Plant-based diet, inflammation biomarkers and body composition among women with breast cancer: the Pathways Study.

The World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research recommend a plant-based diet to cancer survivors, which may reduce chronic inflammation and excess adiposity associated with worse survival. We investigated associations of plant-based dietary patterns with inflammation biomarkers and body composition in the Pathways Study, in which 3659 women with breast cancer provided validated food frequency questionnaires approximately 2 months after diagnosis. We derived three plant-based diet indices: overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI) and unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI).

Plant-based diet and survival among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Background: A plant-based diet is associated with better survival among patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer (CRC), but its association in metastatic CRC is unknown.

Methods: Using an National Cancer Institute-sponsored trial (CALGB/SWOG 80405), we included 1284 patients who completed validated food frequency questionnaires at the initiation of metastatic CRC treatment. We calculated 3 indices: overall plant-based diet index (PDI), which emphasized consumption of all plant foods while reducing animal food intake; healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), which emphasized consumption of healthful plant foods such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables; and unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI), which emphasized consumption of less healthful plant foods such as fruit juices, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

A noise robust sparse time-frequency representation method for measuring underwater gas leakage rate.

Passive acoustic monitors analyze sound signals emitted by seafloor gas bubbles to measure leakage rates. In scenarios with low-flux gas leaks, individual bubble sounds are typically non-overlapping. Measurement methods for these bubble streams aim to estimate the frequency peak of each bubble sound, which correlates with the bubble's size.

A novel body composition risk score (B-Score) and overall survival among patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer.

Background & Aims: Measurements (amount, distribution, and radiodensity) of muscle and adipose tissue were reported to be individually associated with overall survival in patients with breast cancer. However, they were not typically combined to develop an overall risk score, which can identify patients at high risk of death and prioritize patients in need of dietary and lifestyle interventions. Thus, we aimed to develop a novel composite body composition risk score (B-Score).

D3-creatine dilution, computed tomography and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for assessing myopenia and physical function in colon cancer: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Low skeletal muscle mass (myopenia) is common in cancer populations and is associated with functional decline and mortality, but prior oncology studies did not assess total body skeletal muscle mass. Instead, they measured surrogates such as cross-sectional area (CSA) of skeletal muscle at L3 from computed tomography (CT) or appendicular lean mass (ALM) from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). D3-creatine (D3Cr) dilution is a non-invasive method to assess total body skeletal muscle mass, which has been examined in a variety of populations but not in cancer.

Body Composition, Relative Dose Intensity, and Adverse Events among Patients with Colon Cancer.

Background: Despite evidence that low muscle increases the risk of chemotoxicity, most chemotherapies are dosed on body surface area without considering body composition. Among 178 patients with colon cancer, we assessed muscle and adipose tissue with multiple techniques and examined their associations with relative dose intensity (RDI) and adverse events.

Methods: We estimated (i) cross-sectional skeletal muscle area (SMA) and total adipose tissue (TAT) area at L3 from computed tomography (CT); (ii) appendicular lean mass (ALM) and total body fat (TBF) mass from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); and (iii) total body skeletal muscle mass using D3-creatine (D3Cr) dilution.

Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Survival in Stage III Colon Cancer: Findings from CALGB/SWOG 80702 (Alliance).

Purpose: To assess whether higher plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is associated with improved outcomes in colon cancer and whether circulating inflammatory cytokines mediate such association.

Experimental Design: Plasma samples were collected from 1,437 patients with stage III colon cancer enrolled in a phase III randomized clinical trial (CALGB/SWOG 80702) from 2010 to 2015, who were followed until 2020. Cox regressions were used to examine associations between plasma 25(OH)D and disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and time to recurrence (TTR).

Association of Inflammatory Biomarkers With Survival Among Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer.

Importance: The association of chronic inflammation with colorectal cancer recurrence and death is not well understood, and data from large well-designed prospective cohorts are limited.

