Cancer
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Cancer treatment accounts for approximately 5% of national health expenditures. However, no state-level estimates of cancer treatment costs have been published. ⋯ The costs of cancer treatment were substantial in all states and accounted for a sizable fraction of medical expenditures for all payers. The high cost of cancer treatment underscores the importance of preventing and controlling cancer as one approach to manage state-level medical costs.
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African Americans have a higher incidence of prostate cancer and experience poorer outcomes compared with Caucasian Americans. Racial differences in care are well documented; however, few studies have characterized patients based on their prostate cancer risk category, which is required to differentiate appropriate from inappropriate guideline application. ⋯ After controlling for NCCN risk category, there were no racial differences in receipt of guideline-concordant care. Efforts to improve prostate cancer treatment outcomes should focus on improving access to the health care system.
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Cancer survival is associated with considerable physical and psychosocial burden. Broadly accessible, nonpharmacologic measures that may extend disease-free survival, limit comorbid disease, and enhance quality of life are required. Sedentary behavior (too much sitting) is now understood to be a health risk that is additional to, and distinct from, the hazards of too little exercise. ⋯ Initial studies indicate that cancer survivors spend two-thirds of their waking hours sitting. Among colorectal cancer survivors, sedentary behavior may contribute to all-cause and disease-specific mortality, weight gain, comorbid cardiovascular disease, and diminished quality of life. There is a need for dose-response evidence, and for a broader understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which prolonged sitting time may affect cancer survivors' health.