Despite the fact that it is highly curable if diagnosed early, ovarian cancer causes more mortality in American women each year than all other gynecologic malignancies combined. More »
Of the predominant gynecologic cancers, cancer of the uterine cervix is the least common, with only 12,200 new cases anticipated in the United States in 2010. Nevertheless, approximately 4,210 women... More »
Although still relatively uncommon in Western countries, esophageal cancer is fatal in the vast majority of cases. In the United States, an estimated 16,640 new cases will be diagnosed in the year... More »
Testicular cancer, although an uncommon malignancy, is the most frequently occurring cancer in young men. In the year 2010, an estimated 8,480 cases of testicular cancer will have been diagnosed in... More »
Gastric cancer is more common than esophageal cancer in Western countries but is less fatal. More than 21,000 new cases of gastric cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in the year 2010, with... More »
Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality in American men. Despite the fact that this cancer will be diagnosed in an estimated 217,730... More »
As a medical oncologist who entered the field when there were perhaps 50 or so active drugs, I have become increasingly disturbed by the rising costs of cancer care. Of course, I am not alone in... More »
Advances in the multidisciplinary management of metastatic colorectal cancer have improved survival considerably, and nurses are key to optimal patient care. More »
The article by Ruch and Hussain provides a comprehensive overview of the progress that has been made in translating basic science findings in prostate cancer biology to clinical trials. More »
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States, and, even though 5-15% of the total CRC cases can be attributed to individual genetic predisposition, environmental factors could be considered major factors in susceptibility to CRC. Lifestyle factors increasing the risks of CRC include elevated body mass index, obesity, and reduced physical activity. Additionally, a number of dietary elements have been associated with higher or lower incidence of CRC. In this context, it has been suggested that diets high in fruit and low in meat might have a protective effect, reducing the incidence of colorectal adenomas by modulating the composition of the normal nonpathogenic commensal microbiota. In addition, it has been demonstrated that changes in abundance of taxonomic groups have a profound impact on the gastrointestinal physiology, and an increasing number of studies are proposing that the microbiota mediates the generation of dietary factors
Metastatic brain tumors represent 20% to 40% of all intracranial neoplasms and are found most frequently in association with lung cancer (50%) and breast cancer (12%). Although brain metastases occur in <4% of all tumors of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the incidence of GI brain metastasis is rising in part due to more effective systemic treatments and prolonged survival of patients with GI cancer. Data were collected from 25 studies (11 colorectal, 7 esophageal, 2 gastric, 1 pancreatic, 1 intestinal, 3 all-inclusive GI tract cancer) and 13 case reports (4 pancreatic, 4 gallbladder, and 5 small bowel cancer). Brain metastases are found in 1% of colorectal cancer, 1.2% of esophageal cancer, 0.62% of gastric cancer, and 0.33% of pancreatic cancer cases. Surgical resection with whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) has been associated with the longest median survival (38.4-262 weeks) compared with surgery alone (16.4-70.8 weeks), stereotactic radiosurgery (20-38 weeks), WBRT alone
Invasive fungal infections cause significant morbidity and mortality in pediatric cancer patients. Candida species are the most frequently isolated pathogen. Candida species may cause bloodstream and deep-seated infection in neutropenic children with cancer. The gastrointestinal system, lung, liver and spleen are the most frequently involved organs. Isolated renal involvement presented as abscess formation has been reported rarely in children with cancer. Herein, we report a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who presented with renal abscess and fungus ball formation due to Candida norvegensis, which is an unusual cause of infection.
To assess the relationship between hospital volume and in-hospital mortality of patients undergoing four surgical procedures for gastrointestinal cancers in Korea.|Using the database of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, we identified 66,201 patients who underwent the four types of gastrointestinal resection during the period 2005-2006. Participating hospitals were divided into five groups according to their surgical volume. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, defined as death from any cause before discharge. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of hospital volume on risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality.|We observed a significant relationship between hospital volume and in-hospital mortality rate for patients undergoing the four types of cancer-related gastrointestinal surgeries. The in-hospital mortality rate was lower for high-volume than for low-volume hospitals after adjusting for patient characteristics. The
