Pub Date : 2019-11-20DOI: 10.17849/insm-48-1-1-1.1
R. Philibert, Shelly Miller, A. Noel, Kelsey Dawes, E. Papworth, Donald W. Black, S. Beach, J. Long, J. Mills, Meeshanthini V Dogan
Background.-Heavy alcohol consumption (HAC) is a shared concern of the forensic, medical and insurance underwriting communities. Unfortunately, there is a relative lack of clinically employable tools for detecting HAC and monitoring treatment response. Building on the results of 3 genome wide methylation studies, we have previously shown in a small group of samples that methylation sensitive digital PCR assays (MSdPCR) have the potential to accurately classify individuals with respect to HAC in a small set of individuals. Objective.-We now expand on those earlier findings using data and biomaterials from 143 participants with current HAC and 200 abstinent controls. Results.-We show that a set of 4 digital PCR assays that have a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) of 0.96 for detecting those with HAC. After a mean of 21 days of inpatient enforced abstinence, methylation status at one of these markers, cg04987734, began to revert to baseline values. Re-examination of methylation data from our smaller 2014 study with respect to this locus demonstrated a similarly significant reversion pattern at cg04987734 in association with treatment enforced abstinence. Conclusions.-We conclude that clinically implementable dPCR tools can sensitively detect the presence of HAC and that they show promise for monitoring alcohol treatment results. These dPCR tools could be useful to clinicians and researchers in monitoring those enrolled in substance use disorder treatment, employee wellness programs and insurance underwriting.
{"title":"A Four Marker Digital PCR Toolkit for Detecting Heavy Alcohol Consumption and the Effectiveness of Its Treatment.","authors":"R. Philibert, Shelly Miller, A. Noel, Kelsey Dawes, E. Papworth, Donald W. Black, S. Beach, J. Long, J. Mills, Meeshanthini V Dogan","doi":"10.17849/insm-48-1-1-1.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17849/insm-48-1-1-1.1","url":null,"abstract":"Background.-Heavy alcohol consumption (HAC) is a shared concern of the forensic, medical and insurance underwriting communities. Unfortunately, there is a relative lack of clinically employable tools for detecting HAC and monitoring treatment response. Building on the results of 3 genome wide methylation studies, we have previously shown in a small group of samples that methylation sensitive digital PCR assays (MSdPCR) have the potential to accurately classify individuals with respect to HAC in a small set of individuals. Objective.-We now expand on those earlier findings using data and biomaterials from 143 participants with current HAC and 200 abstinent controls. Results.-We show that a set of 4 digital PCR assays that have a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) of 0.96 for detecting those with HAC. After a mean of 21 days of inpatient enforced abstinence, methylation status at one of these markers, cg04987734, began to revert to baseline values. Re-examination of methylation data from our smaller 2014 study with respect to this locus demonstrated a similarly significant reversion pattern at cg04987734 in association with treatment enforced abstinence. Conclusions.-We conclude that clinically implementable dPCR tools can sensitively detect the presence of HAC and that they show promise for monitoring alcohol treatment results. These dPCR tools could be useful to clinicians and researchers in monitoring those enrolled in substance use disorder treatment, employee wellness programs and insurance underwriting.","PeriodicalId":39345,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45033035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Generally Speaking","authors":"","doi":"10.2307/j.ctvgs0bvb.9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvgs0bvb.9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39345,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68842501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.17849/insm-48-1-1-8.1
Timothy J. Meagher
Liquid biopsies hold great promise for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Earlier recognition of recurrent and metastatic disease and better treatment choices based on liquid biopsies seem achievable in the near future. However, earlier cancer diagnosis, the most heralded application, will remain the most challenging. The impact of liquid biopsies on life insurance will be positive. The impact on critical illness insurance will be more nuanced. It will depend on 2 factors: the success of liquid biopsies as cancer screening tests and the ability of an insurer to use "genetic information" during risk selection. In jurisdictions where use is prohibited, critical illness insurance, as presently designed, may not be sustainable.
