Bacterial pericarditis has been recognized as a rare disease since the development of antibiotics. Usually, the disease is associated with underlying conditions or a seeding of infection elsewhere to the pericardium. Here we describe a case of group G streptococcal pericarditis as an initial presentation of colon cancer. A 52-yr-old man was admitted because of dyspnea. An electrocardiogram showed a diffuse ST-segment elevation and a two-dimensional echocardiogram showed a large amount of pericardial effusion. A pericardiocentesis was done and purulent fluid was drained. Group G streptococci was cultured in pericardial fluid. The patient was treated with antibiotics and pericardiostomy with saline irrigation. A colonoscopy revealed a small mass with moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma in rectosigmoid colon. He underwent a mucosectomy and was recovered without any complication.
Adenocarcinoma/complications/*diagnosis/surgery ; Colonic Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis/surgery ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pericardial Effusion ; Pericarditis/complications/drug therapy/*microbiology/surgery ; Streptococcal Infections/complications/drug therapy/*microbiology/surgery ; Streptococcus/*classification

Herein is presented a case of aplastic anemia associated with adenocarcinoma of the stomach which seem- ed to be coincidental. A 52 year-old man was admitted with a 3 year history of dyspnea. Three years previously, he was diagnosed as bone marrow hypoplasia and had been treated with oxymetholone for 1 year. After confirmation of aplastic anemia during the first admission, he was followed up with fluoxymesterone and steriods. One year later, he was readmitted with melena. Fibergastroscopy and an UGl study revealed a fungating mass on the antrum suggestive of stomach cancer. Following perioperative platelet transfusions and intensive supportive care, a subtotal gastrectomy was performed and there were no postoperative complications. Pathologic examinations disclosed a moderately well differentiated adenocarcinoma. This is the first report in Korea of adenocarcinoma of the stomach occurring in a patient with aplastic anemia. He survived 17.5 months after the surgery and 5.4 years after the onset of aplastic anemia. Gastrointestinal bleeding in aplastic anemia may be incorrectly ascribed to steriod use and overlooked, thus the need to fully investigate gastric pathology by endoscopy as well as radiology is streesed. In a patient with pancytopenia, the major surgical procedures are frequently evaded by both surgeons and internists due to the possibility of morbidity from bleeding and infection. In this case, intensive perioperative supportive care and surgery were combined to prolong the patient's survival time.
Adenocarcinoma/*complications/secondary/surgery ; Anemia, Aplastic/*complications/drug therapy ; Case Report ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Oxymetholone/therapeutic use ; Stomach Neoplasms/*complications/surgery

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is the initial and rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Thus, patients with a DPD deficiency are at risk of developing severe 5-FU-associated toxicity. A 37-year-old female with gastric cancer underwent a curative operation, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of 5-FU and epirubicin. After the first cycle of chemotherapy, the patient manifested grade 2 mucositis and febrile neutropenia, and when her treatment was subsequently continued with doxifluridine she developed severe mucositis and febrile neutropenia. A PCR study revealed that her DPD mRNA level was lower than that in a control group. Thus, when considering the routine use of 5-FU for the treatment of cancer patients, an analysis of DPD activity or screening for DPD mutations is warranted in confined patients who experience unpredicted severe toxicity after initial 5-FU administration, even though DPD deficiency is a rare metabolic defect.
Stomach Neoplasms/complications/*drug therapy/surgery ; Risk Factors ; Risk Assessment ; Humans ; Fluorouracil/*adverse effects ; Female ; *Drug Toxicity ; Dihydrouracil Dehydrogenase (NADP)/*deficiency ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/*adverse effects ; Adult ; Adenocarcinoma/complications/*drug therapy/surgery

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical features and factors involved in the drug resistance and prognosis of ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma (OCCA).

METHODSForty-seven OCCA patients and 53 ovarian serous cyst adenocarcinoma (OSCA) patients were included in this study. Their clinical characteristics, drug resistance, and prognostic factors were analyzed.

