Risk Factor For Cancer Research Articles

Preexisting senescent fibroblasts in the aged bladder create a tumor-permissive niche through CXCL12 secretion.

Aging is a major risk factor for cancer, but the precise mechanism by which aging promotes carcinogenesis remains largely unknown. Here, using genetically modified mouse models, we show that p16high senescent (p16h-sn) fibroblasts accumulate with age, constitute inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and promote tumor growth in bladder cancer models. Single-cell RNA sequencing of fibroblasts from aged mice revealed higher expression of the C-X-C motif chemokine 12 gene (Cxcl12) in p16h-sn fibroblasts than in p16low fibroblasts. Elimination of p16h-sn cells or inhibition of CXCL12 signaling notebly suppressed bladder tumor growth in vivo. We identified high expression levels of SMOC2, GUCY1A1 (GUCY1A3), CXCL12, CRISPLD2, GAS1 and LUM as a signature of p16h-sn CAFs in humans and mice, which was associated with age and poor prognosis in patients with advanced and nonadvanced bladder cancer. Here we show that p16h-sn fibroblasts in the aged bladder create a cancer-permissive niche and promote tumor growth by secreting CXCL12.

Recurrence Rate and Associated Factors of Primary Fallopian Tube Carcinoma in the South of Vietnam

Abstract Objectives: This study aimed to determine the recurrence rate and related risk factors of primary fallopian tube cancer (PFTC). Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 47 patients with histopathological diagnosis of PFTC treated at Tu Du Hospital between January 1, 2015, and July 31, 2022. The cumulative recurrence rate was estimated using the life table method, and recurrence-associated factors were determined using the Log–rank test and Cox proportional hazard model. Results: The median follow-up period was 40 months (range, 7–96 months). Eight patients (17.0%) experienced recurrence. The cumulative recurrence rate of PFTC patients at 12 months was 4.4% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.12–16.45), at 24 months was 9.1% (95% CI:3.52–22.5), at 36 months was 14.9% (95% CI: 6.92–30.41), at 48 months was 19.3% (95% CI: 9.35–37.24), and at 60 months was 25.7% (95% CI: 12.68–47.88). A higher recurrence rate was significantly associated with elevated pretreatment CA 125 level (<35 U/mL vs. ≥35 U/mL, hazards ratio [HR] = 36.9, 95% CI: 1.47–921.37), advanced FIGO stages (Stage I-II vs. stages III, HR = 6.61, 95% CI: 1.18–36.93), and suboptimal debulking surgery (residual disease ≤1 cm vs. residual disease >1 cm, HR = 7.52, 95% CI: 1.47–38.49). Conclusion: The overall recurrence rate of PFTC patients in Southern Vietnam was 17.0%. Appropriate follow-up strategies for patients with high-risk factors are needed for early detection and management of recurrence.

The Protective Effects of an Aged Black Garlic Water Extract on the Prostate.

Chronic inflammation is a recognized risk factor for various cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa). We aim to explore the potential protective effects of aged black garlic extract (ABGE) against inflammation-induced prostate damage and its impact on prostate cancer cell lines. We used an ex vivo model of inflammation induced by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on C57BL/6 male mouse prostate specimens to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of ABGE. The gene expression levels of pro-inflammatory biomarkers (COX-2, NF-κB, and TNF-α, IL-6) were measured. Additionally, we evaluated ABGE's therapeutic effects on the prostate cancer cell lines through in vitro functional assays, including colony formation, tumorsphere formation, migration assays, and phosphorylation arrays to assess the signaling pathways (MAPK, AKT, JAK/STAT, and TGF-β). ABGE demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in preclinical models, partly attributed to its polyphenolic content, notably catechin and gallic acid. In the ex vivo model, ABGE reduced the gene expression levels of COX-2, NF-κB, TNF-α, and IL-6. The in vitro studies showed that ABGE inhibited cell proliferation, colony and tumorsphere formation, and cell migration in the prostate cancer cells, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic agent. ABGE exhibits promising anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, supporting further investigation into ABGE as a potential agent for managing inflammation and prostate cancer.

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Gallbladder Polyps: Is It Overtreatment?

