BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: Toxic hepatitis has recently been discovered to be a major cause of acute hepatitis. We studied the clinical features and prognosis of patients diagnosed with toxic hepatitis at a single institution. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed using medical records of 159 cases of toxic hepatitis that were diagnosed from March 2003 to March 2008. Patients were selected based on a RUCAM score of 4 or above. RESULTS: The incidence was higher in women (n=97) than in men (n=62). The age (mean+/-SD) of the patients was 51+/-15 years . The major causes of the disease included the use of Korean traditional therapeutic preparations (34.0%), herbal medicines (41.5%), and drugs prescribed by a physician (23.9%). At the time of admission, jaundice was the most common symptom (41.5%), and the results of a liver serum battery were as follows: aspartate aminotransferase, 729.4+/-877.0 IU/L; alanine aminotransferase, 857.1+/-683.0 IU/L; total bilirubin, 6.4+/-6.5 mg/dL; and alkaline phosphatase, 209.8+/-130.0 IU/L. The hospitalization period was 10.0+/-9.5 days, and the duration of recovery from liver injury was 31.0+/-29.5 days. The factors associated with the hospitalization period included the presence of anorexia and the serum levels of albumin and bilirubin at the time of admission (P<0.05). A high serum bilirubin level and a history of alcohol ingestion were associated with a delayed recovery (Plt;0.05). The sex, age, BMI, and duration of medication were not significantly related to the hospitalization and recovery periods. CONCLUSIONS: The main cause of acute toxic hepatitis in the current study was the use of herbal medicines. The severity of liver injury at the time of admission was a major factor significantly associated with the hospitalization and recovery periods.
Acute Disease ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alcohol Drinking ; Bilirubin/blood ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Female ; Hepatitis, Toxic/*diagnosis/epidemiology/etiology ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Medical Records ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index

The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival of 395 previously untreated cervical cancer patients with at least one high risk factor following concurrent chemoradiation and to assess the toxicities. Two different chemotherapy regimens were used for concurrent chemoradiation. In the patients with squamous cell carcinoma, 100 mg/m2 of cisplatin was infused intravenously, followed immediately by five consecutive daily administrations of 5-fluorouracil, 1,000 mg/m2/day, each infused intravenously over 24 hr. As for the patients with adenocarcinoma, 70 mg/m2 of cisplatin, 250 mg/m2 of cytoxan and 45 mg/m2 of adriamycin were administered intravenously on days 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The 5-year survival rate was 54.4+ACU- with stage III and IV, 62.6+ACU- with lymph node metastasis on computed tomogram or MRI, 77.9+ACU- with stage I-II disease with lesion size +AD4- or +AD0-4 cm, and 50.3+ACU- with small cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma. Side effects from concurrent chemoradiation such as nausea, vomiting, and alopecia were present in all 395 cases. Anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity were observed to varying degrees, but there was no toxic death. This study suggests that cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiation in treating cervical cancer patients with high risk factors is effective and relatively well tolerated, with acceptable toxicity.
Adenocarcinoma/radiotherapy ; Adenocarcinoma/mortality ; Adenocarcinoma/drug therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents, Combined/therapeutic use+ACo- ; Antineoplastic Agents, Combined/adverse effects ; Carboplatin/administration +ACY- dosage ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/radiotherapy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/mortality ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/drug therapy ; Cervix Neoplasms/radiotherapy+ACo- ; Cervix Neoplasms/mortality ; Cervix Neoplasms/drug therapy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant/adverse effects ; Cisplatin/administration +ACY- dosage ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Comparative Study ; Cyclophosphamide/administration +ACY- dosage ; Doxorubicin/administration +ACY- dosage ; Female ; Fluorouracil/administration +ACY- dosage ; Gastrointestinal Diseases/etiology ; Gastrointestinal Diseases/epidemiology ; Hematologic Diseases/etiology ; Hematologic Diseases/epidemiology ; Hepatitis, Toxic/etiology ; Hepatitis, Toxic/epidemiology ; Human ; Kidney Diseases/epidemiology ; Kidney Diseases/chemically induced ; Korea/epidemiology ; Life Tables ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Age ; Particle Accelerators ; Radiotherapy, High-Energy+ACo-/adverse effects ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk ; Survival Analysis ; Treatment Outcome

The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival of 395 previously untreated cervical cancer patients with at least one high risk factor following concurrent chemoradiation and to assess the toxicities. Two different chemotherapy regimens were used for concurrent chemoradiation. In the patients with squamous cell carcinoma, 100 mg/m2 of cisplatin was infused intravenously, followed immediately by five consecutive daily administrations of 5-fluorouracil, 1,000 mg/m2/day, each infused intravenously over 24 hr. As for the patients with adenocarcinoma, 70 mg/m2 of cisplatin, 250 mg/m2 of cytoxan and 45 mg/m2 of adriamycin were administered intravenously on days 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The 5-year survival rate was 54.4+ACU- with stage III and IV, 62.6+ACU- with lymph node metastasis on computed tomogram or MRI, 77.9+ACU- with stage I-II disease with lesion size +AD4- or +AD0-4 cm, and 50.3+ACU- with small cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma. Side effects from concurrent chemoradiation such as nausea, vomiting, and alopecia were present in all 395 cases. Anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity were observed to varying degrees, but there was no toxic death. This study suggests that cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiation in treating cervical cancer patients with high risk factors is effective and relatively well tolerated, with acceptable toxicity.
Adenocarcinoma/radiotherapy ; Adenocarcinoma/mortality ; Adenocarcinoma/drug therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents, Combined/therapeutic use+ACo- ; Antineoplastic Agents, Combined/adverse effects ; Carboplatin/administration +ACY- dosage ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/radiotherapy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/mortality ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/drug therapy ; Cervix Neoplasms/radiotherapy+ACo- ; Cervix Neoplasms/mortality ; Cervix Neoplasms/drug therapy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant/adverse effects ; Cisplatin/administration +ACY- dosage ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Comparative Study ; Cyclophosphamide/administration +ACY- dosage ; Doxorubicin/administration +ACY- dosage ; Female ; Fluorouracil/administration +ACY- dosage ; Gastrointestinal Diseases/etiology ; Gastrointestinal Diseases/epidemiology ; Hematologic Diseases/etiology ; Hematologic Diseases/epidemiology ; Hepatitis, Toxic/etiology ; Hepatitis, Toxic/epidemiology ; Human ; Kidney Diseases/epidemiology ; Kidney Diseases/chemically induced ; Korea/epidemiology ; Life Tables ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Age ; Particle Accelerators ; Radiotherapy, High-Energy+ACo-/adverse effects ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk ; Survival Analysis ; Treatment Outcome