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Publications (369)
What is this summary about?:
This is a summary of an article describing the development of risk calculators for use in people who develop a type of melanoma on their skin called "thin" melanoma to predict the likelihood that their cancer will return. The article was originally published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2021.
How were the ca...
(1) Background: Differences in access to biomarker testing and cancer treatment in resource-limited settings may affect the clinical utility of the AJCC8 staging system compared to the anatomical AJCC7 system. (2) Methods: A total of 4151 Malaysian women who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer from 2010 to 2020 were followed-up until December 2...
Background:
Melanoma in the first two decades of life is uncommon and poorly understood.
Objective:
To assess clinicopathologic features and survival of children (≤11 years) and adolescents (12-19years) diagnosed with melanoma.
Methods:
A pooled cohort of 514 patients was analyzed (397 Dutch, 117 Australian; 62 children, 452 adolescents). Path...
Objectives:
Computer-aided triaging (CAT) and computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) of screening breast magnetic resonance imaging have shown potential to reduce the workload of radiologists in the context of dismissing normal breast scans and dismissing benign disease in women with extremely dense breasts. The aim of this study was to validate the poten...
High mammographic density (MD) is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, however the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. This research aimed to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) that play a role in the development of extremely dense breast tissue. In the discovery phase, 754 human mature miRNAs were profiled in 21 extremely high MD- a...
Background: Higher age-specific circulating anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels have been linked to a lower risk of cardiometabolic outcomes. However, whether AMH has a casual role in the etiology of these diseases is unknown. The objective of this study was therefore to explore if circulating AMH levels have a causal effect on risk of coronary art...
Background
Early age at menarche and tall stature are associated with increased breast cancer risk. We examined whether these associations were also positively associated with mammographic density, a strong marker of breast cancer risk.
Methods
Participants were 10,681 breast-cancer-free women from 22 countries in the International Consortium of M...
Context
Recent research suggests that higher circulating anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels are associated with lower rate of occurrence of (subclinical) cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women, but evidence in men is limited.
Objective
We investigated whether circulating AMH levels are associated with measures of subclinical CVD in middle-aged and...
Background
Recurrences remain an important problem in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Little has been described about histological characteristics of the primary laryngeal tumor that may be associated with recurrences. Identifying risk factors for recurrences might help in adapting treatment or follow-up. Using real-life population-based data, w...
Study question:
Can additional genetic variants for circulating anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels be identified through a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis including a large sample of premenopausal women?
Summary answer:
We identified four loci associated with AMH levels at P < 5 × 10-8: the previously reported MCM8 locus and...
Introduction:
The optimal time interval between diagnostic excision of a primary cutaneous melanoma and sentinel node (SN) biopsy is unknown. The current study sought to determine whether this interval influenced the SN-positivity rate, recurrence or survival.
Methods:
Data collected from 2004 to 2014 for a Dutch population-based cohort of patie...
Introduction: The COVID-19 outbreak led to the suspension of the Dutch breast cancer screening program, increased the reluctance of patients to visit the general practitioner (GP), and led to a lack of capacity at the GP. As a consequence, the incidence of breast cancer diagnoses decreased. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of t...
Background Inclusion of mammographic breast density (BD) in breast cancer risk models improves accuracy, but accuracy remains modest. Interval cancer (IC) risk prediction may be improved by combining assessments of BD and an artificial intelligence (AI) cancer detection system. Purpose To evaluate the performance of a neural network (NN)-based mode...
(186 words, 200 max)
Introduction
Survival tends to decrease as the Breslow thickness of a primary melanoma increases. However, little is known about the prognostic value of Breslow thickness in patients with very thick melanomas. We sought to assess survival in patients with melanomas ≥4.0mm in Breslow thickness.
Patients and methods
A pooled co...
Introduction
This study sought to assess whether the interval between diagnostic excision-biopsy of a primary melanoma and definitive wide excision with sentinel node biopsy (SNB) influenced the size of SN metastatic deposits, which might have implications for management and prognosis.
Methods
Data were collected for (i) a Dutch population-based c...
Background
The fluorescent dye indocyanine green (ICG) has emerged as a promising tracer for intraoperative detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in early‐stage cervical cancer. Although researchers suggest the SLN detection of ICG is equal to the more conventional combined approach of a radiotracer and blue dye, no consensus has been reached....
Purpose: Although adjuvant systemic therapy (AST) helps increase breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS), there is a growing concern for overtreatment. By estimating the expected BCSS of AST using PREDICT, this study aims to quantify the number of patients treated with AST without benefit to provide estimates of overtreatment.
Methods: Data of all n...
