Geographic and Demographic Disparities in Colorectal Cancer: A National Cancer Database Analysis.

Background And Objectives: Area of residence may adversely affect survival and outcomes in many cancers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of geographical and demographic disparities on survival of patients with colorectal cancer.

Materials And Methods: Data were obtained from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) colon, rectosigmoid, and rectal datasets.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Possible Risk Factor for Incidence and Recurrence of Cancers.

COVID-19 and malignancy can affect the susceptibility of one another. Clinically recovered COVID-19 individuals display immune abnormalities that persist several months after discharge. The lymphopenia-related immunosuppression, functional exhaustion of cytotoxic lymphocytes (such as CD8 cytotoxic T-cells and natural killer cells), hyperinflammatory responses, oxidative stress, downregulation of interferon response, development of the myeloid-derived suppressor cells, downregulation of tumor suppressor proteins and perhaps reactivation of the latent oncogenic viruses may directly and/or indirectly play a role in the cancer development and recurrence in severe COVID-19 patients.

Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Systematic Review.

Therapeutic advancements in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) have improved survival outcomes. This study aims to review the impact of the current therapeutics on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in NET patients. A literature review was performed utilizing PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and EMBASE, using the keywords "Carcinoid", "Neuroendocrine tumor", "NET", "Quality of life", "Chemotherapy", "Chemoembolization", "Radiofrequency ablation", "Peptide receptor radionucleotide therapy", "PRRT", "Surgery", "Everolimus", "Octreotide", "Lanreotide", "Sunitinib", and "Somatostatin analog".

Visceral Obesity Promotes Lung Cancer Progression-Toward Resolution of the Obesity Paradox in Lung Cancer.

Introduction: Although obesity is associated with adverse cancer outcomes in general, most retrospective clinical studies suggest a beneficial effect of obesity in NSCLC.

Methods: Hypothesizing that this "obesity paradox" arises partly from the limitations of using body mass index (BMI) to measure obesity, we quantified adiposity using preoperative computed tomography images. This allowed the specific determination of central obesity as abdominal visceral fat area normalized to total fat area (visceral fat index [VFI]).

Efficacy and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Venous Thromboembolism Compared to Traditional Anticoagulants in Morbidly Obese Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background Randomized clinical trials comparing the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) with vitamin K antagonist (VKA) or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) generally exclude patients who are morbidly obese (body mass index ≥ 40 kg/m or weight ≥ 120 kg). Recently, smaller studies have compared DOACs with warfarin or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in morbidly obese patients with VTE. We aim to systematically review and do a meta-analysis of the studies that directly compared DOACs with VKAs or LMWH in morbidly obese patients.

Incidence and Survival Outcomes in Patients with Lung Neuroendocrine Neoplasms in the United States.

Background: The incidence and prevalence of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are rapidly rising. Epidemiologic trends have been reported for common NENs, but specific data for lung NENs are lacking.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis utilizing the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

Stress reduction strategies in breast cancer: review of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic based strategies.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women. It is associated with multiple symptoms in both patients and caregivers, such as stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and fatigue. Stress appears to promote cancer progression via activation of the sympathetic nervous system releasing epinephrine and norepinephrine as well as activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis releasing cortisol.

Venous Thromboembolism in COVID-19: Towards an Ideal Approach to Thromboprophylaxis, Screening, and Treatment.

Purpose Of Review: Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with an increased risk of arterial and venous thromboembolic (VTE) diseases. However, there is a limited amount of data regarding the prevention and management of VTE in severe hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Recent Findings: In this article, we review currently available clinical data, and mechanisms for COVID-associated coagulopathy, and propose algorithms for screening, prevention (including extended-duration prophylaxis), and treatment of these patients.

Effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulin use in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) syndrome is an immune-mediated disorder producing thrombocytopenia and thrombosis, with or without prior exposure to heparin. Although avoidance of heparin products and nonheparin anticoagulants are used, immune-based therapies including intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) have been tried when the thrombocytopenia persists or there is breakthrough thrombosis. We sought to systematically review and analyze the published literature on use of IVIg in the treatment of HIT.

COVID-19 and Cancer: a Comprehensive Review.

Purpose Of Review: The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged to be the biggest global health threat worldwide, which has now infected over 1.7 million people and claimed more than 100,000 lives around the world. Under these unprecedented circumstances, there are no well-established guidelines for cancer patients.