The gallbladder polyp (GP) is an accepted risk factor of gallbladder cancer and an indication for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Generally, the pathologic result of GPs is benign, but it is difficult to distinguish a potential malignancy or a stone without pathological evaluation. This study compared the indication and pathologic result of cholecystectomy performed due to GP in our clinic. This study employed retrospective data analysis. Patients who underwent LC from August 2021 through August 2024 were included in the study. Demographic features, operation status, indications for surgery, hospital stay, concomitant surgery, pathologic outcomes, and complications were recorded from patients' data. Polyp sizes and number of polyps were taken from ultrasonography (USG) data. A total of 533 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 44.31 ± 12.14, and 64.35% (n = 343) were of female gender. Twenty patients (3.75%) underwent surgery for GP. The mean polyp size was 7.47 mm (2-15); 65% of the patients (n = 13) had multiple polyps, and 35% (n = 7) had a single polyp. The mean hospital stay was 1.59 ± 0.88 days. The pathologic result of GP was pseudopolyp in 55% (n = 11) of cases and non-polyp in 45% (n = 9). One patient (0.18%) who underwent an operation for gallstone had a malignancy. The sensitivity of USG in detecting polyps was found to be 64.7%. The complication rate was 1.5% (n = 8). The pathological result of many patients who undergo cholecystectomy due to GPs is pseudopolyp or adenoma. In our study, no carcinoma was observed in any patient who underwent surgery for polyps. Further studies are needed to determine the indication for surgery due to GP.

Proteogenomic Identification and Analysis of KIF5B as a Prognostic Signature for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Metabolic disorders are significant risk factors for liver cancer, particularly Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). However, the molecular genetic basis of metabolic reprogramming in the liver remains largely uncertain. This study aimed to investigate some novel prognostic biomarkers in HCC by using proteogenomic and transcriptomic analysis and explore the potential role of specific prognostic genes in HCC. Here, we have presented a proteogenomic analysis of 10 pairs of HCC. Protein co-expression and pathway analysis were performed to investigate the biological characteristics of HCC. Protein and mRNA expression profiles of multi-cohorts were integrated to detect novel prognostic protein markers of HCC. The carcinogenic roles of candidate prognostic markers were further evaluated by MTS assay, colony formation, monolayer wound healing assay, and xenograft models. A total of 2086 proteins with significantly different expressions were detected in HCC. Pathways related to oncogenic signaling and insulin-related metabolism have been found to be dysregulated and differentially regulated in HCC. We have identified the novel prognostic biomarkers, KIF5B, involved in liver metabolic reprogramming. The biomarkers were identified using multivariable COX regression analysis from two independent proteomic datasets (Fudan Cohort and our recruited cohort) and the TCGA mRNA database. Both the protein and mRNA up-regulation of KIF5B have been found to be associated with a poor clinical outcome in HCC. Insulin activated the protein expression of KIF5B in HCC. Knocking out KIF5B expression by sgRNA decreased the protein expression of FASN and SCD1 and the intracellular triglyceride concentration. Silencing KIF5B suppressed HCC cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro, as well as HCC growth in xenograft models. Our findings have suggested KIF5B protein to function as a novel prognostic biomarker in HCC. KIF5B expression has been found to activate the AKT/mTOR pathway and reprogram triglyceride metabolism, leading to HCC development. Targeting KIF5B may be an effective strategy in the clinical treatment of HCC.

Leveraging AI and patient metadata to develop a novel risk score for skin cancer detection