{"title":"Liquid Biopsies and Critical Illness Insurance: Uncomfortable Bedfellows?","authors":"Timothy J. Meagher","doi":"10.17849/insm-48-1-1-8.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17849/insm-48-1-1-8.1","url":null,"abstract":"Liquid biopsies hold great promise for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Earlier recognition of recurrent and metastatic disease and better treatment choices based on liquid biopsies seem achievable in the near future. However, earlier cancer diagnosis, the most heralded application, will remain the most challenging. The impact of liquid biopsies on life insurance will be positive. The impact on critical illness insurance will be more nuanced. It will depend on 2 factors: the success of liquid biopsies as cancer screening tests and the ability of an insurer to use \"genetic information\" during risk selection. In jurisdictions where use is prohibited, critical illness insurance, as presently designed, may not be sustainable.","PeriodicalId":39345,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49328384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.17849/insm-48-1-1-19.1
A. Milano
Background and Importance.-Globally, almost one million new cases of stomach cancer were estimated to have occurred in 2012 (952,000 cases, 6.8% of the total), making it the fifth most common malignancy in the world, after lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate. Gastric cancer was the world's third leading cause of cancer mortality in 2012, responsible for 723,000 deaths, 8.8% of total cancer deaths.1 In 2017, 28,000 new cases and 10,960 deaths are estimated for gastric cancer in the United States.2 Estimated United States prevalence counts on January 1, 2014, for patients diagnosed within the previous 5-years was 48,271 (SEER Cancer Statistics Review-2014). Prognostic indices of survival & mortality in patients with gastric cancer are related to tumor stage including nodal involvement, direct tumor extension beyond the gastric wall, and wide-spread dissemination. Tumor histologic grade (degree of loss of cellular differentiation), and oncotype-specific ICD-O-3 phenotypes also provides important prognostic information. By more than 90%, the most common histologic type of stomach cancer is adenocarcinoma. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) ICD-O-3 SEER Site/Histology Validation List catalog (September 18, 2015) enumerates almost 200 subtypes for gastric cancer sites C160-C166, C168-C169. Based on the results of molecular evaluation of 295 primary gastric adenocarcinomas reported to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project in 2014, a novel classification separating gastric cancers into four subtypes according to Epstein-Barr virus positive status, microsatellite instability, chromosomal instability, or genomic stability was proposed.3> Of interest, Helicobacter Pylori infection and its role in the development of gastric cancer is not mentioned. All cancer has a genetic basis. However, given the histologic and etiologic heterogeneity of gastric cancer, eventual comprehensive molecular characterization and genomic sequencing with identification of chromosomal aberrations, nucleotide substitutions mortality follow-up study is focused on short- and long-term comparative patient outcomes of stomach adenocarcinoma, ICD-O-3 8140-8147, and other selected gastric cancer oncotypes. Objective.-To update trends in incidence, prevalence, short- and long-term survival, and mortality of gastric cancer using the statistical database of SEER*Stat 8.3.4 for diagnosis years 1973-2014 employing multiple case selection variables. Methods.-A retrospective, population-based study using nationally representative data from the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program to evaluate 157,258 cases for diagnosis years 1973-2014 comparing multiple variables of age, sex, race, stage, grade, cohort entry time-period, disease duration and histologic oncotype: Relative survival statistics were analyzed in two cohorts: 1973-1994 and 1995-2014. Survival statistics were derived from: SEER*Stat Database: Incidence - SEER 9 Regs Research
{"title":"20-Year Comparative Survival and Mortality of Cancer of the Stomach by Age, Sex, Race, Stage, Grade, Cohort Entry Time-Period, Disease Duration & Selected ICD-O-3 Oncologic Phenotypes: A Systematic Review of 157,258 Cases for Diagnosis Years 1973-2014: (SEER*Stat 8.3.4).","authors":"A. Milano","doi":"10.17849/insm-48-1-1-19.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17849/insm-48-1-1-19.1","url":null,"abstract":"Background and Importance.-Globally, almost one million new cases of stomach cancer were estimated to have occurred in 2012 (952,000 cases, 6.8% of the total), making it the fifth most common malignancy in the world, after lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate. Gastric cancer was the world's third leading cause of cancer mortality in 2012, responsible for 723,000 deaths, 8.8% of total cancer deaths.1 In 2017, 28,000 new cases and 10,960 deaths are estimated for gastric cancer in the United States.2 Estimated United States prevalence counts on January 1, 2014, for patients diagnosed within the previous 5-years was 48,271 (SEER Cancer Statistics Review-2014). Prognostic indices of survival & mortality in patients with gastric cancer are related to tumor stage including nodal involvement, direct tumor extension beyond the gastric wall, and wide-spread dissemination. Tumor histologic grade (degree of loss of cellular differentiation), and oncotype-specific ICD-O-3 phenotypes also provides important prognostic information. By more than 90%, the most common histologic type of stomach cancer is adenocarcinoma. