Survival of 86,690 patients with thyroid cancer: A population-based study in 29 European countries from EUROCARE-5.

BACKGROUND: Incidence rates of thyroid cancer (TC) increased in several countries during the last 30 years, while mortality rates remained unchanged, raising important questions for treatment and follow-up of TC patients. This study updates population-based estimates of relative survival (RS) after TC diagnosis in Europe by sex, country, age, period and histology. METHODS: Data from 87 cancer registries in 29 countries were extracted from the EUROCARE-5 dataset. One- and 5-year RS were estimated using the cohort approach for 86,690 adult TC patients diagnosed in 2000-2007 and followed-up to 12/31/2008. RS trends in 1999-2007 and 10-year RS in 2005-2007 were estimated using the period approach. RESULTS: In Europe 2000-2007, 5-year RS after TC was 88% in women and 81% in men. Survival rates varied by country and were strongly correlated (Pearson ρ = 75%) with country-specific incidence rates. Five-year RS decreased with age (in women from >95% at age 15-54 to 57% at age 75+), from 98% in women and 94% in men with papillary TC to 14% in women and 12% in men with anaplastic TC. Proportion of papillary TC varied by country and increased over time, while survival rates were similar across areas and periods. In 1999-2007, 5-year RS increased by five percentage points for all TCs but only by two for papillary and by four for follicular TC. Ten-year RS in 2005-2007 was 89% in women and 79% in men. CONCLUSIONS: The reported increasing TC survival trend and differences by area are mainly explained by the varying histological case-mix of cases.

Protection by selective amino acid solutions against doxorubicin induced growth inhibition of Escherichia coli.

1. Incubation of Escherichia coli with 0.7 mM doxorubicin in MBS-glucose medium resulted in complete growth inhibition, an inhibition that was blocked by placing specific amino acids (AA) in the medium. 2. The mechanism of protection by AA was similar to that reported previously for cells poisoned by hyperoxia and by paraquat, e.g. of 20 common AA, ten percent, ten do not and the branched-chair AA are among those required for inhibition. 3. Unlike hyperoxia and paraquot stringency which caused elevation of intracellular concentrations of guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp), doxorubicin inhibition did not elevate ppGpp. 4. Concentrations of ppGpp were increased by isoleucine starvation as expected, and the subsequent addition of doxorubicin did not abolish that increase; however, pretreatment with doxorubicin prevented the induction of stringency by isoleucine starvation. 5. This suggests that doxorubicin directly inhibits ppGpp synthesis or protein biosynthesis to leave tRNA loaded as is the case with chloramphenicol.