Melanoma of the skin is the 17th most common cancer worldwide. Early detection of suspicious skin lesions (melanoma) can increase 5-year survival rates by 20%. The 7-point checklist (7PCL) has been extensively used to suggest urgent referrals for patients with a possible melanoma. However, the 7PCL method only considers seven meta-features to calculate a risk score and is only relevant for patients with suspected melanoma. There are limited studies on the extensive use of patient metadata for the detection of all skin cancer subtypes. This study investigates artificial intelligence (AI) models that utilise patient metadata consisting of 23 attributes for suspicious skin lesion detection. We have identified a new set of most important risk factors, namely “C4C risk factors”, which is not just for melanoma, but for all types of skin cancer. The performance of the C4C risk factors for suspicious skin lesion detection is compared to that of the 7PCL and the Williams risk factors that predict the lifetime risk of melanoma. Our proposed AI framework ensembles five machine learning models and identifies seven new skin cancer risk factors: lesion pink, lesion size, lesion colour, lesion inflamed, lesion shape, lesion age, and natural hair colour, which achieved a sensitivity of 80.46±2.50%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$80.46\\pm 2.50\\%$$\\end{document} and a specificity of 62.09±1.90%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$62.09\\pm 1.90\\%$$\\end{document} in detecting suspicious skin lesions when evaluated using the metadata of 53,601 skin lesions collected from different skin cancer diagnostic clinics across the UK, significantly outperforming the 7PCL-based method (sensitivity 68.09±2.10%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$68.09\\pm 2.10\\%$$\\end{document}, specificity 61.07±0.90%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$61.07\\pm 0.90\\%$$\\end{document}) and the Williams risk factors (sensitivity 66.32±1.90%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$66.32\\pm 1.90\\%$$\\end{document}, specificity 61.71±0.6%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$61.71\\pm 0.6\\%$$\\end{document}). Furthermore, through weighting the seven new risk factors we came up with a new risk score, namely “C4C risk score”, which alone achieved a sensitivity of 76.09±1.20%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$76.09\\pm 1.20\\%$$\\end{document} and a specificity of 61.71±0.50%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$61.71\\pm 0.50\\%$$\\end{document}, significantly outperforming the 7PCL-based risk score (sensitivity 73.91±1.10%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$73.91\\pm 1.10\\%$$\\end{document}, specificity 49.49±0.50%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$49.49\\pm 0.50\\%$$\\end{document}) and the Williams risk score (sensitivity 60.68±1.30%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$60.68\\pm 1.30\\%$$\\end{document}, specificity 60.87±0.80%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$60.87\\pm 0.80\\%$$\\end{document}). Finally, fusing the C4C risk factors with the 7PCL and Williams risk factors achieved the best performance, with a sensitivity of 85.24±2.20%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$85.24\\pm 2.20\\%$$\\end{document} and a specificity of 61.12±0.90%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$61.12\\pm 0.90\\%$$\\end{document}. We believe that fusing these newly found risk factors and new risk score with image data will further boost the AI model performance for suspicious skin lesion detection. Hence, the new set of skin cancer risk factors has the potential to be used to modify current skin cancer referral guidelines for all skin cancer subtypes, including melanoma.

EDUCATION ABOUT BREAST CANCER IN THE COMMUNITY AT NGLUYU HEALTH CENTER, NGANJUK

Breast cancer is the most common cancer found in the world and this cancer is the second cause of death due to cancer after lung cancer in Indonesia. This high mortality rate can be prevented by carrying out early detection. However, this is still not done well, especially in communities living in remote areas with low to medium economic and educational levels. The aim is to convey knowledge about breast cancer and training in the self-examination of the breast. It was held on Tuesday, 12 September 2023 at the Ngluyu Community Health Center, Nganjuk, from 07.00 to 14.00 WIB and was attended by 111 people. Data on breast cancer risk factors was collected through questionnaires. There were 96 participants who filled out the questionnaire, aged between 22-63 years. Risk factors data showed that 3.13% did not have children, 15.63% breastfed children less than 6 months, 5.21% were exposed to X-rays more than once a year; 1.04% had breast tumors, and 4.17% had family members suffering from cancer. In addition, 89.58% were over 25 years old and 42.71% had doing self-examination of breast. There was an increase in public understanding at the Ngluyu Community Health Center from 77.70% to 84.12%, namely an increase of 6.42%. This can increase public understanding about breast cancer and procedures to self-examination of breast and contribute in early detection of breast cancer as well as reducing the incidence of breast cancer. The results of this counseling can be used as recommendations by health centers in the Nganjuk district area.

Presence of Heavy Metals in Irrigation Water, Soils, Fruits, and Vegetables: Health Risk Assessment in Peri-Urban Boumerdes City, Algeria.

