This is the first analysis examining how the COVID-19 pandemic environment affected esophageal cancer presentation and outcomes in the United States. Our study demonstrates that patients presented with later cancer stages during the pandemic, and as a result received significantly different esophageal cancer treatment strategies. Interestingly, while the presentation stage is directly related to the pandemic, the difference in treatment strategies are related only to progressed cancer stage rather than inferior execution of care during the pandemic.

The incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is on the rise in the Western world, and between 20% and 40% of RCC patients develop metastatic disease. Here, the authors performed a meta-analysis to determine which clinicopathological features were associated with recurrence after surgery for non-metastatic disease. Features that predicted unfavorable outcomes, including T stage, tumor grade and size, lymph node involvement, positive surgical margins, diabetes and hypertension, were all associated with poor recurrence-free survival and cancer-specific survival. No features were identified as predictive for late recurrence, highlighting the importance of long-term follow-up beyond 5 years.

Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), insulin-like growth factor-1, C-reactive protein and glycated hemoglobin-1c (HbA1c) levels have been associated with the risk of developing invasive breast cancer. Whether these molecules are associated with the risk of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a nonobligate precursor of invasive breast cancer, is unknown. In 156 801 women enrolled in the UK Biobank study, total cholesterol was inversely and LDL-C positively associated with DCIS risk over a median follow-up of 11 years, while HbA1c showed a U-shaped association. The findings suggest a link between these molecules and the early phase of breast cancer development.

Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) varies considerably in its etiology, biology, and clinical characteristics. For unresectable HCC, first-line therapies include the multikinase inhibitor lenvatinib and the combination therapy of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (AB). Here, the authors establish a prognostic score, called α-FAtE, that can predict response to first-line AB. The score incorporates blood-based biomarkers reflecting immunological activity, liver function, and disease aggressiveness, and if validated, could be useful to help determine whether lenvatinib or AB will be more effective for an HCC patient.

Proton pump inhibitors have been associated with a more than 2-fold increased risk of acute kidney injury in cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, this association may have been overestimated due to uncontrolled confounding. In this register-based cohort study, after accounting for confounding variables, the authors found that proton pump inhibitor use in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors was associated with a much lower relative risk of acute kidney injury than previously reported. The findings suggest that concurrent treatment with proton pump inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors may be safe.