Björn Tavelin | Umeå University (original) (raw)
Papers by Björn Tavelin
Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2022
Sex disparities in glioblastoma (GBM) have received increasing attention. Sex-related differences... more Sex disparities in glioblastoma (GBM) have received increasing attention. Sex-related differences for several molecular markers have been reported, which could impact on clinical factors and outcomes. We therefore analyzed data on all patients with GBM reported to the Swedish National Quality Registry for Primary Brain Tumors, according to sex, with a focus on prognostic factors and survival. All glioma patients registered during 20 years, from 1 January 1999 until 31 December 2018, with SNOMED codes 94403, 94413, and 94423, were analyzed. Chi2-test, log-rank test, and Kaplan–Meier analyses were performed. We identified 5243 patients, of which 2083 were females and 3160 males, resulting in a ratio of 1:1.5. We found sex related differences, with women having diagnostic surgery at a significantly higher age (p = 0.001). Women were also reported to have a worse preoperative performance status (PPS) (<0.001). There was no gender difference for the type of surgery performed. For wome...
Interleukin promoter polymorphisms and prognosis in colorectal cancer
Improved tumor marker sensitivity by combined type IV collagen and CEA measurement in colorectal ... more Improved tumor marker sensitivity by combined type IV collagen and CEA measurement in colorectal liver metastases
Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences, 2021
Background Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients have a good prognosis after adequate treatment. Previou... more Background Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients have a good prognosis after adequate treatment. Previous treatment with mantle field irradiation has been accompanied by an increased long-term risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study identified co-morbidity factors for the development of cardiovascular side effects and initiated an intervention study aimed to decrease morbidity and mortality of CVD in HL survivors. Design Hodgkin lymphoma patients aged ≤45 years diagnosed between 1965 and 1995 were invited to participate. In total, 453 patients completed a questionnaire that addressed co-morbidity factors and clinical symptoms. Of these, 319 accepted to participate in a structured clinical visit. The statistical analyses compared individuals with CVD with those with no CVD. Results Cardiovascular disease was reported by 27.9%. Radiotherapy (odds ratio [OR]: 3.27), hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were shown to be independent risk factors for the development of CVD. The OR for ...
Acta Oncologica, 2021
Introduction Endometrioid endometrial carcinoma is a cancer type with generally excellent prognos... more Introduction Endometrioid endometrial carcinoma is a cancer type with generally excellent prognosis when diagnosed at an early stage, but there is a subset of patients with relapsing disease in spite of early diagnosis and surgical treatment. There is a need to find prognostic markers to identify these patients with increased risk of relapse. Depth of myometrial invasion, histological grade, and presence of lymphovascular invasion are known risk factors. DNA content (ploidy) and proliferation measured as S-phase fraction (SPF) have been discussed as prognostic markers but need additional evaluation. Material and methods We evaluated relapse-free survival (RFS) with respect to ploidy and SPF, which was analyzed by flow cytometry on fresh tumor tissue, in a cohort of 1001 women treated for stage I endometrioid endometrial carcinoma in northern Sweden during the period of 1993–2010, with a median follow up time of 12.0 years. Data were obtained from historical records. Results In simpl...
Palliative and Supportive Care, 2021
ObjectiveThis follow-up study on perceived self-image and psychophysical distress/psychic symptom... more ObjectiveThis follow-up study on perceived self-image and psychophysical distress/psychic symptoms was based on a ranomized contolled study of art therapy on women with breast cancer.MethodThe aim was to examine the long-term effects of time-limited art therapy using the instruments of Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) and Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90).ResultsThree attachment clusters of the SASB showed significant changes post therapy: Autonomous self (cluster 1), Accepting self (cluster 2), and Loving self (cluster 3). Clusters 2 and 3 continued to change in favor of the intervention group at the 5-year follow-up. There were no significant differences in the SCL-90 results between the intervention group and the control group in the follow-up study.Significance of resultsThe art therapy intervention was both therapeutic and psycho-educative. The conclusion of this study is that approaching emotions through time-limited art therapy seems to have a long-lasting effect on...