This study investigates heavy metal contamination in soils, irrigation water, and agricultural produce (fruits: Vitis vinifera (grape), Cucumis melo var. saccharimus (melon), and Citrullus vulgaris. Schrade (watermelon); vegetables: Lycopersicum esculentum L. (tomato), Cucurbita pepo (zucchini), Daucus carota (carrot), Lactuca sativa (lettuce), Convolvulus Batatas (potato), and Capsicum annuum L. (green pepper)) in the Boumerdes region of Algeria. The concentrations of seven heavy metals (cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)) in soil and food samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry. Health risks associated with these metals were evaluated through the estimated daily intake (EDI), non-carcinogenic risks (using target hazard quotient (THQ), total target hazard quotient (TTHQ), and hazard index (HI)), and carcinogenic risks (cancer risk factor (CR)). Statistical analyses, including cluster analysis (CA) and Pearson correlation, were conducted to interpret the data. The results revealed the highest metal transfer as follows: Cd was most significantly transferred to tomatoes and watermelons; Cr to carrots; Cu to tomatoes; and Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn to lettuce. Among fruits, the highest EDI values were for Zn (2.54·10-3 mg/day) and Cu (1.17·10-3 mg/day), with melons showing the highest Zn levels. For vegetables, the highest EDI values were for Fe (1.68·10-2 mg/day) and Zn (8.37·10-3 mg/day), with potatoes showing the highest Fe levels. Although all heavy metal concentrations were within the World Health Organization's permissible limits, the HI and TTHQ values indicated potential health risks, particularly from vegetable consumption. These findings suggest the need for ongoing monitoring to ensure food safety and mitigate health risks associated with heavy metal contamination.

Evaluation of prognostic risk factors of triple-negative breast cancer with 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters, clinical pathological features and biochemical indicators.

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease comprising various molecular subtypes, including Luminal A, Luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) positive, and triple negative types, each with distinct biological characteristics and behaviors. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a particularly challenging subtype worldwide. Our study aims to evaluate whether Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) parameters, clinical pathological features, and biochemical indicators serve as prognostic risk factors for TNBC. Additionally, we explore correlations between biochemical indicators and 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 95 TNBC patients who underwent preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT examinations at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from 2013 to 2018. Collected data included 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters, clinical and pathological features, and biochemical indicators. We used Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis to evaluate associations between 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters/biochemical indicators and disease free survival (DFS)/overall survival (OS). The log-rank test determined significant differences in survival curves, and the Spearman correlation coefficient analyzed correlations between quantitative variables. Visualization and analysis were performed using R packages. Among 95 TNBC patients, mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean) was significantly correlated with DFS. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), α- L-fucosylase (AFU) and Creatine kinase (CK) were independent predictors of DFS, while Precursor albumin (PALB) and CK were independent predictors of OS. FBG showed correlations with SUVpeak and SUVmean, and CK was correlated with peak standardized uptake value (SUVpeak). Our results indicated that 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters and biochemical indicators may constitute a new prognostic model for TNBC patients post-surgery. We found that SUVmean, FBG, AFU and CK are predictive factors for DFS in TNBC patients post-surgery, while PALB and CK are predictive factors for OS, which prompts us to pay more attention to these indicators in clinical practice. Also 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters and biochemical indicators have potential utility in constituting a new prognostic model for TNBC patients post-surgery.

Community Outreach, Engagement, and Mentoring Program for Underrepresented Scholars in Cancer Health Disparities.

Racial/ethnic minorities and women are affected by cancer and cancer risk factors at higher rates; however, they are largely underrepresented in scientific professions focused on health disparities. One way to reduce disparities is to increase diversity within the workforce by planning training activities for minority scholars and paying close attention to community outreach. This paper describes the outcomes of a robust community outreach plan engaging communities in education, research, and clinical trials to increase the number of underrepresented student scholars in cancer disparities research through research training, mentorship, and service-learning activities provided within local organizations. The program provided two cohorts of scholars from underrepresented communities with opportunities to attend seminars, present their research to community representatives, and connect with the local community. Cohort 1 consisting of ten scholars participated in a 2-year program that started in the summer of 2018. Cohort 2, consisting of seven scholars, participated in a 1-year program starting in June 2020. Overall, scholars provided positive feedback on all service-learning program activities and the effectiveness of the program in shaping career interests. New procedures developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic continued the effective management of all components of the program and helped increase engagement with the community outreach staff. The outreach program evaluated here can prepare diverse scholars to enter the workforce with interdisciplinary training for mitigating cancer disparities and serve as a model for planning and implementing similar programs at other institutions.

