Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Prevention of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a group of malignancies, involving the oral cavity, pharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, nasal cavity, and salivary glands, that together compose the seventh most common cancer diagnosis worldwide. With 890,000 new cases and 450,000 deaths annually per GLOBOCAN estimates, HNSCC accounts for roughly 4.5% of cancer diagnoses and deaths.

Valvular Heart Disease Epidemiology.

Valvular heart disease is a rapidly growing cause of global cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with diverse and evolving geographic distribution. The prevalence of rheumatic heart disease, the most common valvular heart disease (affecting approximately 41 million people), has been rising in developing nations, likely due to the expansion of the young adult population and the decrease in premature mortality that has resulted from improved access to antibiotics, microbiological testing, and echocardiography. Rheumatic heart disease has also been rising among the impoverished and, often, indigenous populations of developed nations, spurring public health initiatives that are aimed at alleviating healthcare disparities.

US Cancer Screening Recommendations: Developments and the Impact of COVID-19.

The USPSTF and ACS recommend screening for breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung cancers. Rates of cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment decreased significantly in the US and other developed nations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown (April 2020) and have since recovered, although not to baseline levels in many cases. For breast cancer, the USPSTF recommends biennial screening with mammography for women aged 50−74, while the ACS recommends annual screening for women aged 45−54, who may transition to biennial after 55.

Epidemiology of Melanoma.

Melanoma accounts for 1.7% of global cancer diagnoses and is the fifth most common cancer in the US. Melanoma incidence is rising in developed, predominantly fair-skinned countries, growing over 320% in the US since 1975.

Epidemiology of lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of global cancer incidence and mortality, accounting for an estimated 2 million diagnoses and 1.8 million deaths. Neoplasms of the lungs are the second most common cancer diagnosis in men and women (after prostate and breast cancer, respectively).

Epidemiology of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Non-Hodgins's lymphoma (NHL) is the most common hematological malignancy worldwide, accounting for nearly 3% of cancer diagnoses and deaths. NHL is the seventh most prevalent cancer and has the sixth highest mortality among cancers in the US. NHL accounts for 4% of US cancer diagnoses, and incidence has increased 168% since 1975 (while survival has improved 158%).

Epidemiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma progression.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. Its incidence has grown alongside the increasing global prevalence of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. The risk of progression to hepatocellular carcinoma for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients over 5 years is 8%, and despite targeted and immunotherapy treatment advances, HCC maintains a bleak 5-year survival of 19%.

Epidemiology, Staging, and Management of Multiple Myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell disorder that is on the rise throughout the world, especially in the US, Australia, and Western Europe. In the US, MM accounts for almost 2% of cancer diagnoses and over 2% of cancer deaths (more than double the global proportion). Incidence has risen by 126% globally and over 40% in the US since 1990, while global mortality has risen by 94% and US mortality has fallen by 18%.

Chemical Risk Factors of Primary Liver Cancer: An Update.

Primary liver cancer has the sixth highest incidence and fourth highest cancer mortality worldwide. Hepatitis B is the leading cause of liver cancer, though its incidence is decreasing with vaccination. Alcohol is the leading cause of liver transplant, cirrhosis, and cancer in the developed world, and is projected to surpass hepatitis B as the leading hepatic cancer etiology worldwide.

Epidemiology, Staging and Management of Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer is the second most common and fifth most aggressive neoplasm among men worldwide. It is particularly incident in high human development index (HDI) nations, with an estimated one in seven men in the US receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. A rapid rise and then fall in prostate cancer incidence in the US and Europe corresponded to the implementation of widespread prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing in 1986 and then subsequent fall from favor due to high rates of false positives, overdiagnosis, and overtreatment (as many as 20-50% of men diagnosed could have remained asymptomatic in their lifetimes).

Epidemiology of Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Though renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 2% of global cancer diagnoses and deaths, it has more than doubled in incidence in the developed world over the past half-century, and today is the ninth most common neoplasm in the United States (US). While North America and Western Europe have the highest disease burden (with the Belarus highest in incidence), Latin America, Asia and Africa are projected to see an increase in incidence as nation's transition to a Western lifestyle. Most cases of RCC are discovered incidentally on imaging, and survival is highly dependent on the stage at diagnosis, with the metastatic disease having only a 12% 5-year survival rate.

Epidemiology of Bladder Cancer.

Based on the latest GLOBOCAN data, bladder cancer accounts for 3% of global cancer diagnoses and is especially prevalent in the developed world. In the United States, bladder cancer is the sixth most incident neoplasm. A total of 90% of bladder cancer diagnoses are made in those 55 years of age and older, and the disease is four times more common in men than women.

Targeted Therapies and Immunotherapies in the Treatment of Esophageal Cancers.

Esophageal cancer (EC) is among the most frequent and deadly cancers around the world. While esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has one of the fastest-growing incidences amongst cancers in the US, it also has one of the lowest survival rates due to the limited effective treatment options. Fortunately, in the past decade, two targeted therapies and an immunotherapy agent have been approved by the FDA for metastatic EAC and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), with several more currently being considered for approval.

Immunotherapies and Targeted Therapies in the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer deaths, and while mortality has largely improved in the developed world, five-year survival for metastatic disease remains dismally low at only 15%. Fortunately, nearly a dozen targeted therapies and immunotherapies have been FDA approved in the past decade for certain patient profiles with metastatic CRC (mCRC), and many others are under development. Checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab have proven effective at extending survival for mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient and high microsatellite instability (MSI) mCRC patients.

Epidemiology of Cancers of the Small Intestine: Trends, Risk Factors, and Prevention.

The latest data from the United States and Europe reveal that rare small intestine cancer is on the rise, with the number of cases having more than doubled over the past 40 years in the developed world. Mortality has grown at a slower pace, thanks to improvements in early diagnosis and treatment, as well as a shift in the etiology of neoplasms affecting the small intestine. Nevertheless, 5-year survival for small intestine adenocarcinomas has lingered at only 35%.