Women, Overweight Survive Longer with Esophageal and Stomach Cancer
Mar 1, 2005 - 5:25:00 PM
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"A better understanding of what can increase survival could help uncover preventive strategies."
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By Pankaj, US Correspondent,
[RxPG] In the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill publish findings of a population-based, case-control study of 1,142 patients diagnosed with esophageal or gastric cancer. After seven years of follow up, survival rates for both cancers were low between 12 and 20 percent. However, three factors increased the likelihood of survival:
* Those who were overweight before diagnosis (BMI 25-30 kg/m2) had an approximately 30 percent lower risk of death compared to normal and underweight patients.
* Patients with moderate to high incomes (= $15,000 per year) had an up to 38 percent lower risk of death compared to low-income patients (<$15,000 per year).
* Women survived longer than men.
"Unfortunately, some of the characteristics associated with survival in this study are not easily modifiable, but we hope the findings will give patients more information about the possible course of their cancer," said lead study author Katrina F. Trivers, MSPH. "A better understanding of what can increase survival could help uncover preventive strategies."
While researchers are not currently able to pinpoint the underlying reasons for the study's results, they are certain the results are not attributed to traditional prognostic factors such as tumor stage or grade. In addition, age, education, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use were not predictors of survival.
Publication:
Demographic and Lifestyle Predictors of Survival in Patients with Esophageal or Gastric Cancers, Trivers et al. Journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology
On the web:
http://www.cghjournal.org/ 
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Additional information about the news article
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About the AGA
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is dedicated to the mission of advancing the science and practice of gastroenterology. Founded in 1897, the AGA is the oldest medical-specialty society in the United States. The AGA's 14,000 members include physicians and scientists who research, diagnose and treat disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. On a monthly basis, the AGA publishes two highly respected journals, Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. The AGA's annual meeting is Digestive Disease Week, which is held each May and is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.
About Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology
The mission of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology is to provide readers with a broad spectrum of themes in clinical gastroenterology and hepatology. This monthly peer-reviewed journal includes original articles as well as scholarly reviews, with the goal that all articles published will be immediately relevant to the practice of gastroenterology and hepatology. For more information, visit www.cghjournal.org.
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