Quantitative associations between health insurance and stage of melanoma at diagnosis among nonelderly adults in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Health insurance plays a critical role in the accessibility to and quality of health care for patients with melanoma in the United States. Current knowledge regarding the association between insurance status and stage of melanoma is limited because few studies to date have simultaneously controlled for factors known to influence the risk of diagnosis of late-stage melanoma. The current study was conducted to examine the association between health insurance status and stage of melanoma at the time of diagnosis in nonelderly adults, accounting for known risk factors for late-stage diagnosis. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the authors analyzed the National Cancer Data Base for cases of invasive melanoma diagnosed between 2004 and 2015 among individuals aged 26 to 64 years. Using the American Joint Committee on Cancer melanoma staging system, early-stage melanoma was defined as stage I or stage II whereas late-stage melanoma was defined as stage III or stage IV. Late-stage diagnosis was the primary outcome compared across 4 insurance types (private, Medicaid, none, and unknown). Adjusted covariates were age, sex, race/ethnicity, educational level, income, year of diagnosis, number of comorbidities, and facility location. Logistic regression was used for univariable and multivariable analyses. RESULTS: Among 177,247 cases, individuals with Medicaid or no health insurance were found to have 3.12 (95% CI, 2.97-3.28) and 2.21 (95% CI, 2.10-2.33) times greater odds, respectively, of being diagnosed with late-stage melanoma compared with individuals with private insurance after adjusting for risk factors in late-stage diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Future investigation into insurance disparities in the diagnosis of late-stage melanoma may help to prioritize melanoma screening in populations with nonprivate insurance.

Thirty-Day Unplanned Reintubation Following Pleurodesis: A Retrospective National Registry Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To examine risk factors associated with 30-day unplanned reintubation after pleurodesis. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program surgical outcomes registry. SETTING: United States hospitals participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. PARTICIPANTS: The study comprised 2,358 patients who underwent video-assisted thorascopic surgery for pleurodesis from 2007 to 2016. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The final sample included 2,358 cases, of which 93 (3.9%) required 30-day unplanned reintubation. Cases with 30-day unplanned reintubation, compared to those without, had higher unadjusted rates of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA PS) score ≥4 (54.8% v 27.2%), preoperative dyspnea (71% v 57%), congestive heart failure (14% v 5.4%), functional dependence (28% v 10.3%), and diabetes mellitus (29% v 17.8%) (all p < 0.05). Patients with 30-day reintubation experienced higher unadjusted rates of 30-day outcomes including mortality (50.5% v 10.1%), pneumonia (28% v 4.9%), ventilator dependence (50.5% v 10.1%), sepsis (7.5% v 1.9%), myocardial infarction (5.4% v 0.1%), cardiac arrest (18.3% v 0.6%), transfusion (14% v 4.5%), and reoperation (15.1% v 3.2%) (all p < 0.05). The odds of 30-day unplanned reintubation were increased significantly on multivariable analysis for patients with ASA PS score ≥4, functional dependence, disseminated cancer, renal dialysis, and weight loss (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Given the dearth of population-based studies addressing risk factors of reintubation after pleurodesis, this study suggests further review of preoperative optimization, which is required to improve patient outcomes and safety.

Prediction Model for Extended Hospital Stay Among Medicare Beneficiaries After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

OBJECTIVE: The authors conducted a retrospective analysis to develop a predictive model consisting of factors associated with extended hospital stay among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Multi-institutional. PARTICIPANTS: Data were obtained from the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample registry from 2013 to 2014 over a 2-year period. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome was extended hospital stay, which was defined as an inpatient stay greater than 75th percentile for the cohort (≥5 d), among Medicare beneficiaries (fee-for-service and managed care) undergoing PCI. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was built on a training set to develop the predictive model. The authors evaluated model performance with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and performed k-folds cross-validation to calculate the average AUC. The final analysis included 91,880 patients. Inpatient hospital length of stay ranged from 0 to 247 days, with 3 and 5 days as the median and 3rd quartile hospital stay, respectively. The final multivariable analysis suggested that sociodemographic variables, hospital-related factors, and comorbidities were associated with a greater odds of extended hospital stay (all p < 0.05). The use of PCI with drug-eluting stent was associated with a 31% decrease in extended hospital stay (odds ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.66-0.72; p < 0.001). Model discrimination was deemed excellent with an AUC (95% confidence interval) of 0.814 (0.811-0.817) and 0.809 (0.799-0.819) for the training and testing sets, respectively. CONCLUSION: The authors' predictive model identified risk factors that have a higher probability of extended hospital stay. This model can be used to improve periprocedural optimization and improved discharge planning, which may help to decrease costs associated with PCIs. Management of Medicare beneficiaries after PCI calls for a multidisciplinary approach among healthcare teams and hospital administrators.

Discrimination of Breast Cancer from Healthy Breast Tissue Using a Three-component Diffusion-weighted MRI Model.

