Background: In 2020, melanoma exhibited the 5th highest incidence rate of all cancers in the US. While metastatic melanoma constitutes only 4% of new melanoma cases, the 5-year survival rate of metastatic melanoma is 27% [1]. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) were the first drugs to significantly improve the 5-year survival of late-stage melanoma patients; these […]

Background: Long-term central venous access devices (CVADs) are integral to cancer care provision. Despite the high prevalence of CVAD occlusion in children with cancer, strategies to prevent occlusive events are understudied. We aimed to test the safety and feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing heparinised saline, with normal saline (0.9% sodium chloride) […]

Case Presentation: A 67-year-old woman with a history of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the lungs and plaque psoriasis presented with subacute pruritic and painful descaling lesions of the skin after pembrolizumab maintenance therapy (Figure 1.A). The lesions on the skin were erythematous and desquamating, worse in the upper extremities, lower extremities, abdomen, and trunk. […]

Background: The use of metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) with spacers for delivering bronchodilator therapy is established as equivalent to the use of nebulizers (nebs) for symptom response.[1-3] Additional well-documented benefits to using MDIs in place of nebs include fewer systemic side effects, better long-term patient adherence to therapy, and, in the era of COVID-19, decreased use […]

Case Presentation: A 77-year-old female was admitted with a 3-week history of pruritus and a 1-week history of jaundice and fatigue. Patient had not used any new medications, except for recently prescribed ACE inhibitors. There was no history of alcohol abuse or liver disease and no recent sick contacts. Other medical conditions are type 2 […]

Background: Physical therapy (PT) in the inpatient setting is a limited and valuable resource. Inappropriate PT consultation is costly and can lead to delays in care. Overutilization of inpatient PT services is an increasingly recognized problem. Patients with minimal or no functional limitations frequently receive PT evaluation, diverting resources and delaying care for the patients […]

Case Presentation: An 81-year-old man with a history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and angiosarcoma on immunotherapy presented with acute onset of shortness of breath, chest pressure and lower extremity edema. He had been started on ipilimumab and nivolumab 1 year prior to presentation and had developed immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) thyroiditis, hepatitis, and pneumonitis while […]

Case Presentation: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have evolved into the conventional therapy regimen for many cancer types. The major categories of immune checkpoint inhibitors include monoclonal antibodies against cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen (CTLA-4), programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand molecules (PD-L1). Pembrolizumab has been implicated in causing hepatitis Discussion: An 89-year-old Caucasian […]

Case Presentation: A 34 year old male with a medical history of polysubstance abuse and hypothyroidism presented from subacute rehab after a combined thoracolumbar and sacral fixation surgery with worsening generalized weakness. The patient described deconditioning with increased difficulty standing despite 3-4 hours of daily physical therapy. Other acute symptoms included insomnia and mood swings. […]

Case Presentation: This is a case of a 72-year-old male with Stage III metastatic melanoma. The patient was started on combination immunotherapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab three months prior. He completed three cycles of treatment. He presented to the emergency department with complaints of fatigue and lethargy. Initial assessment of vitals showed hypotension, BP 95/61 […]