Literature Review

What is renal cell carcinoma?JAMA; Rebecca Voelker, MSJ; 1/25Renal cell carcinoma is a common cancer that forms in the kidneys. In 2023, an estimated 81,800 people were diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in the US, making it the sixth most common cancer among males and the ninth among females. Renal cell carcinoma is most often diagnosed in people aged 60 to 70 years. Although the diagnosis has increased slightly in the US in recent years, deaths from renal cell carcinoma have declined. Although the survival rate of stage IV renal cell carcinoma varies among individuals, the average 5-year survival is 28%.

Hiding in plain sight: The most harmful and costly hospital-acquired infection Infection Control Today; by Dian Baker, PhD, APRN; 2/5/25 Nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) is among the most deadly, harmful, and costly hospital-acquired infections (HAI). In a 2023 study of 284 US hospitals, NV-HAP was attributed to 1 in 14 hospital deaths with an inpatient mortality of 22.4%. NV-HAP is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, the incidence of sepsis, longer hospital stays, increased discharges to skilled nursing facilities and hospice, costs, and higher intensive care unity (ICU) utilization.

Palliative care slashes ED visits, hospitalizations in people living at home with dementia: study McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 1/30/25 A program that provides palliative care to people with dementia and their caregivers lowered the number of emergency department visits and hospitalizations by approximately half in about a year, a new study shows. Those who benefitted the most from the Indiana Palliative Excellence in Alzheimer Care Efforts (IN-PEACE) initiative were Black people and those with lower incomes. A report detailing the findings was published in JAMA ... The 50% decrease in emergency department visits and hospitalizations among people who received the intervention shows that the program can keep some people with dementia out of the hospital, where they can develop complications and functional declines.

Defining spine cancer pain syndromes: A systematic review and proposed terminologyGlobal Spine Journal; Markian Pahuta, MD, PhD, FRCSC; Ilya Laufer, MD; Sheng-fu Larry Lo, MD; Stefano Boriani, MD; Charles Fisher, MD, MHSC, FRCSC; Nicolas Dea, MD, MSc, FRCSC; Michael H. Weber, MD, MSc, PhD, FRCSC; Dean Chou, MD; Arjun Sahgal, MD, FRCPC; Laurence Rhines, MD; Jeremy Reynolds, MB.ChB, BSc (Hons), FRCS; Aron Lazary, MD, PhD; Alessandro Gasbarrinni, MD; Jorrit-Jan Verlaan, MD, PhD; Ziya Gokaslan, MD, FACS; Chetan Bettegowda, MD, PhD; Mohamed Sarraj, MD; Ori Barzilai, MD; AO Spine Knowledge Forum Tumor; 1/25The spine is the most common site of osseous metastasis, and over one-third of patients with carcinoma or hematological malignancy will develop spinal metastases. Vertebral metastases have a negative impact on patient function and heath related quality of life (HRQoL). We consolidate the terminology used in the literature and consolidated into clinically relevant nomenclature of biologic tumor pain, mechanical pain, radicular pain, neuropathic pain, and treatment related pain. This review helps standardize terminology for cancer-related pain which may help clinicians identify pain generators.

Major tuberculosis outbreak hits Kansas City area U.S. News & World Report; by Hannah Lang; 1/29/25 An outbreak of tuberculosis in the Kansas City area has grown into one of the largest ever recorded in the United States, with dozens of active cases of the infectious disease reported, according to health officials. As of Jan. 24, 67 active cases of tuberculosis, or TB, had been reported in Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas. The outbreak began last year, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said on its website. It did not specify a source of the outbreak. ... Tuberculosis replaced COVID-19 as the top cause for infectious disease-related deaths in 2023, according to a World Health Organization report published in October, highlighting challenges in the global effort in eradicating the disease.

You’re not imagining it. The ‘quad-demic’ is making everyone sick. New Jersey Advance Media; by Jackie Roman; 1/27/25 A quadruple threat of viruses is driving up emergency room visits and hospital admissions across the United States, including in New Jersey. Public health experts warn a “quad-demic” — a contagious combination of COVID-19, influenza, RSV and norovirus — has increased pressure on New Jersey hospitals this winter. Emergency department visits and hospital admissions remain elevated for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV, according to the state’s latest respiratory illness surveillance report. ... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there have been at least 16 million illnesses, 190,000 hospitalizations, and 8,300 deaths from flu so far this season. Thirty-one of those deaths were among children, according to the CDC. [Click on the title's link for more data and a national map, with updates by the CDC on 1/22/25.] 