Background Leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains 1 ( LRIG1 ) copy number alteratio... more Background Leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains 1 ( LRIG1 ) copy number alterations and unbalanced gene recombination events have been reported to occur in breast cancer. Importantly, LRIG1 loss was recently shown to predict early and late relapse in stage I-II breast cancer.Methods We developed droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assays for the determination of relative LRIG1 copy numbers and used these assays to analyze LRIG1 in twelve healthy individuals, 34 breast tumor samples previously analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and 423 breast tumor cytosols.Results Four of the LRIG1 /reference gene assays were found to be precise and robust, showing copy number ratios close to 1 (mean, 0.984; standard deviation, +/-0.031) among the healthy control population. The correlation between the ddPCR assays and previous FISH results was low, possibly because of the different normalization strategies used. One in 34 breast tumors (2.9%) showed an unbalanced LRIG1 r...
The Lancet, 2019
Background Hypofractionated radiotherapy for prostate cancer has gained increased attention due t... more Background Hypofractionated radiotherapy for prostate cancer has gained increased attention due to its proposed high radiation-fraction sensitivity. Recent reports from studies comparing moderately hypofractionated and conventionally fractionated radiotherapy support the clinical use of moderate hypofractionation. To date, there are no published randomised studies on ultra-hypofractionated radiotherapy. Here, we report the outcomes of the Scandinavian HYPO-RT-PC phase 3 trial with the aim to show non-inferiority of ultra-hypofractionation compared with conventional fractionation. Methods In this open-label, randomised, phase 3 non-inferiority trial done in 12 centres in Sweden and Denmark, we recruited men up to 75 years of age with intermediate-to-high-risk prostate cancer and a WHO performance status between 0 and 2. Patients were randomly assigned to ultra-hypofractionation (42•7 Gy in seven fractions, 3 days per week for 2•5 weeks) or conventional fractionated radiotherapy (78•0 Gy in 39 fractions, 5 days per week for 8 weeks). No androgen deprivation therapy was allowed. The primary endpoint was time to biochemical or clinical failure, analysed in the per-protocol population. The prespecified non-inferiority margin was 4% at 5 years, corresponding to a critical hazard ratio (HR) limit of 1•338. Physician-recorded toxicity was measured according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) morbidity scale and patient-reported outcome measurements with the Prostate Cancer Symptom Scale (PCSS) questionnaire. This trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN45905321.
International Journal of Cancer, 2019
This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been th... more This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as
European Journal of Cancer, 2015
Conversational support group participation during radiotherapy period helps women with breast can... more Conversational support group participation during radiotherapy period helps women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer
Familial Cancer, 2016
Although colonoscopic surveillance is recommended both for individuals with known hereditary colo... more Although colonoscopic surveillance is recommended both for individuals with known hereditary colorectal cancer (HCRC) syndromes and those with a more moderate familial colorectal cancer (FCRC) history, the evidence for the benefits of surveillance is limited and surveillance practices vary. This study evaluates the preventive effect for individuals with a family history of CRC of decentralized colonoscopic surveillance with the guidance of a cancer prevention clinic. We performed a population based prospective study of 261 patients with HCRC or FCRC, recorded in the colonoscopic surveillance registry at the Cancer genetics clinic, University Hospital of Umeå, Sweden. Colonoscopic surveillance was conducted every second (HCRC) or fifth (FCRC) year at local hospitals in Northern Sweden. Main outcome measures were findings of high-risk adenomas (HRA) or CRC, and patient compliance to surveillance. Estimations of the expected numbers of CRC without surveillance were made. During a total of 1256 person years of follow-up, one case of CRC was found. The expected numbers of cancers in the absence of surveillance was between 9.5 and 10.5, resulting in a standardized incidence ratio, observed versus expected cases of CRC, between 0.10 (CI 95 % 0.0012-0.5299) and 0.11 (CI 95 % 0.0014-0.5857). No CRC mortality was reported, but three patients needed surgical intervention. HRA were found in 5.9 % (14/237) of the initial and in 3.4 % (12/356) of the follow-up colonoscopies. Patient compliance to the surveillance program was 90 % as 597 of the planned 662 colonoscopies were performed. The study concludes that colonoscopic surveillance with high patient compliance to the program is effective in preventing CRC when using a decentralized method for colonoscopy surveillance with the guidance of a cancer prevention clinic.