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) ICD-O-3 SEER Site/Histology Validation List catalog (September 18, 2015) enumerates almost 200 subtypes for gastric cancer sites C160-C166, C168-C169. Based on the results of molecular evaluation of 295 primary gastric adenocarcinomas reported to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project in 2014, a novel classification separating gastric cancers into four subtypes according to Epstein-Barr virus positive status, microsatellite instability, chromosomal instability, or genomic stability was proposed.3> Of interest, Helicobacter Pylori infection and its role in the development of gastric cancer is not mentioned. All cancer has a genetic basis. However, given the histologic and etiologic heterogeneity of gastric cancer, eventual comprehensive molecular characterization and genomic sequencing with identification of chromosomal aberrations, nucleotide substitutions mortality follow-up study is focused on short- and long-term comparative patient outcomes of stomach adenocarcinoma, ICD-O-3 8140-8147, and other selected gastric cancer oncotypes. Objective.-To update trends in incidence, prevalence, short- and long-term survival, and mortality of gastric cancer using the statistical database of SEER*Stat 8.3.4 for diagnosis years 1973-2014 employing multiple case selection variables. Methods.-A retrospective, population-based study using nationally representative data from the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program to evaluate 157,258 cases for diagnosis years 1973-2014 comparing multiple variables of age, sex, race, stage, grade, cohort entry time-period, disease duration and histologic oncotype: Relative survival statistics were analyzed in two cohorts: 1973-1994 and 1995-2014. Survival statistics were derived from: SEER*Stat Database: Incidence - SEER 9 Regs Research ","PeriodicalId":39345,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43556491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.17849/insm-48-1-1-6.1
A. Regenauer
: Due to an increasingly better understanding of the human genome, the number of potential molecular targets, and therefore, potential applications by gene therapies is also increasing. After almost two decades of basic research, the first gene therapeutics are now entering the market. They are among the most expensive types of treatment in medicine. Over the next 10 years, the number and volume of their applications will increase significantly. So, our healthcare systems and inherently health insurance companies will face considerable challenges that will require new approaches to financial solutions. This article first describes the mode of action of the first gene therapies of cancer and their by now known side effects. Subsequently, the cost problems are dealt with and possible financing options are pointed out.
{"title":"Gene Therapy for Cancer - A New Dimension and Challenge for Insurers.","authors":"A. Regenauer","doi":"10.17849/insm-48-1-1-6.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17849/insm-48-1-1-6.1","url":null,"abstract":": Due to an increasingly better understanding of the human genome, the number of potential molecular targets, and therefore, potential applications by gene therapies is also increasing. After almost two decades of basic research, the first gene therapeutics are now entering the market. They are among the most expensive types of treatment in medicine. Over the next 10 years, the number and volume of their applications will increase significantly. So, our healthcare systems and inherently health insurance companies will face considerable challenges that will require new approaches to financial solutions. This article first describes the mode of action of the first gene therapies of cancer and their by now known side effects. Subsequently, the cost problems are dealt with and possible financing options are pointed out.","PeriodicalId":39345,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48542703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.17849/insm-48-1-1-7.1
{"title":"JIM Reading List.","authors":"","doi":"10.17849/insm-48-1-1-7.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17849/insm-48-1-1-7.1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39345,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42553155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01Epub Date: 2019-06-13DOI: 10.17849/insm-48-1-1-3.1
David S Williams
Behcet's disease is a rare systemic vasculitis disorder of unknown etiology characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammation affecting multiple parts of the body.
