Socioeconomic Disparities in Anal Cancer: Effect on Treatment Delay and Survival.

Background: Socioeconomic inequities have implications for access to health care and may be associated with disparities in treatment and survival.

Objective: To investigate the impact of socioeconomic inequities on time to treatment and survival of anal squamous-cell carcinoma.

Design: This is a retrospective study using a nationwide data set.

Outcomes of perineal wound closure techniques after abdominoperineal resections in rectal cancer: an NSQIP propensity score matched study.

Perineal defects following abdominoperineal resections (APRs) for rectal cancer may require myocutaneous or omental flaps depending upon anatomic, clinical and oncologic variables. However, studies comparing their efficacy have shown contradictory results. We aim to compare postoperative complication rates of APR closure techniques in rectal cancer using propensity score-matching.

Leukocyte subtyping predicts for treatment failure and poor survival in anal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) generally carries a favorable prognosis, as most tumors are highly sensitive to standard of care chemoradiation. However, outcomes are poor for the 20-30% of patients who are refractory to this approach, and many will require additional invasive procedures with no guarantee of disease resolution.

Methods: To identify the patients who are unlikely to respond to the current standard of care chemoradiation protocol, we explored a variety of objective clinical findings as a potential predictor of treatment failure and/or mortality in a single center retrospective study of 42 patients with anal SCC.

Serum Depletion of Complement Component 5a Is Associated With Increased Inflammation and Poor Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Perianal Fistulas.

Background: Persistent disease is a significant issue in the management of perianal fistulas, with up to 50% of patients requiring additional treatment after surgery.

Objective: This study aimed to identify a novel prognostic modality in hopes of risk-stratifying patients for persistent disease following corrective surgery.

Design: This was a retrospective study based on prospectively collected data using a combination of histopathology, high-throughput proteomic arrays, and ELISA-based methods.

Plasmablastic Lymphoma Presenting With Rectosigmoid Perforation in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Patient.

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare variant of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. It accounts for only 2% of all acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related lymphomas (ARLs). We present the case of a 45-year-old male who presented to the emergency department (ED) with a three-month history of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and unintentional 50-lb weight loss.