Analytical Cellular Pathology, 2001
To study intratumoral DNA ploidy heterogeneity and S‐phase fraction (SPF) variability, we prospec... more To study intratumoral DNA ploidy heterogeneity and S‐phase fraction (SPF) variability, we prospectively collected five different samples from 48 breast carcinomas and each sample was analysed separately by flow cytometry. Aneuploidy rate was 89.6% after analysis of four or five samples. DNA ploidy heterogeneity, i.e., different samples classified as either DNA euploid or DNA aneuploid in the same tumor was seen in 17%, and DNA index heterogeneity, i.e., tumor populations with different DNA indices (DIs) seen in different samples was 44%. A statistical model defining SPF heterogeneity is proposed. SPF heterogeneity as defined by us was 71%, and as expected the SPF heterogeneity rate increased significantly with increasing number of analysed samples. Four or more samples are needed to detect the most deviant (highest) SPF values. An unrecognized intratumor heterogeneity of DNA ploidy and SPF may partly explain the conflicting results reported in the literature on the above prognostic ...
Anticancer research
EGF/TGF-alpha and progesterone were measured in the urine of 74 ovarian carcinoma patients, 21 po... more EGF/TGF-alpha and progesterone were measured in the urine of 74 ovarian carcinoma patients, 21 postmenopausal women with non-gynecological disseminated cancer, 20 premenopausal and 20 postmenopausal controls. Radically operated women excreted significantly less EGF/TGF-alpha into urine than women with residual tumour mass. The patients who died from ovarian carcinoma had significantly higher concentrations of growth factor in urine than patients who were alive and disease-free at follow-up. The highest urinary concentrations were found in the premenopausal control group and among women with non-ovarian malignancies. A significant correlation between concentrations of progesterone and EGF/TGF-alpha in urine was noted.
Journal of Urology, 2003
Evaluation of second primary cancers provides valuable insight about etiology and shared risk fac... more Evaluation of second primary cancers provides valuable insight about etiology and shared risk factors. Studies of second primary cancers following prostate cancer conclude that overall risk of second primary cancers decreases. However, risk of bladder cancer and kidney cancer increases. We examine the risk of common and rare second primary cancers following prostate cancer in a large population based cohort to identify possible common etiological factors. All prostate cancer cases in the Swedish Cancer Registry (135, 713) from 1958 to the end of 1996 constituted the study base. Risk (standardized incidence ratio) of second primary cancers was calculated as the ratio between observed and expected number of cancers. We used 2-tailed 95% confidence intervals (CI) to test significance. An overall increased risk (standardized incidence ratio 1.17, 95% CI 1.15-1.19) of second primary cancers was found but was only seen in the first 6 months of followup (ratio 3.45, 3.32-3.57). The most interesting finding was an increased risk (ratio 2.01, 95% CI 1.44-2.74) of male breast cancer. Other tumor sites with increased risk were the small intestine (standardized incidence ratio 1.39, 95% CI 1.09-1.51), skin melanoma (ratio 1.33, 95% CI 1.16-1.51) and endocrine tumors (ratio 1.41, 95% CI 1.13-1.74). A small but increased risk of second primary cancers following prostate cancer was found, most likely due to increased surveillance during the first 6 months after diagnosis. However, following prostate cancer there is an increased risk of endocrine related second primary cancers such as male breast cancer and carcinoids in the small intestine. To our knowledge these associations have not been reported previously, and they warrant more study.
International Journal of Cancer, 2009
Previous studies have shown increased cardiovascular mortality as late side effects in Hodgkin ly... more Previous studies have shown increased cardiovascular mortality as late side effects in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients. This study identifies stratifying risk factors for surveillance and defines concepts for a clinical feasible and noninvasive prospective protocol for intervention of cardiovascular side effects. HL patients diagnosed between 1965 and 1995 (n 5 6.946) and their first-degree relatives (FDR) were identified through the Swedish Cancer Registry and the Swedish Multigeneration Registry. For the HL and FDR cohort, in-patient care for cardiovascular disease (CVD) was registered through the Hospital Discharge Registry, Sweden. Standard incidence ratios of developing CVD for the HL cohort were calculated. A markedly increased risk for in-patient care of CVD was observed in HL patients with HL diagnosed at age 40 years or younger and with more than 10 years follow-up. In the HL survivors, a family history of congestive heart failure (CHF) and coronary artery disease (CAD) increased the risk for these diseases. The Swedish Hodgkin Intervention and Prevention study started in 2007. In the pilot feasibility study for prospective intervention (47 patients), about 25% of the cases had side effects and laboratory abnormalities. These patients were referred to a cardiologist or general practitioner. In the prospective cohort, a positive family history for CHF or CAD could be a stratifying risk factor when setting up a surveillance model. The prospective ongoing study presents an intervention model that screens and treats for comorbidity factors. This article also presents an overview of the study concept.
Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, 2003
British Journal of Haematology, 2011
Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 2007
Assess the value of colposcopic evaluation preceding loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEE... more Assess the value of colposcopic evaluation preceding loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) conisation of cytological high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), and study risk factors for recurrence. Consecutive follow-up among women undergoing LEEP conisation from January 2001 to December 2004. Some 528 LEEP conisations were performed because of suspected or verified cervical dysplasia. On classified samples, cytology, punch biopsy and histopathology of the cone specimen showed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)2 or a higher degree in 48.5, 36.2 and 58.6%, respectively. Sensitivity for HSIL out of cytology and colposcopically directed punch biopsy was 74.4 and 73.3%, respectively. Likewise, among 286 women with all 3 samples, positive and negative predictive value for HSIL in Papanicolaou (Pap) smear and punch biopsy was 78.5, 73.2% and 60.3, 63.6%, respectively. Positive cone margins were found in 16.8%. Residual/recurrent disease, defined as any grade of dysplasia at cytological follow-up, was found among 9.4%. Significant risk for recurrent/residual disease was found among those with positive marginal status. Median time from colposcopy to conisation was 2 months. An immediate colposcopically-guided LEEP conisation after HSIL Pap smear may be a safe and time saving strategy. Positive cone margins are a risk factor for residual/recurrent disease.
Radiotherapy and Oncology, 2018
Conclusion In the setting of isotoxically dose escalated radiochemotherapy, the outcome after mer... more Conclusion In the setting of isotoxically dose escalated radiochemotherapy, the outcome after merely FDG-PET based radiotherapy planning was not inferior to that after conventional planning. It enabled higher dose escalation and a clear trend to improved local control. Survival well compared to other recent trials. In contrast to RTOG 0617, we did not observe any adverse effect of higher treatment doses.
Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2022
Sex disparities in glioblastoma (GBM) have received increasing attention. Sex-related differences... more Sex disparities in glioblastoma (GBM) have received increasing attention. Sex-related differences for several molecular markers have been reported, which could impact on clinical factors and outcomes. We therefore analyzed data on all patients with GBM reported to the Swedish National Quality Registry for Primary Brain Tumors, according to sex, with a focus on prognostic factors and survival. All glioma patients registered during 20 years, from 1 January 1999 until 31 December 2018, with SNOMED codes 94403, 94413, and 94423, were analyzed. Chi2-test, log-rank test, and Kaplan–Meier analyses were performed. We identified 5243 patients, of which 2083 were females and 3160 males, resulting in a ratio of 1:1.5. We found sex related differences, with women having diagnostic surgery at a significantly higher age (p = 0.001). Women were also reported to have a worse preoperative performance status (PPS) (<0.001). There was no gender difference for the type of surgery performed. For wome...
Interleukin promoter polymorphisms and prognosis in colorectal cancer
Improved tumor marker sensitivity by combined type IV collagen and CEA measurement in colorectal ... more Improved tumor marker sensitivity by combined type IV collagen and CEA measurement in colorectal liver metastases
Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences, 2021
Background Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients have a good prognosis after adequate treatment. Previou... more Background Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients have a good prognosis after adequate treatment. Previous treatment with mantle field irradiation has been accompanied by an increased long-term risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study identified co-morbidity factors for the development of cardiovascular side effects and initiated an intervention study aimed to decrease morbidity and mortality of CVD in HL survivors. Design Hodgkin lymphoma patients aged ≤45 years diagnosed between 1965 and 1995 were invited to participate. In total, 453 patients completed a questionnaire that addressed co-morbidity factors and clinical symptoms. Of these, 319 accepted to participate in a structured clinical visit. The statistical analyses compared individuals with CVD with those with no CVD. Results Cardiovascular disease was reported by 27.9%. Radiotherapy (odds ratio [OR]: 3.27), hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were shown to be independent risk factors for the development of CVD. The OR for ...
