BACKGROUND: Primary tumors of the spinal cord, spinal meninges, and cauda equina are relatively rare, and a paucity of population‐based data exist on tumors in these sites. This study intends to augment the current literature by examining incidence of these tumors on a national level.METHODS: Data from central cancer registries in the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) programs for 2004‐2007 (covering 99.2% of US population) and 1999‐2007 (covering 89.4% of US population) were analyzed. Analyses for diagnosis years 2004‐2007 included cases of malignant and nonmalignant primary spinal cord, spinal meninges, and cauda equina tumors. Descriptive statistics including estimated age‐adjusted incidence rates standardized to the 2000 US standard population were conducted for both malignant and nonmalignant primary spinal tumors from cases diagnosed during 2004‐2007 as well as trend analyses on malignant cases of primary spinal tumors (n = 5103) for cases diagnosed during 1999‐2007 using SEER*Stat 6.6.2 software.RESULTS: There were 2576 cases of malignant primary spinal tumors and 9136 cases of nonmalignant primary spinal tumors in 2004‐2007. The incidence of malignant and nonmalignant primary spinal tumors combined differed by age, sex, race, and ethnicity. Results of trend analyses indicated that malignant primary spinal tumors have been stable throughout the 1999‐2007 period.CONCLUSIONS: This large population‐based study adds new insights into the descriptive epidemiology of primary spinal cord, spinal meninges, and cauda equina tumors by providing in‐depth analyses of the incidence of these tumors on a national level. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society.

Background: Risk factors for endometrial cancer, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and obesity, have changed significantly in the last decade. We investigated trends in endometrial cancer histologic subtypes on a national level during 1999–2006. Methods: Data covering 88% of the U.S. population were from central cancer registries in the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) programs that met high-quality United States Cancer Statistics (USCS) criteria. Our analyses included females with microscopically confirmed invasive uterine cancer ( n =257,039). Age-adjusted incidence rates and trends for all invasive uterine cancers and by endometrial cancer histologic subtypes (type I and II) were assessed. Results: There were 145,922 cases of type I endometrial cancers and 15,591 cases of type II for 1999–2006. We found that type I endometrial cancers have been increasing, whereas type II endometrial cancers and all invasive uterine cancers have been relatively stable throughout the 1999–2006 period. Conclusions: During the past decade, the overall burden of uterine cancer has been stable, although there have been changes in underlying histologies (e.g., endometrial). Changes in trends for underlying histologies may be masked when reviewing trends irrespective of histologic subtypes. Our findings suggest the need to examine trends of uterine cancer by histologic subtype in order to better understand the burden of endometrial cancer in relation to these subtypes to help women at increased risk for developing more aggressive types of endometrial cancer (e.g., type II).

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiovascular complication affecting patients with cancer, but management strategies are not well established. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate cross-sectional patterns of anticoagulation (AC) use in patients with cancer with AF or atrial flutter (AFL) on the basis of their risk for stroke and bleeding. Patients with cancer and electrocardiograms showing AF or AFL performed at Moffitt Cancer Center in either the inpatient or outpatient setting were included in this retrospective analysis. We described percentages of AC prescription by stroke and bleeding risk, as determined by individual CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated clinical variables independently associated with anticoagulant prescription. The prevalence of electrocardiography-documented AF or AFL was 4.8% (n = 472). The mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 2.8 ± 1.4. Among patients with CHA2DS2-VASc scores ≥2 and HAS-BLED scores <3, 44.3% did not receive AC, and of these, only 18.3% had platelet values <50,000/μl. In multivariable analysis, older age, hypertension, prior stroke, and history of venous thromboembolism were each directly associated with AC use, while current chemotherapy use, prior bleeding, renal disease, and thrombocytopenia were each inversely associated with AC use. Nearly one-half of patients with cancer, the majority with normal platelet counts, had an elevated risk for stroke but did not receive AC. In addition to known predictors, current chemotherapy use was independently associated with a lower odds of AC use. This study highlights the need to improve the application of AF treatment algorithms to cancer populations.

The Michigan Prevention Research Center, the University of Michigan Schools of Nursing, Public Health, and Medicine, and the Michigan Department of Community Health propose a multidisciplinary academic-clinical practice three-year project to increase breast cancer screening among young breast cancer survivors and their cancer-free female relatives at greatest risk for breast cancer.