Birgitte Lidegaard Frederiksen

Body mass and risk of complications after hysterectomy on benign indications

BACKGROUND This study examines BMI in relation to risk of complications after hysterectomy on benign indications, and explores whether any associations vary by route of surgery. METHODS In this cohort study, we included data on health and lifestyle collected prospectively for all hysterectomy referrals for benign indications in Denmark from 2004 to 2009. Logistic regression was used to investigate relationship between BMI and complications reported at surgery or during the first 30 days after surgery. RESULTS; Of the 20 353 women with complete data, 6.0% had a BMI < 20 kg/m(2), 31.9% with BMI between 25 and 30 kg/m(2) (classified as overweight) and 17.5% with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) (categorized as obese). The overall rate of complications was 17.6%, with bleeding being the most common specific complication (6.8%). After adjustment for age, ethnicity, education, indication for surgery, uterus weight, use of prophylaxis, American Society of Anaesthesiologists classification, co-morbidity status and route of hysterectomy, obesity was associated with an increased risk of heavy bleeding during surgery [odds ratio (OR) = 3.64 (2.90-4.56)], all bleeding complications [OR = 1.27 (1.08-1.48)] and infection [OR = 1.47 (1.23-1.77)]. The risk of all bleeding complications [OR = 1.48 (1.28-1.82)] and re-operation [OR = 1.66 (1.26-2.17)] were also increased among women with a BMI < 20. This U-shaped relation between BMI and bleeding, and the association between high BMI and infections were only seen for the abdominal route [abdominal hysterectomy (AH)]. The risk of infections was elevated among women with BMI<20 who underwent laparoscopic surgery [laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH)]. CONCLUSIONS; Obesity increases the risks of bleeding and infections after AH. A BMI below 20 seems to increase the risks of bleeding and infection after AH and LH, respectively.

Do patient characteristics, disease, or treatment explain social inequality in survival from colorectal cancer? ☆

This paper investigates the association between individually measured socioeconomic status (SES) and all-cause survival in colorectal cancer patients, and explores whether factors related to the patient, the disease, or the surgical treatment mediate the observed social gradient. The data were derived from a nationwide clinical database of all adenocarcinomas of the colon or rectum diagnosed in Denmark between 2001 and 2004 (inclusive). These data were linked to those from several central registries providing information on income, education, and housing status, as well as to data on comorbidity from previous hospitalizations and use of medication. Only patients with colorectal cancer as their first primary tumour and those born after 1920 were included. A total of 8763 patients were included in the study. Cox proportional hazard regression models revealed a positive social gradient in survival for increasing levels of education and income, and in owners versus renters of housing. A series of regression analyses were used to test potential mediators of the association between the socioeconomic indicators and survival by stepwise inclusion of lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol intake, body mass index), comorbidity, stage of disease, mode of admission, type of operation, specialization of the surgeon, and curative versus palliative resection. A causal diagram guided the analyses. Inclusion of comorbidity, and to a lesser extent lifestyle, reduced the variation associated with SES, while no evidence of a mediating effect was found for disease or surgical treatment factors. This indicates that the difference in survival among colorectal cancer patients from different social groups was probably not caused by unintentional differences in treatment factors related to surgery, and suggests that primary prevention of chronic diseases among the socially deprived might be one way to reduce social differences in prognosis.

Education and cause-specific mortality: the mediating role of differential exposure and vulnerability to behavioral risk factors.

Background: Differential exposures to behavioral risk factors have been shown to play an important mediating role on the education–mortality relation. However, little is known about the extent to which educational attainment interacts with health behavior, possibly through differential vulnerability. Methods: In a cohort study of 76,294 participants 30 to 70 years of age, we estimated educational differences in cause-specific mortality from 1980 through 2009 and the mediating role of behavioral risk factors (smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, and body mass index). With the use of marginal structural models and three-way effect decomposition, we simultaneously regarded the behavioral risk factors as intermediates and clarified the role of their interaction with educational exposure. Results: Rate differences in mortality comparing participants with low to high education were 1,277 (95% confidence interval = 1,062 to 1,492) per 100,000 person-years for men and 746 (598 to 894) per 100,000 person-years for women. Smoking was the strongest mediator for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease mortality when conditioning on sex, age, and cohort. The proportion mediated through smoking was most pronounced in cancer mortality as a combination of the pure indirect effect, owing to differential exposure (men, 42% [25% to 75%]; women, 36% [17% to 74%]) and the mediated interactive effect, owing to differential vulnerability (men, 18% [2% to 35%], women, 26% [8% to 50%]). The mediating effects through body mass index, alcohol intake, or physical activity were partial and varied for the causes of deaths. Conclusion: Differential exposure and vulnerability should be addressed simultaneously, as these mechanisms are not mutually exclusive and may operate at the same time.

