: one about cancer screening guidelines and the other about HPV and HPV vaccination.

Patterns of use of biological and genetic markers for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia in Puerto Rico.

Background: The use of markers has stimulated the development of more appropriate targeted therapies for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We assessed the use and prevalence of biological and genetic markers of CLL and AML in the homogeneous Hispanic population of Puerto Rico.

Methods: We used the Puerto Rico CLL/AML Population-Based Registry, which combines information from linked databases.

Granulocyte colony stimulating factor use and adherence to clinical practice guidelines among women with breast cancer living in Puerto Rico: a population-based study.

Background: Febrile Neutropenia (FN) is a common and serious condition related to cancer chemotherapy. Human recombinant Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) prevents and attenuates the severity and duration of FN. We evaluated the use and predictors of G-CSF adherence among women with breast cancer with a high risk of FN in Puerto Rico.

Induction Therapy and Survival for Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Hispanic Adults from Puerto Rico.

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common type of leukemia in adults. There are no previous studies evaluating AML treatment patterns in Puerto Rico. We describe the first-line therapy patterns and survival of patients diagnosed with AML in Puerto Rico using the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry Health Insurance Linkage Database (2011-2015).

Cancer statistics for the US Hispanic/Latino population, 2021.

The Hispanic/Latino population is the second largest racial/ethnic group in the continental United States and Hawaii, accounting for 18% (60.6 million) of the total population. An additional 3 million Hispanic Americans live in Puerto Rico.

Use of palliative radiotherapy among patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer in Puerto Rico.

Background: Palliative radiotherapy (RT) represents an important treatment opportunity for improving the quality of life in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients through the management of symptoms within the course of the illness. The aim of the study is to determine the proportion of patients who had palliative RT within 12 months of diagnosis and evaluate the factors associated with it.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed using secondary data analysis from 2009 to 2015 from the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry-Health Insurance Linkage Database (PRCCR-HILD).

Correlates of Sun Protection Behaviors Among Adults in Puerto Rico.

Background: The incidence of skin cancer has been increasing in Puerto Rico in recent years. Sun protection behaviors are suboptimal among Puerto Ricans. However, there are limited data regarding major factors associated with Puerto Rican adults' sun protection behaviors.

Elimination of cervical cancer in U.S. Hispanic populations: Puerto Rico as a case study.

Cervical cancer remains a major burden for women around the world. In 2018, the World Health Organization called for the elimination of cervical cancer worldwide (<4 cases per 100,000 women-years), within the 21st century. In the U.

High-Intensity End-of-Life Care Among Patients With GI Cancer in Puerto Rico: A Population-Based Study.

Purpose: High-intensity care with undue suffering among patients with cancer at the end of life (EoL) is associated with poor quality of life. We examined the pattern and predictors of high-intensity care among patients with GI cancer in Puerto Rico.

Methods: This population-based study of data from the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry-Health Insurance Linkage Database examined patients with GI cancer who died between 2009 and 2017.

Incidence of Cervical Cancer in Puerto Rico, 2001-2017.

This cohort study examines recent trajectories in the incidence of cervical cancer in Puerto Rico by age and among birth cohorts.

Strengthening Resilience and Adaptive Capacity to Disasters in Cancer Control Plans: Lessons Learned from Puerto Rico.

Patients with cancer are among the most vulnerable populations in the aftermath of a disaster. They are at higher risk of medical complications and death due to the collapse of or disruptions in the health care system, the community infrastructure, and the complexity of cancer care. The United Nations' Sendai Framework for Disaster Reduction states that people with life-threatening and chronic diseases should be considered in disaster plans to manage their risks.

Cancer control in the Caribbean island countries and territories: some progress but the journey continues.

Cancer causes a fifth of deaths in the Caribbean region and its incidence is increasing. Incidence and mortality patterns of cancer in the Caribbean reflect globally widespread epidemiological transitions, and show cancer profiles that are unique to the region. Providing comprehensive and locally responsive cancer care is particularly challenging in the Caribbean because of the geographical spread of the islands, the frequently under-resourced health-care systems, and the absence of a cohesive approach to cancer control.

Advancing cancer care and prevention in the Caribbean: a survey of strategies for the region.

Cancer is now the second leading cause of death in the Caribbean. Despite this growing burden, many Caribbean small island nations have health systems that struggle to provide optimal cancer care for their populations. In this Series paper, we identify several promising strategies to improve cancer prevention and treatment that have emerged across small island nations that are part of the Caribbean Community.