PURPOSE: Diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) is a contrast-free modality that has demonstrated ability to discriminate between predefined benign and malignant breast lesions. However, how well DW-MRI discriminates cancer from all other breast tissue voxels in a clinical setting is unknown. Here we explore the voxelwise ability to distinguish cancer from healthy breast tissue using signal contributions from the newly developed three-component multi-b-value DW-MRI model. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Patients with pathology-proven breast cancer from two datasets (n = 81 and n = 25) underwent multi-b-value DW-MRI. The three-component signal contributions C 1 and C 2 and their product, C 1 C 2, and signal fractions F 1, F 2, and F 1 F 2 were compared with the image defined on maximum b-value (DWI max), conventional apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and apparent diffusion kurtosis (K app). The ability to discriminate between cancer and healthy breast tissue was assessed by the false-positive rate given a sensitivity of 80% (FPR80) and ROC AUC. RESULTS: Mean FPR80 for both datasets was 0.016 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.008-0.024] for C 1 C 2, 0.136 (95% CI, 0.092-0.180) for C 1, 0.068 (95% CI, 0.049-0.087) for C 2, 0.462 (95% CI, 0.425-0.499) for F 1 F 2, 0.832 (95% CI, 0.797-0.868) for F 1, 0.176 (95% CI, 0.150-0.203) for F 2, 0.159 (95% CI, 0.114-0.204) for DWI max, 0.731 (95% CI, 0.692-0.770) for ADC, and 0.684 (95% CI, 0.660-0.709) for K app. Mean ROC AUC for C 1 C 2 was 0.984 (95% CI, 0.977-0.991). CONCLUSIONS: The C 1 C 2 parameter of the three-component model yields a clinically useful discrimination between cancer and healthy breast tissue, superior to other DW-MRI methods and obliviating predefining lesions. This novel DW-MRI method may serve as noncontrast alternative to standard-of-care dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.

A population-based study of sociodemographic and clinical factors among children and adolescents with opioid overdose.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: An upsurge of high-risk opioid misuse has contributed to the epidemic of opioid overdose in the United States. The primary aim was to report the rate of opioid overdose among the pediatric population and to report demographic and medical differences among POD versus IOD populations. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive analysis of opioid overdose using the largest pediatric inpatient database in the United States. We performed a Pearson chi-square and Wilcoxon rank sum test to compare differences between cohorts. SETTING: Multi-institutional. PATIENTS: Data were obtained from the Kids' Inpatient Database of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. We used the International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision codes to extract records of pediatric patients who were admitted for POD or IOD from 2000 to 2012. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS: None. MAIN RESULTS: The final analysis included 15,884 patients admitted to a United States hospitals with opioid overdose. The rate of POD and IOD has increased steadily from 2000 to 2012. Black, Asian or Pacific Islander, Native American, Multi-race, and Unknown race had higher proportion of POD versus IOD (p < 0.001). Compared to POD, the rate of IOD was highest in Northeast (29.2% versus 14.3%, p < 0.001) and Midwest (31.6%versus 26.1%, (p < 0.001) regions of the country. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reinforce existing studies that report a continued rise in opioid morbidity and mortality while providing new insights into sociodemographic patterns and comorbidities associated with POD versus IOD.

Pigmented Basal Cell Carcinoma Masquerading as a Melanoma.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer. Pigmented basal cell carcinoma is an uncommon clinical presentation that can resemble a melanoma. We present the clinical and pathologic features of three individuals whose pigmented basal cell carcinomas masqueraded as melanomas. All of the patients were Hispanic and ranged in age from 63 years to 77 years. They presented with a pigmented lesion that was ultimately diagnosed as a pigmented basal cell carcinoma; one woman had a collision tumor consisting of a pigmented basal cell carcinoma and a seborrheic keratosis. All of the patients had their tumors removed using Mohs micrographic surgery, without recurrence. The clinical differential diagnosis of a black tumor-particularly in patients with darker skin types-should include pigmented basal cell carcinoma in addition to melanoma; a biopsy of the lesion will establish the diagnosis.

Pigmented Actinic Keratosis: Case Report and Review of an Uncommon Actinic Keratosis Variant that can Mimic Melanoma.

Pigmented actinic keratosis is an uncommon variant of actinic keratosis that can mimic melanocytic lesions. A 54-year-old man who presented with a dark lesion on his nasal tip is described; biopsy of the lesion revealed a pigmented actinic keratosis that was treated with cryotherapy using liquid nitrogen. Pigmented actinic keratoses typically appear on sun-exposed areas of the skin as flat hyperpigmented lesions that grow in a centrifugal pattern. Dermoscopy reveals one or more pseudonetworks with hyperpigmented dots or globules. Histopathology shows atypical keratinocytes in the epidermal basal layer and increased melanin content in the epidermis and dermis. Treatment options include liquid nitrogen cryotherapy for solitary lesions and curettage, 5-fluorouracil, imiquimod, ingenol mebutate, photodynamic therapy, or superficial peels for extensive lesions.

Basal Cell Carcinoma Originating in a Tattoo: Case Report and Review of an Uncommon Complication in Tattoo Recipients.

