Persistent bone marrow aplasia after intensive chemotherapy is uncommon, but is one of the fatal complications in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Although allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is considered to be contraindicated for patients who have hematologic diseases with serious infections, such as bacterial septicemia or invasive fungal diseases, combined with prolonged neutropenia due to frequent morbidity and mortality, such risks can be overcome by non-myeloablative conditioning and best supportive care. Here, we report an AML patient with persistent marrow aplasia after induction therapy, treated successfully with reduced-intensity allogeneic HSCT despite severe bacterial and fungal infections.
Anemia, Aplastic ; Bone Marrow* ; Drug Therapy* ; Hematologic Diseases ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute* ; Mortality ; Neutropenia ; Sepsis ; Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Stem Cells*

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a clinical syndrome characterized by micro-angiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, fever, renal disorders, and neurological manifestations. Its clinical course is rapid and the mortality rate is high if untreated or relapse occurs. Previous studies reported that rituximab, a monoclonal antibody for CD20 surface antigen on B lymphocytes, may be effective in treating idiopathic TTP that is refractory to plasma exchange or relapses after remission. A 27-year-old Vietnamese man presented with fever and fatigue starting 3 days earlier, which was diagnosed as idiopathic TTP. To overcome his poor responsiveness to combined therapy using steroids and plasma exchange, rituximab was considered. In the current case, the patient was treated with a lower dose of rituximab, instead of the conventional 375 mg/m2/week, and achieved successful remission.
Adult ; Anemia, Hemolytic ; Antigens, Surface ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; B-Lymphocytes ; Fatigue ; Fever ; Glucocorticoids ; Humans ; Mortality ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Plasma Exchange ; Plasma* ; Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic* ; Recurrence ; Steroids ; Thrombocytopenia ; Thrombotic Microangiopathies ; Rituximab

Background: and Purpose Myokines include cytokines secreted by muscle fibers, which are the final targets of myasthenia gravis (MG). This pilot study investigated whether myokine plasma concentrations are altered in patients with MG and assessed the association between the concentration of each myokine and disease severity. Methods: We compared the plasma concentrations of 15 myokines in 63 patients with acetylcholine receptor antibody (Ab)-positive MG and 14 with muscle-specific tyrosine kinase Ab-positive MG (MuSK MG) with those in 15 healthy controls. Plasma myokine concentrations were measured using a Luminex multiplex assay kit with magnetic beads that contained Abs for 15 myokines. Correlations between myokine concentration and clinical scale results were analyzed. Results: The concentration of fractalkine in plasma was higher in MG (median [interquartile range]=419.6 [38.7–732.5] pg/mL) than in controls (158.5 [0.0–313.2] pg/mL, p=0.034).The leukemia inhibitory factor concentration was also found to be higher in MuSK MG (29.9 [8.7–40.1] pg/mL) than in healthy controls (7.6 [0.0–15.6] pg/mL, p=0.013). Fatty-acid-binding protein 3 (FABP3) concentrations in plasma were positively associated with clinical parameters for MG severity, including scores on the Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis score (p= 0.008), Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (p=0.003), and Myasthenia Gravis Composite (p=0.024) scales. FABP3 concentration in plasma tended to decrease after treatment in patients without additional relapse but increased in those with further relapse. Conclusions The plasma myokine profile was significantly altered in patients with MG.FABP3 concentration may be useful in assessing disease severity and predicting the treatment response.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been reported to be related to certain clinical characteristics (i.e., female, non-smokers with adenocarcinoma) and gefitinib responsiveness. This exploratory analysis was performed to determine the incidence of EGFR mutations in male smokers with squamous cell carcinoma, who were treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, gefitinib. Sixty-nine Korean NSCLC patients were treated with gefitinib in a prospective study. For a subset of 20 male patients with squamous cell carcinoma and a history of smoking, pretreatment tumor tissue samples were obtained and analyzed for EGFR mutations (exons 18 to 21). EGFR mutations were found in 3 (15%) patients, including in-frame deletions within exon 19 (n=2) and L858R missence mutation in exon 21 (n=1). These 3 patients with EGFR mutations responded to gefitinib, whereas only one of remaining 17 patients with wild-type EGFR achieved clinical response. Trend toward longer progression-free (5.8 vs. 2.4 months; P=0.07) was noted in patients with EGFR mutations compared to those with wild-type EGFR. Although male smokers with squamous cell carcinoma have not been considered ideal candidates for gefitinib treatment, significant incidence of EGFR mutations was observed. The molecular markers should be considered to predict clinical benefits from gefitinib.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/*genetics ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/*genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Mutation ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use ; Quinazolines/therapeutic use ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor/*genetics ; *Smoking ; Treatment Outcome