Purpose
The Trials within Cohorts (TwiCs) design aims to overcome problems faced in conventional RCTs. We evaluated the TwiCs design when estimating the effect of exercise on quality of life (QoL) and fatigue in inactive breast cancer survivors.
Methods
UMBRELLA Fit was conducted within the prospective UMBRELLA breast cancer cohort. Patients provi...
Purpose
Investigation of nipple aspirate fluid (NAF)-based microRNAs (miRNAs) as a potential screening tool for women at increased risk of developing breast cancer is the scope of our research. While aiming to identify discriminating NAF-miRNAs between women with different mammographic densities, we were confronted with an unexpected confounder: NA...
Background Supplemental screening with MRI has proved beneficial in women with extremely dense breasts. Most MRI examinations show normal anatomic and physiologic variation that may not require radiologic review. Thus, ways to triage these normal MRI examinations to reduce radiologist workload are needed. Purpose To determine the feasibility of an...
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Dutch national breast screening program to a halt in week 12, 2020. In week 26, the breast program was resumed at 40% capacity, which increased to 60% in week 34. We examined the impact of the suspension and restart of the screening program on the incidence of screen-detected and non-screen-detected breast cancer. W...
Background:
Extremely dense breast tissue is associated with increased breast cancer risk and limited sensitivity of mammography. The DENSE trial showed that additional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) screening in women with extremely dense breasts resulted in a substantial reduction in interval cancers. The cost-effectiveness of MRI screening fo...
Background High breast density increases breast cancer risk and lowers mammographic sensitivity. Supplemental MRI screening improves cancer detection but increases the number of false-positive screenings. Thus, methods to distinguish true-positive MRI screening results from false-positive ones are needed. Purpose To build prediction models based on...
Particulate matter air pollution and diesel engine exhaust have been classified as carcinogenic for lung cancer, yet few studies have explored associations with liver cancer. We used six European adult cohorts which were recruited between 1985 and 2005, pooled within the ‘Effects of low-level air pollution: A study in Europe’ (ELAPSE) project, and...
Introduction
Identification of sentinel node (SN) metastases can set the adjuvant systemic therapy indication for patients with stage III melanoma. Studies re-evaluating the diagnosis of initially positive SN biopsies are scarce.
Materials and methods
Dutch patients with melanoma who underwent SN biopsy between 2003 and 2014 were selected from PAL...
Experimental evidence has implicated genotoxic Escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, evidence from epidemiological studies is sparse. We therefore assessed the association of serological markers of E. coli and ETBF exposure with odds of developing CRC in th...
Background In the first (prevalent) supplemental MRI screening round of the Dense Tissue and Early Breast Neoplasm Screening (DENSE) trial, a considerable number of breast cancers were found at the cost of an increased false-positive rate (FPR). In incident screening rounds, a lower cancer detection rate (CDR) is expected due to a smaller pool of p...
Background:
A nomogram to predict SN-positivity (the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) nomogram) was recently developed and externally validated using two large single-institution databases. However, there remains a need to further validate the nomogram's performance using population-based data.
Objectives:
This study sought to address this usi...
PURPOSE
Although the prognosis of patients with thin primary cutaneous melanomas (T1, ≤ 1.0 mm) is generally excellent, some develop recurrence. We sought to develop and validate a model predicting recurrences in patients with thin melanomas.
METHODS
A Dutch population-based cohort (n = 25,930, development set) and a cohort from an Australian mela...
Aims/hypothesis
Given its role in ovarian follicle development, circulating anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is considered to be a marker of reproductive ageing. Although accelerated reproductive ageing has been associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, research on the relationship between AMH and type 2 diabetes risk is scarce. Therefore, we a...
Background
An association between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and lung cancer has been established in previous studies. PM2.5 is a complex mixture of chemical components from various sources and little is known about whether certain components contribute specifically to the associated lung cancer risk. The present study bu...
Background and Objective
The Trials within Cohorts design aims to reduce recruitment difficulties and disappointment bias in pragmatic trials. On cohort enrollment, broad informed consent for randomization is asked, after which cohort participants can be randomized to interventions or serve as controls without further notification. We evaluated pat...
Background/aim
Ambient air pollution has been associated with lung cancer, but the shape of the exposure-response function - especially at low exposure levels - is not well described. The aim of this study was to address the relationship between long-term low-level air pollution exposure and lung cancer incidence.
Methods
The “Effects of Low-level...
Objectives
To examine if age-specific anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels are associated with cancer risk; and to investigate if age-related AMH trajectories differ between women who develop cancer and women who do not. More specifically, we examined associations with breast cancer, cancers in other tissues expressing AMH receptor AMHR2, and cancer...
Importance
Although regression is commonly observed in cutaneous melanoma, it is uncertain whether it is associated with patient prognosis.