BACKGROUND: The placement of a tattoo is a common event. Basal cell carcinoma arising from a tattoo is rare despite this neoplasm being the most common form of skin cancer. OBJECTIVE: We describe a 41-year-old man who developed a basal cell carcinoma in his tattoo and review the literature of basal cell carcinomas originating in a tattoo. METHODS: A literature search using PubMed was performed. The following terms were searched: "basal," "carcinoma," "cell," and "tattoo." The characteristics of individuals with a basal cell carcinoma originating in a tattoo were analyzed and summarized. RESULTS: A total of 13 patients (6 women and 7 men) with a basal cell carcinoma arising in a tattoo have been reported. The majority of the tumors were located on the head (6 cases, 46.2%) followed by either an upper extremity (4 cases, 30.7%) or the trunk (3 cases, 23.1%). Most of the carcinomas were asymptomatic; however, 2 patients reported pruritus associated with their tumor. Nodular basal cell carcinoma was the most common subtype diagnosed (5 tumors), followed by superficial basal cell carcinoma (2 tumors). One patient had either a pagetoid or a mixed (nodular and sclerosing) histology. The pathological variant was not described for 4 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Basal cell carcinoma arising in a tattoo is a rare occurrence. Although this occurrence may be coincidental, emerging evidence of carcinogenesis associated with tattoo pigment may suggest a causal link. Elucidating this important relationship warrants further investigation.

A Man with Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma, Vestibular Schwannoma, Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate, and Various Nevi: Case Report and Review.

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a vascular tumor that typically occurs in men. Vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma) is a tumor affecting the vestibulocochlear nerve. A 38-year-old man with various pigmented lesions and history of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma, vestibular schwannoma, and cleft lip and cleft palate is described. Characteristics of patients with coexisting juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma and vestibular schwannoma are summarized. A search, using PubMed, was performed for the following terms: acoustic, angiofibroma, blue, cleft, combined, dysplastic, juvenile, lip, nasopharyngeal, neuroma, nevus, palate, schwannoma, and vestibular. The relevant papers were obtained and their references were reviewed. Only one man with coincident juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma and vestibular schwannoma has previously been described. The juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas were both right-sided and diagnosed when the patients were 13 years old and 20 years old. Our patient's vestibular schwannoma was ipsilateral with his juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma and incidentally diagnosed on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan that was performed to monitor for recurrent juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma when he was in his 30s. The other man's vestibular schwannoma and juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma were diagnosed concurrently, when he was 20 years old. The observation of a patient with cleft lip and cleft palate, various melanocytic nevi, juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma, and vestibular schwannoma is unique. Although the appearance of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma and vestibular schwannoma may be coincidental, the occurrence of these tumors in the same individual may suggest an association with regards to their pathogenesis.

Sporotrichoid Keratoacanthomas: Case Report and Review of Neoplasms Presenting in a Sporotrichoid Pattern.

Sporotrichosis is a fungal infection known for its distinct pattern of infectious skin nodules. Several conditions can present with lesions that appear in a sporotrichoid pattern. An 82-year-old man that presented with three cutaneous nodules on his right leg in a sporotrichoid manner is described; biopsy of each lesion revealed a keratoacanthoma. In addition to keratoacanthomas, other neoplasms-albeit rarely-may be observed to occur in a sporotrichoid manner. These included squamous cell carcinoma (three patients), lymphoma (two patients), and one patient with each of the following: epithelioid sarcoma, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, melanoma, and peripheral nerve sheath tumor. The 10 patients whose cancer had cutaneous lesions that presented in a sporotrichoid distribution ranged from 28 to 83 years old. The tumors equally appeared on either the upper extremity (five patients) or the lower extremity (five patients). Treatments included systemic chemotherapy, surgical intervention, and radiation. Three of the patients died secondary to their tumors. In conclusion, various infections and some miscellaneous disorders can present in a sporotrichoid pattern. Keratoacanthomas can be added to the list of cancers (which include squamous cell carcinoma, lymphoma, epithelioid sarcoma, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, melanoma, and peripheral nerve sheath tumor) whose skin lesions have appeared in a sporotrichoid distribution. When cutaneous lesions appear in a sporotrichoid manner, biopsy of the tissue-for not only microscopic examination but also bacterial, fungal, and mycobacterial cultures-should be considered.

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous periarterial thrombin injection for paracentesis-related hemoperitoneum.

Paracentesis is a common procedure used in the diagnostic evaluation of peritoneal fluid as well as the therapeutic removal of high-volume ascites. Although generally regarded as a safe procedure, complications may arise from arterial injury, including hematomas and pseudoaneurysms. Transcatheter embolization and surgery are first-line interventions for injuries refractory to conservative management. We present a case where a patient failed conventional therapies for hemoperitoneum following a paracentesis which resolved after thrombin injection into the subcutaneous tissues, a novel use for thrombin. Using a linear 12-3 MHz transducer, approximately 3000-3500 U of thrombin was injected through connecting tubing and a 25-gauge needle by the interventional radiologist into the subcutaneous tissues around the origin of the arterial hemorrhage. The bleeding ceased and the patient's hemoglobin and hemodynamics stabilized.