Socioeconomic position, stage of lung cancer and time between referral and diagnosis in Denmark, 2001–2008

Introduction:We investigated the association between socioeconomic position, stage at diagnosis, and length of period between referral and diagnosis in a nationwide cohort of lung cancer patients.Methods:Through the Danish Lung Cancer Register, we identified 18 103 persons diagnosed with lung cancer (small cell and non-small cell) in Denmark, 2001–2008, and obtained information on socioeconomic position and comorbidity from nationwide administrative registries. The odds ratio (OR) for a diagnosis of advanced-stage lung cancer (stages IIIB–IV) and for a diagnosis >28 days after referral were analysed by multivariate logistic regression models.Results:The adjusted OR for advanced-stage lung cancer was reduced among persons with higher education (OR, 0.92; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.84–0.99), was increased in persons living alone (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01–1.13) and decreased stepwise with increasing comorbidity. Higher education was associated with a reduced OR for >28 days between referral and diagnosis as was high income in early-stage patients. Male gender, age and severe comorbidity were associated with increased ORs in advanced-stage patients.Interpretation:Differences by socioeconomic position in stage at diagnosis and in the period between referral and diagnosis indicate that vulnerable patients presenting with lung cancer symptoms require special attention.

Social inequalities in stage at diagnosis of rectal but not in colonic cancer: a nationwide study

We investigated stage at diagnosis in relation to socioeconomic status (SES) among 15 274 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma diagnosed in 1996–2004 nationwide in Denmark. The effect of SES on the risk of being diagnosed with distant metastasis was analysed using logistic regression models. A reduction in the risk of being diagnosed with distant metastasis was seen in elderly rectal cancer patients with high income, living in owner–occupied housing and living with a partner. Among younger rectal cancer patients, a reduced risk was seen in those having long education. No social gradient was found among colon cancer patients. The social gradient found in rectal cancer patients was significantly different from the lack of association found among colon cancer patients. There are socioeconomic inequalities in the risk of being diagnosed with distant metastasis of a rectal, but not a colonic, cancer. The different risk profile of these two cancers may reflect differences in symptomatology.

Socioeconomic Position and Stage of Cervical Cancer in Danish Women Diagnosed 2005 to 2009

Background: To reduce social disparities in cervical cancer survival, it is important to understand the mechanisms by which social position influence cancer prognosis. We investigated the relations between socioeconomic factors, comorbidity, time since last Papanicolau smear, and stage at diagnosis in Danish women with cervical cancer. Methods: We identified 1,651 cervical cancer cases diagnosed 2005 to 2009 from the Danish Gynaecological Cancer Database. Date of diagnosis, clinical cancer stage, tumor histology, and treating hospital were retrieved; Pap smear registrations were obtained from the Danish Pathology Register; data on comorbid conditions from the Danish National Patients Register; and data on education, income, and cohabitation from Statistics Denmark. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the relations between socioeconomic factors and cancer stage in a four-step model, with stepwise inclusion of mediators. Results: The risk for advanced (stage II–IV) compared with early-stage cancer (stage I) was increased for women with short and medium education (OR = 2.40; 1.67–3.45 and 1.76; 1.44–2.16), women living without a partner (OR = 1.31; 1.10–1.55), and older women (OR = 1.07; 1.06–1.08 increase per year). The relations between socioeconomic factors and cancer stage were partly mediated by time since last Pap smear test and to a lesser extent by comorbidity. Conclusions: Shorter education, living alone, and older age were related to advanced stage cervical cancer, due partly to Pap smear testing and less to comorbidity. Impact: It is relevant to further investigate how to decrease delay in cervical cancer diagnosis among disadvantaged groups. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(5); 835–42. ©2012 AACR.

Combined Effects of Socioeconomic Position, Smoking, and Hypertension on Risk of Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Combined effects of socioeconomic position and well-established risk factors on stroke incidence have not been formally investigated. Methods— In a pooled cohort study of 68 643 men and women aged 30 to 70 years in Denmark, we examined the combined effect and interaction between socioeconomic position (ie, education), smoking, and hypertension on ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke incidence by the use of the additive hazards model. Results— During 14 years of follow-up, 3613 ischemic strokes and 776 hemorrhagic strokes were observed. Current smoking and hypertension were more prevalent among those with low education. Low versus high education was associated with greater ischemic, but not hemorrhagic, stroke incidence. The combined effect of low education and current smoking was more than expected by the sum of their separate effects on ischemic stroke incidence, particularly among men: 134 (95% confidence interval, 49–219) extra cases per 100 000 person-years because of interaction, adjusted for age, cohort study, and birth cohort. There was no clear evidence of interaction between low education and hypertension. The combined effect of current smoking and hypertension was more than expected by the sum of their separate effects on ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke incidence. This effect was most pronounced for ischemic stroke among women: 178 (95% confidence interval, 103–253) extra cases per 100 000 person-years because of interaction, adjusted for age, cohort study, and birth cohort. Conclusions— Reducing smoking in those with low socioeconomic position and in those with hypertension could potentially reduce social inequality stroke incidence.