Suppression of the DNA repair enzyme NEIL2 promotes persistent inflammation and genomic damage in subjects with stable COPD and during severe exacerbations.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory airway disease that is an independent risk factor for lung cancer. NEIL2, a DNA glycolase involved in DNA repair during transcription, has also been associated with an increased incidence of malignancies in humans. NEIL2 knockout mouse models have demonstrated increased inflammation and oxidative DNA damage in the lungs after exposure to an inflammatory insult, but data are lacking regarding NEIL2 function in individuals with stable COPD and during severe acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). We investigated whether NEIL2 levels and oxidative DNA damage to the transcribed genome are altered in individuals with stable COPD and AECOPD. The study was conducted at a single center in the US. Eligible subjects underwent a one-time 30 cc venous blood draw. The population consisted of 50 adults: 16 with stable COPD, 11 hospitalized for AECOPD, and 23 volunteers. We analyzed blood leukocytes for NEIL2 mRNA and DNA damage by RT-qPCR and LA-qPCR, respectively, in all groups. Plasma levels of seven biomarkers, CXCL1, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL11 and IL-6, were analyzed in the COPD groups using a magnetic bead panel (Millipore®). The NEIL2 mRNA levels were lower in individuals with stable COPD and AECOPD than in controls (0.72 for COPD, p = 0.0289; 0.407 for AECOPD, p = 0.0002). The difference in NEIL2 mRNA expression between the stable COPD group and AECOPD group was also statistically significant (p < 0.001). The fold change in DNA lesions per 10 kb of DNA was greater in the stable COPD (9.38, p < 0.0008) and AECOPD (15.81, p < 0.0004) groups than in the control group. The difference in fold change was also greater in the AECOPD group versus stable COPD p < 0.0236). Biomarker levels were not significantly different between the COPD groups. NEIL2 levels were correlated with plasma eosinophil levels in the stable COPD group (r = 0.737, p < 0.0027). NEIL2 mRNA levels are significantly reduced in COPD subjects and are associated with increased DNA damage and inflammation. These results reveal a mechanism that promotes persistent airway inflammation and oxidative genomic damage and increases the risk of malignancy in this population.

The association between plasma fatty acids and risk of lung cancer: a prospective cohort study of the UK Biobank.

Fatty acids (FAs) have emerged as significant contributors to tumorigenesis, yet prospective evidence regarding their specific effects on lung cancer risk remains scarce. To investigate the association between plasma FAs and lung cancer incidence, as well as a potential modification effect of genetic susceptibility on lung cancer risk. A cohort study was conducted involving 112,547 cancer-free participants from the UK Biobank, with measurements of plasma FAs, including saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) at baseline (2006-2010). Cox regression models were employed to assess lung cancer risk according to plasma FA quartiles or 1-SD increment. Furthermore, interaction between plasma FAs and polygenic risk score (PRS) was evaluated using an additive model. Over an average 10.9-year follow-up, 1122 lung cancer cases occurred. After multivariable adjustment, MUFAs were positively associated with lung cancer risk (hazard ratio [HR] per 1-SD = 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13-1.54). In contrast, PUFAs, particularly n-3 PUFAs, n-6 PUFAs, docosahexaenoic acid, and linoleic acid, were associated with a lower risk of lung cancer, with HRs ranging from 0.79 (95% CI: 0.72-0.87) to 0.89 (95% CI: 0.83-0.95). SFAs were not significantly associated with lung cancer risk. Moreover, we observed an additive interaction between plasma PUFAs and genetic risk. Individuals with a high genetic risk and the lowest quartile of plasma PUFAs had the highest risk of lung cancer (HR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.43-3.38). Our findings suggest that plasma PUFAs may serve as protective factors, while MUFAs represent risk factors for lung cancer, offering novel insights into lung cancer carcinogenesis and prevention.

