Interleukin-16 is increased in dialysis patients but is not a cardiovascular risk factor.

Oxalate, a uremic toxin that accumulates in dialysis patients, is associated with cardiovascular disease. As oxalate crystals can activate immune cells, we tested the hypothesis that plasma oxalate would be associated with cytokine concentrations and cardiovascular outcomes in dialysis patients. In a cohort of 104 US patients with kidney failure requiring dialysis (cohort 1), we measured 21 inflammatory markers.

Association of patient socioeconomic status with outcomes after palliative treatment for disseminated cancer.

Background: Palliative treatment has been associated with improved quality of life and survival for a wide variety of metastatic cancers. However, it is unclear whether the benefits of palliative treatment are uniformly experienced across the US cancer population. We evaluated patterns and outcomes of palliative treatment based on socioeconomic, sociodemographic and treating facility characteristics.

Assessment of a collaborative treatment model for trimodal management of esophageal cancer.

Background: Patients with esophageal cancer often receive care in a collaborative (multi-institutional) treatment model as opposed to a single institutional model. The effect of a collaborative model on the quality of trimodality therapy and survival is unknown.

Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was used to identify patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by esophagectomy for esophageal cancer between 2012-2017.

Respect the Middle Lobe: Perioperative Risk of Bilobectomy Compared With Lobectomy and Pneumonectomy.

Background: In some cases of right-sided lung cancer, tumor extension, bronchial involvement, or pulmonary artery infiltration may necessitate bilobectomy. Although the middle lobe is believed to represent a fraction of total lung function, the morbidity and mortality associated with bilobectomy is not well described.

Methods: We retrospectively identified patients in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database who underwent lobectomy, bilobectomy, or pneumonectomy for lung cancer from 2009 to 2017.

Association Between Metastatic Pattern and Prognosis in Stage IV Gastric Cancer: Potential for Stage Classification Reform.

Purpose: This study aims to clarify the association between metastatic pattern and prognosis in stage IV gastric cancer, with a focus on patients presenting with metastases limited to nonregional lymph nodes.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the National Cancer Database was used to identify patients ≥ 18 years of age diagnosed with stage IV gastric cancer between 2016 and 2019. Patients were stratified according to pattern of metastatic disease at diagnosis: nonregional lymph nodes only ("stage IV-nodal"), single systemic organ ("stage IV-single organ"), or multiple organs ("stage IV-multi-organ").

Utilization and Outcomes of Radiation in Stage IV Esophageal Cancer.

Introduction: For patients with stage IV esophageal cancer, esophageal radiation may be used selectively for local control and palliation. We aimed to understand patterns of radiation administration among patients with stage IV esophageal cancer and any potential survival associations.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the National Cancer Database was queried for patients with metastatic stage IV esophageal cancer diagnosed between 2016 and 2019.

Nonregional Lymph Nodes as the Only Metastatic Site in Stage IV Esophageal Cancer.

Introduction: Metastatic involvement of at least one nonregional lymph node currently renders patients with esophageal cancer as having stage IV disease. However, the management and outcomes of patients whose sole determinant of stage IV status is nonregional lymph nodes (abbreviated as "stage IV-nodal" disease) have not been fully characterized.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the National Cancer Database was queried to identify patients 18 years of age or older who were diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer between 2016 and 2019.

Oxalate homeostasis.

Oxalate homeostasis is maintained through a delicate balance between endogenous sources, exogenous supply and excretion from the body. Novel studies have shed light on the essential roles of metabolic pathways, the microbiome, epithelial oxalate transporters, and adequate oxalate excretion to maintain oxalate homeostasis. In patients with primary or secondary hyperoxaluria, nephrolithiasis, acute or chronic oxalate nephropathy, or chronic kidney disease irrespective of aetiology, one or more of these elements are disrupted.

Evaluation of gastroesophageal reflux disease and hiatal hernia as risk factors for lobectomy complications.

Objective: Up to 40% of lobectomies are complicated by adverse events. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatal hernia have been associated with morbidity across a range of clinical scenarios, yet their relation to recovery from pulmonary resection is understudied. We evaluated GERD and hiatal hernia as predictors of complications after lobectomy for lung cancer.

Association Between Food and Drug Administration Approval and Disparities in Immunotherapy Use Among Patients With Cancer in the US.

Importance: Clinical trials and compassionate use agreements provide selected patients with access to potentially life-saving treatments before approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Approval from the FDA decreases a number of access barriers; however, it is unknown whether FDA approval is associated with increases in the equitable use of novel therapies and reductions in disparities in use among patients with cancer in the US.