Objective: To assess the associations of inflammatory biomarkers with survival among patients with stage III colon cancer.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study was derived from a National Cancer Institute-sponsored adjuvant chemotherapy trial Cancer and Leukemia Group B/Southwest Oncology Group 80702 (CALGB/SWOG 80702) conducted between June 22, 2010, and November 20, 2015, with follow-up ending on August 10, 2020.

Adipose tissue radiodensity and mortality among patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer.

Background & Aims: Computed tomography (CT) scans can measure quantity and distribution of adipose tissue, which are associated with breast cancer prognosis. As a novel prognostic marker, radiodensity of adipose tissue has been examined in multiple cancer types, but never in breast cancer. Lower density indicates larger adipocytes with greater lipid content, whereas higher density can reflect inflammation, fibrosis, vascularity, or even metabolic changes; and both may impact breast cancer prognosis.

Adiposity and cancer survival: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: The increasing availability of clinical imaging tests (especially CT and MRI) that directly quantify adipose tissue has led to a rapid increase in studies examining the relationship of visceral, subcutaneous, and overall adiposity to cancer survival. To summarize this emerging body of literature, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of imaging-measured as well as anthropometric proxies for adipose tissue distribution and cancer survival across a wide range of cancer types.

Methods: Using keywords related to adiposity, cancer, and survival, we conducted a systematic search of the literature in PubMed and MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science Core Collection databases from database inception to 30 June 2021.

The association of abdominal adiposity with premature discontinuation of postoperative chemotherapy in colon cancer.

Background & Aims: Patients with colon cancer who prematurely discontinue postoperative chemotherapy may have an increased risk of disease recurrence and death. This study tested the hypothesis that the quantity and distribution of abdominal adipose tissue predict premature chemotherapy discontinuation.

Methods: This cohort study included 533 patients with stage II-III colon cancer who initiated a planned regimen of 24-weeks of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) chemotherapy.

Long-Term Survival and Causes of Death After Diagnoses of Common Cancers in 3 Cohorts of US Health Professionals.

Background: Few studies investigated long-term overall survival and causes of death among men and women diagnosed with most commonly occurring cancers.

Methods: We estimated long-term (≥30-year) overall and cause-specific cumulative mortality for men diagnosed with prostate (n = 6873), lung and bronchus (n = 1290), colon and rectum (n = 1418), bladder (n = 1321), and melanoma (n = 2654) cancer in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study between 1986 and 2012 and women with breast (n = 18 280), lung and bronchus (n = 3963), colon and rectum (n = 3461), uterine corpus (n = 1641), and thyroid (n = 1103) cancer in the Nurses' Health Study between 1976 and 2012 and Nurses' Health Study II between 1989 and 2013.

Results: We reported overall and cause-specific cumulative mortality of 30 years among men and 35 years among women.

Diet- and Lifestyle-Based Prediction Models to Estimate Cancer Recurrence and Death in Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer (CALGB 89803/Alliance).

Purpose: Current tools in predicting survival outcomes for patients with colon cancer predominantly rely on clinical and pathologic characteristics, but increasing evidence suggests that diet and lifestyle habits are associated with patient outcomes and should be considered to enhance model accuracy.

Methods: Using an adjuvant chemotherapy trial for stage III colon cancer (CALGB 89803), we developed prediction models of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival by additionally incorporating self-reported nine diet and lifestyle factors. Both models were assessed by multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression and externally validated using another trial for stage III colon cancer (CALGB/SWOG 80702), and visual nomograms of prediction models were constructed accordingly.

Neighborhood and Individual Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Survival Among Patients With Nonmetastatic Common Cancers.

Importance: Disadvantaged neighborhood-level and individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) have each been associated with suboptimal cancer care and inferior outcomes. However, independent or synergistic associations between neighborhood and individual socioeconomic disadvantage have not been fully examined, and prior studies using simplistic neighborhood SES measures may not comprehensively assess multiple aspects of neighborhood SES.