Socio-Demographic Disparities in Gastric Adenocarcinoma: A Population-Based Study.

Unlabelled: Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, accounting for 8.2% of cancer-related deaths. The purpose of this study was to investigate the geographic and sociodemographic disparities in gastric adenocarcinoma patients.

Role of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Pulmonary Carcinoids: An NCDB Analysis.

Background/aim: Typical carcinoids (TC) and atypical carcinoids (AC) are rare diseases. A paucity of randomized studies and disagreements among various guidelines makes the management challenging.

Patients And Methods: Using codes for TC (8240) and AC (8249) in the National Cancer Database (NCDB), all surgically resected cases from 2004-2014 were included to evaluate the need for adjuvant chemotherapy.

Phase I Study of Irinotecan/5-Fluorouracil/Leucovorin (FOLFIRI) with Sunitinib for Advanced Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Sunitinib (S) is a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It is synergistic with chemotherapy in preclinical models. We hypothesized that sunitinib in combination with fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) would be a tolerable and effective regimen in advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma.

Geographic and demographic features of neuroendocrine tumors in the United States of America: A population-based study.

Background: The incidence of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is rapidly rising. There are very few studies investigating the role of sociodemographic factors in NETs. This study was aimed at examining how geographic and sociodemographic characteristics shape outcomes in the NET population.

Lactic acidosis: a unique presentation of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

An elderly man in the seventh decade of life was brought to the hospital with worsening mental status. Blood tests revealed anaemia and thrombocytopenia with elevated lactate dehydrogenase and serum lactate levels. CT scan showed bulky thoracic and abdominal lymphadenopathy with splenomegaly.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of apixaban compared to rivaroxaban in acute VTE in the real world.

Both apixaban and rivaroxaban have been approved for use in acute venous thromboembolism (VTE). Although indirect comparison through network meta-analyses of randomized trials have been performed to compare the efficacy and safety of these agents, further comparison between these agents was lacking until recently. We sought to systematically review and carry out a meta-analysis of studies to further compare apixaban with rivaroxaban from multiple studies done in the real-world settings.

Interleukin-6 as a biomarker in patients with hepatobiliary cancers.

Background: The role of inflammation has been well established in many cancers, including hepatobiliary cancers. Elevated levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory marker, are associated with poor overall survival (OS) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.

Methods: We performed a study to establish the role of IL-6 as a prognostic biomarker in both HCC and biliary cancer patients and further assessed the impact of IL-6 on pain score and performance status, two parameters that affect the quality of life.

Management of Typical and Atypical Pulmonary Carcinoids Based on Different Established Guidelines.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a group of malignancies that originated from neuroendocrine cells, with the most common sites being lungs and the gastrointestinal tract. Lung NETs comprise 25% of all lung malignancies. Small cell lung cancer is the most common form of lung NETs, and other rare forms include well-differentiated typical carcinoids (TCs) and poorly differentiated atypical carcinoids (ACs).

Radioactive Iodine-Refractory Differentiated Thyroid Cancer in the Elderly.

Unlabelled: Most common thyroid cancers are differentiated thyroid cancers (DTCs) and have papillary, follicular, or Hürthle cell morphology. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common malignant tumor of the thyroid gland. The incidence of DTC increases with age.

Gemcitabine and carfilzomib induced thrombotic microangiopathy: eculizumab as a life-saving treatment.

Drug-induced aHUS is rare; however, early diagnosis is vital to reduce morbidity and mortality. With confirmation of the diagnosis, eculizumab appears to be a viable treatment option to suppress the pro-inflammatory surge. Furthermore, adverse side effects of medications such as carfilzomib and gemcitabine should be considered in the appropriate settings.

"Lost to Follow-up" Among Adult Cancer Survivors.

Background: Follow-up cancer care is important for patients who have received IV chemotherapy but some patients discontinue their care and are lost to follow-up (LFU) at the cancer center where they were treated. The purpose of this study was to determine what proportion of cancer survivors are LFU at 5 years after treatment, the timing of LFU, and the characteristics of those who do not continue survivorship care.

Methods: Adult patients with cancer who were treated with chemotherapy at a large community teaching hospital in 2006 and 2007 were identified and linked with State tumor registry data.