RESULTSThe onset age of OCCA was (49.09 + 11.80) years old, and that of OSCA was (55.51 + 1.38) year old. There were 53.3% (24/45) of OCCA and 98.0% (50/51) of OSCA patients who had elevated CA125 levels. There were 46.8% (22/47) of OCCA patients and 7.5% (4/53) of OSCA patients who suffered from endometriosis (EMS). The percentage of early stage (stage I and stage II) OCCA was 80.9% (38/47), and that of OSCA was 11.3% (6/53). A statistically significant difference was observed on all these aspects (P < 0.05). The percentage of drug resistant OCCA was 26.1% (12/46), and that of OSCA was 24.0% (12/50), with a non-significant difference (P = 0.814).Among the patients with advanced stage disease, the percentage of drug resistance was 87.5% (7/8) for OCCA, while that of OSCA was 25.0% (11/44), showing a statistically significant difference (P = 0.003). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that OCCA (OR = 21.774, 95%CI: 2.438 to 194.431) and advanced stage (OR = 58.329, 95%CI: 5.750 to 591.703) were independent risk factors of drug resistance in ovarian epithelial cancers. For the advanced stage patients, the median overall survival time of OCCA and OSCA were 11 and 29 months, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.000). Cox survival analysis showed that OCCA, advanced stage, suboptimal surgery, fewer than 6 cycles of chemotherapy and drug resistance were all risk factors of OS in ovarian cancer patients (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe age of onset in OCCA patients is younger than that of OSCA patients. The proportion of combination with endometriosis (EMS) is higher, and more early stage disease is observed in OCCA patients. The percentage of drug resistant in OCCA is higher, especially in advanced stage patients. The prognosis of advanced stage OCCA patients is poorer than that of OSCA patients in advanced stage.

Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell ; complications ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Adult ; CA-125 Antigen ; metabolism ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous ; complications ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Endometriosis ; complications ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Ovarian Diseases ; complications ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; complications ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo enhance the understanding of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) in patients with cancer.

METHODSfrom January 2005 to July 2008, sixty patients diagnosed as pulmonary thromboembolism in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTSThe primary cancers were from respiratory system (36.7%), digestive system (26.7%), urogenital system (10.0%), hematological system (8.3%) and nervous system (5.0%), respectively, especially from such organ as lung (30.0%), stomach (8.3%), pancreas (6.7%), liver (5.0%) and so on. 12 of 18 patients (66.7%) with lung cancer were adenocarcinoma. There were 47 patients (78.3%) with advanced cancer. Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) occurred in 30 patients (50.0%). Of them 24 patients (80.0%) occurred in the lower limb, and 3 patients (10%) in the upper limb, 5 patients (16.7%) in other sites including 2 cases with thrombi in both upper and lower limbs, respectively. There were 2 patients (3.3%) accompanied with femoral artery embolism. PTE before tumor diagnosed occurred in 5 patients (8.3%) with an average time of 5.5 months. 22 patients underwent cancer-related operation and 17 patients (77.3%) had PTE in the later 2 weeks. 15 patients (25.0%) showed no symptoms. Arterial oxygen partial pressure was reduced in 49 patients (84.5%). 13 patients (21.7%) died and 6 cases of them were sudden death. 8 patients (13.3%) aggravated. 39 patients (65.0%) improved.

CONCLUSIONPTE is one of the major complications and leading causes of death in patients with cancer. Of which lung cancer is most commonly, pulmonary adenocarcinoma in particular. PTE is often accompanied by DVT in the lower extremity. Risk factors may be old age, cancer progression and cancer-related operation. Other factors include long time in bed, chemotherapy and central vein catheterization, and so on. It should be watchful of PTE in cancer patients undergoing operation, especially within the first two postoperative weeks. Its clinical manifestation is often atypical. Sometimes venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the first signal of malignancy. In patients with unexplained PTE and/or DVT, attention should be paid to the possibility of malignancy. The first choice of anticoagulants is low molecular weight heparin.

Adenocarcinoma ; complications ; surgery ; Aged ; Anticoagulants ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Heparin ; therapeutic use ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; complications ; surgery ; Lung Neoplasms ; complications ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Embolism ; complications ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; complications ; surgery ; Venous Thrombosis ; complications ; drug therapy ; etiology

Gastric cancer patients with severe liver dysfunction secondary to hepatic metastases have limited treatment options. Most cytotoxic drugs have a narrow therapeutic index. Although both capecitabine and oxaliplatin have been well tolerated as single agents for patients with severe hepatic dysfunction, the combination of these drugs has not been investigated. We report here on a case of successful treatment of a patient suffering with severe liver dysfunction and metastatic gastric cancer; the patient was treated with a combination of capecitabine and oxaliplatin (XELOX). The initial bilirubin level of the patient was 10.9 mg/dL. After two cycles of treatment, his bilirubin level decreased to 2.1 mg/dL. He has experienced an excellent radiological response and he has received six cycles of XELOX chemotherapy. XELOX chemotherapy is feasible and it can be associated with positive outcomes for the patients suffering with metastatic gastric cancer and severe liver dysfunction.
Stomach Neoplasms/complications/*pathology/surgery ; Prodrugs ; Organoplatinum Compounds/*therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Liver Neoplasms/complications/*drug therapy/secondary ; Liver Function Tests ; Liver Failure/diagnosis/drug therapy/*etiology ; Humans ; Gastrectomy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fluorouracil/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Deoxycytidine/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents/*therapeutic use ; Adenocarcinoma/complications/secondary/*therapy