Objective: To investigate the associations of neighborhood SES (using a validated comprehensive composite measure) and individual SES with survival among patients with nonmetastatic common cancers.

Analysis of Survival Among Adults With Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer in the National Cancer Database.

Importance: While increased adherence to colorectal cancer (CRC) screening guidelines in the US has been associated with significant reductions in cancer incidence in US individuals aged 50 years and older, the incidence of CRC among those aged younger than 50 years has been steadily increasing. Understanding the survival among individuals with early-onset CRC compared with those aged 50 years and older is fundamental to informing treatment approaches and understanding the unique biological distinctiveness within early-onset CRC.

Objective: To characterize the overall survival for individuals with early-onset CRC.

Imaging in turbid water based on a Hadamard single-pixel imaging system.

Underwater imaging is a challenging task because of the large amounts of noise and the scattering nature of water. Conventional optical methods cannot realize clear imaging in underwater conditions owing to the limitations of low sensitivity, geometrical aberrations, and the narrow spectrum of photoelectric detectors. By contrast, single-pixel imaging (SPI) is a promising tool for imaging in poor-visibility environments.

Post-diagnosis dietary insulinemic potential and survival outcomes among colorectal cancer patients.

Background: The empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia (EDIH) score is a validated food-based dietary score that assesses the ability of whole-food diets to predict plasma c-peptide concentrations. Although the EDIH has been extensively applied and found to be predictive of risk of developing major chronic diseases, its influence on cancer survival has not been evaluated. We applied the EDIH score in a large cohort of colorectal cancer patients to assess the insulinemic potential of their dietary patterns after diagnosis and determine its influence on survival outcomes.

Clinical Utilization and Cost of Thrombophilia Testing in Patients with Venous Thromboembolism.

 Testing for inherited and acquired thrombophilias adds to the cost of care of patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE), though results may not influence patient management.  This is a single-center, retrospective study conducted at Emory University Hospitals from January to December 2015 to (1) determine the pattern of thrombophilia testing in patients with VTE, (2) study the impact of results of thrombophilia testing on clinical decision-making, and (3) determine the direct costs of thrombophilia testing in patients with VTE.  Of the 266 eligible patients, 189 (71%) underwent testing; 51 (26.

Geographic Variations of Potentially Curative Treatments for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the United States: A SEER-Medicare Study.

Background: Transplantation, surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation, and percutaneous ethanol injection are generally considered potentially curative treatments for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). With the increasing incidence of HCC, it is critical to investigate geographic variations in curative treatments and their associations with survival among patients.

Methods: A total of 6,782 patients with HCC during 2004 to 2011 were identified in the SEER-Medicare linked database and placed in quartiles based on the proportions undergoing potentially curative treatments per hospital referral region (HRR).

The Diet of Higher Insulinemic Potential Is Not Associated with Worse Survival in Patients with Stage III Colon Cancer (Alliance).

Background: Hyperinsulinemia is considered to be important in the development of colon cancer, but few studies have investigated the associations of hyperinsulinemia with colon cancer survival via dietary scores.

Methods: Empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia (EDIH) was derived to assess the insulinemic potential of daily diets reflecting the long-term insulin exposure, with higher (more positive) scores indicating higher insulinemic diets. We prospectively estimated the HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to investigate the association of EDIH with disease-free, recurrence-free, and overall survival among patients with stage III colon cancer (1999-2009) enrolled in a randomized adjuvant chemotherapy trial (CALGB 89803).

Reference-Free Quality Assessment of Sonar Images via Contour Degradation Measurement.

Sonar imagery plays a significant role in oceanic applications since there is little natural light underwater, and light is irrelevant to sonar imaging. Sonar images are very likely to be affected by various distortions during the process of transmission via the underwater acoustic channel for further analysis. At the receiving end, the reference image is unavailable due to the complex and changing underwater environment and our unfamiliarity with it.