Child ; Humans ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Mutation ; Pancytopenia

Anemia, Aplastic ; Bone Marrow Diseases ; Bone Marrow Failure Disorders ; Humans ; Pancytopenia

PURPOSE: The major side effects of treatment with oxcarbazepine (OXC) are skin rash and hyponatremia. Hematologic side effects are reported rarely. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate and types of the hematologic side effects of OXC. METHODS: The medical records of 184 patients diagnosed with epilepsy or movement disorder and on OXC monotherapy, at the Department of Pediatrics of Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital from July 2001 to July 2018, were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 184 patients, 10 (5.4%) developed leukopenia in addition to pancytopenia and 2 (1.0%) developed pancytopenia. Leukopenia developed in 11 days to 14 years after OXC administration and was more frequent in males than in females (male vs. female, 9 vs. 1; Fisher exact test, P<0.05). Of the eight patients with leukopenia alone, 7 continued OXC treatment; 6 improved without intervention; 1 was lost to follow-up; and 1 received a reduced OXC dose, who improved after intervention. Pancytopenia developed within 2 months of initiation of OXC treatment. Both patients initially continued OXC. One improved within 1 month and continued treatment with OXC, but the other showed progression of the side effect, leading to the discontinuation of OXC and subsequent improvement within 1 month. There were no significant differences in the ages of the patients, OXC dose, and duration of OXC treatment between patients with and without these side effects of OXC (P >0.05, t-test). CONCLUSION: OXC-induced leukopenia is not rare and may result in pancytopenia. Patients being treated with OXC should be regularly monitored for abnormal complete blood count profiles.
Blood Cell Count ; Epilepsy ; Exanthema ; Female ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Leukopenia ; Lost to Follow-Up ; Male ; Medical Records ; Movement Disorders ; Pancytopenia ; Pediatrics ; Retrospective Studies

Bone marrow metastasis of colon cancer is rare. Here, we report a 56-year-old female patient who presented with pancytopenia. She was diagnosed with colon cancer accompanied by lung and axial skeleton metastasis. The bone marrow study showed metastatic carcinoma. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining with anti-cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and anti-cytokeratin 20 (CK20) antibodies showed that the bone marrow samples were negative for CK7 and positive for CK20, consistent with metastatic colon cancer. To the best of our knowledge, there has been only one other reported case of bone marrow metastasis of colon cancer as the primary diagnosis in an adult patient in Korea. Bone and bone marrow metastases of colon cancer are regarded as uncommon. However, for proper management, bone marrows should be promptly examined in patients with solid tumors when unexplained cytopenia is noted, even if the origin of the tumor is known to be rarely metastatic to bone marrow. In addition, the use of cytokeratin IHC staining is helpful for determining the origin of metastatic carcinoma.
Adult ; Antibodies ; Bone Marrow ; Colon ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratins ; Korea ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancytopenia ; Skeleton

A 22-year old female patient with systemic lupus erythematosus presenting microangiopathic hemolytic anemia was treated with therapeutic plasma exchange 23 times. The patient's condition and laboratory findings (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, ferritin, total bilirubin, and lactate dehydrogenase) did not improve despite the initial 18 therapeutic plasma exchange treatments. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura was ruled out due to normal ADAMTS-13 activity test result; hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis was diagnosed based on fever, splenomegaly, pancytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperferritinemia, and hemophagocytosis in bone marrow aspiration. The patient's condition improved rapidly upon treatment with a combination of immunosuppressants and cytotoxic agents, and more therapeutic plasma exchanges were performed five consecutive times with prolonged intervals in between. We observed that therapeutic plasma exchange treatment alone was not effective enough to treat hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, unlike thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Therefore, it is necessary to determine and start drug administration promptly in the treatment of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis with thrombotic microangiopathy.
Alanine Transaminase ; Anemia, Hemolytic ; Bilirubin ; Bone Marrow ; Cytotoxins ; Female ; Ferritins ; Fever ; Humans ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Lactic Acid ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic ; Pancytopenia ; Plasma Exchange ; Plasma ; Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic ; Splenomegaly ; Thrombotic Microangiopathies

Metastasis of rhabdomysarcoma to the breast is a very rare manifestation in adult males. Herein, we report a case of metastasis from embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in the left hypothenar muscle that presented as a breast mass in a 38-year-old man, who four months later expired because of multiple bone metastases related to pancytopenia. We describe the various imaging findings, including mammograms, ultrasonography, computerized tomography (CT), positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of this rare disease. The various imaging findings of this lesion could be helpful for future diagnosis of male breast lesions.
Adult ; Breast ; Diagnosis ; Electrons ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancytopenia ; Rare Diseases ; Rhabdomyosarcoma ; Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal ; Ultrasonography

