Impact of Cancer on Nutrition in the Geriatric Cancer Population.

Malnutrition in geriatric cancer patients is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. A nutrition risk assessment should be done early to identify and treat those at risk for cancer-related malnutrition. The goal of this study was to assess nutritional status in geriatric patients diagnosed with all cause cancer. We conducted a single institutional prospective cohort study of geriatric patients with cancer from 2013-2018. Patients 65 years old and above had undergone a comprehensive geriatric assessment before starting treatment (day 0), post-treatment (day 30), and post-post treatment (day 90). Body Mass Index (BMI) and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) were used to assess nutrition status. Results showed an increase in nutrition status from pretreatment (day = 0) to treatment (day =30), followed by a decrease in MNA scores at day 90. Results showed a decrease in BMI across all time points. This study supports that cancer and anti-cancer therapy in geriatric patients cause malnutrition, indicating the importance of early nutritional evaluation and intervention.

Dermatological adverse events associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor-based combinations of anticancer therapies: a systematic review.

Aim: This paper presents the reported dermatological adverse events (AEs) associated with approved combinations of immunotherapy with drugs of the same class, or in combination with targeted therapy or chemotherapy. Materials & methods: PubMed was used as an electronic database, and a total of 29 articles were reviewed which reported dermatological AEs following combination therapies with nivolumab, ipilimumab, axitinib, pembrolizumab, lenvatinib, avelumab, atezolizumab, carboplatin, etoposide, paclitaxel, bevacizumab, pemetrexed, cisplatin and durvalumab. Results: The dermatological AEs reported were mutually inclusive and the highest incidence of specific AEs was seen in the following combinations: rash in the nivolumab/ipilimumab and lenvatinib/pembrolizumab combinations, pruritus in the atezolizumab/nab-paclitaxel combination, dry skin and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia in the axitinib/pembrolizumab combination, and alopecia and severe skin reactions in the pembrolizumab/carboplatin/paclitaxel combination. Conclusion: Knowledge of such side effects is of benefit when choosing an optimal treatment regimen and should be integrated into the monitoring and follow-up phases of treatment.

Juvenile gangrenous vasculitis of the scrotum: systematic review.

Juvenile gangrenous vasculitis of the scrotum (JGVS) is a rare entity with scant reports in the literature. The disease course, treatment, and prevalence have not been well described in the literature. It's hypothesized that JGVS is a variant of pyoderma gangrenosum or a male counterpart of Lipschütz ulcer. This review will analyze the current literature on JGVS and provide a current guide based on the best available data. The initial search of databases yielded 107 studies of which 14 pertained to the topic. The majority of the included studies were case reports (n = 9) reported in Spain. A total of 17 patients were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 22.45 years (range, 13-35 years). The majority of patients presented with multiple, acute, painful, well-circumscribed, round scrotal ulcerations. The majority of patients presented with flu-like symptoms. An increased level of awareness of JGVS diagnosis is now warranted among physicians. Despite the analogies with Lipschütz ulcer, we believe that JGVS is a distinct entity.