Objective: To understand the distribution of cancer deaths in China in 2015 and provide reference for the prevention and control of cancer. Methods: Based on the results of Global Burden of Disease 2015, the cancer death distributions in different age groups, sex groups, provinces or by different malignant tumor in Chinese were described. Results: The age-standardized mortality rate of cancer was 159.01/100 000 in China in 2015. The mortality rate was highest in age group ≥70 years (1 102.73/100 000), and lowest in age group 5-14 years (5.40/100 000). The mortality rate in males was 2.15 times higher than that in females. The first 5 provinces with high cancer mortality rate were Anhui, Qinghai, Sichuan, Guangxi and Henan. Lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer and colorectal cancer ranked 1-5 in term of mortality rate. Conclusion: The cancer mortality differed with age, gender, area and different malignant tumors, suggesting the necessity to develop targeted prevention and control strategies.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian People/statistics & numerical data* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China/epidemiology* ; Colonic Neoplasms/mortality* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/mortality* ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/mortality* ; Lung Neoplasms/mortality* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mortality/ethnology* ; Neoplasms/mortality* ; Residence Characteristics ; Sex Distribution ; Stomach Neoplasms/mortality* ; Young Adult

Accumulating studies explored the clinicopathologic and prognostic value of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the results were controversial. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the predictive role of PD-L1 in NSCLC patients. We systematically collected relevant studies from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS), and odd ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs for clinicopathologic factors were calculated. A total of 15 studies involving 3605 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed no prognostic role of PD-L1 in the whole patients (HR=1.60, 95% CI: 0.88-2.89, P=0.123). Subgroup analysis showed that PD-L1 was associated with decreased OS in Asian patients (HR=2.00, 95% CI: 1.55-2.57, P<0.001). Among all the clinicopathologic factors, PD-L1 overexpression was significantly in relevance with poor tumor cell differentiation (HR=1.84, 95% CI: 1.49-2.28, P<0.001), late stage (HR=1.21, 95% CI: 1.02-1.43, P=0.026) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocation (HR=2.63, 95% CI: 1.08-6.40, P=0.034), but not with other factors. In conclusion, our meta-analysis demonstrated that PD-L1 has a prognostic role in Asian patients with NSCLC.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; B7-H1 Antigen ; genetics ; metabolism ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; genetics ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; diagnosis ; ethnology ; genetics ; mortality ; European Continental Ancestry Group ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; ethnology ; genetics ; mortality ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Protein Transport ; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hyponatremia is a well-known risk factor for poor outcomes in Western studies of heart failure (HF) patients. We evaluated the predictive value of hyponatremia in hospitalized Asian HF patients. METHODS: The Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes in the Relation with Serum Sodium Level in Asian Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure (the COAST) study enrolled hospitalized patients with systolic HF (ejection fraction < 45%) at eight centers in South Korea, Taiwan, and China. The relationship between admission sodium level and clinical outcomes was analyzed in 1,470 patients. RESULTS: The mean admission sodium level was 138 +/- 4.7 mmol/L, and 247 patients (16.8%) had hyponatremia defined as Na+ < 135 mmol/L. The 12-month mortality was higher in hyponatremic patients (27.9% vs. 14.6%, p < 0.001), and hyponatremia was an independent predictor of 12-month mortality (hazard ratio, 1.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.12 to 2.65). During hospital admission, 57% of hyponatremic patients showed improvement without improvement in their clinical outcomes (p = 0.620). The proportion of patients with optimal medical treatment was only 26.5% and 44.2% at admission and discharge, respectively, defined as the combined use of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker and beta-blocker. Underuse of optimal medical treatment was more pronounced in hyponatremic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In hospitalized Asian HF patients, hyponatremia at admission is common and is an independent predictor of poor clinical outcome. Furthermore, hyponatremic patients receive less optimal medical treatment than their counterparts.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asia/epidemiology ; *Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biomarkers/blood ; Cardiovascular Agents/therapeutic use ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Guideline Adherence ; Healthcare Disparities ; Heart Failure/*diagnosis/drug therapy/ethnology/mortality/physiopathology ; *Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hyponatremia/blood/*diagnosis/drug therapy/ethnology/mortality ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Risk Factors ; Sodium/*blood ; Stroke Volume ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVEThis study was aimed to understand the clinical characteristics and prognosis in Uighur patients with Non-B Non-C hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and virus-related HCC.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 301 Uighur HCC patients, among them, there were 145 NBC-HCC cases and 156 virus-related HCC cases. The overall survival rates of the patients were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method, and the factors that may influence the prognosis and survival of NBC-HCC patients were analyzed using univariate (Log rank test) and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTSThe differences of the gender, living region, history of diabetes, body mass index (BMI), history of cirrhosis, TNM stage, Child-Pugh scores, total bilirubin, and AFP level between the NBC-HCC group and viral-HCC group were statistically significant (P < 0.05 for all). The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 35.6%, 20.3%, 12.6%, and 4.5%, respectively, for all the 301 patients, and no significant difference between these two groups in terms of OS (P > 0.05). Multivariate analysis by Cox model showed that age, TNM staging, PVTT, Child-Pugh scores, TACE combined with radiotherapy or RFA were significant independent prognostic factors (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe clinical characteristics in Uighur patients with non-B non-C HCC and hepatitis virus-related HCC are not all the same and HCC in Xinjiang region has certain regional characteristics and features. Age, TNM stages, portal vein tumor thrombus, Child-Pugh scores, and TACE combined with radiotherapy or RFA are significant independent prognostic factors.

