The predictive value of liver tests for the presence of liver metastases.

Aim: To analyze the predictive value of biochemical liver tests in patients with malignant melanoma, breast, colorectal or lung cancers at the time of diagnosis of liver metastases.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients with the above-mentioned solid tumors at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital from 2016-2020.

Results: The highest optimal cutoff according to sensitivity and specificity for the presence of liver metastases was for AST ≥1.

Prevalence and clinical risk factors for esophageal candidiasis in non-human immunodeficiency virus patients: A multicenter retrospective case-control study.

Background: Although esophageal candidiasis (EC) may manifest in immunocompetent individuals, there is a lack of consensus in the current literature about predisposing conditions that increase the risk of infection.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of EC in patients without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and identify risk factors for infection.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed inpatient and outpatient encounters from 5 regional hospitals within the United States (US) from 2015 to 2020.

Trends in inflammatory bowel disease and pancreatic cancer: an analysis of the National Inpatient Sample database.

Background: An association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and pancreatic cancer has been suggested in the literature. We aimed to determine the trend in prevalence of pancreatic cancer amongst patients hospitalized for Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) in the United States.

Methods: An analysis of the National Inpatient Sample database was performed to identify adults diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and CD or UC, using validated ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, from 2003-2017.

Breast Cancer Metastasis to the Gastrointestinal Tract With Unusual Endoscopic and Histologic Presentations.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is an infrequent site of breast cancer metastasis, but it often poses a diagnostic challenge when it occurs. The symptoms of GI metastases are often nonspecific, and the endoscopic manifestations are variable, requiring tissue biopsies for histologic examination. We report 2 cases of breast cancer metastasizing to the GI tract: a case of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive invasive ductal carcinoma that metastasized to the stomach, a rare location for this histologic subtype, and another case of invasive lobular cell carcinoma that metastasized to the colon with unusual findings of mucosal pallor and edema on colonoscopy.

Immunotherapy Use Prior to Liver Transplant in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and its incidence has increased rapidly in the United States over the past two decades. Liver transplant is considered curative, but is not always possible, and pre-transplant immunotherapy is of great interest as a modality for downstaging the tumor burden. We present a review of the literature on pre-liver transplant immunotherapy use in patients with HCC.