Gender, Colorectal Cancer Survival Linked
Photo/S. Peter Lopez
While age and ethnicity are well-established factors that impact survival of colorectal cancer, the study found that gender also plays an important role in overall survival, said Andrew Hendifar, a fellow in the division of hematology/oncology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and lead author of the study.
Researchers found that pre-menopausal women with metastatic colorectal cancer (18-44 years old) lived longer than younger men, while older women (75 and older) had significantly worse overall survival than older men.
The results of the study were presented at a poster discussion June 1 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology held in Chicago.
The study adds to the growing evidence that female hormones are protective for colon cancer, researchers said.
“This study provides further evidence that estrogen may play an important role not only in colon cancer development but also progression of the disease and may impact how we develop therapies for women and men with colon cancer,” said Heinz-Josef Lenz, professor of medicine at the Keck School and a senior investigator on the study.
Researchers screened 56,598 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer from 1988 to 2003, using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registry.
Independent of age, there were no survival differences between men and women with metastatic colorectal cancer. However, when age was added to the model, sex became significantly associated with survival across all ethnicities.
Researchers also found that certain ethnicities had better overall survival than others. Namely, Hispanics and Asians have better outcomes than Caucasians and African Americans. Further studies in this area should look at how certain diets or specific surroundings contribute to the development of colorectal cancer, Hendifar noted.
“The data warrant further studies to determine the role of estrogen and ethnicity in colorectal cancer development,” he said. “In the future, we may tailor different treatments for men and women.”
The study was funded by grants in honor of Sharon A. Carpenter and from the Dhont Family Foundation.
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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