Demographic differences in early vs. late-stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate how various demographic factors impact the stage at diagnosis and, therefore, prognosis of laryngeal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the National Cancer Database, 96,409 patients were diagnosed with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma between 2004 and 2020. Early (stage 0 or I) vs. late-stage (stage IV) cancers were compared based on demographic variables utilizing Chi-square and multivariate analysis with a significance of p < 0.05. RESULTS: Female, Black, and generally older patients were more likely to have late-stage cancer than their counterparts. When compared with a community cancer program, patients treated at other facility types were more likely to be diagnosed late. Patients with private insurance, Medicare, or other government insurance were all less likely to have late-stage cancer compared to patients without insurance. Compared to patients in the lowest median household income quartile, patients in the third quartile and fourth quartile were diagnosed earlier. Patients living in an area with the lowest level of high school degree attainment were most likely to be diagnosed late. Living in a more populous area was associated with a lower chance of being diagnosed late. Increasing Charlson-Deyo Score was associated with a stronger likelihood of being diagnosed at a later stage. CONCLUSION: Patients who are female, Black, uninsured, have a low household income, live in less populated and less educated areas, are treated at non-community cancer programs, and have more comorbid conditions have later stage diagnoses. This data contributes to understanding inequities in healthcare.

Tracheal Stenosis in Open Versus Percutaneous Tracheostomy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate if there is an increased risk of developing tracheal stenosis after tracheostomy with an open versus percutaneous tracheostomy. METHODS: The patient cohort included patients receiving open or percutaneous tracheostomies at Catholic Health Initiatives Midwest facilities from January 2017 to June 2023. The primary aim was to compare the differences in the risk of developing tracheal stenosis between open and percutaneous tracheostomy techniques. Between-technique differences in the risk of developing tracheal stenosis were assessed via a Cox proportional hazard model. To account for death precluding patients from developing tracheal stenosis, death was considered a competing risk. RESULTS: A total of 828 patients met inclusion criteria (61.7% open, 38.3% percutaneous); 2.5% (N = 21) developed tracheal stenosis. The median number of days to develop tracheal stenosis was 84 (interquartile range: 60 to 243, range: 6 to 739). Tracheal stenosis was more frequent in patients who received a percutaneous tracheostomy (percutaneous: 3.5% vs. open: 2.0%); however, the risk of developing tracheal stenosis was statistically similar between open and percutaneous techniques (HR: 2.05, 95% CI: 0.86-4.94, p = 0.108). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates no significant difference in the development of tracheal stenosis when performing an open versus a percutaneous tracheostomy. Tracheal stenosis is a long-term complication of tracheostomy and should not influence the decision about the surgical technique used.

Transoral Robotic Surgery for Eagle Syndrome: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is gaining popularity and has been introduced for the treatment of Eagle syndrome. This review aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of TORS for the treatment of Eagle syndrome. Methods: A systematic review of the English language literature using multiple databases was completed for studies describing TORS for Eagle syndrome. The quality of studies and risk of bias were evaluated using the MINORS scoring system. Results: Out of 1495 articles screened, 4 studies met criteria for inclusion in the final analysis. Across all studies, there was a 100% surgical success rate. In total, every patient had some level of symptom improvement with 84% of patients having complete symptom improvement and 16% having partial improvement. Reported estimated blood loss averaged 12.5 mL. A total of 94.7% of patients had no surgical complications and no cases were complicated by postoperative bleeding. Operative time averaged 65 minutes. The average length of stay was 2.1 days. A total of 92% of patients resumed their diet on postoperative day 1, with the remainder resuming on postoperative day 2. MINORS criteria scoring suggested moderate risk of bias in all studies. Conclusion: Based on limited quality evidence, this review suggests that TORS is a safe and effective surgical approach in the treatment of Eagle syndrome with low complication rates. Further large-scale prospective studies are warranted.

Repurposing AZD5438 and Dabrafenib for Cisplatin-Induced AKI.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: To combat both untoward effects of nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity in cisplatin-treated patients, two potential therapeutic oral anticancer drugs AZD5438 and dabrafenib, a phase-2 clinical trial protein kinase CDK2 inhibitor and an US Food and Drug Administration-approved drug BRAF inhibitor, respectively, were tested in an established mouse AKI model. Both drugs have previously been shown to protect significantly against cisplatin-induced hearing loss in mice. Each drug ameliorated cisplatin-induced increases in the serum biomarkers BUN, creatinine, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin. Drugs also improved renal histopathology and inflammation, mitigated cell death by pyroptosis and necroptosis, and significantly enhanced overall survival of cisplatin-treated mice. BACKGROUND: Cisplatin is an effective chemotherapy agent for a wide variety of solid tumors, but its use is dose-limited by serious side effects, including AKI and hearing loss. There are no US Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs to treat both side effects. Recently, two anticancer oral drugs, AZD5438 and dabrafenib, were identified as protective against cisplatin-induced hearing loss in mice. We hypothesize that similar cell stress and death pathways are activated in kidney and inner ear cells when exposed to cisplatin and tested whether these drugs alleviate cisplatin-induced AKI. METHODS: The HK-2 cell line and adult FVB mice were used to measure the protection from cisplatin-induced cell death and AKI by these drugs. Serum markers of kidney injury, BUN, creatinine, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as well as histology of kidneys were analyzed. The levels of markers of kidney cell death, including necroptosis and pyroptosis, pERK, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen, were also examined by Western blotting and immunofluorescence. In addition, CDK2 knockout (KO) mice were used to confirm AZD5438 protective effect is through CDK2 inhibition. RESULTS: The drugs reduced cisplatin-induced cell death in the HK-2 cell line and attenuated cisplatin-induced AKI in mice. The drugs reduced serum kidney injury markers, inhibited cell death, and reduced the levels of pERK and proliferating cell nuclear antigen, all of which correlated with prolonged animal survival. CDK2 KO mice were resistant to cisplatin-induced AKI, and AZD5438 conferred no additional protection in the KO mice. CONCLUSIONS: Cisplatin-induced damage to the inner ear and kidneys shares similar cellular beneficial responses to AZD5438 and dabrafenib, highlighting the potential therapeutic use of these agents to treat both cisplatin-mediated kidney damage and hearing loss.