白塞氏病是一种罕见的全身性血管炎疾病，病因不明，其特点是急性炎症反复发作，影响身体的多个部位。
{"title":"Behcet's Disease.","authors":"David S Williams","doi":"10.17849/insm-48-1-1-3.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17849/insm-48-1-1-3.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Behcet's disease is a rare systemic vasculitis disorder of unknown etiology characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammation affecting multiple parts of the body.</p>","PeriodicalId":39345,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37065056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01Epub Date: 2019-06-13DOI: 10.17849/insm-48-1-1-4.1
Timothy Meagher
{"title":"Predicting Life Expectancy: Precise Science or Fool's Errand?","authors":"Timothy Meagher","doi":"10.17849/insm-48-1-1-4.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17849/insm-48-1-1-4.1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39345,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37065054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01Epub Date: 2019-04-24DOI: 10.17849/insm-48-1-1-14.1
Thomas Gross, Sabrina Morell, Felix Amsler
Background and Objectives.-Even though Switzerland has a compulsory insurance system, there is a lack of detailed information on the treatment and outcome following trauma. The objective of this evaluation was to examine to what extent cases insured by the largest accident-insurer (Suva) are representative of all significantly injured. Methods.-Trauma center analysis of all ≥16 year old trauma patients with a New Injury Severity Score (NISS) ≥8, comparing the characteristics of Suva- vs non-Suva cases (chi-square; univariate explained variance R2; multivariate logistic regression analysis, Nagelkerke R2). Results.-Over 7 years, 2233 trauma patients were treated at the hospital, of whom 29.4% were Suva-insured. Compared to non-Suva-insured, Suva cases were younger (41.6 vs 64.2, R2 = 0.23) and more often male (88.0% vs 59.4%; R2 = 0.08). In multivariate analysis, these two factors together explained 37.5% of the differences between groups. No other investigated factor explained more than 2%. If only those patients of obligatory working age were analyzed (n = 1264), Suva cases (50.6%) were more often male than non-Suva-insured (n = 562 [87.8%] vs n = 393 [63.0%], resp.; p<0.001, R2 = 0.08). In multivariate analysis, other factors taken together were only 2.6% of the variance. Conclusions.-Significantly injured patients in Switzerland may be considered comparable from a statistical point of view whether insured by the main accident-insurer or not, provided groups are adequately controlled for age and gender. Other differences appear to be only marginal. Respecting these limitations such data can justifiably be given as Swiss reference statistics and the relevant insurer outcome information used for international comparison.
背景和目标。-尽管瑞士有强制保险制度，但缺乏关于创伤后治疗和结果的详细信息。本次评估的目的是检查最大的事故保险公司(苏瓦)承保的案件在多大程度上代表了所有重大受伤。方法。-创伤中心分析所有≥16岁新损伤严重程度评分(NISS)≥8的创伤患者，比较Suva与非Suva病例的特征(卡方;单变量解释方差R2;多元logistic回归分析，Nagelkerke R2)。结果。- 7年来，医院治疗了2233名创伤患者，其中29.4%参加了suva保险。与未投保Suva的患者相比，Suva患者更年轻(41.6 vs 64.2, R2 = 0.23)，男性患者更多(88.0% vs 59.4%;R2 = 0.08)。在多变量分析中，这两个因素共同解释了37.5%的组间差异。没有其他被调查的因素解释超过2%。如果只分析达到法定工作年龄的患者(n = 1264)， Suva患者(50.6%)男性多于非Suva患者(n = 562 [87.8%] vs . n = 393 [63.0%];P2 = 0.08)。在多变量分析中，其他因素加在一起仅占方差的2.6%。结论。-从统计角度来看，瑞士的严重受伤患者无论是否由主要事故保险公司投保，都可以被认为具有可比性，前提是对各组的年龄和性别进行充分控制。其他差异似乎微不足道。考虑到这些限制，这些数据可以合理地作为瑞士参考统计数据和用于国际比较的相关保险公司结果信息。
{"title":"To What Extent Are Main Accident-Insurer Cases Representative of All Significantly Injured? A Swiss Monocenter Perspective.","authors":"Thomas Gross, Sabrina Morell, Felix Amsler","doi":"10.17849/insm-48-1-1-14.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17849/insm-48-1-1-14.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background and Objectives.-</b>Even though Switzerland has a compulsory insurance system, there is a lack of detailed information on the treatment and outcome following trauma. The objective of this evaluation was to examine to what extent cases insured by the largest accident-insurer (Suva) are representative of all significantly injured. <b>Methods.-</b>Trauma center analysis of all ≥16 year old trauma patients with a New Injury Severity Score (NISS) ≥8, comparing the characteristics of Suva- vs non-Suva cases (chi-square; univariate explained variance R<sup>2</sup>; multivariate logistic regression analysis, Nagelkerke R<sup>2</sup>). <b>Results.-</b>Over 7 years, 2233 trauma patients were treated at the hospital, of whom 29.4% were Suva-insured. Compared to non-Suva-insured, Suva cases were younger (41.6 vs 64.2, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.23) and more often male (88.0% vs 59.4%; R<sup>2</sup> = 0.08). In multivariate analysis, these two factors together explained 37.5% of the differences between groups. No other investigated factor explained more than 2%. If only those patients of obligatory working age were analyzed (n = 1264), Suva cases (50.6%) were more often male than non-Suva-insured (n = 562 [87.8%] vs n = 393 [63.0%], resp.; p<0.001, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.08). In multivariate analysis, other factors taken together were only 2.6% of the variance. <b>Conclusions.