Second-line therapies in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma following first-line atezolizumab and bevacizumab: multicenter single institution cohort experience.

Background: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (A/B) received FDA approval as the first-line therapy for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 2020. However, optimal subsequent treatment options are unclear. Here, we describe clinical outcomes of advanced HCC patients following first-line treatment with A/B.

Assessing scleral thickness in patients with POAG and myopia by using OCT.

Background: The aim of the study is to utilize swept-source OCT for imaging the rear sclera near the ONH, calculating the thickness of the SL and lamina, and examining how these measurements correspond to various metrics.

Design: Cross-sectional design with a prospective approach.

Materials And Methods: The study included 96 glaucoma patients and 39 control subjects, all with axial lengths greater than 23 mm.

Building a Cancer Care Clinic for Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals.

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people experience disparities in cancer care, including more late-stage diagnoses, worse cancer-related outcomes, and an increased number of unaddressed and more severe symptoms related to cancer and cancer-directed therapy. This article outlines plans to address the unique needs of TGD people through a TGD-focused oncology clinic. Such a clinic could be structured by upholding the following tenets: (1) champion a supportive, gender-affirming environment that seeks to continuously improve, (2) include a transdisciplinary team of specialists who are dedicated to TGD cancer care, and (3) initiate and embrace TGD-patient-centric research on health outcomes and health care delivery.

Educational Initiatives to Improve the Cancer-Related Disparities Facing Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) Individuals.

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals face discrimination and experience disparate healthcare, and cancer care, in particular. Our team has developed four initiatives to start to mitigate the disparities facing TGD individuals, including (1) improving identification of TGD individuals with cancer in oncology clinics, (2) identifying rates and predictors of cancer screening among TGD individuals, (3) building a TGD patient-centric oncology clinic, and (4) developing prospective research that is dedicated to addressing the needs of TGD Individuals with cancer. Clinician-focused educational initiatives are integral aspects of this work to improve cancer care for TGD individuals.

How to Engage Older LGBTQIA+ Patients: Lessons Learned From Mayo Clinic Connect, a 100,000+-Participant Social Media Platform.

Background: Older LGBTQIA+ patients face discrimination in healthcare and therefore are sometimes reluctant to engage and interact with healthcare providers. This report explores whether a large medically-based internet platform can be used to engage these patients and describes preferable methods for doing so.

Methods: This study used Mayo Clinic Connect, a continuously monitored, internet-based social media platform of 100,000-plus users.

Understanding the patient experience in nonsurgical management of endometrial cancer and complex atypical hyperplasia due to obesity: A qualitative analysis.

Objectives: Patients with class 3 obesity (BMI ≥ 40) and significant medical comorbidities with complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH) and early-stage endometrial cancer (EC) present challenges in standard surgical management. Progestin therapy is an alternative used for patient-centered reasons, including the desire for uterine preservation or because surgery is not a safe option. Our objective was to gain insights into the patient experience when undergoing this treatment approach.

An Annual Symposium on Disparities in Milwaukee, WI, with a 2023 Focus on Older Adults with Cancer.

Purpose Of Review: Cancer-related inequities are prevalent in Wisconsin, with lower survival rates for breast, colorectal, and lung cancer patients from marginalized communities. This manuscript describes the ongoing efforts at the Medical College of Wisconsin and potential pathways of community engagement to promote education and awareness in reducing inequities in cancer care.

Recent Findings: While some cancer inequities are related to aggressive disease biology, health-related social risks may be addressed through community-academic partnerships via an open dialogue between the community members and academic faculty.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data Collection in Cancer Care: A Nationwide Landscape Assessment Update.

Purpose: Routine collection of sexual orientation (SO) and gender identity (GI; collectively SOGI) in cancer clinics advances cancer care equity.

Methods: In 2022, NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) practice groups were asked about routine collection of SOGI data in the electronic health record. The proportions of practice groups reporting collection of SO and/or GI data were calculated, and practice group characteristics were assessed for associations.

A Phase I Trial of Nab-Paclitaxel/Bevacizumab (AB160) Nano-Immunoconjugate Therapy for Gynecologic Malignancies.