Acta Oncologica, 2021
Introduction Endometrioid endometrial carcinoma is a cancer type with generally excellent prognos... more Introduction Endometrioid endometrial carcinoma is a cancer type with generally excellent prognosis when diagnosed at an early stage, but there is a subset of patients with relapsing disease in spite of early diagnosis and surgical treatment. There is a need to find prognostic markers to identify these patients with increased risk of relapse. Depth of myometrial invasion, histological grade, and presence of lymphovascular invasion are known risk factors. DNA content (ploidy) and proliferation measured as S-phase fraction (SPF) have been discussed as prognostic markers but need additional evaluation. Material and methods We evaluated relapse-free survival (RFS) with respect to ploidy and SPF, which was analyzed by flow cytometry on fresh tumor tissue, in a cohort of 1001 women treated for stage I endometrioid endometrial carcinoma in northern Sweden during the period of 1993–2010, with a median follow up time of 12.0 years. Data were obtained from historical records. Results In simpl...
Palliative and Supportive Care, 2021
ObjectiveThis follow-up study on perceived self-image and psychophysical distress/psychic symptom... more ObjectiveThis follow-up study on perceived self-image and psychophysical distress/psychic symptoms was based on a ranomized contolled study of art therapy on women with breast cancer.MethodThe aim was to examine the long-term effects of time-limited art therapy using the instruments of Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) and Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90).ResultsThree attachment clusters of the SASB showed significant changes post therapy: Autonomous self (cluster 1), Accepting self (cluster 2), and Loving self (cluster 3). Clusters 2 and 3 continued to change in favor of the intervention group at the 5-year follow-up. There were no significant differences in the SCL-90 results between the intervention group and the control group in the follow-up study.Significance of resultsThe art therapy intervention was both therapeutic and psycho-educative. The conclusion of this study is that approaching emotions through time-limited art therapy seems to have a long-lasting effect on...
Background Leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains 1 ( LRIG1 ) copy number alteratio... more Background Leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains 1 ( LRIG1 ) copy number alterations and unbalanced gene recombination events have been reported to occur in breast cancer. Importantly, LRIG1 loss was recently shown to predict early and late relapse in stage I-II breast cancer.Methods We developed droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assays for the determination of relative LRIG1 copy numbers and used these assays to analyze LRIG1 in twelve healthy individuals, 34 breast tumor samples previously analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and 423 breast tumor cytosols.Results Four of the LRIG1 /reference gene assays were found to be precise and robust, showing copy number ratios close to 1 (mean, 0.984; standard deviation, +/-0.031) among the healthy control population. The correlation between the ddPCR assays and previous FISH results was low, possibly because of the different normalization strategies used. One in 34 breast tumors (2.9%) showed an unbalanced LRIG1 r...
The Lancet, 2019
Background Hypofractionated radiotherapy for prostate cancer has gained increased attention due t... more Background Hypofractionated radiotherapy for prostate cancer has gained increased attention due to its proposed high radiation-fraction sensitivity. Recent reports from studies comparing moderately hypofractionated and conventionally fractionated radiotherapy support the clinical use of moderate hypofractionation. To date, there are no published randomised studies on ultra-hypofractionated radiotherapy. Here, we report the outcomes of the Scandinavian HYPO-RT-PC phase 3 trial with the aim to show non-inferiority of ultra-hypofractionation compared with conventional fractionation. Methods In this open-label, randomised, phase 3 non-inferiority trial done in 12 centres in Sweden and Denmark, we recruited men up to 75 years of age with intermediate-to-high-risk prostate cancer and a WHO performance status between 0 and 2. Patients were randomly assigned to ultra-hypofractionation (42•7 Gy in seven fractions, 3 days per week for 2•5 weeks) or conventional fractionated radiotherapy (78•0 Gy in 39 fractions, 5 days per week for 8 weeks). No androgen deprivation therapy was allowed. The primary endpoint was time to biochemical or clinical failure, analysed in the per-protocol population. The prespecified non-inferiority margin was 4% at 5 years, corresponding to a critical hazard ratio (HR) limit of 1•338. Physician-recorded toxicity was measured according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) morbidity scale and patient-reported outcome measurements with the Prostate Cancer Symptom Scale (PCSS) questionnaire. This trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN45905321.