-</b>Significantly injured patients in Switzerland may be considered comparable from a statistical point of view whether insured by the main accident-insurer or not, provided groups are adequately controlled for age and gender. Other differences appear to be only marginal. Respecting these limitations such data can justifiably be given as Swiss reference statistics and the relevant insurer outcome information used for international comparison.</p>","PeriodicalId":39345,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37343369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.17849/insm-48-1-24-35.1
S. Rigatti, R. Stout
Objectives.- To quantify the mortality risks associated with elevated levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Background.- Carcinoembryonic antigen is cell surface glycoprotein and has been associated with the presence of high grade or metastatic cancers of the colon as well as other malignant and non-malignant disease. Prior publications have demonstrated the utility of CEA levels in the determination of mortality risk in life insurance applicants. The aim of this paper is to further characterize this risk with a larger set of data containing additional person-years of follow-up, more outcomes, and additional variables potentially associated with occult malignancy. Methods.- By use of the Social Security Death Index, mortality was examined in 321,574 insurance applicants age 50 years and older, who submitted blood samples to Clinical Reference Laboratories for testing including CEA. Results were stratified by age group and by CEA level (<5 ng/mL, 5 to 9.9 ng/mL, 10+ ng/mL), though other thresholds were tested. Mortality comparisons were carried out using Cox models and tabular methods with the 2015 smoker-distinct Valuation Basic Tables as a comparator. Results.- Relative mortality is increased at CEA levels above 4.0 ng/mL in both smokers and non-smokers. This association is persistent in Cox models when albumin, BMI and cholesterol are included as covariates. The strongest association with mortality risk occurred in the first 3-4 durations. The 3-year cumulative mortality ratio when using the 2015 VBT as baseline was 6.51 when comparing the group with CEA levels of 10+ ng/mL, compared to those with levels below 5.0 ng/mL. Conclusion.- This study shows that CEA is strongly associated with the risk of early excess mortality in life insurance applicants, and this risk appears not to be mitigated by consideration of other markers thought to be associated with occult malignancy.
{"title":"Association of Carcinoembryonic Antigen with Mortality in an Insurance Applicant Population.","authors":"S. Rigatti, R. Stout","doi":"10.17849/insm-48-1-24-35.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17849/insm-48-1-24-35.1","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives.- To quantify the mortality risks associated with elevated levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Background.- Carcinoembryonic antigen is cell surface glycoprotein and has been associated with the presence of high grade or metastatic cancers of the colon as well as other malignant and non-malignant disease. Prior publications have demonstrated the utility of CEA levels in the determination of mortality risk in life insurance applicants. The aim of this paper is to further characterize this risk with a larger set of data containing additional person-years of follow-up, more outcomes, and additional variables potentially associated with occult malignancy. Methods.- By use of the Social Security Death Index, mortality was examined in 321,574 insurance applicants age 50 years and older, who submitted blood samples to Clinical Reference Laboratories for testing including CEA. Results were stratified by age group and by CEA level (<5 ng/mL, 5 to 9.9 ng/mL, 10+ ng/mL), though other thresholds were tested. Mortality comparisons were carried out using Cox models and tabular methods with the 2015 smoker-distinct Valuation Basic Tables as a comparator. Results.- Relative mortality is increased at CEA levels above 4.0 ng/mL in both smokers and non-smokers. This association is persistent in Cox models when albumin, BMI and cholesterol are included as covariates. The strongest association with mortality risk occurred in the first 3-4 durations. The 3-year cumulative mortality ratio when using the 2015 VBT as baseline was 6.51 when comparing the group with CEA levels of 10+ ng/mL, compared to those with levels below 5.0 ng/mL. Conclusion.- This study shows that CEA is strongly associated with the risk of early excess mortality in life insurance applicants, and this risk appears not to be mitigated by consideration of other markers thought to be associated with occult malignancy.","PeriodicalId":39345,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42748733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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