Ranking of Modifiable Lifestyle Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Saudi Women: Population Attributable Risk and Nomogram.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the Saudi Arabia, and over 50% of the cases are detected at a late stage. This study aimed to estimate population attributable risk percentage (PAR%) of modifiable lifestyle risk factors for breast cancer in Saudi Arabia. A secondaryanalysis of previously published papers was performed . Relative risks (RR) and odds ratios (OR) were obtained from published international epidemiological studies, and the prevalence of each risk factor in Saudi Arabia was obtained from various sources (eg, national surveys and published literature) to calculate PAR%. A nomogram was used to visually translate the RRs/ORs and their prevalence into PAR% using a practical tool. Seven modifiable lifestyle risk factors for breast cancer were identified in Saudi Arabia. The identified risk factors included lack of physical activity (sedentary lifestyle), oral contraception (current use), obesity (postmenopausal), hormone replacement therapy (current use), passive smoking, age at first birth (≥ 35 years), and tobacco smoking (current or daily smoking). The PAR% for these risk factors ranged from 0.5% for tobacco smoking to 23.1% for a lack of physical activity. Few modifiable lifestyle risk factors were excluded from this study, due to limited nor unavailable data in Saudi Arabia (eg, alcohol consumption, breastfeeding patterns and childbearing patterns, obesity according to menopausal status, and night-shift work). Physical inactivity has the most significant modifiable health impact and is a major risk factor for breast cancer. Removing this risk factor would reduce the prevalence of breast cancer in the Saudi population by 23%. There is an immense need to prioritize cancer control strategies based on local needs, current data on cancer risk factors, and the disease burden.

Reproductive Factors and Thyroid Cancer Risk: The Multiethnic Cohort Study.

Background: Women are three times more likely to be diagnosed with thyroid cancer than men, with incidence rates per 100,000 in the United States of 20.2 for women and 7.4 for men. Several reproductive and hormonal factors have been proposed as possible contributors to thyroid cancer risk, including age at menarche, parity, age at menopause, oral contraceptive use, surgical menopause, and menopausal hormone therapy. Our study aimed to investigate potential reproductive/hormonal factors in a multiethnic population. Methods: Risk factors for thyroid cancer were evaluated among female participants (n = 118,344) of the Multiethnic Cohort Study. The cohort was linked to Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer incidence and statewide death certificate files in Hawaii and California, with 373 incident papillary thyroid cancer cases identified. Exposures investigated include age at menarche, parity, first pregnancy outcome, birth control use, and menopausal status and type. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to obtain relative risk (RR) of papillary thyroid cancer and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Covariates included age, race and ethnicity, reproductive history, body size, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Results: We observed a statistically significant increased risk of papillary thyroid cancer for oophorectomy (adjusted RR 1.58, 95% CI: 1.26, 1.99), hysterectomy (adjusted RR 1.65, 95% CI: 1.33, 2.04), and surgical menopause (adjusted RR 1.55, 95% CI: 1.22, 1.97), and decreased risk for first live birth at ≤20 years of age versus nulliparity (adjusted RR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.46, 0.93). These associations did not vary by race and ethnicity (p het > 0.44). Conclusion: The reproductive risk factors for papillary thyroid cancer reported in the literature were largely confirmed in all racial and ethnic groups in our multiethnic population, which validates uniform obstetric and gynecological practice.

