Sara Durham

Trends in the incidence of invasive and in situ vulvar carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the incidence of vulvar carcinoma in situ and vulvar cancer over time. METHODS: We used the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database to assess trends in the incidence of vulvar cancer over a 28-year period (1973 through 2000) and determined whether there had been a change in incidence over time. Information collected included patient characteristics, primary tumor site, tumor grade, and follow-up for vital status. We calculated the incidence rates by decade of age, used χ2 tests to compare demographic characteristics, and tested for trends in incidence over time. RESULTS: A total of 13,176 in situ and invasive vulvar carcinomas were identified; 57% of the women were diagnosed with in situ, 44% with invasive disease. Vulvar carcinoma in situ increased 411% from 1973 to 2000. Invasive vulvar cancer increased 20% during the same period. The incidence rates for in situ and invasive vulvar carcinomas are distributed differently across the age groups. In situ carcinoma incidence increases until the age of 40–49 years and then decreases, whereas invasive vulvar cancer risk increases as a woman ages, increasing more quickly after 50 years of age. CONCLUSION: The incidence of in situ vulvar carcinoma is increasing. The incidence of invasive vulvar cancer is also increasing but at a much lower rate. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III

Do rural elders have limited access to Medicare hospice services

Objectives:  To examine whether there are urban‐rural differences in use of the Medicare hospice benefit before death and whether those differences suggest that there is a problem with access to hospice care for rural Medicare beneficiaries.

Correlates and consequences of venous thromboembolism: The Iowa Women's Health Study.

OBJECTIVES We sought to document incidence, case-fatality, and recurrence rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in women and to explore the relationship of demographic, lifestyle, and anthropometric factors to VTE incidence. METHODS Data from participants aged 55 to 69 years in the Iowa Womens Health Study were linked to Medicare data for 1986 through 2004 (n = 40 377) to identify hospitalized VTE patients. RESULTS A total of 2137 women developed VTE, yielding an incidence rate of 4.04 per 1000 person-years. The 28-day case-fatality rate was 7.7%, and the 1-year recurrence rate was 3.4%. Educational attainment, physical activity, and age at menopause were inversely associated with VTE. Risk of secondary (particularly cancer-related) VTE was higher among smokers than among those who had never smoked. Body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, height, and diabetes were positively associated with VTE risk. Hormone replacement therapy use was associated with increased risk of idiopathic VTE. CONCLUSIONS VTE is a significant source of morbidity and mortality in older women. Risk was elevated among women who were smokers, physically inactive, overweight, and diabetic, indicating that lifestyle contributes to VTE risk.

Geographic Variation in Device Use for Intertrochanteric Hip Fractures

BACKGROUND Hip fractures in the elderly are a common and costly problem, with intertrochanteric fractures accounting for almost half of these fractures. Most intertrochanteric fractures are treated with either a plate-and-screw device or an intramedullary nail device. We assessed the degree of geographic variation in use of intramedullary nailing for intertrochanteric femoral fractures among Medicare beneficiaries between 2000 and 2002. METHODS Medicare 100% files (hospital and physician claims, and enrollment) for 2000 through 2002 were used to identify beneficiaries, sixty-five years of age or older, who had undergone inpatient surgery for the treatment of an intertrochanteric femoral fracture with a plate-and-screw device or an intramedullary nail. We used multiple logistic regression analysis to model the use of an intramedullary nail (as opposed to a plate-and-screw device) by state and year, after adjusting for patient age, sex, race, subtrochanteric fracture, comorbidities, and Medicaid-administered assistance. The odds ratios of receiving an intramedullary nail device are reported. The adjusted state rates of intramedullary nailing per 100 Medicare patients with an intertrochanteric fracture are reported for 2000 through 2002. RESULTS In this study, 212,821 claims for operations to treat patients with an intertrochanteric fracture from 2000 through 2002 met the inclusion criteria. There was considerable geographic variation in intramedullary nail use by state across all years. The mean adjusted intramedullary nailing rate per 100 Medicare patients with an intertrochanteric fracture increased nationally from 7.84 in 2000 to 16.98 in 2002. In 2000, surgeons in sixteen states used an intramedullary nail in fewer than one of every twenty Medicare patients with an intertrochanteric fracture. By 2002, surgeons in only two states used an intramedullary nail in fewer than one of every twenty patients with an intertrochanteric fracture, and in eight states they used an intramedullary nail in more than one of every four patients with an intertrochanteric fracture. CONCLUSIONS There was substantial geographic variation in the use of intramedullary nailing by state from 2000 through 2002 that was largely not explained by patient-related factors.

Risk of Dementia in Older Breast Cancer Survivors : A Population-Based Cohort Study of the Association with Adjuvant Chemotherapy

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether there is an association between delivery of adjuvant chemotherapy to older women with breast cancer and development of dementia over time.

