Oncology (Williston Park, NY)

In a recent Hot Topics article, reimbursement rates for Medicare physicians are discussed, and how it will impact their practice.

Ovarian cancer accounts for more deaths than any other malignancy of the female reproductive system. Early diagnosis of this disease is difficult because there are no systematic opportunistic screening methods. At advanced stages, diagnostic laparoscopy is the first step in confirming disease advancement and obtaining samples for genetic and pathologic examination needed to start chemotherapy. Swiftly starting oncological treatment is crucial for increasing the survival rate in these patients. We present the case of a 51-year-old woman with metastatic International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIC ovarian cancer who had delayed her therapy after initial laparoscopy due to COVID-19 infection and presented with an extreme case of surgical port metastasis...

In a recent Hot Topics article, reimbursement rates for Medicare physicians are discussed, and how it will impact their practice.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare and aggressive hematological malignancy with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. This case report presents the clinical course and management of a 62-year-old man with BPDCN in a resource-limited setting. The patient presented with constitutional symptoms and abnormal complete blood count findings. Initial treatment was performed with an acute lymphoblastic leukemia-based chemotherapy regimen, and the patient achieved complete remission, but the disease recurred 7 months after the initial diagnosis was confirmed in April 2022...

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma characterized by the t(11;14) chromosomal translocation, which leads to the dysregulation of the cell cycle through overexpression of cyclin D1. Although advances in treatment have improved outcomes, in particular the introduction of Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors to the treatment armamentarium and more recently chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, MCL often rapidly develops resistance and has a high rate of relapse. In addition, MCL is clinically heterogeneous...

BACKGROUND: The study of health-related quality of life in survivors of gynecologic cancers is becoming increasingly important as 1.5 million survivors of gynecologic cancer in the United States and more are expected due to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This project investigated the perceived needs and lived experiences of survivors of gynecological cancer to help design supportive activities to be implemented in clinical practice. METHODS: Patients were recruited in hospitals or through social media and responded to an online survey that was addressed to patients in Italy, specifically in Sicily, Puglia, and Campania...

Purpose A third-party telemedicine (TM) genetic counseling program was initiated at a large community oncology practice spanning 35 clinical sites with 110 clinicians and 97 advanced practice providers throughout Tennessee and Georgia. Patients and Methods Appropriate patients were referred through the electronic health record (EHR) based on current National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. A combination of TM and genetic counseling assistants enhanced convenience, broadened access, and decreased no-show rates...

INTRODUCTION: Exceptional response to therapy is rare in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. This study explored potential genomic differences between typical and exceptional responses that could confer more favorable biology. METHODS: We included exceptional responders and controls with advanced pancreatic cancer from Cleveland Clinic from April 2013 to August 2017. Exceptional responders were defined as patients with an overall survival of more than 18 months for metastatic disease and more than 24 months for locally advanced disease...

Purpose To study the potential utility of danazol for treating patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, with a focus on efficacy and adverse effects (AEs). Methods MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus were searched for relevant publications from inception June 1, 1950, until June 28, 2022. The studies were screened by title and abstract, followed by full-text screening. The quality of the included studies was assessed via a prespecified set of questionnaires...

In a recent Hot Topics column, Mehmet Sitki Copur, MD, FACP, et al discussed the pros and cons of patients receiving test results early through electronic medical records.

Gorlin-Goltz syndrome, also known as Gorlin syndrome, basal cell nevus syndrome, and nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome, is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder. Its hallmark is an early onset of basal cell carcinoma. Additionally, the syndrome is characterized by a spectrum of distinct clinical attributes encompassing oral, skeletal, ophthalmic, neurological, and developmental aberrations. This condition arises due to anomalies in the Hedgehog signaling pathway, leading to constant pathway activity and uncontrolled growth of tumor cells...

Clear cell sarcoma (CCS) is a rare but aggressive malignancy that typically occurs in young adults and is characterized by soft tissue tumors of the extremities. CCS can be difficult to distinguish from metastatic melanoma based solely on histology and immunohistochemistry (IHC) because of the significant overlap between them. However, it is imperative to get an accurate clinical diagnosis, as it informs disease staging and treatment options for patient care. Present in approximately 75% of CCS cases, the EWSR1 gene rearrangement detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) can help with establishing a diagnosis; the underlying reciprocal translocation has never been reported in cutaneous melanoma...

Predominantly autoimmune in origin, severe normochromic, normocytic anemia with reticulocytopenia in the setting of the normal production of leukocytes and megakaryocytic lineages is known as pure red cell aplasia (PRCA), which is unlike aplastic anemia in which all lineages are affected due to a stem cell defect. PRCA can be primary (such as autoimmune) or acquired, which can be an acute self-limited illness or a chronic disease that may be induced by medications, including immunotherapy such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)...

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) is usually seen in children and is usually located intracranially; it generally has a poor prognosis. Due to this tumor's rarity and the lack of randomized controlled trials, it has been challenging to define optimal therapy and to make treatment advances. Treatment options are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. This is a case report of a man with spinal ATRT, aged 44 years, who was treated with radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer worldwide. Extrahepatic spread is not unusual during HCC disease, but bone metastases at initial presentation are rare. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe a case of HCC presenting with a clavicular head mass and spinal metastases with normal α-fetoprotein (AFP) level and hepatitis C virus infection without cirrhosis. After undergoing bone and liver biopsies, the patient started a 12-week course of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir and bevacizumab/atezolizumab for lifelong therapy with palliative intent...

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is characterized by heterogeneous biology and varied clinical presentations. Historically, it has been associated with a poor prognosis when compared with other non-Hodgkin lymphomas. With a better understanding of the disease biology, molecular pathogenesis, and new treatments, the outcomes have been gradually improving. Identification of high-risk mutations has resulted in better prognostication and paved the way for risk-adapted treatment approaches. Although chemoimmunotherapy remains the mainstay frontline treatment, combination therapies incorporating novel agents such as Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors, B-cell lymphoma inhibitors, and immunomodulatory agents are being studied, with promising results...

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare type of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. However, its prevalence has increased significantly the past few years due to increased awareness about the disorder, and 1500 cases have been reported worldwide. It is often a multisystemic disease with skeletal, cardiovascular, urologic, renal, retroperitoneal, pulmonary, endocrine, cutaneous, and neurologic involvement. MAPK pathway mutations, such as BRAF activating and MAP2K1 mutations, play a key role in its pathogenesis...

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which accounts for an increasing proportion of all head and neck cancers, represents a specific entity with distinct clinical and molecular characteristics. It is now firmly established that patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal SCC have a significantly improved prognosis because this variant has exquisite radiosensitivity compared with HPV-negative oropharyngeal SCC; thus, it can be targeted with de-escalated approaches using reduced doses of radiation and/or chemotherapy...

A Hispanic man, aged 42 years, was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic urothelial bladder cancer (MUBC) with nonregional lymphadenopathies and lung, bone, and skin involvement. He received first-line treatment with gemcitabine and cisplatin for 6 cycles, achieving a partial response (PR). Next, he received immunotherapy maintenance with avelumab for 4 months until disease progression. A next-generation sequencing test of paraffin-embedded tumor tissue identified a fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) S249C missense mutation...

OBJECTIVES: We present our experience with and data about a very rare neoplasm of the kidney, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). METHODS: A total of 14 patients with a diagnosis of SCC were identified on the basis of a retrospective analysis of medical records of patients who underwent surgery for renal cancers between 2015 and 2021 at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation. IBM SPSS v25 was used to record and analyze data. RESULTS: Most patients found to have SCC of the kidney were male (71...