Purpose: AB160 is a 160-nm nano-immunoconjugate consisting of nab-paclitaxel (ABX) nanoparticles noncovalently coated with bevacizumab (BEV) for targeted delivery into tissues expressing high levels of VEGF. Preclinical data showed that AB160 resulted in greater tumor targeting and tumor inhibition compared with sequential treatment with ABX then BEV. Given individual drug activity, we investigated the safety and toxicity of AB160 in patients with gynecologic cancers.

Breast cancer and gender-affirming hormone therapy for transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals.

Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals are at risk for breast cancer, but are less likely to undergo screening mammograms and appear to suffer poorer cancer-related outcomes than cisgender women. Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) may be lifesaving for TGD individuals from the perspective of affirming their core identities; however, the effects of GAHT on cancer development, progression, and outcomes are poorly understood.

Postpartum related intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with fusion and severe hyperbilirubinemia with response to FGFR inhibitor pemigatinib: case report and review.

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma during postpartum or pregnancy is a rare presentation. There are limited cases reported in the literature. Diagnosis can be delayed as presenting signs and symptoms may be attributed to pregnancy or postpartum state.

Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation, Weight Gain, and Poor Appetite in Patients With Cancer: Many Questions and Fewer Answers.

Patients with cancer or with a history of cancer often seek nutritional advice. In turn, cancer health care providers are often asked questions related to nutrition and cancer. Should I take high-dose vitamins or other high-dose supplements? Should I take a regular-dose vitamin or other regular-dose nutritional supplements? Will I experience weight loss during postoperative chemotherapy? What should be my weight goals during and after adjuvant therapy? In the setting of advanced cancer, what should I do to keep my appetite and weight up? This review attempts to provide data-driven answers to some of these commonly posed questions.

Sexual and Gender Minority Invisibility in Cancer Studies: A Call for Effective Recruitment Methods to Address Cancer Disparities.

#LGBTQ+ people with cancer are invisibilized: A call for #intersectional cancer research (link here) #healthequity

A Rare Case of Primary Hyperparathyroidism and Hypercalcemia of Malignancy Seen in a Patient With Prostate Adenocarcinoma.

Hypercalcemia of malignancy is commonly associated with several malignancies, but its existence in prostate cancer is an uncommon finding. The concurrent existence of a parathyroid adenoma and a history of hypercalcemia over several decades further adds to the enigma. Our case is of an 82-year-old man with a history of prostate cancer who presented to the endocrinology clinic with hypercalcemia.

Rare Challenges in Diagnosing Cushing's Syndrome and Primary Aldosteronism: A Case Report of a Female With a Negative Workup.

Cushing's syndrome with concurrent primary aldosteronism (PA) is a rare presentation, and establishing an early diagnosis is imperative to preventing morbidity and long-term sequelae. The diagnosis is established by sequential lab work, showing an elevated cortisol and aldosterone level. Taking the above into consideration, it is evident that repeatedly negative results on all three tests can present an extremely challenging case.

A TGF-β/KLF10 signaling axis regulates atrophy-associated genes to induce muscle wasting in pancreatic cancer.

Cancer cachexia, and its associated complications, represent a large and currently untreatable roadblock to effective cancer management. Many potential therapies have been proposed and tested-including appetite stimulants, targeted cytokine blockers, and nutritional supplementation-yet highly effective therapies are lacking. Innovative approaches to treating cancer cachexia are needed.

Completion of Genetic Testing and Incidence of Pathogenic Germline Mutation among Patients with Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer: A Single Institution Analysis.

Over the past 20 years, rates of early-onset colorectal cancer (eoCRC), defined as <50 years of age at diagnosis, have increased, with 16-25% associated with a pathogenic germline variant (PGV) resulting in a hereditary cancer syndrome. In the present study, we sought to further characterize PGVs observed in patients with eoCRC. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with a history of CRC referred for genetic counseling at Mayo Clinic Rochester between April 2019 and April 2022.

Loss of appetite in patients with cancer: an update on characterization, mechanisms, and palliative therapeutics.

Purpose Of Review: Over the past year, loss of appetite in patients with cancer has continued to be an area of active investigation. This review provides an update of recently published findings.

Recent Findings: Despite the emergence of new cancer therapeutic agents, this symptom of loss of appetite continues to trouble patients, and it continues to be associated with poor survival.