Obesity and Renal Cell Carcinoma
Donin et al. Page 1326
To better understand the relationship between adiposity and renal cancer, Donin and colleagues reviewed the clinicopathologic records of 845 patients across 14 countries who were enrolled in a prospective, placebo-controlled study of adjuvant girentuximab treatment for high-risk renal cell carcinoma. The majority of patients (72%) were overweight/obese, and there was an inverse relationship between body mass index and lymph node involvement. These results suggest that obesity is associated with lower risk of lymphatic spread and improved overall survival for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
Effect of Pharmacy Tobacco Sale Policies on Neighborhood Disparities
Tucker-Seeley et al. Page 1305
Tucker-Seeley and colleagues investigated whether the CVS Health policy to end the sale of tobacco products within their retail pharmacies reduced the disparity in the density of tobacco retail across neighborhoods. The results revealed statistically significant associations between neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics and tobacco retail outlet density across neighborhoods, but there were no changes in the pattern of tobacco sales after the CVS pharmacy policy initiation. This study suggests that while a commendable tobacco control policy, the CVS Health policy appears to have no impact on the neighborhood racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in the density of tobacco retailers in Rhode Island.
Pet Ownership and Cancer Incidence
Garcia et al. Page 1311
In this work, Garcia and colleagues examined whether pet ownership is associated with lower risk for total cancer and site-specific obesity-related cancers. The authors performed a prospective analysis of pet owners enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) observational study and clinical trials. There were no significant relationships between ownership of a dog, cat, or bird and incidence of cancer overall.
Acceptance of HPV Vaccination as a School-Entry Requirement
Calo et al. Page 1317
Calo and colleagues sought to obtain the first national estimates of parents' support of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination school-entry requirements. Overall, 21% of parents agreed that laws requiring HPV vaccination for school attendance “are a good idea,” and 54% disagreed. If school-entry requirements included opt-out provisions, agreement increased to 57%, and only 21% disagreed. Opt-out provisions almost tripled parents' support for HPV vaccine school-entry requirements.