Association Between Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors and Diagnosis of Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: An Analysis of the National Cancer Database.

Introduction Lung cancer is a prevalent and potentially lethal cancer. The stage at initial presentation for diagnosis predicts mortality and helps to guide treatment options. Thus, it is critical to determine what factors impact the stage of cancer at diagnosis. This study sought to determine if certain socioeconomic and demographic factors are associated with receiving an early (Stage 0-I) or advanced (Stage IV) diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Using the National Cancer Database (NCDB), 1,149,539 patients were identified as having an NCDB Analytic Stage Group diagnosis of Stage 0-I (early) versus Stage IV (advanced) NSCLC between 2004 and 2018. Patients with early and delayed diagnoses were compared based on specific characteristics including sex, race, ethnicity, number of comorbid conditions, insurance status, median annual income, level of education, geographic location, and reporting facility. Using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28 (Released 2021; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States), the data underwent analysis using binary multivariate logistic regression, chi-square analyses, and one-way ANOVA. Results Factors associated with an advanced diagnosis of NSCLC include being male, Black, Native American, or Hispanic. Compared to patients with at least one comorbid condition, those without comorbid conditions are more likely to present with advanced disease. Patients with private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, or other government insurance are all less likely to present with advanced-stage cancer than patients without insurance. Compared to patients in the lowest median household income quartile, those in the second and fourth quartiles are diagnosed earlier. Patients living in areas where a higher proportion of residents lack a high school diploma are more likely to present with advanced NSCLC. Additionally, living in the Midwest and Western United States and presenting to Community Cancer programs are associated with advanced disease at initial presentation. Conclusions Factors that were associated with the advanced presentation of NSCLC included being male, Black, Native American, or Hispanic, having a lack of comorbid conditions or insurance, earning a lower median annual income, and living in a zip code where a higher proportion of residents lack a high school diploma. Additionally, residing in the Midwest and Western United States and seeking care at Community Cancer programs were associated with advanced disease at initial presentation. Understanding that certain socioeconomic and demographic factors impact the stage at initial diagnosis of NSCLC can allow for targeted intervention strategies aimed at the most at-risk individuals, areas, and facilities.

Sex and Race Disparities in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B During COVID-19: A Single-Center Retrospective Review.

Background: The management of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is complex and spans multiple medical specialties. As a result of this complexity, patients with CHB often do not receive adequate monitoring including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance with abdominal ultrasonography. Previous studies have identified multiple factors associated with decreased HCC surveillance. We aimed to identify the impact of race and sex on HCC surveillance in patients with CHB. Methods: We performed a single health system chart review between January 2018 and January 2022. Differences between sex and race were evaluated using the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test, and continuous variables were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: A total of 248 patient records between January 2018 and January 2022 were evaluated. In total 37% of females were adequately screened for HCC in any of the 6-month time frames compared to 26% of males. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surge, surveillance rates were reduced in both men and women. During the first 6 months of the COVID-19 surge, there was a significant difference in screening between men and women (19% vs. 35%, P = 0.026). There was a decrease in HCC screening across all races during the COVID-19 surge; however, no significant difference when comparing races was found. Conclusion: Men received less HCC surveillance compared to women. These differences were more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic surge. Obtaining appropriate surveillance is important and retrospective evaluations can help us determine the presence of health-related social needs so that progress can be made toward achieving health equity.

Multifactorial Hyponatremia: Don't Miss Ruling Out Malignancy.

A 62-year-old male with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), schizoaffective disorder treated with Zoloft, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and tobacco use presented with an acute on chronic hyponatremia of 120 mEq/L. He presented with only a mild headache and endorsed recently increasing his free water intake due to a cough. Labs and physical exam findings suggested a true, euvolemic hyponatremia. Polydipsia and Zoloft-induced syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) were determined to be likely contributors to his hyponatremia. However, given his tobacco use, further workup was done to rule out malignancy causing hyponatremia. Chest CT did ultimately suggest malignancy and further workup was recommended. With the hyponatremia treated, the patient was discharged with recommended outpatient workup. This case serves as a reminder to consider that hyponatremia may be multifactorial and even if there is a likely cause identified, malignancy should be ruled out in patients with risk factors.