Association of Antibiotic Receipt With Survival Among Patients With Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Receiving Chemotherapy.

Importance: The prognosis for patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is dismal, due in part to chemoresistance. Bacteria-mediated mechanisms of chemoresistance suggest a potential role for antibiotics in modulating response to chemotherapy.

Objective: To evaluate whether use of peritreatment antibiotics is associated with survival among patients with metastatic PDAC treated with first-line gemcitabine or fluorouracil chemotherapy.

Screening and Surveillance for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma in High-Risk Individuals.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive disease with high mortality, largely due to late stage at diagnosis. Approximately 10% to 15% are hereditary, and detection of early stage PDAC or precursor lesions through pancreatic surveillance programs may improve outcomes. Current surveillance is annual, typically with endoscopic ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance imaging.

Design of and outcomes in a student-run free mental health clinic serving the uninsured in East Harlem.

Background: Safety-net clinics are an important source of low-cost or free mental healthcare to those with limited financial resources. Such clinics are often staffed by trainees in early stages of their career. Only limited data exist on best practices in treatment-implementation and on clinical outcomes attained in such clinics.

Celiac Plexus Neurolysis Is Associated With Decreased Survival in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer: A Propensity Score Analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate survival in patients who received celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN) compared with patients who received opioids.

Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare database was used to identify patients older than 65 years diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 2007 and 2015. We used claims data to identify patients with a history of CPN and opioid use within 1 year of diagnosis, and other demographic, clinical, and treatment variables.

Use of endoscopic ultrasound for pancreatic cancer from 2000 to 2016.

 Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the United States. Previous studies have suggested a survival benefit for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), an important tool for diagnosis and staging of PC. This study aims to describe EUS use over time and identify factors associated with EUS use and its impact on survival.

Opioid Prescription Is Associated With Increased Survival in Older Adult Patients With Pancreatic Cancer in the United States: A Propensity Score Analysis.

Purpose: Few studies have assessed the interaction between pain treatment and mortality in pancreatic cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between receipt of opioid prescriptions and survival in adults with pancreatic cancer.

Methods: The SEER-Medicare linked database was used to identify patients diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer between 2007 and 2015.

Glycemic Changes and Weight Loss Precede Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by up to 3 Years in a Diverse Population.

Background & Aims: Elevations in fasting blood glucose are observed prior to the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Our aim was to describe glycemic and weight changes that occur prior to PDAC diagnosis in a diverse population.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study comparing patients with PDAC with matched controls between January 2011 and November 2019 at a tertiary care institution.

Bisphosphonate Use Does Not Impact Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

Background/aims: : Bisphosphonates are increasingly recognized for their anti-neoplastic properties, which are the result of their action on the mevalonate pathway. Our primary aim was to investigate the association between bisphosphonate use and survival in patients with pancreatic cancer. Since statins also act on the mevalonate pathway, we also investigated the effect of the combined use of bisphosphonates and statins on survival.

Psychological distress in the face of a pandemic: An observational study characterizing the impact of COVID-19 on immigrant outpatient mental health.

Undocumented immigrants have disproportionately suffered during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic due to factors including limited medical access and financial insecurity, which can exacerbate pandemic-associated distress. Psychological outcomes for immigrant outpatients were assessed after transition to telepsychiatry in March 2020. Mental health was assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2) inventories, a novel coronavirus-specific survey, and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10+).

Elevated hemoglobin A1c is associated with the presence of pancreatic cysts in a high-risk pancreatic surveillance program.

Background: Emerging evidence demonstrates that surveillance of individuals at high-risk (HRIs) of developing pancreatic adenocarcinoma allows for identification and treatment of resectable tumors with improved survival. Population-based data suggest that hyperglycemia may be present up to three years before the development of pancreatic cancer. We investigated whether elevated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is associated with the development of pancreatic cysts in a pancreatic surveillance program.

Impact of Mesenteric Mass in Patients With Midgut Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Objectives: In this study, we used the institutional pathological and clinical databases from The Mount Sinai Hospital to investigate the impact of mesenteric mass on clinical and staging features in small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors.

Methods: Demographic, clinical, and staging data were collected. Tumor-node-metastasis stage was assigned according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition staging manual.

Incidence Trends of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors in the United States.

Background & Aims: Although multiple studies have reported an increasing incidence of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) over the past decades, there are limited national data on recent trends. Using a population-based registry, we evaluated GEP-NET incidence trends in the United States population from 1975 through 2012, based on age, calendar year at diagnosis, and year of birth.

Methods: GEP-NET cases from 1975 through 2012 were identified from the most recent version of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry using histologic and site codes.

Lymph Node Metastasis in the Prognosis of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prognostic use of the extent of lymph node (LN) involvement in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) by analyzing population-based data.

Methods: Patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry were identified with histologically confirmed, surgically resected GEP-NETs. We divided patients into 3 lymph node ratio (LNR) groups based on the ratio of positive LNs to total LNs examined: 0.