Purposes To (1) determine the frequency and severity of hot flashes, (2) examine the associations be- tween hot flash frequency and severity and quality of life, and (3) identify the predictors of hot flash activity in breast cancer survivors. Methods The study used a cross-sectional design and mailed survey of 253 breast cancer survivors recruited from a cancer wellness clinic. Participants provided information regarding cancer history, hot flashes, pain intensity, sleep problems, physical functioning, and psychological functioning. Results About half of the survivors reported at least one hot flash in the past 24 h (45%) or past week (52%). The average frequency of hot flashes was 1.9 in the past 24 h and 1.8 in the past week. Hot flash severity was usually mild or asymptomatic. However, participants with hot flashes reported significantly more sleep problems and higher pain severity than those reporting no hot flashes. Moreover, the severity of hot flashes was associated with more sleep problems, higher pain severity, and more psychological dysfunction. History of hormonal suppression therapy and younger age predicted hot flash activity in the study sample. Conclusions In breast cancer survivors, hot flashes are common and are associated with unpleasant symptoms and poor quality of life. Research is needed to determine if treatments that reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes in breast cancer survivors also result in improvements in symptoms such as sleep problems, pain, and psychological dysfunction.

When cancer is detected early, patients live longer, require less extensive treatment, and in general fare better than patients with more advanced disease. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women. Breast cancer screening through mammography has shown significant mortality reduction in clinical trials through the early detection of disease. This article aims to outline novel methods of indirect and direct detection of breast cancer through biomarkers. Proteomics and gene expression profiling methods will likely be important tools in regard to cancer detection in the future. Blood-based biomarker development is the furthest along and, either in the form of proteins or RNA, shows promise to lead to early detection techniques. Unfortunately, procedures aiming to analyze the breast tissue more directly have not had the desired outcomes thus far for the early detection of breast cancer. Appropriate development of these potential early detection and diagnostic tests is necessary prior to their clinical application, with special attention to their specificity to avoid overdiagnosis.

We reviewed response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) of 207 patients with diagnoses of lung or head and neck cancer treated with chemotherapy/ICI combination therapy and ICI monotherapy between 2015 and 2020 at one of three clinical pavilions associated with the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine. Two of these pavilions (Harris Health System and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center) serve large minority populations and provide equal access to care regardless of means. 174 patients had a diagnosis of lung cancer (non-small cell or small cell) and 33 had a diagnosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). 38% self-identified as Black, 45% as non-Hispanic White, and 18% as Hispanic. The objective response rate (ORR) was similar for lung cancer (35.057%) and HNSCC patients (30.3%) (p=0.894). The ORR for Hispanic and Black patients was lower compared to non-Hispanic White patients (H 27.0%, B 32.5%, W 38.7%; H vs. W p=0.209; B vs. W p=0.398). When considering only patients treated with ICI monotherapy, the ORR for Hispanic patients dropped further to 20.7% while the ORR of Black and non-Hispanic White patients remained about the same (B 29.3% and W 35.9%, H vs. W p=0.133; B vs. W p=0.419). Immune related adverse events were the lowest in the Hispanic population occurring in only 30% of patients compared to 40% of patients in the Black cohort and 50% of the non-Hispanic White cohorts.