Risk Factors Associated with Cervical Cancer: A Matched Case-control Study

Background: One of the most effective ways to prevent cervical cancer is to identify the risk factors for the disease. Objective: The purpose of this research was to determine the risk factors for cervical cancer in women in Iran. Methods: This was a matched case-control study. 105 participants (35 patients with cervical cancer and 70 healthy women) were selected from the registered patients and women attending a women’s specialized hospital in Hamadan, Iran. One case was matched to 2 controls by age (±3 years). Demographic and clinical data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Conditional multivariate logistic regression model and STATA 11 software were used for data analysis. Results: The mean age of women in the case and control group were 58.02(12.32) and 58.11(12.25) years (P = 0.486), respectively. Patients had lower education levels (P = 0.037), lower economic status (P˂0.001), and lower spouse education levels (P = 0.009). The results showed OCP users were 8.79 times more likely to develop cervical cancer than women who do not use OCP (P = 0.007), and the probability of cervical cancer in women increased by 8.33 times (&lt;0.001) with decreasing each level of socio-economic status. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed low economic status, and a history of using oral contraceptive pills are risk factors for cervical cancer.

The relationship between imaging-based body composition parameters and disease prognosis in patients with endometrial cancer.

Obesity is known as a risk factor for endometrial cancer (EC). Only a few studies investigate the relationship between sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity and EC. In this study, our aim was to investigate the relationship between the cross-sectional imaging-based body composition parameters and the disease prognosis in low-grade (LG) and high-grade (HG) EC. We conducted a retrospective study in women diagnosed with low and high-grade EC between January 2014 and May 2022 who had abdominal MRI and thorax CT as a part of routine staging workup. We used the skeletal muscle index (SMI) at the level of the third lumbar vertebra to assess sarcopenia on CT. The T2-weighted sequence at the level of the L2-L3 intervertebral disc is used for visceral fat area (VFA), subcutaneous fat area (SFA), and total fat area (TFA). Two radiologists in consensus, calculated the parameters. A total of 250 EC patients (144 low-grade EC, 106 high-grade EC).Sarcopenia was observed in 122 (48.8%) patients, and sarcopenic obesity was found in 82 (32.8%) patients. Although there was an increase in VFA in cases with high-grade EC, there was no significant difference in terms of SFA. Additionally, the frequency of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity was higher in cases with high-grade EC. There was no association between sarcopenia and age, histological type, FIGO staging, or comorbidity in the univariate analysis. However, BMI was found to be associated with sarcopenia. Quantitative radiological measurement of sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity, and body fat composition can be used as novel parameters in the prediction of disease prognosis in endometrial cancer.

Lymphovascular invasion is a dominant risk factor for lymph node metastasis in T2 rectal cancer.

Background and study aims Surgical resection is standard treatment of T2 rectal cancer due to risk of concomitant lymph node metastases (LNM). Local resection could potentially be an alternative to surgical treatment in a subgroup of patients with low risk of LNM. The aim of this study was to identify clinical and histopathological risk factors of LNM in T2 rectal cancer. Patients and methods This was a retrospective registry-based population study on prospectively collected data on all patients with T2 rectal cancer undergoing surgical resection in Sweden between 2009 and 2021. Potential risk factors of LNM, including age, gender, resection margin, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), histologic grade, mucinous cancer, and perineural invasion (PNI) were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results Of 1607 patients, 343 (21%) with T2 rectal cancer had LNM. LVI (odds ratio [OR] = 4.21, P < 0.001) and age < 60 years (OR = 1.80, P < 0.001) were significant and independent risk factors. However, PNI (OR = 1.50, P = 0.15), mucinous cancer (OR = 1.14, P = 0.60), histologic grade (OR = 1.47, P = 0.07) and non-radical resection margin (OR = 1.64, P = 0.38) were not significant risk factors for LNM in multivariate analyses. The incidence of LNM was 15% in the absence of any risk factor. Conclusions This was a large study on LNM in T2 rectal cancer which showed that LVI is the dominant risk factor. Moreover, low age constituted an independent risk factor, whereas gender, resection margin, PNI, histologic grade, and mucinous cancer were not independent risk factors of LNM. Thus, these findings may provide a useful basis for management of patients after local resection of early rectal cancer.

