Outcomes of Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Chemotherapy, Biologic Therapy, Endocrine Therapy, or Active Surveillance During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose: Provide real-world data regarding the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality in breast cancer (BC) patients on active cancer treatment.

Methods: Clinical data were abstracted from the 3778 BC patients seen at a multisite cancer center in New York between February 1, 2020 and May 1, 2020, including patient demographics, tumor histology, cancer treatment, and SARS-CoV-2 testing results. Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection by treatment type (chemotherapy [CT] vs endocrine and/or HER2 directed therapy [E/H]) was compared by Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting.

Therapeutic Anticoagulation with Heparin in Noncritically Ill Patients with Covid-19.

Background: Thrombosis and inflammation may contribute to the risk of death and complications among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). We hypothesized that therapeutic-dose anticoagulation may improve outcomes in noncritically ill patients who are hospitalized with Covid-19.

Methods: In this open-label, adaptive, multiplatform, controlled trial, we randomly assigned patients who were hospitalized with Covid-19 and who were not critically ill (which was defined as an absence of critical care-level organ support at enrollment) to receive pragmatically defined regimens of either therapeutic-dose anticoagulation with heparin or usual-care pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis.

Utilization rates of enoxaparin and heparin in deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis after education and electronic order change at a single institution: a quality improvement study.

Despite advantages of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), enoxaparin over heparin (UFH) for venous thromboembolism (VTE), a hospital's prescribing trends analysis showed use of each was about equal. In an attempt to increase LMWH over UFH use, electronic medical record (EMR) changes for medical service patients and education via multidisciplinary grand rounds was provided to all services. This was a unique opportunity to study LMWH and UFH use pre and post interventions at our institution.

Cancer Antigen 72-4 for the Monitoring of Advanced Tumors of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Lung, Breast and Ovaries.

Background: Cancer antigen CA72-4 is a tumor marker found to be elevated in a variety of human adenocarcinomas. Using the DRG TM-CA72-4, we quantified the elevation of CA72-4 compared to current United States Food And Drug Administration-approved tumor markers in various cancer types.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-center study enrolling 96 patients between March 2013 and August 2016 with different locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic cancer known to express CA72-4.

Adherence to thromboprophylaxis guidelines in elderly patients with hospital acquired venous thromboembolism: a case control study.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains the number one preventable cause of hospital acquired mortality and morbidity. Each year, more than 12 million patients are at risk for VTE. The delivery of appropriate and timely VTE prophylaxis is still suboptimal in many healthcare institutions and can lead to increased readmissions, morbidity, as well as costs.

Comparing Length of Stay Between Patients Taking Rivaroxaban and Conventional Anticoagulants for Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated non-inferiority of rivaroxaban when compared to warfarin for the treatment of pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis. Analysis of data from the EINSTEIN trials has demonstrated that patients who received rivaroxaban had a shorter length of stay (LOS) compared to those who received warfarin. However, these trials had strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, and were designed for a different primary outcome.

Erdheim-Chester disease: a rare cause of recurrent fever of unknown origin mimicking lymphoma.

We report the case of a patient with recurrent fever of unknown origin (FUO) with prominent back pain, hepatosplenomegaly, and abdominal/pelvic adenopathy suggesting lymphoma. A bone biopsy showed histiocytic infiltration. Studies for lymphoma were negative, but immunohistochemical stains were diagnostic of Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD).

Coronary Calcium Scanning in Patients after Adjuvant Radiation for Early Breast Cancer and Ductal Carcinoma In situ.

Background And Objective: Radiation therapy (RT) is part of standard adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. Earlier studies demonstrated increased cardiac morbidity and mortality from this. Coronary Calcium scanning utilizing Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) can detect early atherosclerosis in coronary arteries by identifying the amount of calcifications.

Sex hormone receptors in breast cancer.

The dependency of certain breast cancers on estrogen is undeniably one of the most important observations in oncology. Since this early observation, there has been a tremendous effort to define the precise roles of the estrogen receptor (ER) in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Estrogen signaling pathways can also be exploited as effective targets for cancer treatment.

Study of Estrogen Receptor and Progesterone Receptor Expression in Breast Ductal Carcinoma In Situ by Immunohistochemical Staining in ER/PgR-Negative Invasive Breast Cancer.

Background. To our knowledge, the hormone receptor status of noncontiguous ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) occurring concurrently in ER/PgR-negative invasive cancer has not been studied. The current study was undertaken to investigate the ER/PgR receptor status of DCIS of the breast in patients with ER/PgR-negative invasive breast cancer.

Is pylorospasm a cause of delayed gastric emptying after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy?