International Journal of Cancer, 2019
This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been th... more This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as
European Journal of Cancer, 2015
Conversational support group participation during radiotherapy period helps women with breast can... more Conversational support group participation during radiotherapy period helps women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer
Familial Cancer, 2016
Although colonoscopic surveillance is recommended both for individuals with known hereditary colo... more Although colonoscopic surveillance is recommended both for individuals with known hereditary colorectal cancer (HCRC) syndromes and those with a more moderate familial colorectal cancer (FCRC) history, the evidence for the benefits of surveillance is limited and surveillance practices vary. This study evaluates the preventive effect for individuals with a family history of CRC of decentralized colonoscopic surveillance with the guidance of a cancer prevention clinic. We performed a population based prospective study of 261 patients with HCRC or FCRC, recorded in the colonoscopic surveillance registry at the Cancer genetics clinic, University Hospital of Umeå, Sweden. Colonoscopic surveillance was conducted every second (HCRC) or fifth (FCRC) year at local hospitals in Northern Sweden. Main outcome measures were findings of high-risk adenomas (HRA) or CRC, and patient compliance to surveillance. Estimations of the expected numbers of CRC without surveillance were made. During a total of 1256 person years of follow-up, one case of CRC was found. The expected numbers of cancers in the absence of surveillance was between 9.5 and 10.5, resulting in a standardized incidence ratio, observed versus expected cases of CRC, between 0.10 (CI 95 % 0.0012-0.5299) and 0.11 (CI 95 % 0.0014-0.5857). No CRC mortality was reported, but three patients needed surgical intervention. HRA were found in 5.9 % (14/237) of the initial and in 3.4 % (12/356) of the follow-up colonoscopies. Patient compliance to the surveillance program was 90 % as 597 of the planned 662 colonoscopies were performed. The study concludes that colonoscopic surveillance with high patient compliance to the program is effective in preventing CRC when using a decentralized method for colonoscopy surveillance with the guidance of a cancer prevention clinic.
Analytical Cellular Pathology, 2001
To study intratumoral DNA ploidy heterogeneity and S‐phase fraction (SPF) variability, we prospec... more To study intratumoral DNA ploidy heterogeneity and S‐phase fraction (SPF) variability, we prospectively collected five different samples from 48 breast carcinomas and each sample was analysed separately by flow cytometry. Aneuploidy rate was 89.6% after analysis of four or five samples. DNA ploidy heterogeneity, i.e., different samples classified as either DNA euploid or DNA aneuploid in the same tumor was seen in 17%, and DNA index heterogeneity, i.e., tumor populations with different DNA indices (DIs) seen in different samples was 44%. A statistical model defining SPF heterogeneity is proposed. SPF heterogeneity as defined by us was 71%, and as expected the SPF heterogeneity rate increased significantly with increasing number of analysed samples. Four or more samples are needed to detect the most deviant (highest) SPF values. An unrecognized intratumor heterogeneity of DNA ploidy and SPF may partly explain the conflicting results reported in the literature on the above prognostic ...
Anticancer research
EGF/TGF-alpha and progesterone were measured in the urine of 74 ovarian carcinoma patients, 21 po... more EGF/TGF-alpha and progesterone were measured in the urine of 74 ovarian carcinoma patients, 21 postmenopausal women with non-gynecological disseminated cancer, 20 premenopausal and 20 postmenopausal controls. Radically operated women excreted significantly less EGF/TGF-alpha into urine than women with residual tumour mass. The patients who died from ovarian carcinoma had significantly higher concentrations of growth factor in urine than patients who were alive and disease-free at follow-up. The highest urinary concentrations were found in the premenopausal control group and among women with non-ovarian malignancies. A significant correlation between concentrations of progesterone and EGF/TGF-alpha in urine was noted.