Disproportionate use of aid in dying among people with ALS: Why ALS aid-in-dying requests are common while ALS is rareJournal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine; Carolyn Rennels, MD; Steven Z. Pantilat, MD FAAHPM, MHM; Ambereen K. Mehta, MD, MPH, FAAHPM; Allison Kestenbaum, MA, MPA, BCC-PCHAC, ACPE; Kelsey Noble, DO; Jessica Besbris, MD; Ali Mendelson, MD; Kara Bischoff, MD; 12/24People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disproportionately use aid in dying. We explore aspects of the ALS experience that may help explain the higher rates of aid-in-dying requests in this disease relative to others. In particular, the desire to maintain control is prominent in the face of a relentlessly progressive disease that results in substantial disability. We also describe how the requirement for self-administration of aid-in-dying medications impacts people with ALS.

Philips recalls remote cardiac monitoring software after 2 deaths Modern Healthcare; by Lauren Dubinsky; 1/14/25 Philips is recalling its remote cardiac monitoring software, which has been associated with 109 reported injuries and two reported deaths, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The agency labeled the action a Class I recall, its most serious designation. ... The recall is related to the company’s Monitoring Service Application, which processes and transmits symptomatic and asymptomatic cardiac events in electrocardiogram data received from the Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry device. The company and its subsidiary Braemar Manufacturing discovered that the software was not properly handling certain EKG readings between July 2022 and July 2024.

Weekly US map: Influenza summary update U.s. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); retrieved 1/15/25 A Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report Prepared by the Influenza Division utpatient Respiratory Illness Activity Map Determined by Data Reported to ILINet. This system monitors visits for respiratory illness that includes fever plus a cough or sore throat, also referred to as ILI, not laboratory confirmed influenza and may capture patient visits due to other respiratory pathogens that cause similar symptoms. Editor's note: Throughout the nation, local and regional reports of increased flu, respiratory diseases, and COVID are emerging. Click here to monitor information for your service areas. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for its map.

The challenge of fractures in patients with chronic kidney diseaseEndocrine Practice; Andrea G Kattah, Silvia M Titan, Robert A Wermers; 12/24People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk of fractures in comparison to the non-CKD population and fractures are associated with high mortality and worsening quality of life. The approach for evaluation of bone disease and fracture risk in CKD is different from the approach in the general population. First, diagnosis of the type of renal osteodystrophy is not based only on assessment of bone density and traditional risk factors for osteoporosis. Second, there may be limitations of currently available fracture risk tools in the CKD population. Third, treatment choice should take into consideration the three components of the TMV classification along with the stage of kidney disease and comorbidities, but the assessment of these components has not been well established. As new medications for the treatment of osteoporosis become available, there is an urgency to establish more clear guidelines for the diagnosis, fracture risk stratification, and treatment of bone disease in CKD.

Cancer prevention, screening averted several million more deaths than treatment over 45 yearsJAMA; Samantha Anderer; 1/25In the US, cancer prevention and screening have saved more lives from 5 types of cancer combined than treatment advances over the past 45 years, according to a modeling study published in JAMA Oncology. An estimated 5.9 million breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer deaths were avoided from 1975 to 2020 due to prevention, screening, and treatment efforts, but prevention and screening alone were responsible for averting about 4.8 million—4 out of 5—of those deaths. Still, the authors acknowledged that in all cancer types studied, less than half of total cancer deaths were averted, and they recommended increased investment in prevention and screening strategies.

Head and neck cancer mortality in the Appalachian regionJAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery; Todd Burus, MAS; Pamela C. Hull, PhD; Krystle A. Lang Kuhs, PhD, MPH; 12/24In contrast to non-Appalachian US, where HNC [head and neck cancer] mortality rates declined considerably between 1999 and 2020, HNC mortality rates in the Appalachian region have remained stubbornly stable. Moreover, statistically significant increasing rates of HNC mortality in rural Appalachia provide evidence that the lack of rural HNC mortality improvements nationwide are associated with Appalachian disparities. While the exact factors driving these trends are unknown, the Appalachian region has an increased prevalence of multiple risk factors associated with cancer mortality, such as adverse social determinants of health, heightened alcohol and tobacco use, later stage at diagnosis, and limited access to care. Investments in the Appalachian region—such as through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or by expanding coverage of the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program among Appalachian states—could help reduce the burden of HNC mortality by improving cancer surveillance and serving the unique needs and experiences of the Appalachian population. These investments could also aid efforts to improve other cancer sites with known disparities in Appalachia, such as lung and colorectal cancers.