RET mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in association with patients from Central America.

The rearranged during transfection (RET) gene is on chromosome 10 (10q11.2) and normally encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase that plays a role in the development of the kidney, nervous, and respiratory systems. Aberrant RET gene activation can occur through gene mutations, gene fusions, or over expression leading to uncontrolled cell growth and the development of malignancy.

Multi-Phenotypic Breast Cancer Post-Radiotherapy for Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Case of Secondary Malignancy.

Morbidity and mortality associated with radiation-induced secondary malignancies (RISMs) have shifted treatment paradigms to minimize or eliminate radiation from treatment regimens. In this case, a 48-year-old woman was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and treated with radiotherapy in 2000. In 2018, she was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the right breast and treated with a mastectomy.

Blurry Vision as a Presentation of Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia: A Case Report With Review of Current Management.

A patient was diagnosed with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) after the initial findings of anemia and ophthalmological findings of retinal hemorrhage. Upon further workup, the patient was found to have an IgM predominant monoclonal gammopathy on serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) and urine protein electrophoresis (UPEP). This highlights the need for open communication between different specialties, streamlining rapid and accurate diagnosis.

Metastatic Papillary Thyroid Cancer to the Liver: The Central Role of a Multidisciplinary Approach to Treatment.

Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is comprised of papillary and follicular subtypes, and both have an overall excellent long-term prognosis. Patients with localized DTC that is successfully treated, usually with surgery, exhibit long-term survival well above 90%. In contrast, patients who develop distant metastatic disease have a significantly worse overall prognosis and outcome, often with disease that is refractory to conventional therapy such as surgery, radioactive iodine, and hormone suppression.

Three-year survival, correlates and salvage therapies in patients receiving first-line pembrolizumab for advanced Merkel cell carcinoma.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer associated with poor survival. Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) pathway inhibitors have shown high rates of durable tumor regression compared with chemotherapy for MCC. The current study was undertaken to assess baseline and on-treatment factors associated with MCC regression and 3-year survival, and to explore the effects of salvage therapies in patients experiencing initial non-response or tumor progression after response or stable disease following first-line pembrolizumab therapy on Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network-09/KEYNOTE-017.

Corrigendum to "Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma-literature review and case report of a 56-year-old man presenting with abdominal pain" [Radiol Case Rep 15 (2020) 39-43].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.radcr.

Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma--literature review and case report of a 56-year-old man presenting with abdominal pain.

We present a case of acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas (ACC) with metastasis to the liver in a patient who presented with complaints abdominal pain. The presentation, diagnosis, and management of a 56-year-old man with ACC are discussed here. Imaging with computerized tomography (CT) in particular is crucial in the diagnosis, which can identify the primary lesion as well as metastases.

Preparing Fellows for Graduation: Perspectives on Career Guidance.

At the completion of a hematology/oncology fellowship, trainees are likely to enter into a career differing from the one modeled by the faculty providing mentorship and teaching during training. Fellows benefit from open communication with regard to career goals and opportunities starting early in training. To ensure honesty in the process, program directors must be accepting and supportive of house staff selecting careers different from those of the training environment.

Durable Tumor Regression and Overall Survival in Patients With Advanced Merkel Cell Carcinoma Receiving Pembrolizumab as First-Line Therapy.

Purpose: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer often caused by the Merkel cell polyomavirus. Clinical trials of programmed cell death-1 pathway inhibitors for advanced MCC (aMCC) demonstrate increased progression-free survival (PFS) compared with historical chemotherapy data. However, response durability and overall survival (OS) data are limited.

No Decision Is Final: Career Planning and Career Transitions.

Several factors play a role in job selection after completion of a hematology/oncology training program, such as a fellows' overall career goals, expected income potential, and limitations imposed by visa status, among many others. Training programs play an integral role in mentoring trainees in career selection. For many, the first job is often not career-long.

Clinical Case of the Month: A 57-Year-Old Man with an Axillary Mass.

A 57-year-old man presented to the surgical oncology clinic with a mildly tender mass under his right arm. Four years prior, the patient had a melanoma removed from his right shoulder along with an ipsilateral right axillary sentinel lymph sampling. Computed tomography (CT) scan was negative for metastatic disease at that time.