Journal of Urology, 2003
Evaluation of second primary cancers provides valuable insight about etiology and shared risk fac... more Evaluation of second primary cancers provides valuable insight about etiology and shared risk factors. Studies of second primary cancers following prostate cancer conclude that overall risk of second primary cancers decreases. However, risk of bladder cancer and kidney cancer increases. We examine the risk of common and rare second primary cancers following prostate cancer in a large population based cohort to identify possible common etiological factors. All prostate cancer cases in the Swedish Cancer Registry (135, 713) from 1958 to the end of 1996 constituted the study base. Risk (standardized incidence ratio) of second primary cancers was calculated as the ratio between observed and expected number of cancers. We used 2-tailed 95% confidence intervals (CI) to test significance. An overall increased risk (standardized incidence ratio 1.17, 95% CI 1.15-1.19) of second primary cancers was found but was only seen in the first 6 months of followup (ratio 3.45, 3.32-3.57). The most interesting finding was an increased risk (ratio 2.01, 95% CI 1.44-2.74) of male breast cancer. Other tumor sites with increased risk were the small intestine (standardized incidence ratio 1.39, 95% CI 1.09-1.51), skin melanoma (ratio 1.33, 95% CI 1.16-1.51) and endocrine tumors (ratio 1.41, 95% CI 1.13-1.74). A small but increased risk of second primary cancers following prostate cancer was found, most likely due to increased surveillance during the first 6 months after diagnosis. However, following prostate cancer there is an increased risk of endocrine related second primary cancers such as male breast cancer and carcinoids in the small intestine. To our knowledge these associations have not been reported previously, and they warrant more study.
International Journal of Cancer, 2009
Previous studies have shown increased cardiovascular mortality as late side effects in Hodgkin ly... more Previous studies have shown increased cardiovascular mortality as late side effects in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients. This study identifies stratifying risk factors for surveillance and defines concepts for a clinical feasible and noninvasive prospective protocol for intervention of cardiovascular side effects. HL patients diagnosed between 1965 and 1995 (n 5 6.946) and their first-degree relatives (FDR) were identified through the Swedish Cancer Registry and the Swedish Multigeneration Registry. For the HL and FDR cohort, in-patient care for cardiovascular disease (CVD) was registered through the Hospital Discharge Registry, Sweden. Standard incidence ratios of developing CVD for the HL cohort were calculated. A markedly increased risk for in-patient care of CVD was observed in HL patients with HL diagnosed at age 40 years or younger and with more than 10 years follow-up. In the HL survivors, a family history of congestive heart failure (CHF) and coronary artery disease (CAD) increased the risk for these diseases. The Swedish Hodgkin Intervention and Prevention study started in 2007. In the pilot feasibility study for prospective intervention (47 patients), about 25% of the cases had side effects and laboratory abnormalities. These patients were referred to a cardiologist or general practitioner. In the prospective cohort, a positive family history for CHF or CAD could be a stratifying risk factor when setting up a surveillance model. The prospective ongoing study presents an intervention model that screens and treats for comorbidity factors. This article also presents an overview of the study concept.
Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, 2003
British Journal of Haematology, 2011
Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 2007
Assess the value of colposcopic evaluation preceding loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEE... more Assess the value of colposcopic evaluation preceding loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) conisation of cytological high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), and study risk factors for recurrence. Consecutive follow-up among women undergoing LEEP conisation from January 2001 to December 2004. Some 528 LEEP conisations were performed because of suspected or verified cervical dysplasia. On classified samples, cytology, punch biopsy and histopathology of the cone specimen showed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)2 or a higher degree in 48.5, 36.2 and 58.6%, respectively. Sensitivity for HSIL out of cytology and colposcopically directed punch biopsy was 74.4 and 73.3%, respectively. Likewise, among 286 women with all 3 samples, positive and negative predictive value for HSIL in Papanicolaou (Pap) smear and punch biopsy was 78.5, 73.2% and 60.3, 63.6%, respectively. Positive cone margins were found in 16.8%. Residual/recurrent disease, defined as any grade of dysplasia at cytological follow-up, was found among 9.4%. Significant risk for recurrent/residual disease was found among those with positive marginal status. Median time from colposcopy to conisation was 2 months. An immediate colposcopically-guided LEEP conisation after HSIL Pap smear may be a safe and time saving strategy. Positive cone margins are a risk factor for residual/recurrent disease.
Radiotherapy and Oncology, 2018
Conclusion In the setting of isotoxically dose escalated radiochemotherapy, the outcome after mer... more Conclusion In the setting of isotoxically dose escalated radiochemotherapy, the outcome after merely FDG-PET based radiotherapy planning was not inferior to that after conventional planning. It enabled higher dose escalation and a clear trend to improved local control. Survival well compared to other recent trials. In contrast to RTOG 0617, we did not observe any adverse effect of higher treatment doses.