Author Interviews, Cancer Research, JAMA, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 10.06.2022
Rural Cancer Survival Trails Urban Patients, Especially for Minorities
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
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Dr. Lewis-Thames[/caption]
Marquita W. Lewis-Thames, PhD (she/her/Dr.)
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Social Science
Center for Community Health, Member Researcher
Assistant Directors of Community Outreach and Engagement, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Incidence, mortality, and survivorship provide a comprehensive description of cancer for a group of people. Differences in cancer incidence and mortality trends by rural-urban status and race and ethnicity are well documented, but urban-rural cancer survivorship trends by race and ethnicity are unknown. To this end, we examined almost 40 years of racial and ethnic differences by rural-urban status for 5-year survival of patients with lung, prostate, breast, and colorectal cancers.
Using a nationwide epidemiological assessment of 1975-2011 data from the SEER database, we found that 5-year cancer-specific survival trends increased for all cancer types and race and ethnic groups, regardless of rural or urban status.
Generally, rural, and non-Hispanic Black cancer patients had worse survival outcomes than others.
Dr. Lewis-Thames[/caption]
Marquita W. Lewis-Thames, PhD (she/her/Dr.)
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Social Science
Center for Community Health, Member Researcher
Assistant Directors of Community Outreach and Engagement, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Incidence, mortality, and survivorship provide a comprehensive description of cancer for a group of people. Differences in cancer incidence and mortality trends by rural-urban status and race and ethnicity are well documented, but urban-rural cancer survivorship trends by race and ethnicity are unknown. To this end, we examined almost 40 years of racial and ethnic differences by rural-urban status for 5-year survival of patients with lung, prostate, breast, and colorectal cancers.
Using a nationwide epidemiological assessment of 1975-2011 data from the SEER database, we found that 5-year cancer-specific survival trends increased for all cancer types and race and ethnic groups, regardless of rural or urban status.
Generally, rural, and non-Hispanic Black cancer patients had worse survival outcomes than others.
Dr. Paller[/caption]
Amy S Paller, MD
Chair, Department of Dermatology
Director, Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-Based Center
Walter J. Hamlin Professor of Dermatology
Professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics (Dermatology)
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University
Dr. Paller discusses the FDA approval of Dupixent® (dupilumab) for children aged 6 to 11 years with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (eczema), whose disease is not adequately controlled with topical prescription therapies or when those therapies are not advisable.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this announcement? Would you briefly discuss what is meant by atopic dermatitis and how it affects children?
Response: “Atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema, is a chronic inflammatory disease that often appears as a rash on the skin. Moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis is characterized by rashes that can potentially cover much of the body and can include intense, persistent itching, skin lesions and skin dryness, cracking, redness or darkness, crusting and oozing. Itch is one of the most burdensome symptoms for patients and can be debilitating.
This recent FDA approval expands the use of Dupilumab in the U.S. to include children aged 6 to 11 years with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, making it the only biologic medicine approved for this use in this population. Dupilumab is also approved in the U.S. to treat patients aged 12 years and older with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.
Moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis can place a particularly substantial burden on young children aged 6 to 11 years and their families. Limited treatment options leave many of these children to cope with intense, unrelenting itch and skin lesions. Families of these children can spend countless hours helping them to manage their disease.”
Dr. Gupta[/caption]
Ruchi Gupta MD MPH
Mary Ann & J Milburn Smith Senior Scientist in Child Health Research
Director, Science & Outcomes of Allergy & Asthma Research
Professor of Pediatrics & Medicine
Clinical Attending
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Institute for Public Health and Medicine
Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine
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Dr. Warren[/caption]
Christopher M. Warren, PhD
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Readers may be familiar with the so-called "top 8" food allergens (i.e. peanut, tree nut, cow's milk, fin fish, shellfish, egg, wheat and soy), which are responsible for the majority of food allergies in the US. However, in recent years increasing attention has been paid to sesame allergy, which evidence suggests can lead to anaphylaxis, frequently results in accidental exposure among affected patients, and is infrequently outgrown. Until now, only one 2010 study has systematically assessed the prevalence of sesame among both US children and adults. It concluded that sesame allergies were reported by approximately .1% of the US population.
However, this study, which surveyed a sample of approximately 5000 US households only captured 13 individuals with reported sesame allergy, which limited the authors' ability to draw more detailed conclusions about the specific characteristics of sesame allergy in the United States.