Latest Updates

Coma and Disorders of Consciousness

Nicole M Dubosh, MD, Jonathan A. Edlow, MD, FACEP
    • Non-convulsive status epilepticus is an important cause of coma that requires EEG for diagnosis.
    • Basilar artery stroke is a treatable cause of altered mentation
    • Physicians should actively seek to identify treatable structural or metabolic causes of coma

Colon Cancer

Richard S Hoehn, MD, Felipe Quezada-Diaz, MD, Jesse J Smith, MD, PhD
    • Screening strategies have improved survival, but the effect has plateaued recently. 1
    • Oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy has extended survival for patients with advanced disease. 2
    • The COST trial validated laparoscopic colon resection, while data is emerging regarding the robotic approach. 3,4
    • Recent investigations into molecular markers may offer new opportunities for disease detection, prognosis, and treatment. 5-7

Management of Metastatic Castrate-sensitive Prostate Cancer

Marc A Dall’era, MD, Christopher P Evans, MD, Derya Tilki, MD
    • Luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone agonists are the current standard of care in androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa).
    • Men with hormone-naive mPCa should be offered six cycles of docetaxel in addition to ADT.
    • Abiraterone acetate, in addition to ADT, represents a valid alternative to docetaxel and ADT in men with hormone-naive mPCa.

Colon Cancer

Richard S Hoehn, MD, Felipe Quezada-Diaz, MD, Jesse J Smith, MD, PhD
    • Screening strategies have improved survival, but the effect has plateaued recently. 1
    • Oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy has extended survival for patients with advanced disease. 2
    • The COST trial validated laparoscopic colon resection, while data is emerging regarding the robotic approach. 3,4
    • Recent investigations into molecular markers may offer new opportunities for disease detection, prognosis, and treatment. 5-7

Failure to Thrive in Infants and Toddlers

Madhura Y Phadke, MD, Anthony F Porto, MD, MPH
    • WHO growth charts are recommended for children 0 to 2 years, and CDC growth charts are recommended for children 2 to 18 years of age.
    • Blenderized diets may be more wholesome than traditional formula diets for children requiring enteral tube feeding. 
    • It is important to evaluate whether patients have a true allergy and need to avoid cow’s milk as milk alternatives may contain fewer calories and less protein.

Medullary Thyroid Cancer

Geeta Lal, MD, MSc, FRCS(C), FACS
    • Discovery of germline RET oncogene mutations leading to MEN2 syndromes and familial medullary thyroid cancer
    • Genotype-phenotype correlations for RET mutations allowed targeted screening and intervention in carriers.
    • Development of RET-targeted kinase inhibitors (and multikinase inhibitors) as targeted therapies for patients with metastatic and progressive medullary thyroid cancer

Stereotactic Body Radiation and Other Ablative Therapies

Hiran C Fernando, MBBS, FRCS, Praveen Sridhar, MD
    • Classification of medically inoperable patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer
    • Stereotactic body radiotherapy in nonsmall cell lung cancer
    • Ablative therapy in nonsmall cell lung cancer
    • Bronchoscopic ablation for nonsmall cell lung cancer

Medullary Thyroid Cancer

Geeta Lal, MD, MSc, FRCS(C), FACS
    • Discovery of germline RET oncogene mutations leading to MEN2 syndromes and familial medullary thyroid cancer
    • Genotype-phenotype correlations for RET mutations allowed targeted screening and intervention in carriers.
    • Development of RET-targeted kinase inhibitors (and multikinase inhibitors) as targeted therapies for patients with metastatic and progressive medullary thyroid cancer
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