Linking the Iowa Women's Health Study Cohort to Medicare Data: Linkage Results and Application to Hip Fracture

This study linked the Iowa Womens Health Study cohort to Medicare administrative data and assessed the value of using Medicare and survey-based sources to study hip fracture incidence. The authors used Social Security number to combine the Iowa Womens Health Study cohort Medicare enrollment and claims data for 1986-2004. Hip fractures were identified from Medicare and follow-up-mail, survey-based sources. Estimates of hip fracture incidence after age 65 years and postfracture mortality were compared. The authors were able to match to Medicare 99.2% of the 40,978 Iowa Womens Health Study participants who survived to age 65 years. Although both Medicare and survey-based hip fracture incidence showed the expected positive association with age and negative association with body mass index, hip fracture incidence was considerably underestimated by self-report (2.61 per 1,000 person-years of observation vs. 4.20 per 1,000 person-years of observation from Medicare-based estimates). Similarly, 1-year postfracture mortality was significantly underestimated by survey-based measures (1% vs. 14% for Medicare-based estimates). Medicare data are an outstanding source of health care information to supplement for older cohorts that have identifiers such as Social Security numbers. These data are useful for studying clinically unambiguous and high morbidity and mortality conditions. They enable less-biased collection of health data.

Providing hospice care in rural areas: Challenges and strategies

Hospices in rural settings face challenges in the provision of hospice care as a result of their location and the size of their service area population. To ascertain the challenges that hospices face in serving rural communities, researchers conducted in-depth case studies of four different models of hospice care in rural areas. The authors describe strategies used by the case study hospices and recommend policies that could increase access to hospice care for rural Medicare beneficiaries and other rural residents. National initiatives to improve end-of-life care need to consider the special challenges faced by rural hospices.

Postoperative irradiation for rectal cancer increases the risk of small bowel obstruction after surgery.

Objective:To determine the risk of small bowel obstruction (SBO) after irradiation (RT) for rectal cancer Background:SBO is a frequent complication after standard resection of rectal cancer. Although the use of RT is increasing, the effect of RT on risk of SBO is unknown. Methods:We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry data linked to Medicare claims data to determine the effect of RT on risk of SBO. Patients 65 years of age and older diagnosed with nonmetastatic invasive rectal cancer treated with standard resection from 1986 through 1999 were included. We determined whether patients had undergone RT and evaluated the effect of RT and timing of RT on the incidence of admission to hospital for SBO, adjusting for potential confounders using a proportional hazards model. Results:We identified a total of 5606 patients who met our selection criteria: 1994 (36%) underwent RT, 74% postoperatively. Patients were followed for a mean of 3.8 years. A total of 614 patients were admitted for SBO over the study period; 15% of patients in the RT group and 9% of patients in the nonirradiated group (P < 0.001). After controlling for age, sex, race, diagnosis year, type of surgery, and stage, we found that patients who underwent postoperative RT were at higher risk of SBO, hazard ratio 1.69 (95% CI, 1.3–2.1). However, the long-term risk associated with preoperative irradiation was not statistically significant (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.55–1.46). Conclusions:Postoperative but not preoperative RT after standard resection of rectal cancer results in an increased risk of SBO over time.

Trends in the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

BACKGROUND An increase in incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast has been documented, and concerns regarding overly aggressive treatment have been raised. This study was designed to evaluate the use of surgery and radiation therapy in treating DCIS. METHODS We used the National Cancer Institutes Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database to assess treatment of patients with DCIS with no evidence of microinvasion who were diagnosed from January 1, 1992, through December 31, 1999. We assessed the rates of mastectomy, breast reconstruction, radiation therapy after lumpectomy, and axillary dissection. Associations were analyzed by logistic regression. RESULTS During the study period, 25 206 patients met selection criteria. The incidence of DCIS dramatically increased with time; however, the incidence of comedo lesions did not change. The rate of mastectomy decreased from 43% in 1992 to 28% in 1999, after controlling for age, race, tumor size, comedo histology, and geographic location. However, because of the increase in the diagnosis of DCIS, the age-adjusted incidence of mastectomy for DCIS in the population did not change (7.8 per 100 000 women in 1992 and 1999). Almost half the patients undergoing lumpectomy did not undergo radiation therapy (55% in 1992 and 46% in 1999); in those with comedo histology, 33% did not undergo radiation therapy after lumpectomy, even in 1999. Overall, patients were less likely to have axillary dissection over time (34% in 1992 versus 15% in 1999), yet the rate of axillary dissection was still high (30%) in patients undergoing mastectomy in 1999. Large, statistically and clinically significant variation by geographic location was found in treatment. CONCLUSIONS Treatment of DCIS changed in a clinically significant fashion between 1992 and 1999. Throughout this study, many patients were found to undergo aggressive surgical therapy, including mastectomy and axillary dissection, whereas others appeared to be undertreated, e.g., not receiving radiation therapy after lumpectomy, even in the presence of adverse histologic features. Variation in demographic and geographic factors indicates that at least some of these treatment differences reflect individual and institutional practice patterns that may be modifiable.