Causal Relationship Between Mood Swing and Gynecological Disorders: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Gynecological disorders are a wide range of health problems affecting the female reproductive system, which poses substantial health challenges worldwide. Increasing number of observational studies have associated mood instability to common female diseases, but the underlying causal relationship remains unclear. In this work, Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was applied to explore the genetically predicted causal relationship of mood swings and several prevalent gynecological disorders. Instrumental variables (IVs) of mood swings were selected from UK Biobank (UKB), with 204,412 cases and 247,207 controls being incorporated. The genetic variants for female disorders were obtained from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and FinnGen consortium. To avoid biases caused by racial difference, only European population was included here. Five strong analytical methodologies were used to increase the validity of the results, the most substantial of which was the inverse variance weighting (IVW) method. Pleiotropy, sensitivity, and heterogeneity were assessed to strengthen the findings. We found mood swings was significantly positively associated with risk of endometrial cancer (OR= 2.60 [95% CI= 1.36, 4.95], P= 0.0037), cervical cancer (OR= 1.01[95% CI= 1.00,1.02], P= 0.0213) and endometriosis (OR= 2.58 [95% CI= 1.18, 5.60], P= 0.0170) by IVW method. However, there was no causal relationship between mood swing and ovarian cancer. No pleiotropy and heterogeneity existed and sensitivity tests were passed. This study reveals that mood swing may serve as a genetically predicted causal risk factor for endometrial cancer, cervical cancer, and endometriosis in the European population, while no such association was observed for ovarian cancer. These findings make up for observational research's inherent limitations and may improve patient outcomes in the field of gynecological health. However, the study's focus on European populations may limit the applicability of these results globally.

Maternal Exposure to Heavy Metals From Industrial Sources During Pregnancy and Childhood Cancer Risk in California.

The study investigated maternal exposure to heavy metals from industrial sources during pregnancy as potential risk factors for childhood cancer. Cases ages 0-19 were identified from California Cancer Registry. Controls (20:1 ratio) were randomly selected from California Birth Registry, frequency-matched by birth year (1998-2016). We estimated maternal exposure to lead, nickel, and cobalt in ambient air from the Toxics Release Inventory. We examined "ever/never" and "high/low" exposures categorized by median exposure. Models were adjusted for maternal age, race/ethnicity, method of payment for prenatal care, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and urban/rural residence. Among highly exposed persons, lead was associated with an increased teratoma risk (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.97, 2.37), whereas nickel was associated with an increased rhabdomyosarcoma risk (aOR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.04). Cobalt was associated with an increased glioma risk (aOR: 2.25; 95% CI: 1.39, 3.65) among ever-exposed persons. Inverse associations were found between Wilms tumor and nickel among the ever exposed and highly exposed (ever: aOR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.96; high: aOR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.93). Findings suggest that air pollution from heavy metals released by industrial sources may elevate childhood cancer risk.

Background parenchymal enhancement on contrast-enhanced mammography: associations with breast density and patient's characteristics.

To evaluate if background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) on contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM), graded according to the2022 CEM-dedicated Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) lexicon, is associated with breast density, menopausal status, and age. This bicentric retrospective analysis included CEM examinations performed for thework-up of suspicious mammographic findings. Three readers independently and blindly evaluated BPE on recombined CEM images and breast density on low-energy CEM images. Inter-reader reliability was estimated using Fleiss κ. Multivariable binary logistic regression was performed, dichotomising breast density and BPE as low (a/b BI-RADS categories, minimal/mild BPE) and high (c/d BI-RADS categories, moderate/marked BPE). A total of 200 women (median age 56.8years, interquartile range 50.5-65.6, 140/200 in menopause) were included. Breast density was classified as a in 27/200 patients (13.5%), as b in 110/200 (55.0%), as c in 52/200 (26.0%), and as d in 11/200 (5.5%), with moderate inter-reader reliability (κ = 0.536; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.482-0.590). BPE was minimal in 95/200 patients (47.5%), mild in 64/200 (32.0%), moderate in 25/200 (12.5%), marked in 16/200 (8.0%), with substantial inter-reader reliability (κ = 0.634; 95% CI 0.581-0.686). At multivariable logistic regression, premenopausal status and breast density were significant positive predictors of high BPE, with adjusted odds ratios of 6.120 (95% CI 1.847-20.281, p = 0.003) and 2.416 (95% CI 1.095-5.332, p = 0.029) respectively. BPE on CEM is associated with well-established breast cancer risk factors, being higher in women with higher breast density and premenopausal status.