Characterization of Thyroid Cancer among Hispanics in California, USA, from 2010 to 2020.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on Hispanic thyroid cancer cases show sex disparities and an increased prevalence of large tumor sizes and nodal involvement. Here, we characterized Hispanic thyroid cancer cases in California. METHODS: We identified thyroid cancer cases from 2010 to 2020 using the California Cancer Registry by sex, race/ethnicity, histology, TNM stage, tumor size, lymph node involvement, and Charlson comorbidity score. The age-adjusted incidence rate (AAIR) and age-adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) for all causes of death were calculated. A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to evaluate the mortality risk from all causes of death by race. RESULTS: Overall, 56,838 thyroid cancer cases were identified, including 29.75% in Hispanics. Hispanics had the highest female-to-male incidence rate ratio (IRR 3.54) and the highest prevalence of T3/T4 tumor size (28.71%), the highest N1 nodal status (32.69%), and the highest AAMR (0.79 per 100,000 people). After adjusting for demographic and tumor covariates, compared to non-Hispanic White people, Hispanic ethnicity, with an HR of 1.22 (95% CI 1.18-1.25, p < 0.0001), remained a significant independent contributor to mortality risk. CONCLUSIONS: Hispanics had the greatest female-to-male IRR ratio, a greater prevalence of advanced disease features at diagnosis, along with the highest AAMR and increased mortality risk despite adjustments for demographic and tumor covariates. Further investigation into other risk factors is needed.

Real world prognostic utility of platelet lymphocyte ratio and nutritional status in first-line immunotherapy response in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Elevated platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and low body mass index (BMI) are associated with inferior survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving immunotherapy (IO). We evaluated real-world prognostic utility of PLR, BMI, and albumin level in stage IV NSCLC patients receiving first line (1L) IO. METHODS: We identified 75 stage IV patients who received 1L IO therapy at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Los Angeles General Medical Center from 2015 to 2022. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS) from time of IO with attention to pre-treatment BMI < 22, albumin < 3.5 g/dL, and PLR > 180. RESULTS: Median age was 66.5 years with 49 (65.3%) males. 25 (33.3%) had BMI < 22. 45/75 (60%) had PLR > 180. Patients with BMI < 22 had inferior OS (13.1 months (m) vs. 37.4 m in BMI > 28, p-value = 0.042) along with patients with albumin<3.5 g/dL (OS: 2.8 m vs. 14.6 m, p-value = 0.0027), and patients with PLR>180 (OS: 8.7 m vs. 23.0 m, p = 0.028). Composite BMI < 22, PLR > 180 had the worst OS, p-value = 0.0331. Multivariate analysis controlling for age, smoking, gender, PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS), and histology (adenocarcinoma, squamous, adenosquamous, and large cell) showed that BMI (HR: 0.8726, 95% CI: 0.7892-0.954) and PLR > 180 (HR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.076-6.055) were significant in OS mortality risk. CONCLUSION: Patients with a composite of BMI < 22, albumin < 3.5 g/dL, and PLR > 180 had significantly worse OS. This highlights the importance of screening for poor nutritional status and high PLR to better inform stage IV NSCLC patients receiving IO therapy of their prognosis and supportive care. MICROABSTRACT: We evaluated real-world prognostic utility of platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR), body mass index (BMI), and albumin level in 75 Stage IV NSCLC patients receiving first line IO. Patients with a composite of BMI < 22, albumin < 3.5 g/dL, and PLR > 180 had significantly worse OS. This highlights the importance of screening for poor nutritional status and high PLR to better inform stage IV NSCLC patients of their prognosis and to emphasize supportive care needs.

Characterization of mortality and high-risk characteristics of thyroid cancer in Filipinos using the California Cancer Registry.