Aplastic anemia may develop secondary to environmental exposure to entities such as chemicals, medical drugs, and infectious agents. Fatal complications from antiepileptic medications may occur despite careful and appropriate use. We report the case of a 9-year-old girl with a presenting diagnosis of aplastic anemia following treatment with ethosuximide for absence seizures. Aplastic anemia can now be cured with stem cell transplantation or immunosuppressive therapy. In this case, however, because of the impossibility of bone marrow transplantation and the specific needs of the patient's parents, three courses of methylprednisolone pulse therapy were administered. Following the therapy, there was improvement in pancytopenia and complete remission in the bone marrow. No adverse side effects of therapy were observed. The authors suggest that methylprednisolone pulse therapy may be a treatment for acquired aplastic anemia.
Anemia, Aplastic* ; Anticonvulsants ; Bone Marrow ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Environmental Exposure ; Epilepsy, Absence ; Ethosuximide ; Female ; Humans ; Methylprednisolone* ; Pancytopenia ; Parents ; Stem Cell Transplantation

Spontaneous chronic subdural hematoma (SDH) is a rare condition that could develop in association with hematologic disease. A 66-year-old male developed a chronic SDH as an initial manifestation of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). He experienced recurrent chronic subdural hemorrhage and newly developed intracerebral hemorrhage. Considering the scheduled long-term chemotherapy, bilateral middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization was performed to prevent recurrence of subdural hemorrhage. Although pancytopenia occurred during the 7 months' follow-up period, residual chronic subdural hemorrhage was absorbed without recurrence. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of CMML with spontaneous chronic SDH. MMA embolization is potentially a useful and safe treatment option in the challenging clinical situations with underlying pathologies.
Aged ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematologic Diseases ; Hematoma, Subdural* ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic ; Humans ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Chronic ; Male ; Meningeal Arteries ; Pancytopenia ; Pathology ; Recurrence

In patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), pleural effusion may be attributed to various factors, including infection, hypoalbuminemia, and renal failure. However, leukemic infiltration of the pleural fluid is rarely reported and poorly understood. Extramedullary diseases have been reported with increasing frequency as the survival rates of patients with AML have increased. However, the reported prognostic effects of leukemic pleural effusion in patients with AML range from none to a worse prognosis. Here, we report a case of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in a patient exhibiting leukemic pleural effusion with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) results indicating the presence of the PML-RARA fusion gene. A 52-year-old man presented with pancytopenia, dyspnea, and fever. He had a medical history of hypertension, end-stage renal disease, and hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis. A peripheral blood smear revealed the presence of multiple abnormally hypergranular promyelocytes. White blood cell differential counts were not performed due to severe pancytopenia. A bone marrow examination, immunophenotyping analysis, and cytogenetic and molecular studies revealed APL. The patient was treated with all-trans retinoic acid immediately after abnormal promyelocytes were observed in the peripheral blood smear, but induction chemotherapy was delayed because of his poor condition. His persistent dyspnea and abdominal discomfort led to a thoracentesis and the observation of abnormal promyelocytes that were positive for PML-RARA fusion gene by FISH. To our knowledge, this is the first report of leukemic pleural infiltration with PML-RARA fusion gene-positivity via FISH.
Bone Marrow Examination ; Cytogenetics ; Dyspnea ; Fever ; Fluorescence ; Granulocyte Precursor Cells ; Hepatitis B ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Immunophenotyping ; In Situ Hybridization ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; Leukemic Infiltration ; Leukocytes ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Middle Aged ; Pancytopenia ; Pleural Effusion ; Prognosis ; Renal Insufficiency ; Survival Rate ; Thoracentesis ; Tretinoin

BACKGROUND: In Korea, there were repeated radiation exposure accidents among non-destructive testing workers. Most of the cases involved local injury, such as radiation burns or hematopoietic cancer. Herein, we report a case of acute radiation syndrome caused by short periods of high exposure to ionizing radiation. CASE PRESENTATION: In January 2017, Korea Information System on Occupational Exposure (KISOE) found that a 31-year-old man who had worked in a non-destructive testing company had been overexposed to radiation. The patient complained of symptoms of anorexia, general weakness, prostration, and mild dizziness for several days. He was anemic. The venous injection areas had bruises and bleeding tendency. Blood and bone marrow testing showed pancytopenia and the patient was diagnosed with acute radiation syndrome (white blood cells: 1400/cubic mm, hemoglobin: 7.1 g/dL, platelets: 14000/cubic mm). He was immediately prohibited from working and blood transfusion was commenced. The patient’s radiation exposure dose was over 1.4 Gy (95% confidence limits: 1.1–1.6) in lymphocyte depletion kinetics. It was revealed that the patient had been performing non-destructive tests without radiation shielding when working in high places of the large pipe surface. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure prevention is clearly possible in radiation-exposed workers. Strict legal amendments to safety procedures are essential to prevent repeated radiation exposure accidents.
Acute Radiation Syndrome ; Adult ; Anorexia ; Blood Cells ; Blood Transfusion ; Bone Marrow ; Burns ; Contusions ; Dizziness ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Kinetics ; Korea ; Lymphocyte Depletion ; Occupational Exposure ; Pancytopenia ; Radiation Exposure ; Radiation, Ionizing