Age Factors ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; ethnology ; mortality ; therapy ; virology ; Female ; Hepatitis C ; virology ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Liver Neoplasms ; ethnology ; mortality ; therapy ; virology ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Portal Vein ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Factors ; Survival Rate ; Thrombosis ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is an incurable disease with high mortality. Although most studies recommend anticoagulation treatment for IPAH, the benefits are uncertain, particularly in Korea, where it has not been studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate survival outcomes of Korean patients with IPAH treated with warfarin. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed previously with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) at the Asan Medical Center in Korea, between January 1994 and February 2013. We excluded patients with associated PAH, patients who did not undergo right heart catheterization (RHC), and patients with a positive vasoreactivity test. Patients in the study cohort were classified into a "warfarin group" and a "non-warfarin group," according to the treatment they received during the first year after diagnosis. RESULTS: We identified 31 patients with IPAH and a negative vasoreactivity test on RHC. Median patient age was 36.0 years, and 23 patients (74.2%) were female. The median time from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 19.0 months, and the most common presenting symptom was dyspnea. Survival rates of the patients at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years were 90.2%, 79.5%, 62.7%, and 34.8%, respectively. The mean survival period was 12.0 years in the warfarin group and 6.1 years in the non-warfarin group. Warfarin treatment had significant survival benefits in patients with IPAH (p = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: Warfarin treatment substantially improved survival outcomes in Korean cases of IPAH.
Adult ; Anticoagulants/*therapeutic use ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension/diagnosis/*drug therapy/ethnology/mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Protective Factors ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Warfarin/*therapeutic use

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of systemic lupus erythematosus between male and female Korean patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed at a single tertiary hospital from August 1994 to May 2010. Male patients were matched with two to three female patients based on age and disease duration. Organ damage was assessed using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology damage index (SLICC/ACR DI). RESULTS: Fifty-three male patients were compared with 150 female patients. Renal disorders were found more frequently in male patients at disease onset (p < 0.001); the adjusted odds ratio (OR) demonstrated a significant sex preponderance for renal manifestations (OR, 3.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.62 to 6.57). Diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis and end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis during the disease course were more prevalent in male patients (p = 0.025 and p < 0.001, respectively). The risk for requiring long-term dialysis was significantly higher in male than in female patients (OR, 4.02; 95% CI, 1.07 to 15.06), as was the mean SLICC/ACR DI (1.55 +/- 1.35 vs. 1.02 +/- 1.57, respectively; p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that Korean patients with lupus have characteristics similar to those of cohorts reported previously. Male patients had significantly higher incidences of renal manifestations and organ damage.
Adult ; *Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use ; Incidence ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/diagnosis/ethnology/therapy ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/diagnosis/*ethnology/mortality/therapy ; Lupus Nephritis/diagnosis/ethnology/therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Renal Dialysis ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sex Distribution ; Sex Factors ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Time Factors ; Young Adult

Animals ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Chickens ; China ; epidemiology ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype ; classification ; genetics ; pathogenicity ; Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype ; genetics ; Influenza in Birds ; transmission ; virology ; Influenza, Human ; ethnology ; transmission ; virology ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Orthomyxoviridae Infections ; metabolism ; mortality ; virology ; Phylogeny ; Seasons ; Survival Rate ; Virulence ; genetics

INTRODUCTIONOsteosarcoma treatment has experienced a renaissance in the last 3 decades with the institution of multimodality treatment involving multiagent chemotherapy and surgery. Yet globally, treatment success has stagnated at about 70% survival at 5 years in most single institution series. We performed survival analyses on 2 national databases in 2 countries and compared these with corresponding institution specific survival.

MATERIALS AND METHODSAll patients with the diagnostic code of non-metastatic intramedullary osteosarcoma in the long bones of the upper and lower limbs less than 30 years of age were selected from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Result (SEER) database to ensure uniformity with respect to disease and treatment. We studied the factors: ethnicity, gender, age, grade, histology, size, site, surgery, compartmentalisation, number of primaries and venue of treatment for their contribution to survival. In addition, the data were stratified into 3 decades (seventies, eighties and nineties) to account for variations due to the evolution of treatment paradigms and imaging modalities.