Socioeconomic position, treatment, and survival of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Denmark - a nationwide study

Background:Not all patients have benefited equally from the advances in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) survival. This study investigates several individual-level markers of socioeconomic position (SEP) in relation to NHL survival, and explores whether any social differences could be attributed to comorbidity, disease and prognostic factors, or the treatment given.Methods:This registry-based cohort study links clinical data on prognostic factors and treatment from the national Danish lymphoma database to individual socioeconomic information in Statistics Denmark including 6234 patients diagnosed with NHL in 2000–2008.Results:All-cause mortality was 40% higher in NHL patients with short vs higher education diagnosed in the period 2000–2004 (hazard ratio (HR)=1.40 (1.27–1.54)), and 63% higher in the period 2005–2008 (HR=1.63 (1.40–1.90)). Further, mortality was increased in unemployed and disability pensioners, those with low income, and singles. Clinical prognostic factors attenuated, but did not eliminate the association between education and mortality. Radiotherapy was less frequently given to those with a short education (odds ratio (OR)= 0.84 (0.77–0.92)), low income (OR=0.80 (0.70–0.91)), and less frequent to singles (OR=0.79 (0.64–0.96)). Patients living alone were less likely to receive all treatment modalities.Conclusion:Patients with low SEP have an elevated mortality rate after a NHL diagnosis, and more advanced disease at the time of diagnosis explained a part of this disparity. Thus, socioeconomic disparities in NHL survival might be reduced by improving early detection among patients of low SEP.

Psychological distress following fecal occult blood test in colorectal cancer screening – a population-based study

Abstract Objective. To evaluate the possible psychological side-effect of participating in a colorectal cancer (CRC)-screening program. Materials and methods. Six hundred participants in a Danish CRC screening feasibility study were invited to complete a short version of the SCL92 (symptom check list) questionnaire relating to the domains: anxiety, depression and somatization following information on the result of their fecal occult blood test. The questionnaire was repeated after 3 and 12 months. Results were analyzed according to age, gender and test result. Results. Participation rate was high, 84.5% at entry, and declined only slightly. The decline was not related to test results nor initial results from the questionnaire. At entry, scores in each dimension in the study population were similar to expected scores in the background population. Participants tested positive at entry had significantly higher scores in all three domains, this difference disappeared at 12 months follow-up. Men had declining scores in all three domains at 3 and 12 months follow-up, whereas women had declining scores only in the domain anxiety. Identical patterns in changes in scoring were found regardless of age and gender. Participants tested positive had, regardless of later results of diagnostic work-up, declining scores during follow-up. Conclusions. Given the limitations of the study, the results demonstrate no adverse effect on psychological well-being within 12 months following CRC screening regardless of age, gender or test result.

Socioeconomic inequalities in prognostic markers of non-Hodgkin lymphoma: analysis of a national clinical database.

The survival of non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients strongly depends on a range of prognostic factors. This registry-based clinical cohort study investigates the relation between socioeconomic position and prognostic markers in 6234 persons included in a national clinical database in 2000-2008, Denmark. Several measures of individual socioeconomic position were achieved from Statistics Denmark. The risk of being diagnosed with advanced disease, as expressed by the six prognostic markers (Ann Arbor stage III or IV, more than one extranodal lesion, elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), performance status of two or more, presence of B symptoms and International Prognostic Index (IPI) of two or more), increased with decreasing level of education, in patients living alone, and in men. For instance, a significant decrease in the odds of being diagnosed with elevated LDH (p=0.02), high performance status (p=0.004), high IPI score (p=0.004) and B symptoms (p=0.02) was seen with higher level of education, whereas high stage of disease was significantly less likely in the higher educated (odds ratio [OR]=0.85 (0.74-0.99)). The difference in risk seemed not to be mediated by differences in histological subgroups reflecting aggressiveness of disease among the social groups. One of the most likely mechanisms of the social difference is longer delay in those with low socioeconomic position. The findings of social inequality in prognostic markers in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients could already be implemented in the clinical practice if general practitioners (GPs) and physicians on hospitals paid special attention to patients with low educational level and unspecific symptoms.