Risk factors and prevention strategies for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in transplant recipients.

It has been well established that organ transplant recipients (OTRs) are at an increased risk of skin cancer. Studies vary on the exact degree of this risk, but it is likely somewhere between 60 and 100 times more likely that an OTR patient will develop skin cancer. The management of skin cancer burden in OTRs requires a multidisciplinary approach with the transplant team, dermatologists, and oncology. In many major hospital systems, there are dedicated transplant dermatology clinics that allow for specialized and more frequent screenings of this high-risk population. Here we discuss the pathogenesis, presentation, and treatment options used by dermatologists to prevent and treat commonly found skin cancers in this vulnerable population.

Review of the Etiopathogenesis and Management Options of Chondrodermatitis Nodularis Chronica Helicis.

Chondrodermatits nodularis chronica helicis (CNCH), first described by Max Winkler in 1915, presents as a sore nodule on the helix or antihelix of the external ear. In this paper, we review the etiopathogenesis and management options of CNCH. This condition has a multifactorial etiology; however, sustained pressure from sleeping on one side is the favored theory. Currently, there are many surgical and non-surgical methods of treating CNCH. Most practitioners recommend conservative measures first in their patients, such as pressure-relieving prostheses, prior to surgical treatment. Surgery is the gold standard of therapy with cartilage and wedge excisions yielding recurrence rates of about 10%. Carbon dioxide laser and photodynamic therapy are newer treatment modalities for CNCH, yet they have recurrence rates similar to conservative therapy. In conclusion, due to the high rates of CNCH recurrence, wedge resection is the suggested treatment for CNCH after conservative measures fail.

Differentiation of Lung Cancer, Empyema, and Abscess Through the Investigation of a Dry Cough.

An acute dry cough results commonly from bronchitis or pneumonia. When a patient presents with signs of infection, respiratory crackles, and a positive chest radiograph, the diagnosis of pneumonia is more common. Antibiotic failure in a patient being treated for community-acquired pneumonia requires further investigation through chest computed tomography. If a lung mass is found on chest computed tomography, lung empyema, abscess, and cancer need to be included on the differential and managed aggressively. This report describes a 55-year-old Caucasian male, with a history of obesity, recovered alcoholism, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension, presenting with an acute dry cough in the primary care setting. The patient developed signs of infection and was found to have a lung mass on chest computed tomography. Treatment with piperacillin-tazobactam and chest tube placement did not resolve the mass, so treatment with thoracotomy and lobectomy was required. It was determined through surgical investigation that the patient, despite having no risk factors, developed a lung abscess. Lung abscesses rarely form in healthy middle-aged individuals making it an unlikely cause of the patient's presenting symptom, dry cough. The patient cleared his infection with proper management and only suffered minor complications of mild pneumoperitoneum and pneumothorax during his hospitalization.

A Review of Colorectal Cancer Detection Modalities, Stool DNA, and Fecal Immunochemistry Testing in Adults Over the Age of 50.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Recently, more focus has been placed on developing effective screening tools to detect the presence of both precancerous and cancerous lesions present in the colon and rectum. Colonoscopy has been well established as the gold standard of the colon and rectal cancer screening. However, not all patients are willing to undergo a colonoscopy due to the procedure's invasive nature. Non-invasive screening methods have been developed to appeal to patients who refuse colonoscopy. Fecal occult blood tests have long been used by physicians, in addition to colonoscopy, in an effort to screen for CRC. New screening methods, such as fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and stool DNA (sDNA) testing, have been developed as a more sensitive screening measure to attempt to accurately screen patients who have precancerous or cancerous colorectal lesions. This article compares CRC screening techniques through literature review in order to determine which tests offer the most sensitive detection of CRC and precancerous lesions in average-risk adults over the age of 50 years old. Through this review, it can be seen that sDNA is more sensitive than FIT in detecting all stages of CRC, as well as precancerous lesions.