Background: Delayed gastric emptying (DGE) occurs in 14% to 61% of patients after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy, but its pathogenesis is unclear. We hypothesized that DGE may be due to pylorospasm secondary to vagal injuries at operation and may be preventable by the addition of pyloromyotomy.

Methods: Patients operated on consecutively between April 2000 and August 2003 were studied.

An effective in vitro antitumor response against human pancreatic carcinoma with paclitaxel and daunorubicin by induction of both necrosis and apoptosis.

The highly metastatic human pancreatic cell line L3.6 was used to study mechanisms for antitumor activity with various chemotherapeutic drug combinations. The most effective drugs were daunorubicin (IC50 0.

Complete and sustained remission of refractory cervical cancer following a single cycle of capecitabine. A case report.

Cervical cancer with distant metastasis is almost always incurable. The treatment goal is to palliate the patient's symptoms with pain medications and localized radiation therapy. Chemotherapy generally has a limited role, with responses that are short lived.

A combined modality approach to recurrent cardiac sarcoma resulting in a prolonged remission: a case report.

We report a case of cardiac fibrosarcoma that was treated with cardiac tumor resection, chemotherapy, cardiac explantation, tumor repeat resection, and autotransplantation followed by external beam irradiation. The patient was able to achieve clinical remission and remained disease free > 2 years after the initial diagnosis. This case report demonstrates that a sustained remission from cardiac sarcoma is possible with an aggressive combined modality approach.

First Isolation of West Nile virus from a patient with encephalitis in the United States.

West Nile virus (WNV) was isolated from a patient who developed encephalitis while undergoing treatment with CHOP (cyclophosphamide, hydroxydoxorubicin, vincristine [Oncovin], predisone) and rituximab for a non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma. Both standard reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Taqman RT-PCR established the diagnosis of WNV infection from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Several whole blood samples and one serum sample underwent further testing.

Sustained complete remission in a patient with platinum-resistant ovarian yolk sac tumor.

Background: Yolk sac tumors of the ovary are generally very responsive to chemotherapy; however, they are difficult to manage in the setting of platinum resistance where treatment options are limited and outcomes are poorer.

Case: We present a 39-year-old woman who had a platinum-resistant yolk sac ovarian tumor. She achieved complete remission on an innovative regimen of docetaxel, gemcitabine, and thalidomide.

Late recurrence in ovarian dysgerminoma with successful response to standard adjuvant chemotherapy: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Ovarian dysgerminomas are quite amenable to treatment and very good cure rates are achieved even with advanced disease. However, recent literature suggests that late recurrence may be associated with a poorer prognosis and bleomycin/etoposide/cisplatin (BEP) chemotherapy may play only a limited role in its management. We present a patient who had a late recurrence of ovarian dysgerminoma with successful treatment outcome.

Identification of a malignant counterpart of the monocyte-dendritic cell progenitor in an acute myeloid leukemia.

Myeloblasts derived from the peripheral blood of a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia (ORL47) were found to represent the malignant counterpart of the newly elucidated monocyte-dendritic cell colony-forming unit (mono-DC-CFU). The specific cytokine conditions require to achieve intermediate and terminal maturation of DCs and monocytes from these progenitors were defined. With tumor necrosis factor (TNF) + granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) + stem cell factor treatment numerous colony-like clusters developed.

A phase I study of a combination of allopurinol, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin followed by hydroxyurea in patients with advanced gastrointestinal and breast cancer.

Twenty patients with advanced carcinomas of the colorectum, pancreas, stomach, and breast were enrolled in a Phase I study of a sequential administration of 5-fluorouracil-leucovorin (FU-LV) combination followed by hydroxyurea (HU) with allopurinol protection (HALF regimen). As a weekly regimen for 6 weeks, followed by a rest period of 2 weeks, FU was administered intravenously (i.v.

Subcellular distribution of daunorubicin in P-glycoprotein-positive and -negative drug-resistant cell lines using laser-assisted confocal microscopy.

Four well defined multidrug-resistant cell lines and their drug-sensitive counterparts were examined for intracellular distribution of daunorubicin (DNR) by laser-assisted confocal fluorescence microscopy: P-glycoprotein-negative HL-60/AR cells, and P-glycoprotein-positive P388/ADR, KBV-1, and MCF-7/ADR cells. Both drug sensitive cell lines (HL-60/S, P388/S, KB3-1, and MCF-7/S) and drug-resistant cell lines (HL-60/AR, P388/ADR, KBV-1, and MCF-7/ADR) exposed to DNR showed a similar rapid distribution of drug from the plasma membrane to the perinuclear region within the first 2 min. From 2-10 min, the drug sensitive HL-60/S, P388/S, and MCF-7/S cells redistributed drug to the nucleus and to the cytoplasm in a diffuse pattern.