Objective
To determine whether histologically confirmed regression was associated with better or worse survival in patients with primary cutaneous melanoma.
Design, Setting, and Participants
This cohort study...
Background:
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) target 60% of human messenger RNAs and can be detected in tissues and biofluids without loss of stability during sample processing, making them highly appraised upcoming biomarkers for evaluation of disease. However, reporting of the abundantly expressed miRNAs in healthy samples is often surpassed. Here, we characte...
Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is expressed by antral stage ovarian follicles in women. Consequently, circulating AMH levels are detectable until menopause. Variation in age-specific AMH levels has been associated with breast cancer and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), amongst other diseases. Identification of genetic variants underlying variation i...
Background
It has been claimed, without supporting evidence, that knowledge of sentinel node (SN) status does not provide more accurate prognostic information than basic clinicopathological features of a primary cutaneous melanoma. We sought to investigate this claim, and to quantify any additional value of SN-status in predicting survival outcome....
Women identified with an increased risk of breast cancer due to mutations in cancer susceptibility genes or a familial history of breast cancer undergo tailored screening with the goal of detecting tumors earlier, when potential curative interventions are still possible. Ideally, screening would identify signs of carcinogenesis even before a tumor...
Background:
Overexpression of the receptor for advanced glycation end-product (RAGE) has been associated with chronic inflammation, which in turn has been associated with increased colorectal cancer risk. Soluble RAGE (sRAGE) competes with RAGE to bind its ligands, thus potentially preventing RAGE-induced inflammation.
Methods:
To investigate wh...
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly fatal cancer with currently limited opportunities for early detection and effective treatment. Modifiable factors may offer pathways for primary prevention. In this study, the association between the Healthy Lifestyle Index (HLI) and PC risk was examined. Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer a...
Background:
Identifying patients with sentinel node (SN)-negative melanoma who are at greatest risk of recurrence is important. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Melanoma Group proposed a prognostic model that has not been validated in population-based data. The EORTC nomogram includes Breslow thickness, ulcera...
Background:
Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is the predominant (95%) bladder cancer subtype in industrialised nations. Animal and epidemiological human studies suggest that hormonal factors may influence UC risk.
Methods:
We used an analytic cohort of 333 919 women from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Cohort (EPIC). As...
To the Editor: Bakker et al. (Nov. 28 issue)¹ report the results of the Dense Tissue and Early Breast Neoplasm Screening (DENSE) trial, which showed that supplemental screening with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in addition to mammography resulted in a lower incidence of interval cancers than mammography alone (the control group). However, the u...
Introduction: The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Dutch health care services to discontinue their national screening programs on 16 March 2020 (week 12). For breast cancer, the program invites women aged 50–74 years for biennial screening mammography. From mid-June 2020 (week 25) the breast cancer screening program was resumed, albeit wi...
Introduction: Given its role in ovarian follicle development, circulating anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is correlated with timing of menopause. Accordingly, women with higher AMH levels become menopausal at a higher age. Previous research suggests that a higher age at menopause is associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). In contras...
Introduction: Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is primarily known for its role in sexual differentiation during embryogenesis, and ovarian follicle development in premenopausal women. Furthermore, recent research suggests that higher AMH levels are associated with a lower occurrence of (subclinical) cardiovascular disease (CVD) in both women and men. H...
Objectives:
To reduce the number of false-positive diagnoses in the screening of women with extremely dense breasts using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we aimed to predict which BI-RADS 3 and BI-RADS 4 lesions are benign. For this purpose, we use computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) based on multiparametric assessment.
Materials and methods:
Conse...
Experimental research suggests that anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) inhibits tumor growth. Conversely, epidemiological studies suggest that higher AMH concentrations increase breast cancer risk, while associations with other cancers are inconsistent. Therefore, our aim was to provide a systematic review of current epidemiological evidence on AMH level...
Endometrial cancer (EC) incidence rates vary ~10‐fold worldwide, in part due to variation in EC risk factor profiles. Using an EC risk model previously developed in the European EPIC cohort, we evaluated the prevention potential of modified EC risk factor patterns and whether differences in EC incidence between a European population and low‐risk co...
Background:
Several dietary factors have been reported to be associated with risk of breast cancer, but to date, unequivocal evidence only exists for alcohol consumption. We sought to systematically assess the association between intake of 92 foods and nutrients and breast cancer risk using a nutrient-wide association study.
Methods:
Using data...
Purpose
To evaluate patient-reported cosmetic satisfaction in women treated with radiation therapy for breast cancer and to determine the association between dissatisfaction and quality of life (QoL) and depression.