Objective: To assess the association between FDA drug approval and disparities in the use of immunotherapy across health, sociodemographic, and socioeconomic strata before and after approval of the first checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of patients with cancer in the US.

Association of Insurance Status and Extent of Organ Involvement With Survival Among Patients With Stage IV Cancer.

This cohort study examines the association of insurance status and extent of metastatic organ involvement with survival among patients with stage IV cancer to better understand outcome disparities in the US.

Understanding the Implications of Medicaid Expansion for Cancer Care in the US: A Review.

Importance: Insurance status has been linked to important differences in cancer treatment and outcomes in the US. With more than 15 million individuals gaining health insurance through Medicaid expansion, there is an increasing need to understand the implications of this policy within the US cancer population. This review provides an overview of the fundamental principles and nuances of Medicaid expansion, as well as the implications for cancer care.

The rural Uganda non-communicable disease (RUNCD) study: prevalence and risk factors of self-reported NCDs from a cross sectional survey.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are an increasing global concern, with morbidity and mortality largely occurring in low- and middle-income settings. We established the prospective Rural Uganda Non-Communicable Disease (RUNCD) cohort to longitudinally characterize the NCD prevalence, progression, and complications in rural Africa.

Methods: We conducted a population-based census for NCD research.

The Survival Advantage of Lobectomy over Wedge Resection Lessens as Health-Related Life Expectancy Decreases.

Introduction: Patients with early-stage NSCLC typically must choose between a surgery with superior local control (lobectomy) or one that preserves lung parenchyma (wedge). Recognizing that many patients with cancer have competing mortality risks unrelated to cancer, we investigated whether an established model of predicting life expectancy could be used to identify patients with stage I NSCLC for whom survival after wedge is not different from lobectomy.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study using the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare was performed to evaluate survival among treatment-naive patients, diagnosed 2005-2015, who underwent lobectomy or wedge for stage I (≤2 cm tumors) NSCLC.

Baseline Evaluation of Cancer Mortality in US States that Expanded Medicaid vs Nonexpansion States.

This cohort study examines baseline differences in cancer mortality between Medicaid expansion and nonexpansion states.

High Oxalate Concentrations Correlate with Increased Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death in Dialysis Patients.

Background: The clinical significance of accumulating toxic terminal metabolites such as oxalate in patients with kidney failure is not well understood.

Methods: To evaluate serum oxalate concentrations and risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in a cohort of patients with kidney failure requiring chronic dialysis, we performed a analysis of the randomized German Diabetes Dialysis (4D) Study; this study included 1255 European patients on hemodialysis with diabetes followed-up for a median of 4 years. The results obtained Cox proportional hazards models were confirmed by competing risk regression and restricted cubic spline modeling in the 4D Study cohort and validated in a separate cohort of 104 US patients on dialysis after a median follow-up of 2.

Results of COVID-minimal Surgical Pathway During Surge-phase of COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: The outcomes of patients treated on the COVID-minimal pathway were evaluated during a period of surging COVID-19 hospital admissions, to determine the safety of continuing to perform urgent operations during the pandemic.

Summary Of Background Data: Crucial treatments were delayed for many patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, over concerns for hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections. To protect cancer patients whose survival depended on timely surgery, a "COVID-minimal pathway" was created.

Association of Survival With Adjuvant Chemotherapy Among Patients With Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With vs Without High-Risk Clinicopathologic Features.

Importance: Tumor size larger than 4 cm is accepted as an indication for adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with node-negative non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Treatment guidelines suggest that high-risk features are also associated with the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy among patients with early-stage NSCLC, yet this association is understudied.

Objective: To assess the association between adjuvant chemotherapy and survival in the presence and absence of high-risk pathologic features in patients with node-negative early-stage NSCLC.

Impact of Regular or Extended Hemodialysis and Hemodialfiltration on Plasma Oxalate Concentrations in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease.

Introduction: Calcium oxalate supersaturation is regularly exceeded in the plasma of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Previous reports have indicated that hemodialfiltration (HDF) lowers elevated plasma oxalate (P) concentrations more effectively compared with hemodialysis (HD). We reevaluate the therapeutic strategy for optimized P reduction with advanced dialysis equipment and provide data on the effect of extended treatment time on dialytic oxalate kinetics.

Oxalate, inflammasome, and progression of kidney disease.

Purpose Of Review: Oxalate is an end product of metabolism excreted via the kidney. Excess urinary oxalate, whether from primary or enteric hyperoxaluria, can lead to oxalate deposition in the kidney. Oxalate crystals are associated with renal inflammation, fibrosis, and progressive renal failure.