We report a 54-year-old male patient who developed an unusual form of generalized drug eruption. He had pain and breathlessness on the left chest wall. He had history of taking several drugs at private clinics under a diagnosis of herpes zoster. Two weeks later he had a generalized skin eruption. Examination showed multiple variable sized, mild pruritic, erythematous macules and papules on the face and upper extremities. Skin lesions take the form of a clinically consistent with disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP). Methylprednisolone 16 mg, astemisole 10 mg, oxatomide 60 mg was prescribed. Topical corticosteroid cream was applied. Within two months, his eruption had cleared almost completely. The pathogenetic mechanisms of this case are unclear, but drug and UV light have been considered.
Case Report ; Drug Eruptions/physiopathology ; Drug Eruptions/etiology* ; Drug Eruptions/drug therapy ; Facial Dermatoses/pathology ; Facial Dermatoses/drug therapy ; Facial Dermatoses/chemically induced* ; Hand Dermatoses/pathology ; Hand Dermatoses/drug therapy ; Hand Dermatoses/chemically induced* ; Herpes Zoster/complications* ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Porokeratosis/pathology ; Porokeratosis/drug therapy ; Porokeratosis/chemically induced*

Drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome associated with anticonvulsant drugs is a rare but potentially life-threatening disease that occurs in response to arene oxide producing anticonvulsant such as phenytoin and carbamazepine. There have been many reports of cross reactivity among the anticonvulsants upon first exposure to the offending drugs. However, there has been few data describing the development of DRESS syndrome after switching medication from previously well-tolerated phenytoin to carbamazepine, and the induction of hypersensitivity to phenytoin by DRESS to carbamazepine. We experienced a case of a 40-yr-old man who had uncontrolled seizure that led to the change of medication from the long-term used phenytoin to carbamazepine. He developed DRESS syndrome after changing the drugs. We stopped carbamazepine and restored phenytoin for seizure control, but his clinical manifestations progressively worsened and he recovered only when both drugs were discontinued. Patch tests with several anticonvulsants showed positive reactions to both carbamazepine and phenytoin. Our case suggests that hypersensitivity to a previously tolerated anticonvulsant can be induced by DRESS to another anticonvulsant, and that the patch test may be a useful method for detecting cross-reactive drugs in anticonvulsant-associated DRESS syndrome.
Syndrome ; Skin/drug effects/immunology/pathology ; Phenytoin/immunology ; Male ; Humans ; Drug Hypersensitivity/*immunology ; Drug Eruptions/etiology/*immunology ; Carbamazepine/*adverse effects ; Anticonvulsants/adverse effects ; Adult

No abstract available.
Aged, 80 and over ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*adverse effects ; Ciprofloxacin/*adverse effects ; Drug Eruptions/diagnosis/*etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Skin/*drug effects/pathology

Epidermal growth factor has an important role in the regulation of proliferation and differentiation in epidermal keratinocytes, as well as in the survival, angiogenesis and metastasis of cancer cells. Cetuximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody selective for the epidermal growth factor receptor that induces a broad range of cellular responses that enhance tumor sensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapeutic agents. However, it can cause adverse events in the patient including acneiform eruption, asthenia, abdominal pain and nausea/vomiting. We report a case of severe acneiform eruption induced by cetuximab in a 56-year-old man with colorectal cancer and liver metastases.
Acneiform Eruptions/*chemically induced/pathology ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents/*adverse effects ; Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy/pathology ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy/secondary ; Male ; Middle Aged

Primary hepatic neuroendocrine cell carcinoma is a very rare tumor. We experienced a 75-year-old woman with primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma presenting with pyogenic liver abscess. Abdominal CT scan revealed a multiseptated liver abscess and an enlarged lymph node in portocaval portion. We performed percutaneous drainage of the liver abscess, but the amount of drained pus did not decrease after 20 days. The follow-up abdominal CT scan showed that the cystic portion of liver abscess had been replaced by the solid tumor. Microscopic examination of the tumor tissue showed nests of epithelial cells with uniform round hyperchromatic nuclei and high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio. Immunohistochemical staining was strongly positive for synaptophysin and chromogranin A.
Adenine/analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Antiviral Agents/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Drug Eruptions/diagnosis/*pathology ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/*drug therapy ; Humans ; Ichthyosis/chemically induced/pathology ; Lamivudine/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Phosphonic Acids/therapeutic use

Allopurinol-induced hypersensitivity syndrome is characterized by an idiosyncratic reaction involving multiple-organs, which usually begins 2 to 6 weeks after starting allopurinol. In rare cases, the adverse reactions to allopurinol are accompanied by a variety of liver injury, such as reactive hepatitis, granulomatous hepatitis, vanishing bile duct syndrome, or fulminant hepatic failure. Here we report a case with granulomatous hepatitis and ductopenia. A 69-year-old man with chronic renal failure, hyperuricemia, and previously normal liver function presented with jaundice, skin rash, and fever 2 weeks after taking allopurinol (200 mg/day). In histopathology, a liver biopsy specimen showed mild spotty necrosis of hepatocytes, marked cholestasis in parenchyma, and some granulomas in the portal area. There were vacuolar degeneration in the interlobular bile ducts and ductopenia in the portal tracts. Pathologic criteria strongly suggested the presence of allopurinol-induced granulomatous hepatitis with ductopenia and cholestasis. The patient fully recovered following the early administration of systemic corticosteroid therapy.
Aged ; Allopurinol/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Antimetabolites/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Bile Duct Diseases/*chemically induced/diagnosis/pathology ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic/*drug effects/pathology ; Cholestasis/*chemically induced/diagnosis/pathology ; Drug Eruptions/pathology ; Granuloma/*chemically induced/pathology ; Hepatitis, Toxic/*pathology ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/complications/drug therapy ; Male

Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) syndrome reflects a serious hypersensitivity reaction to drugs, characterized by skin rash, fever, lymph node enlargement, and internal organ involvement. So far, numerous drugs such as sulfonamides, phenobarbital, sulfasalazine, carbamazepine, and phenytoin have been reported to cause the DRESS syndrome. We report a case in a 29-yr-old female patient who had been on celecoxib and anti-tuberculosis drugs for one month to treat knee joint pain and pulmonary tuberculosis. Our patient's clinical manifestations included fever, lymphadenopathy, rash, hypereosinophilia, and visceral involvement (hepatitis and pneumonitis). During the corticosteroid administration for DRESS syndrome, swallowing difficulty with profound muscle weakness had developed. Our patient was diagnosed as DRESS syndrome with eosinophilic polymyositis by a histopathologic study. After complete resolution of all symptoms, patch tests were positive for both celecoxib and ethambutol. Although further investigations might be needed to confirm the causality, celecoxib and ethambutol can be added to the list of drugs as having the possibility of DRESS syndrome.
Adult ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/adverse effects ; Antitubercular Agents/adverse effects ; Arthritis/complications/*drug therapy ; Drug Eruptions/*etiology/pathology ; Eosinophilia/*chemically induced/pathology ; Ethambutol/*adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Myositis/chemically induced/pathology ; Pyrazoles/*adverse effects ; Sulfonamides/*adverse effects ; Syndrome ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/complications/*drug therapy

Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) is a commonly used antibiotic that has been associated with drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome. DRESS syndrome is characterised by fever, rash, lymphadenopathy, eosinophilia and one or more major organ involvement. Although rare, TMP-SMZ is a recognised cause of fulminant hepatic failure. We report a 17-year-old Chinese male adolescent who presented with fever, myalgia, generalised maculopapular rash and lymphadenopathy after taking TMP-SMZ for acne vulgaris. He subsequently developed hepatic encephalopathy and was worked up for urgent liver transplantation. He responded well to extracorporeal liver dialysis (originally intended as a bridging therapy) and subsequently recovered without the need for liver transplantation. This case report highlights the importance of early recognition of TMP-SMZ-induced DRESS syndrome and the need for early discontinuation of the drug in the affected patient. Extracorporeal liver dialysis and transplantation should be considered in the management of TMP-SMZ-induced fulminant hepatic failure.
Acne Vulgaris ; complications ; drug therapy ; Adolescent ; Anti-Infective Agents ; adverse effects ; Biopsy ; Drug Eruptions ; etiology ; Drug Hypersensitivity Syndrome ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Fever ; etiology ; Humans ; Liver Failure, Acute ; etiology ; therapy ; Lymphatic Diseases ; etiology ; Male ; Myalgia ; etiology ; Renal Dialysis ; methods ; Skin ; pathology ; Treatment Outcome ; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination ; adverse effects

Anticonvulsants ; adverse effects ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Carbamazepine ; adverse effects ; China ; epidemiology ; Drug Eruptions ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; genetics ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; genetics ; HLA-B Antigens ; genetics ; HLA-B15 Antigen ; genetics ; Humans ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; Skin ; pathology ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome ; epidemiology ; etiology ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the efficacy and safety of cetuximab combined with chemotherapy for patients with advanced colorectal cancer (ACRC) and unclear K-ras status.

METHODSClinical data of 102 ACRC patients, treated by cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in Sun Yat-sen Cancer Center from March 2005 to December 2008, were collected. The cumulative survival rate, objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression free survival (PFS) of the cases were calculated. The difference in ORR, DCR, PFS and oval survival (OS) between the regimens used as first-line and non-first-line treatment, and between the regimens including oxaliplatin and irinotecan were compared.

RESULTSThe overall ORR of cetuximab plus chemotherapy was 43.1%, DCR 73.5%, median PFS 4.0 months, OS 28.5 months, and the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rate was 89.2%, 50.9% and 27.5%, respectively. The differences in ORR (50.0% vs. 40.0%, P = 0.344), DCR (78.1% vs. 72.9%, P = 0.571) and OS (51.0 months vs. 35.0 months, P = 0.396) between the regimens as first line and as non-first line treatment were not statistically significant. However, the PFS of the regimen as first-line was longer than that as non-first-line treatment (PFS 5.5 months vs. 3.0 months, P = 0.001). The differences in ORR (54.2% vs. 40.0%, P = 0.223), DCR (79.2% vs. 74.7%, P = 0.654), PFS (5.0 months vs. 3.0 months, P = 0.726) and OS (36.0 months vs. 40.0 months, P = 0.759) between cetuximab plus oxliplatin and irinotecan were not statistically significant. The most common side effects of cetuximab plus chemotherapy were acneiform eruption (80.4%, grade 3-4 in 9.8%), neutropenia (66.7%, grade 3-4 in 18.6%), and diarrhea (19.6%, grade 3-4 in 5.9%). No treatment-related death was recorded.

CONCLUSIONPatients with advanced colorectal cancer and unclear K-ras treated by cetuximab combined with chemotherapy have good ORR and OS, and the regimen is safe with less adverse events for them. There is no significant difference between the efficacies of regimens as first line and as non-first line treatment, and between cetuximab plus oxliplatin and cetuximab plus irinotecan regimens.

Acneiform Eruptions ; chemically induced ; Adenocarcinoma ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; secondary ; surgery ; Adult ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Antineoplastic Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Camptothecin ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; Cetuximab ; Colonic Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Diarrhea ; chemically induced ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; secondary ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; secondary ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neutropenia ; chemically induced ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; administration & dosage ; Rectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Remission Induction ; Survival Rate ; ras Proteins ; metabolism