Comparison of cancer care and outcomes between a public safety-net hospital and a private cancer center.

We compared the cancer outcomes and care-associated service defects between Jackson Memorial Hospital (ABC), a large public safety-net hospital, and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (XYZ), a private not-for-profit cancer center in patients with stage II-III colorectal cancer (CC) who received adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) and in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Colorectal cancer patients treated at ABC were more likely to have undergone urgent surgery. While in the CC cohort, three-year overall survival and relapse-free survival rates were significantly higher among patients treated at XYZ compared with those treated at ABC, there was no significant difference between patients treated for DLBCL in the two hospitals.

Zidovudine-based lytic-inducing chemotherapy for Epstein-Barr virus-related lymphomas.

Treatment of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related lymphomas with lytic-inducing agents is an attractive targeted approach for eliminating virus-infected tumor cells. Zidovudine (AZT) is an excellent substrate for EBV-thymidine kinase: it can induce EBV lytic gene expression and apoptosis in primary EBV+ lymphoma cell lines. We hypothesized that the combination of AZT with lytic-inducing chemotherapy agents would be effective in treating EBV+ lymphomas.

Preoperative docetaxel/cisplatin/5-fluorouracil chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced gastro-esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Perioperative chemotherapy plus surgery improves survival compared to surgery alone in GE junctional (GEJ) and gastric adenocarcinomas. The docetaxel/cisplatin/5-fluorouracil (DCF) combination is superior to CF in patients with metastatic gastric cancer. We retrospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of preoperative DCF chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced gastric and GEJ cancer.

Treatment of FLT3-ITD-positive acute myeloid leukemia relapsing after allogeneic stem cell transplantation with sorafenib.

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and internal tandem duplication of FMS-like tyrosine kinase receptor-3 gene (FLT3-ITD) mutation have poor prognoses and are often treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Sorafenib, an inhibitor of multiple kinases including FLT3, has shown promising activity in FLT3-ITD-positive AML. We treated 16 patients with FLT3-ITD-positive AML who relapsed after HSCT with sorafenib alone (n = 8) or in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy (n = 8).

Does delay of adjuvant chemotherapy impact survival in patients with resected stage II and III colon adenocarcinoma?

Background: It is unclear whether delays in commencing adjuvant chemotherapy after surgical resection of colon adenocarcinoma adversely impact survival.

Methods: Patients with stage II-III colon adenocarcinoma who received adjuvant chemotherapy at 2 centers were identified through the institutional tumor registry. Time to adjuvant chemotherapy, overall survival (OS), and relapse-free survival (RFS) were calculated from the day of surgery.

Simultaneous measurement of ERα, HER2, and phosphoERK1/2 in breast cancer cell lines by flow cytometry.

The activation of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) results in the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade that may lead to the resistance to anti-estrogen therapy in estrogen receptor (ERα) expressing breast cancer by means of phosphorylation of ERα in the N-terminal region by phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (pERK1/2) and by means of decreasing ERα expression. Immunohistochemistry is the most widely used technique for the detection of ERα and HER2 in breast cancer specimens, however, is inadequate in its ability to assess the relationship between ERα, HER2, and MAPK cascade at the single cell level. To clear this major hurdle, we devised a novel flow cytometric method to quantify the expression of ERα, HER2, and the activation of MAPK cascade simultaneously in single cells.

High-dose glucocorticoids improve renal failure reversibility in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

One-fifth of the newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients present with renal failure (RF) [1-3]. Glucocorticoids (GCs) may improve RF in MM by (1) rapid reduction of paraprotein production, (2) lessening inflammation and fibrosis in renal parenchyma, and (3) decreasing serum calcium level. We hypothesized that lower dose GCs may be less effective in restoring renal function and retrospectively compared the RF reversibility between the newly diagnosed MM patients who were treated with GCs equivalent to ≥160 mg DX over 4 days (high-dose GC group, n = 16) versus those who were treated with <160 mg (low-dose/no GC group, n = 8).

Advances in haploidentical stem cell transplantation.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from haploidentical donors is an attractive method of transplantation due to the immediate donor availability, ease of stem cell procurement and the possibility to collect additional donor cells for cellular therapy, if needed. Historically, maintaining T-cells in the graft has been associated with very high rates of graft-versus-host disease, while T-cell depleted haploidentical transplantation has been limited by a higher incidence of graft rejection and delayed immune reconstitution post-transplant. Recent approaches attempt to maintain the T-cells in the graft while effectively preventing the development of graft-versus-host disease post-transplant.

Recent developments in palliative chemotherapy for locally advanced and metastatic pancreas cancer.

In spite of advances made in the management of the other more common cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, significant progress in the treatment of pancreatic cancer remains elusive. Nearly as many deaths occur from pancreatic cancer as are diagnosed each year reflecting the poor prognosis typically associated with this disease. Until recently, the only treatment with an impact on survival was surgery.

Esophageal cancer presenting with atrial fibrillation: a case report.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation was previously reported in patients with esophageal cancer as a complication of total esophagectomy or photodynamic therapy. Here, we propose that atrial fibrillation may also be caused by external compression of the left atrium by esophageal cancer.

Case Presentation: We present a 58-year-old man who developed atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular rate in the emergency room while being evaluated for dysphagia and weight loss.

Hepatic venous outflow obstruction: three similar syndromes.

Our goal is to provide a detailed review of veno-occlusive disease (VOD), Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS), and congestive hepatopathy (CH), all of which results in hepatic venous outflow obstruction. This is the first article in which all three syndromes have been reviewed, enabling the reader to compare the characteristics of these disorders. The histological findings in VOD, BCS, and CH are almost identical: sinusoidal congestion and cell necrosis mostly in perivenular areas of hepatic acini which eventually leads to bridging fibrosis between adjacent central veins.