Cancer Mortality Rate Among Surgeons

The study “Mortality Among Surgeons in the United States,” published in JAMA Surgery, took a closer look at the leading causes of deaths among surgeons and other worker groups. In all, more than 1,000,000 death records were assessed, including that of 224 surgeons and 2,740 other physicians. After looking at the data and reviewing mortality rates, researchers uncovered:

• U.S. surgeons have a cancer mortality rate more than two times that of non-surgeon physicians.
• U.S. surgeons have a cancer mortality rate more about 20% higher than most non-physician workers.
• Cancer was the only category in which surgeons showed a higher mortality rate than all other surveyed workers.

Researchers say that it’s possible that workplace factors may be driving the excess cancer deaths, but they can’t say for certain. However, other factors could definitely be at play. For example, many surgeons may seek out a career in medicine due to a health-related hardship in the family. Many are called to medicine for a similar reason, and while it doesn’t totally explain the difference between surgeons and non-surgeon physicians, it’s possible that surgeons have a higher risk of cancer due to genetics and a family history of the disease. Until we learn more, we’re just guessing at the root cause.

While the cancer numbers are concerning, other numbers leave us a bit more optimistic. For example, surgeons were the least likely group studied to die from other health conditions like:

• Influenza
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Septicemia
• Diabetes

There’s some good and bad with this study, but it does shine a light on a potential issue that surgeons should be aware of. Just like their patients, surgeons should make sure they are screened for cancers and other diseases at the recommended ages. Prevention and regular check-ups can go a long way in keeping cancer from becoming a fatal concern.

We do what we can to maintain optimal health as we age, but we know cancer is never fully preventable, so we’ll keep tabs on our health as we age, and you should too! And as always if you need help overcoming a health issue of your own – mainly a foot or ankle issue – reach out to Dr. Silverman by filling out this contact form.

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According to medical experts, the toe belonged to an “early human ancestor dating back 1.6-1.8 million years old.” The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal South African Journal of Science, and it analyzed a discovery made by archaeologists in the Swartkrans Cave in South Africa.

Oldest Known Fossil

The team said that advances in 3D imaging methods made it possible for the cancer diagnosis to be uncovered. Scans of the toe bone fossil were compared to modern-day cases of osteosarcoma, which is a cancer that begins in the cells that form bones, and they instantly noticed similarities between the images. The said that there would not be any reason “to suspect that primary bone tumors would have been any less frequent in ancient specimens.”

Researchers added that the osteosarcoma found in the fossil was likely “not related to lifestyle and often occurs in younger individuals.”

The diagnosis means that this becomes the oldest known cancer case found inside a bone in history. While organs and skin are prone to decay, bone can be preserved for millions of years in fossils.

So while we may not pay much attention to our toes, it’s amazing to think that more than a million years ago, a human ancestor passed away and their toe was preserved for centuries to allow us to eventually make the earliest cancer diagnosis on record!

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Keeping Your Ticker Happy

A study by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that individuals that increased their fitness levels over an 8-year period, as well as those who continued to stay fit, reported lower rates of hospitalization for heart failure than those who had low levels of fitness.

“The risk of heart failure in your 60s and 70s is modifiable through sustained exercise beginning in midlife,” Dr. Ambarish Pandey said in an interview with MedPage Today.  “We have known for a few decades that a change in fitness is associated with a reduced risk of mortality. But no one had looked at the impact of improved fitness over time on the risk of heart failure.”

For their study, researchers ranked the fitness levels of over 9,000 participants.  Each individual was assigned a fitness level, 1 being the lowest level and 5 being the highest level of fitness.  The average age of a participant was 48 years old.

Researchers conducted an initial cardiorespiratory fitness test at the beginning of the study, and they ran a similar test about 8 years later.  After analyzing the results, researcher found:

• Participants who had a high level of fitness and maintained that level had a heart hospitalization rate of about 0.30%
• Participants who had low fitness but increased their fitness to a high level experienced a heart hospitalization rate of about 0.65%
• Those who went from high to low fitness had a rate of about 0.75%
• Those who had a low level and stayed at that level had a heart hospitalization rate of 0.83%

Pandey said the results confirmed the importance of exercise as we age.

“It’s important to realize that the benefit of reduced heart failure hospitalization comes from sustained exercise over time.”

Fitness Lowers Cancer Risk

Researchers at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas found that physical fitness in middle-aged men can reduce the risk of lung and colorectal cancer, and exercise can decrease the mortality rates for men who develop these cancers.

For their study, researchers examined 17,049 men to determine their fitness level and lung capacity.  The average age of a participant was 50 years old.  The study then looked at clinical data 20 years later to determine how many patients had developed prostate, colorectal or lung cancer, the most common cancers among U.S. men.

Researchers found that 2,332 individuals were diagnosed with prostate cancer, 276 with colorectal cancer, and 277 with lung cancer.  Over the time period, cancer was the cause of death in 347 patients.

After comparing the data to the previous fitness tests, researchers found that men in the highest quintile of fitness were significantly less likely to develop lung or colorectal cancer, although their was no difference in prostate cancer rates.

Dr. Susan Lakoswi, a researcher in the study, said the findings might impact how doctors prescribe exercise routines for patients.

“Physical activity and fitness are very different,” said Lakoski.

She also cautioned that simply because a person is not obese, doesn’t mean they are physically fit.

“Even if men are not obese, they still have an increased risk of cancer if they aren’t fit,” she said.

Dr. Silverman comments

These studies really highlight the importance of exercise and physical fitness as we age.  Workout out is really healthy for you, as it reduces your risk of heart disease and cancer development.

Now that winter is gone, I urge people to get outside and stay active.  Summer is here, which gives you less of an excuse to skip your workout.

It’s time we as a nation put down the remote and went outside.

Related source:  MedPage Today

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174,393 adults participated in the study. All participants were at least 18 years old, and completed the National Health Interview Survey from 1997-2010.

The general population fell below cancer screening rate goals, except for colorectal cancer (which ranked at 4.6% above the goal).

“There is a great need for increased cancer prevention efforts in the U.S., especially for screening as it is considered one of the most important preventive behaviors and helps decrease the burden of this disease on society in terms of quality of life, the number of lives lost and insurance costs,” says lead author of the study Tainya C. Clarke, MPH.

Dr. Silverman Comments

It’s confusing to read about downward “troubling” trends in cancer screening right as the USPSTF (United States Preventative Services Task Force) is working to decrease screening.

On one hand we know that screening identifies early cancers and saves lives. I have personal knowledge of patients, friends, and family who have been saved from cancer by early detection.

On the other hand, screening also catches cancers that might never progress, and treatment of cancer is not benign itself. Cancer treatment can kill.

As far as the future, I wonder how doctors hope to discover which cancers need treatment if we can’t identify the early ones or understand the evolution of cancer from non metastatic to metastatic or the best means to prevent this progression.

In my opinion, this “ostrich head in the sand” approach is bad medicine and bad policy.

Source:

Medscape.com

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