Melanoma Rebecca Tung, Alison Vidimos More than 1 million cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year. About 80% of these new skin cancer cases…

Motor Disorders of the Esophagus Edgar Achkar Dysphagia, a common symptom in those with esophageal disorders, may arise from a multitude of underlying causes. Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, refers to…

Atopic Dermatitis Melissa Piliang DEFINITION Atopic dermatitis (Fig. 1) and hereditary eczema are interchangeable terms for an inflammatory condition of the skin characterized by erythema, pruritus, scaling, lichenification, and papulovesicles….

Sarcoidosis Daniel A. Culver DEFINITION AND CAUSES Sarcoidosis is a systemic disorder characterized by non-necrotizing granulomatous inflammation, with varying degrees of concomitant fibrosis. It predominantly affects the lungs, eyes, and…

Soft-Tissue Rheumatic Conditions Judith Manzon, Raymond Scheetz Soft-tissue rheumatic disorders are painful conditions arising from periarticular musculoskeletal structures. This discussion focuses on regional soft tissue disorders that are commonly encountered…

Approach to the Patient with Liver Disease A Guide to Commonly Used Liver Tests William D. Carey Laboratory assessment of the patient with suspected or clinically obvious liver disease is…

Cancer Pain Mellar Davis Cancer occurs in 1.2 million people in the United States each year and nearly one half of cancer patients die as a result of their cancer….

Brain Tumors Meningiomas and Gliomas Glen H.J. Stevens Primary brain tumors are tumors that arise from brain tissue itself as compared with metastatic tumors, whereby tumor cells travel to the…

Coronary Artery Disease Curtis M. Rimmerman DEFINITION Coronary artery disease is characterized by atherosclerosis in the epicardial coronary arteries. Atherosclerotic plaques, the hallmark of atherosclerosis, progressively narrow the coronary artery…

Diabetes Mellitus Treatment Tania Babar, Mario Skugor After diagnosis of diabetes, the importance of protecting the body from damage caused by hyperglycemia cannot be overstated. In the United States, 57.9%…