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Delayed Versus Immediate Prostate Cancer Surgery

Warlick et al. (p. 355 ) assessed outcome for two groups of patients with small, lower-grade prostate cancer tumors treated with surgical intervention—one group was treated a median of 3 months after diagnosis and the other group a median of 26.5 months after diagnosis. Noncurable prostate cancer was defined as adverse pathology associated with a less than 75% chance of remaining disease-free for 10 years after surgery. After adjusting for age and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density (i.e., PSA value divided by prostate volume), the risks of developing noncurable cancer associated with delayed and immediate surgery were not statistically significantly different. The authors conclude that delayed prostate cancer surgery for patients with small, lower-grade prostate cancers does not appear to compromise curability.

Human Papillomavirus and Cervical Adenocarcinoma

The incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the most common cancer of the uterine cervix, has decreased in recent years, while that of cervical adenocarcinoma has risen—even in countries with widespread cervical cancer screening. Castellsagué et al. (p. 303 ) conducted a pooled analysis of eight case–control studies of cervical adenocarcinoma from three continents. HPV-positive women had more than 80 times the cervical adenocarcinoma risk of HPV-negative women. More than 80% of patients were infected with HPV 16 or 18, the most common HPV types in patients with SCC. Several sexual behavior–associated variables, poor hygiene, long-term use of hormonal contraceptives, and HSV-2 seropositivity were associated with increased risk of cervical adenocarcinoma among HPV-positive women.