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been reported to be related to certain clinical characteristics (i.e., female, non-smokers with adenocarcinoma) and gefitinib responsiveness. This exploratory analysis was performed to determine the incidence of EGFR mutations in male smokers with squamous cell carcinoma, who were treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, gefitinib. Sixty-nine Korean NSCLC patients were treated with gefitinib in a prospective study. For a subset of 20 male patients with squamous cell carcinoma and a history of smoking, pretreatment tumor tissue samples were obtained and analyzed for EGFR mutations (exons 18 to 21). EGFR mutations were found in 3 (15%) patients, including in-frame deletions within exon 19 (n=2) and L858R missence mutation in exon 21 (n=1). These 3 patients with EGFR mutations responded to gefitinib, whereas only one of remaining 17 patients with wild-type EGFR achieved clinical response. Trend toward longer progression-free (5.8 vs. 2.4 months; P=0.07) was noted in patients with EGFR mutations compared to those with wild-type EGFR. Although male smokers with squamous cell carcinoma have not been considered ideal candidates for gefitinib treatment, significant incidence of EGFR mutations was observed. The molecular markers should be considered to predict clinical benefits from gefitinib.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/*genetics ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/*genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Mutation ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use ; Quinazolines/therapeutic use ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor/*genetics ; *Smoking ; Treatment Outcome

Pregnancy in acromegaly is very rare. Amenorrhea and infertility are common manifestations in acromegaly. The pregnancy may be influenced by acromegaly in many ways and pregnancy itself may influence the course of a pituitary tumor. We report of a case of pregnancy in a woman who was diagnosed with acromegaly during the course of pregnancy. Her pregnancy was uneventful and she delivered a healthy baby at 38 weeks by cesarean section. No treatment was undertaken during the pregnancy and transsphenoidal surgery was performed after the delivery.
Acromegaly* ; Amenorrhea ; Cesarean Section ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Pregnancy*

Objective: The Children in Disaster: Evaluation and Recovery (CIDER) program in Korea was developed to treat children and adolescents exposed to trauma. This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the CIDER through a comparison with controls. Methods: A total of 85 participants consisted of the intervention group (n=41) and control group (n=44). We assessed the changes in trauma-related symptoms, depression, anxiety, and improvements in quality of life before and after the intervention. Results: In total, bullying and school violence (44.7%) were the most common trauma, followed by sexual abuse (17.6%). Acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) accounted for 41.2%, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and developmental disorder were the most common comorbidities (51.8%). The symptoms of trauma, depression, anxiety, and quality of life improved significantly in the intervention group, while the control group did not show significant changes. Conclusion Compared with the control group, the CIDER improved symptoms and quality of life in children and adolescents who had experienced trauma. The CIDER program was practical and easy to apply, even for different ages, types of traumas, and comorbidities.

Trichilemmal carcinoma (TC) is an uncommon cutaneous neoplasm that develops from the external root sheath of the hair follicle. It is considered to be a low-grade carcinoma with low metastatic potential. Local recurrence and metastasis are rare after surgical excision. We report here on a case of metastatic TC in the skin over the thigh, and this tumor was treated with cisplatin and cyclophosphamide combination chemotherapy.
Cisplatin ; Cyclophosphamide ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Hair Follicle ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Palliative Care ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Skin Neoplasms ; Thigh

A 36-year-old woman presented with erythematous confluent macules on her whole body with fever and chills associated with jaundice after 8 months of dapsone therapy. Her symptoms had developed progressively, and a physical examination revealed bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly. Excisional biopsy of a cervical lymph node showed effacement of the normal architecture with atypical lymphoid hyperplasia and proliferation of high endothelial venules compatible with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. However, it was assumed that the cervical lymphadenopathy was a clinical manifestation of a systemic hypersensitivity reaction because her clinical course was reminiscent of dapsone-induced hypersensitivity syndrome. A liver biopsy revealed drug-induced hepatitis with no evidence of lymphomatous involvement. Intravenous glucocorticoid was immediately initiated and her symptoms and clinical disease dramatically improved. The authors present an unusual case of cervical lymphadenopathy mimicking angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma as an adverse reaction to dapsone.
Biopsy ; Chills ; Dapsone ; Drug-Induced Liver Injury ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Hypersensitivity ; Jaundice ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; Physical Examination ; Pseudolymphoma ; Splenomegaly ; T-Lymphocytes ; Venules

PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine the efficacy and safety of FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy as a salvage treatment for patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The AGC patients with an ECOG performance status of 0~1 and progressive disease after prior treatments were registered onto this phase II trial. The patients received oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2 on day 1), leucovorin (200 mg/m2 on days 1 and 2) and 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m2 as a bolus and 600 mg/m2 as a 22-hour infusion on days 1 and 2) every 2 weeks. RESULTS: For the 42 treated patients, a total of 228 chemotherapy cycles (median: 5, range: 1~12) were administered. Twenty-nine patients (69%) received FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy as a third-(50%) or fourth-line (19%) treatment. On the intent-to-treat analysis, 9 patients (21%) achieved a partial response, which was maintained for 4.6 months. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 3.0 months and 6.2 months, respectively. The frequently encountered toxicities were neutropenia and gastrointestinal side effects, including anorexia. Although there was one possible treatment-related death, the toxicity profiles were generally predictable and manageable. CONCLUSION: Salvage chemotherapy with FOLFOX-4 is an effective and tolerable regimen for those heavily pretreated AGC patients who have a good performance status.
Anorexia ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Leucovorin ; Neutropenia ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; Stomach Neoplasms