Two cases of acute toxic hepatitis and renal failure after ingestion of the extract of elm bark in lung cancer patients / 대한내과학회지

Traditional remedies, especially the extract of elm bark, are frequently used in Korea. But the exact efficacy and adverse effects are not known. Cancer patients are frequently recommended various traditional remedies by family members. However such remedies may lead to life-threatening complications. We observed two cases of severe hepatic and renal toxicities that developed after ingestion of elm extract. One patient was a 67-year-old man diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). He ingested the bark extract of elm for 2 weeks during routine work-up prior to chemotherapy. He abruptly showed acute toxic hepatitis with cardiac tamponade. The other patient was a 57-year-old woman diagnosed with extensive disease-small cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). She consumed the extract of root bark of elm for 5 months during complete remission status and developed acute renal failure. These cases suggest that use of the extract of elm bark in cancer patients must be more careful.

Post-operative Adjuvant Chemotherapy with 5-Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, and Mitomycin C (MLF) for Gastric Cancer / 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The surgical resection has been still the only curative treatment modality for the gastric cancer, but the overall prognosis has not been so satisfactory because of high relapse rate. So the necessity of adjuvant chemotherapy has been increased. We evaluated the effect of MLF (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and mitomycin C) regimen on the prevention of relapse and survival benefit after postopertive adjuvant chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The MLF regimen consisted of 5-FU 375 mg/m2 IV on days 1 through 5; LV 20 mg/m2 IV just before 5-FU infusion on days 1 through 5; and MMC 9 mg/m2 IV on day 1 (7 mg/m2 from the 2nd cycle). RESULTS: One hundred patients were entered into the trial; 56 were male & 44 female, and the range of age was 20 to 82. The total number of chemotherapy cycles was 514. According to AJCC staging, 4 cases were in stage IA, 14 IB, 23 II, 42 IIIA, 15 IIIB, respectively and 2 cases were in stage IV. The estimated median survival was 32 months in stage IIIA, and 28 months in IIIB. The 5 year survival was 90% in stage IB, 76% in II, 29.6% in IIIA and 21.8% in IIIB. Severe neutropenia (WHO grade > or = 3) was observed in 11.8%, and throbocytopenia 0.4%. Severe nausea and vomiting was observed in 1.8%, diarrhea in 1.7%, and mucositis in 1.5%, but there was no toxic death. CONCLUSION: The MLF adjuvant chemotherapy may be effective for resectable gastric cancer with minimal toxicities, but phase III study is needed to confirm its efficacy.

Acute Inferior Wall Myocardial Infarction as a Result of Anomalous Origin of the Right Coronary Arteryl from the Left Simus of Valsalva

The incidence of anomalous aortic origin of the coronary arteries in the general papulation is unknown. In recent reports from various laboratories, the incidence was between 0.6-12% in patients referred for coronary arteriogtaphy. Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva is reported to constitute from 6% to 27% of all coronary anomalies, For many years pathologists classified it as a minor anomaly of no clinical importance. Recently, manifstations of myocardial ischemia have been described in patients with this anomaly in the absence of additional atherosclerotic or other disease processes. These manifestations have included acute myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, syncope, nonfatal ventricular fibrillation, and sudden death. We report a case of 56-year-old male with the anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva, who had been admitted due to severe substernal chest pain and acute inferior wall myocardial infarction. The coronary angiography revealed that the right coronary artery originated from the left coronary sinus without significant atheroscleotic narrowing. The anomalous right coronary artery passed anteriorly between pulmonary artery and aortic root without significant coronary obstruction.

A Study of 162 Cases of Peri-Ampullary Diverticulum / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND: Periampullary diverticulum has been commonly discovered during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP) in patients with various pancreaticobiliary diseases such as cholelithiasis and its clinical significance has been noted. Recently, periampullary diverticulum is known to be associated with choledocholithiasis, various pancreatobiliary diseases and intestinal symptoms. Our aims of study was to investigate characteristics of periampullary diverticulum and to determinate the positive relationship between periampullary diverticulum and choledocholithiasis, and to determinate whether periampullary diverticulum influences on the cannulation rate and complication performing ERCP and endoscopic sphincterotomy(EST). METHODS: We reviewed 162 of 594 cases, which had periampullary diverticulums on ERCP during the past 6 years, and investigated size, location and number of periampullary diverticulums with special reference to the location of cholelithiasis. We also compared success rate and complication rate of ERCP and EST in cases with or without periamullary diverticulum. RESULTS: The incidence of periampullary diverticulum was 27.3%(male 48.1%, female 51.9%). and increased after 50 years old. In anatomical characteriastics of periampullary diverticulum, most of the diverticulum was single(90.1%). Size was usually smaller than 1cm(48.8%) and was seperated from ampulla of Vater, type III(59.2%). Choledocholithiasis was more frequently found in patients with periampullary diverticulum(58.9%) than in patients without diverticulum(43.1), especially in type II(attatching type). Failure rate of ERCP was 14.8% with periampullary diverticulum and was 14.6% without it. Bleeding, one of serious complications of EST, was noted in 4 patients with periampullary diverticulum, and one patient was operated to control the bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Periampullary diverticulum might be related with choledocholithiasis, but usually does not interfere with procedure of ERCP.

A Case of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Associated with Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura / 대한신장학회잡지

Although thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) has been described in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the relationship between these two diseases is controversial. It is reported that survival in SLE associated with TTP correlated with the use of plasma exchange rather than with the activity of the underlying autoimmune disease. We experienced a patient with SLE who developed TTP. The patient temporarily responded to therapy including aggressive plasmapheresis with infusion of fresh frozen plasma. Plasmapheresis could not be continued because of deterioration of renal function and pulmonary edema. TTP recurred and the patient died.

The Effect of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), Vinblastine and Cisplatin (FVP) for Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) / 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: As the prognosis of stage III NSCLC is still poor with or without operation, we conducted a phase II trial of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CHT) with 5-FU, vinblastine, cisplatin prior to surgery to determine the effect on resectability and survival. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Patients (pt) received 5-FU 500mg/m2/12 hours continuous infusion for 36 hours, vinblastine 3mg/m2/day iv bolus day 1 and day 2, and cisplatin 75mg/m2 iv day 1 every 3 weeks. This regimen was given for 2 cycles. When the tumor was responsive (stable disease or better), 1 or 2 more cycles of the CHT were given, followed by operation when totally resectable on chest CT/MRI, then 3 more cycles of the CHT to finish the treatment; when the tumor was neither responsive nor resectable after 3rd or 4th CHT, radiotherapy was started. RESULT: Twenty nine pt were enrolled and 26 pt have been evaluable so far. Age ranged from 32 to 79 (median 59 years); 23 were male, 3 female. Total of 108 cycles were given (mean 4.2). There were 4 partial remissions out of 6 IIIAs (67%) and 10 out of 20 IIIBs (50%), with overall response rate of 53.8%; down staging was noted in 9 patients (34.6%). 9 pt (34.6%) underwent curative resection successfully; 4 out of 6 IIIAs (67%) and 5 out of 20 IIIBs (25.0%); 1 patient refused operation. Median survival was 31.3 months for 9 pt with operation, and that of all patients was 14.2 months. Radiation was given to 9 pt, resulting in 3 partial remissions (PR), 3 stable diseases (SD), 3 progressive diseases (PD). Serious (WHO grade> or =3) toxicities were nausea/emesis in 2.8%, granulocytopenia in 26.9% and thrombocytopenia in 2.8%. CONCLUSION: This treatment modality seemed to be effective, encouraging further phase III study for better determination of its role.