Methods
Within the prospective UMBRELLA breast cancer cohort, all patients ≥ 1 year after breast conserving treatment or mastectomy w...
Background:
Even though in situ breast cancer (BCIS) accounts for a large proportion of the breast cancers diagnosed, few studies have investigated potential risk factors for BCIS. Their results suggest that some established risk factors for invasive breast cancer have a similar impact on BCIS risk, but large population-based studies on lifestyle...
Background:
Extremely dense breast tissue is a risk factor for breast cancer and limits the detection of cancer with mammography. Data are needed on the use of supplemental magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to improve early detection and reduce interval breast cancers in such patients.
Methods:
In this multicenter, randomized, controlled trial in...
The authors of the recently published review, “Why the Gold Standard Approach by Mammography Demands Extension by Multiomics [...]
PURPOSE
Risk-stratified breast cancer prevention requires accurate identification of women at sufficiently different levels of risk. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of a model integrating classical risk factors and a recently developed 313-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) to predict breast cancer risk.
METHODS
Fifteen prospective cohorts...
Background:
Metabolomics is a promising molecular tool to identify novel etiologic pathways leading to cancer. Using a targeted approach, we prospectively investigated the associations between metabolite concentrations in plasma and breast cancer risk.
Methods:
A nested case-control study was established within the European Prospective Investiga...
Background:
There is a lack of prospective data on the potential association of Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) and colorectal cancer risk. In this study, we assessed whether antibody responses to F. nucleatum are associated with colorectal cancer risk in prediagnostic serum samples in the European Prospective Investigation into Nutrition a...
Growing epidemiologic evidence supports chronic inflammation as a mechanism of ovarian carcinogenesis. An association between a circulating marker of inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP), and ovarian cancer risk has been consistently observed, yet, potential heterogeneity of this association by tumor and patient characteristics has not been adequ...
Background:
Except for a documented increase in osteoprotegerin (OPG) concentrations with older age, data on determinants of soluble Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor κB (sRANKL) and OPG concentrations in women are limited. We evaluated reproductive and lifestyle factors as potential sources of variation in circulating sRANKL and OPG concentrat...
Purpose:
Segmentation of the chest wall, is an important component of methods for automated analysis of breast MRI. Methods reported to date show promising results but have difficulties delineating the muscle border correctly in breasts with a large proportion of fibroglandular tissue (i.e., dense breasts). Knowledge-based methods as well as metho...
Several studies have reported associations of hypertension with cancer, but not all results were conclusive. We examined the association of systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure with the development of incident cancer at all anatomical sites in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Hazard ratios (HR) (...
Background:
To analyze the potential effect of social inequality on pancreatic cancer risk in Western Europe, by reassessing the association within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study, including a larger number of cases and an extended follow-up.
Methods:
Data on highest education attained were gathered...
Objectives:
The Trials within Cohorts (TwiCs) design is an alternative for pragmatic randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and might overcome disadvantages such as difficult recruitment, dropout after randomization to control, and contamination. We investigated the applicability of the TwiCs design in an exercise oncology study regarding the recruit...
Background:
The association between lymphedema of the arm and impaired health-related QoL (HR-QoL) has led to changes in clinical practice. However, data on lymphedema of the breast (ie, breast edema) are lacking. We prospectively evaluated patient-reported prevalence and determinants of breast edema and its effect on patient-reported HR-QoL and b...
Alcohol consumption is associated with higher risk of breast cancer (BC); however, the biological mechanisms underlying this association are not fully elucidated, particularly the extent to which this relationship is mediated by sex hormone levels.
Circulating concentrations of estradiol, testosterone, their free fractions and sex‐hormone binding g...
High mammographic density is a well‐known risk factor for breast cancer. This study aimed to search for a possible birth cohort effect on mammographic density, which might contribute to explain the increasing breast cancer incidence. We separately analysed left and right breast density of Dutch women from a 13‐year period (2003‐2016) in the breast...
Background: Physical activity has been shown to reduce side-effects of breast cancer and its treatment. As physical activity levels of patients with breast cancer are largely unknown, we investigated these levels and compared them to women from the general population.
Methods: In this prospective cohort study, physical activity levels of women with...
Gallstones, a common gastrointestinal condition, can lead to several digestive complications and can result in inflammation. Risk factors for gallstones include obesity, diabetes, smoking and physical inactivity, all of which are known risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC), as is inflammation. However, it is unclear whether gallstones are a risk...
Background
Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B (RANK)-signaling is involved in tumor growth and spread in experimental models. Binding of RANK ligand (RANKL) to RANK activates signaling, which is inhibited by osteoprotegerin (OPG). We have previously shown that circulating soluble RANKL (sRANKL) and OPG are associated with breast cancer ri...