Introduction: Filipinos are the third largest Asian American subgroup and have the highest incidence of thyroid cancer among all races. To better understand this racial/ethnic disparity in thyroid cancer affecting Filipinos we analyzed the California Cancer Registry (CCR) data in Filipino thyroid cancer cases from 1988 to 2018. Methods: 97,948 thyroid cancer cases in California from 1988 to 2018 (until 2015 for Asian subgroups) were evaluated. We examined the case distribution by sex, age at diagnosis, race/ethnicity including Asian ethnic subgroups, histology, TNM stage, tumor size, lymph node involvement, lymphovascular invasion, and multifocality. We also looked at treatment data including surgery and radiation including radioactive iodine therapy. We calculated age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) for each major racial group and each Asian ethnic subgroup. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the likelihood of high-risk characteristics and treatment when comparing Filipinos to other racial/ethnic groups. Kaplan-Meier Estimate was performed to evaluate thyroid cancer survival across all race/ethnicities. Multivariate Cox proportion hazards regression was performed to evaluate mortality risk from all causes of death by race. Results: There were 5,243 (5.35%) Filipino thyroid cancer cases in California from 1988 to 2018. Filipinos had the highest AAMR (1.22 deaths per 100,000) in 2015. Filipinos had a higher likelihood of Stage IV thyroid cancer compared with Non-Hispanic Whites, Non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics and nearly all Asian subgroups. Filipinos had a worse 5-year and 10-year overall survival (OS) than the combination of all other Asian/Pacific Islanders. Filipinos compared to Non-Hispanic Whites had significant mortality risk in overall and papillary thyroid cancer cases (Overall HR: 1.10, 95% CI 1.07-1.13, p < 0.0001, Papillary HR: 1.11, 95% CI 1.07-1.14, p < 0.0001) when adjusted for race/ethnicity, age, gender, socioeconomic status, and stage. When stratified by Charlson comorbidity score, Filipinos compared to Non-Hispanic Whites still had significant mortality risk (Charlson 0 HR: 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.11, p = 0.0017, Charlson 1+ HR: 1.07 95% CI 1.002-1.14, p = 0.0434). Conclusions: Filipino thyroid cancer patients have higher incidences of high-risk pathological features and greater AAMR and mortality risk. These findings warrant further investigation into better understanding the connection between the greater incidence of high-risk characteristics and increased mortality in Filipinos.

Developing the Geriatric Injury Documentation Tool (Geri-IDT) to Improve Documentation of Physical Findings in Injured Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Standardization in tools and documentation of child abuse and intimate partner violence have proven helpful in completely documenting injuries and suspected abuse among these populations. Similar tools do not yet exist for older adults and elder abuse. OBJECTIVE: To (1) use insights from experts to develop a tool to assist clinicians in appropriately and completely documenting physical findings in injured older adults for potential future forensic investigation of abuse or neglect and (2) to assess the feasibility of incorporating this tool into clinical practice. DESIGN: Two-phase, exploratory qualitative study. Phase 1: individual interviews with elder abuse experts from various specialties in medicine and criminal justice. Phase 2: focus groups with anticipated end users of the tool. PARTICIPANTS: Phase 1 telephone-based key informant interviews were conducted with 11 elder abuse experts (2 detectives, 3 prosecutors, 1 forensic pathologist, 2 geriatricians, and 3 emergency medicine physicians). Phase 2 focus groups were conducted among emergency medicine (n = 10) and primary care (n = 8) providers. APPROACH: Key informant interviews were conducted telephonically while the two focus groups were held in-person at an emergency medicine site in New York, NY, and a primary care site in Los Angeles, CA. KEY RESULTS: Experts agreed that medical providers' documentation of geriatric injuries is usually inadequate for investigating alleged elder abuse/neglect. They highlighted elements needed for forensic investigation: initial appearance before treatment is initiated, complete head-to-toe evaluation, documentation of all injuries (even minor ones), and documentation of pertinent negatives. Several noted the value of photographs to supplement written documentation. End users identified practical challenges to utilizing a tool, including the burden of additional or parallel documentation in a busy clinical setting, and how to integrate it into existing electronic medical records. CONCLUSION: A practical tool to improve medical documentation of geriatric injuries for potential forensic use would be valuable. Practical challenges to utilization must be overcome.

Medical Screening of Mental Health Patients in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with psychiatric complaints often require medical screening to evaluate for a medical cause of their symptoms. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the existing literature on the medical screening of psychiatric patients and establish recommendations for ideal screening practices in Western-style EDs. METHODS: PubMed, PsycINFO, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for clinical studies examining the medical screening of adult psychiatric patients in the ED or inappropriate referrals to psychiatry. Articles were graded using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) grading tool and sorted into topics. A 3-level grading algorithm used by other emergency medicine organizations was used to evaluate the strength of the evidence for each recommendation. RESULTS: Sixty articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Most published literature on medical screening consisted of nonrandomized studies with a high risk of bias. Some screening procedures, such as history and physical examination, were extensively recommended. Other screening procedures received mixed recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Based on available literature, physician experts developed 7 recommendations. For a patient with known psychiatric disease presenting with symptom exacerbation, medical screening should include a full medical and psychiatric history, a targeted physical examination, and a mental status examination. Urine toxicology screening and nonurine drug screen laboratory testing should not be routinely performed. Additional screening tests may be valuable for patients with new-onset psychiatric symptoms who are ≥65 years of age, are immunosuppressed, or have concomitant medical disease. However, additional studies on this topic with more rigorous methodology must be conducted to establish definitive guidelines.