Our findings indicate that a substantial fraction of women with early-stage breast cancer in New Hampshire receive suboptimal treatment by forgoing radiation because of the difficulty traveling for radiation in winter. Future treatment planning strategies should consider these barriers to care in cold rural regions.

Background In the Western world, bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men and the eighth most common in women. Recurrences frequently occur and continued surveillance is necessary to identify and treat recurrent tumors. Efforts to identify risk factors that are potentially modifiable to reduce the rate of recurrence are needed. Methods We investigated cigarette smoking behavior and body mass index (BMI) at diagnosis for associations with bladder cancer recurrence in a population-based study of 726 bladder cancer patients in New Hampshire, US. Patients diagnosed with non-muscle invasive urothelial-cell carcinoma were followed to ascertain long-term prognosis. Analysis of time to recurrence was performed using multivariate Cox regression models. Results Smokers experienced shorter time to recurrence (continuing smoker HR 1.51 95%CI 1.08-2.13). Although being overweight (BMI>24.9 kg/m2) at diagnosis was not a strong independent factor (HR 1.33 95%CI 0.94-1.89), among continuing smokers, being overweight more than doubled the risk of recurrence compared to smokers of normal weight (HR 2.67 95%CI 1.14-6.28). Conclusions These observational results suggest that adiposity is a risk factor for bladder cancer recurrence, particularly among tobacco users. Future intervention studies are warranted to evaluate whether both smoking cessation and weight reduction strategies reduce bladder tumor recurrences.

IntroductionSeveral studies have shown an increased risk of cancer after non melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) but the individual risk factors underlying this risk have not been elucidated, especially in relation to sun exposure and skin sensitivity to sunlight.PurposeThe aim of this study was to examine the individual risk factors associated with the development of subsequent cancers after non melanoma skin cancer.MethodsParticipants in the population-based New Hampshire Skin Cancer Study provided detailed risk factor data, and subsequent cancers were identified via linkage with the state cancer registry. Deaths were identified via state and national death records. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate risk of subsequent malignancies in NMSC patients versus controls and to assess the potential confounding effects of multiple risk factors on this risk.ResultsAmong 3584 participants, risk of a subsequent cancer (other than NMSC) was higher after basal cell carcinoma (BCC) (adjusted HR 1.40 [95% CI 1.15, 1.71]) than squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (adjusted HR 1.18 [95% CI 0.95, 1.46]) compared to controls (adjusted for age, sex and current cigarette smoking). After SCC, risk was higher among those diagnosed before age 60 (HR 1.96 [95% CI 1.24, 3.12]). An over 3-fold risk of melanoma after SCC (HR 3.62; 95% CI 1.85, 7.11) and BCC (HR 3.28; 95% CI 1.66, 6.51) was observed, even after further adjustment for sun exposure-related factors and family history of skin cancer. In men, prostate cancer incidence was higher after BCC compared to controls (HR 1.64; 95% CI 1.10, 2.46).ConclusionsOur population-based study indicates an increased cancer risk after NMSC that cannot be fully explained by known cancer risk factors.

A retrospective cohort analysis of survival after keratinocyte cancer (KC) was conducted using data from a large, population-based case control study of KC in New Hampshire. The original study collected detailed information during personal interviews between 1993-2002 from individuals with squamous (SCC) and basal (BCC) cell carcinoma, and controls identified through the Department of Transportation, frequency-matched on age and sex. Participants without a history of non-skin cancer at enrolment were followed as a retrospective cohort to assess survival after either SCC or BCC, or a reference date for controls. Through 2009, cancers were identified from the New Hampshire State Cancer Registry and self-report; death information was obtained from state death certificate files and the National Death Index. There were significant differences in survival between those with SCC, BCC and controls (p=0.040), with significantly greater risk of mortality after SCC compared to controls (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.25; 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.54). Mortality after BCC was not significantly altered (HR 0.96; 95% CI 0.77-1.19). The excess mortality after SCC persisted after adjustment for numerous personal risk factors including time-varying non-skin cancer occurrence, age, sex and smoking. Survival from the date of the intervening cancer, however, did not vary (HR for SCC 0.98; 95% CI 0.70-1.38). Mortality also remained elevated when individuals with subsequent melanoma were excluded (HR for SCC 1.30; 95% CI 1.05-1.61). Increased mortality after SCC cannot be explained by the occurrence of intervening cancers, but may reflect a more general predisposition to life threatening illness that merits further investigation.