Researchers study survival in African American versus Caucasian lung cancer patients

Study finds that no racial difference of people of same socioeconomic status

2013-09-05

(Press-News.org) DENVER – According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 160,340 lung cancer deaths occurred in the United States in 2012, accounting for 28 percent of all cancer deaths. While survival from lung cancer has improved since the early 1990s, racial differences in lung cancer survival persist such that blacks experience poorer 5-year survival for lung cancer compared to whites. In the October issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's journal, the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO), researchers conclude that while proportionally more blacks present with late-stage disease there is no difference in stage-adjusted lung cancer mortality between blacks and whites of similar low socioeconomic status. Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study among 81,697 racially diverse and medically underserved adults enrolled in the Southern Community Cohort Study throughout an 11-state area of the Southeast from March 2002 to September 2009. The geographic areas include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Participants were aged 40-79 years at enrollment and approximately two-thirds self-reported as black/African American. The researchers conclude that, "when demographic factors, smoking and lung cancer stage are controlled, lung cancer survival between black and white lung cancer patients is similar, even among primarily low-income and medically underserved populations." ### The lead author is Dr. Melinda Aldrich. Dr. Eric Grogan is a co-author and IASLC member. About the IASLC: The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated to the study of lung cancer. Founded in 1974, the association's membership includes more than 3,500 lung cancer specialists in 80 countries. To learn more about IASLC please visit http://www.iaslc.org.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Swallowing exercises preserve function in head and neck cancer patients receiving radiation

2013-09-05

A study at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that head and neck cancer patients receiving radiation as part of their treatment were less likely to need a feeding tube or suffer unwanted side effects such as worsening of diet or narrowing of the throat passage if they performed a set of prescribed swallowing exercises — called a "swallow preservation protocol" — during therapy. The study, conducted from 2007 to 2012, was led by Dr. Marilene Wang, a member of the Jonsson Cancer Center and professor-in-residence in the department of head and neck surgery ...

Youthful stem cells from bone can heal the heart, Temple scientists report

2013-09-05

(Philadelphia, PA) - Many people who survive a heart attack find themselves back in the hospital with a failing heart just years later. And the outcome often is unfavorable, owing to limited treatment options. But scientists at Temple University School of Medicine's Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) recently found hope in an unlikely source – stem cells in cortical, or compact, bone. In a new study, they show that when it comes to the regeneration of heart tissue, these novel bone-derived cells do a better job than the heart's own stem cells. According to the study's ...

Data suggests Abbott's test may help more accurately diagnose heart attacks in women

2013-09-05

AMSTERDAM, Sept. 4, 2013 – Abbott announced today promising preliminary results from a study presented at the ESC Congress 2013, suggesting that its high sensitive troponin test may help doctors improve the diagnosis and prognosis of patients presenting with symptoms of a heart attack.1 The test could be particularly beneficial for women, who may have different presenting symptoms and are often under-diagnosed.2 The study, which is being conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, is evaluating Abbott's ARCHITECT STAT High Sensitive Troponin-I (hsTnI) test, ...

Juniper essential oil characteristics determined

2013-09-05

SHERIDAN, WY—Throughout the western United States, Canada, and Mexico, Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.) is known for its pleasant fragrance and valuable wood. The juniper's wood—highly valued for its durability, rich color, and pleasant aroma—is popular for use as interior paneling, furniture, and fence posts. For centuries, the leaves and berries of Rocky Mountain juniper, which contain strongly aromatic essential oil, have been used extensively by native people of North America to treat a number of medical conditions. A recent study evaluated several ...

New study informs blueberry flavor selection

2013-09-05

GAINESVILLE, FL—The University of Florida's (UF) Blueberry Breeding Program has been developing successful blueberry cultivars for more than 60 years. The cultivars released from UF are credited with creating a Florida blueberry industry that was valued at $48 million in 2010, and allowing rapid expansion of blueberry production in other subtropical areas of the world. In the past, blueberry flavor selection in the program was based on two standards: subjective ratings from breeders, and a berry's sugar-to-acid ratio. Recently, scientists have determined that the "eating ...

LSU psychologist discovers intricacies about lying

2013-09-05

BATON ROUGE – What happens when you tell a lie? Set aside your ethical concerns for a moment—after all, lying is a habit we practice with astonishing dexterity and frequency, whether we realize it or not. What goes on in your brain when you willfully deceive someone? And what happens later, when you attempt to access the memory of your deceit? How you remember a lie may be impacted profoundly by how you lie, according to a new study by LSU Associate Professor Sean Lane and former graduate student Kathleen Vieria. The study, accepted for publication in the Journal of Applied ...

Your finger's pulse holds the key to your heart's health

2013-09-05

A University of Iowa physiologist has a new technique to measure the stiffness of the aorta, a common risk factor for heart disease. And it can be as simple as measuring the pulse in your finger. The new procedure developed by Gary Pierce, assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Physiology, works by placing an instrument called a transducer on the finger or over the brachial artery, located inside the arm just beneath the elbow. The readout, combined with a person's age and body mass index, lets physicians know whether the aorta has stiffened. Currently, ...

Wetlands could be key in revitalizing acid streams, UT Arlington researchers say

2013-09-05

A team of University of Texas at Arlington biologists working with the U.S. Geological Survey has found that watershed wetlands can serve as a natural source for the improvement of streams polluted by acid rain. The group, led by associate professor of biology Sophia Passy, also contends that recent increases in the level of organic matter in surface waters in regions of North America and Europe – also known as "brownification" – holds benefits for aquatic ecosystems. The research team's work appeared in the September issue of the journal Global Change Biology. The ...

UN: Rising reuse of wastewater in forecast but world lacks data on 'massive potential resource'

2013-09-05

Amid growing competition for freshwater from industry and cities, coupled with a rising world shortage of potash, nitrogen and phosphorus, an international study predicts a rapid increase in the use of treated wastewater for farming and other purposes worldwide. However, research shows that treated wastewater -- comparable in North America alone to the volume of water flowing over Niagara Falls -- is mostly unused and, in many nations, not even quantified. Of 181 countries studied, only 55 have information on three key aspects of wastewater: generation, treatment, ...

Dishonest deeds lead to 'cheater's high,' as long as no one gets hurt, study finds

2013-09-05

WASHINGTON – People who get away with cheating when they believe no one is hurt by their dishonesty are more likely to feel upbeat than remorseful afterward, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. Although people predict they will feel bad after cheating or being dishonest, many of them don't, reports a study published online in APA's Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. "When people do something wrong specifically to harm someone else, such as apply an electrical shock, the consistent reaction in previous research has ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

AI finds undiagnosed liver disease in early stages

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announce new research fellowship in malaria genomics in honor of professor Dominic Kwiatkowski