PSA flare after initiation of abiraterone acetate.

Prostate cancer is the second-most common cause of male cancer-related death among US men. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2014 there will be about 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer and about 29,500 deaths due to prostate cancer. Sixty percent of cases are diagnosed in men aged 65 years or older.

Hemoglobin SO-Arab and α-thalassemia diagnosed in an adult: A case-based review of the hemoglobinopathies.

Hemoglobin SO-Arab is a rare sickling disorder with a clinical course similar to that of hemoglobin SS. Hemoglobin C-Harlem is another rare condition that produces sickling disorders in affected individuals with a disease course and electrophoretic findings similar to that of hemoglobin SO-Arab. The authors report the case of a 38-year-old African American man with hemoglobin SO-Arab and the challenges that may arise in working up a rare hemoglobinopathy.

A paradigm shift in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death for men and women worldwide. Nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancers. Systemic chemotherapy is a cornerstone of treatment in the management of stage IV NSCLC.

Clinical case of the month. A rare case of Budd Chiari syndrome.

Budd Chiari syndrome is a rare disorder resulting from hepatic venous outflow tract obstruction anywhere from the small hepatic veins to the suprahepatic inferior vena cava. This patient has a hypercoagulable state secondary to heterozygous mutation of factor V and the JAK2 mutation and is being anticoagulated. We hypothesize that the low protein C and low antithrombin III levels seen in this patient resulted from decreased synthetic function of the liver and were not indicative of actual deficiencies.

Restoration of medical oncology services at LSU Interim Public Hospital in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: a two-year experience of LSUHSC.

Background: Oncology services at Charity Hospital were discontinued following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Medical oncology and chemotherapy services resumed at the Louisiana State University Interim Public Hospital in 2007. Demographic, clinical, and displacement data of the re-established patient cohort were reviewed.

Forgotten histories.

The death of a young lung cancer patient who was father to a 6-year-old son is examined in light of the patient's loss of his own father at a similar age.

Adjuvant high-dose interferon-{alpha} for resected melanoma in a patient with HIV infection.

Adjuvant interferon (IFN)-alpha remains the standard adjuvant therapy for intermediate and high-risk melanoma after definitive surgical resection. Data addressing the role and safety of adjuvant immunotherapy in HIV-infected patients with melanoma are lacking. We report on an HIV(+) patient who received IFN-alpha as adjuvant treatment for high-risk melanoma.

A 32-year-old woman with chest pain, hematemesis, and thrombocytopenia.

The diagnosis of TTP should be considered in any clinical scenario in which hemolysis and thrombocytopenia are present. If other secondary causes are ruled out, therapy should instituted as rapidly as possible. TPE remains the standard of care for TTP.

Definitive altered fractionation radiotherapy and concomitant weekly cisplatin for locally advanced head and neck cancer.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and toxicities of single-agent weekly cisplatin for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck treated definitively with radiation therapy (RT).

Methods: Thirty-five patients with American Joint Committee of Cancer stage II (3%), stage III (14%), or stage IV (83%) squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx treated from June 2000 to November 2003 at the University of Florida were retrospectively reviewed. Subjects received radiation therapy (RT; median, 74.

Cocaine abuse complicating acute painful episodes in sickle cell disease.

We report three sickle cell patients with recent cocaine abuse who presented with typical symptoms of vaso-occlusion rapidly progressing to major organ dysfunction. Our experience suggests cocaine abuse is a risk factor for major complications of a sickle cell painful episode. Enhanced clinical and laboratory surveillance for organ dysfunction is indicated if a history of cocaine abuse is elicited.

Primary cardiac synovial sarcoma: a case report and brief review of the literature.

Synovial sarcoma comprises approximately 10% of all soft tissue sarcoma diagnoses; a primary synovial sarcoma of the myocardium is exceedingly rare. There have been very few cases reported in the literature thus far. With the identification of the characteristic and diagnostic chromosomal abnormality t(X;18), this may become an increasingly recognized entity.