RESULTSInstitution-specific survival was predictably better than national survival in the 4 databases. One thousand patients were selected from the SEER database. Oriental descent, state-specific treatment, female gender, treatment in the nineties, low-grade disease, intra-compartmental disease, small size, wide resections as opposed to forequarter or hindquarter amputations, and single primaries were good prognostic factors on univariate analysis as well as multivariate analysis (P <0.05). Survival was better in the more affluent states (P <0.05). Males were affected at an older age than females (P = 0.004). Blacks tended to have larger tumours although their overall survival was similar to whites. Orientals were more likely to be treated in the nineties with wide resections for smaller tumours and were located around states associated with good treatment. Orientals in Singapore and the United States had the same survival (P = 0.45). Survival in Orientals in Singapore was not significantly different from other races. The standard of healthcare for osteosarcoma varies greatly across the United States but is uniform in Singapore. Hence the observed differences in the United States were likely due to socioeconomic factors.

CONCLUSIONThis analysis confirms the importance of a number of prognostic variables in osteosarcoma and suggests the possibility of an ethnic and economic bias for good survival.

Adolescent ; Adult ; African Continental Ancestry Group ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bone Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; mortality ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Databases, Factual ; European Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Internationality ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Osteosarcoma ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; mortality ; Prognosis ; Registries ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Young Adult

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is endemic in Southern China, with Guandong province and Hong Kong reporting some of the highest incidences in the world. The journal Science has called it a "Cantonese cancer". We propose that in fact NPC is a cancer that originated in the Bai Yue ("proto Tai Kadai" or "proto Austronesian" or "proto Zhuang") peoples and was transmitted to the Han Chinese in southern China through intermarriage. However, the work by John Ho raised the profile of NPC, and because of the high incidence of NPC in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, NPC became known as a Cantonese cancer. We searched historical articles, articles cited in PubMed, Google, monographs, books and Internet articles relating to genetics of the peoples with high populations of NPC. The migration history of these various peoples was extensively researched, and where possible, their genetic fingerprint identified to corroborate with historical accounts. Genetic and anthropological evidence suggest there are a lot of similarities between the Bai Yue and the aboriginal peoples of Borneo and Northeast India; between Inuit of Greenland, Austronesian Mayalo Polynesians of Southeast Asia and Polynesians of Oceania, suggesting some common ancestry. Genetic studies also suggest the present Cantonese, Minnans and Hakkas are probably an admixture of northern Han and southern Bai Yue. All these populations have a high incidence of NPC. Very early contact between southern Chinese and peoples of East Africa and Arabia can also account for the intermediate incidence of NPC in these regions.
Asia, Southeastern ; epidemiology ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; history ; Borneo ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Emigration and Immigration ; history ; Ethnic Groups ; genetics ; history ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; genetics ; Genetics, Population ; Greenland ; epidemiology ; History, Ancient ; Hong Kong ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; India ; epidemiology ; Inuits ; genetics ; Male ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; genetics ; mortality ; Oceania ; epidemiology

INTRODUCTIONWe describe the natural history of Asian adult soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) in the extremities and predict prognosticative factors for local recurrence, metastasis and tumour-related death.

MATERIALS AND METHODSBetween January 1999 and May 2009, 67 adult patients with first presentation STSs of extremity sites underwent surgical treatment at a single institution. The associations between patient demographics and pathological features with local recurrence, metastasis and mortality were studied using univariate and multivariate analysis.

RESULTSThe mean age of our patients was 52.4 years with most presentations occurring in the thigh. Majority of Asian STSs were high grade (61.3%) and large tumours with 81.0% being >5 cm. Stages Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIc, III and IV accounted for 6.6%, 6.6%, 26.2%, 11.5%, 3.3%, 42.6% and 3.3% of presentations, respectively. Patients were followed-up for a mean period of 45.9 months. On univariate analysis, high tumour grade and advanced stage (IIc to IV) were predictive of local recurrence and metastasis. Deep lesions were more likely to recur but not metastasise or cause death. Age, sex, size, and margin positivity were not predictive for all end-points. On multivariate testing, only pathological high grade was associated adversely with local recurrence [odds ratio (OR) = 10.0, 95% CI, 1.2 to 84.9, P = 0.035], metastasis (OR = 12.7, 95% CI, 2.46 to 65.2, P = 0.002) and mortality (OR = 16.2, 95% CI, 1.95 to 135.0, P = 0.010).

CONCLUSIONSAsian adult extremity soft tissue sarcomas present late and are most commonly found in the thigh. High pathological grade is a consistent independent predictor for local failure, distant spread and tumour-related death. Our results reaffirm the current thinking that tumour biology is of primary importance in determining patient outcomes.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asia ; epidemiology ; Extremities ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Sarcoma ; classification ; ethnology ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms ; classification ; ethnology ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery