ABSTRACT
We report a case of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) treated using clarithromycin (CAM) and prednisolone (PSL). An 84-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for bleeding after a tooth extraction and hematuria. Computed tomography showed multiple ill-defined nodules in the omentum (omental cake). Although the cause of the omental cake remained unclear, the patient was diagnosed with WM, based on the detection of M-protein of immunoglobulin (Ig) M in serum and lymphoplasmacytes in bone marrow. The bleeding tendency in the patient may have been due to acquired hemophilia and/or hyper IgM-induced platelet dysfunction. The patient was treated using CAM (800 mg/day) and PSL (10 mg/day). As a result, IgM levels gradually decreased. Because the omental cake contracted along with improvement in IgM, it was thought to be lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma-like lymphoma. This case shows that treatment using CAM and PSL may be effective in some cases of WM.
Subject(s)
Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Blood Platelets , Bone Marrow , Clarithromycin , Hematuria , Hemophilia A , Hemorrhage , Immunoglobulin M , Immunoglobulins , Lymphoma , Omentum , Prednisolone , Tooth Extraction , Waldenstrom MacroglobulinemiaABSTRACT
No abstract available.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols , Clarithromycin/administration & dosage , Cyclophosphamide/administration & dosage , Lymphoma, Follicular/drug therapy , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/drug therapy , Prednisolone/administration & dosage , Protein Synthesis Inhibitors/administration & dosageABSTRACT
We report a case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated successfully with clarithromycin (CAM) and prednisolone (PSL). A 71-year-old woman presented with fever and cervical pain. DLBCL was diagnosed based on histological results from lymph node biopsy. Cervical pain was thought to be caused by the invasion of lymphoma cells into the cervical vertebrae. She initially received radiotherapy for the cervical lesion. She did not receive conventional chemotherapy because of the risk of recurrent non-tuberculous mycobacteria infection; therefore, she was treated with 20 mg/day PSL and 800 mg/day CAM to induce apoptosis in lymphoma cells. Complete remission was achieved after 6 months. The present findings suggest that CAM and PSL may be effective in some cases of DLBCL.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Apoptosis , B-Lymphocytes , Biopsy , Cervical Vertebrae , Clarithromycin , Fever , Lymph Nodes , Lymphoma , Lymphoma, B-Cell , Neck Pain , PrednisoloneABSTRACT
Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) is an uncommon disease characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the gastrointestinal tract, which is usually associated with abdominal pain, diarrhea, ascites, and peripheral eosinophilia. Steroids remain the mainstay of treatment for EGE, but symptoms often recur when the dose is reduced. Macrolides have immunomodulatory effects as well as antibacterial effects. The immunomodulatory effect results in inhibition of T-lymphocyte proliferation and triggering of T-lymphocyte and eosinophil apoptosis. Macrolides also have a steroid-sparing effect through their influence on steroid metabolism. We report a rare case of EGE, which relapsed on steroid reduction but improved following clarithromycin treatment.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Clarithromycin/therapeutic use , Enteritis/drug therapy , Eosinophilia/drug therapy , Gastritis/drug therapy , Immunologic Factors/therapeutic use , Prednisolone/administration & dosageABSTRACT
Macrolides have both immunomodulatory and antibacterial effects. We report 3 cases of primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients who were successfully treated with macrolides, irrespective of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection status. Case 1, an 88-year-old woman who was an H. pylori-positive ITP patient, was treated with clarithromycin (CAM). CAM was effective temporarily. As an alternative to CAM, she was successfully treated with erythromycin (EM) for more than 7 months. Case 2, a 61-year-old man who was an H. pylori-negative ITP patient, was unsuccessfully treated with CAM but successfully treated with EM. Case 3, a 75-year-old woman who was a H. pylori-negative ITP patient, was treated with CAM. CAM was effective temporarily. After approximately 6 months, she was treated with EM for a common cold, and her platelet count increased rapidly. Based on these findings, macrolide treatment was effective for ITP. The effectiveness of macrolides might suggest immunomodulatory effects as well as antibacterial effects for H. pylori.
Subject(s)
Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Clarithromycin , Common Cold , Erythromycin , Helicobacter pylori , Macrolides , Platelet Count , Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic , ThrombocytopeniaABSTRACT
We report a case of follicular B-cell lymphoma (FL) treated successfully using clarithromycin (CAM). A 44-year-old man who presented with lymphadenopathy was diagnosed with FL after a histological examination of his biopsy specimens. He was administered chemotherapy with R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisolone) following which stable disease was achieved. However, the subsequent clinical course showed partial remission of FL and stable disease with tumor regrowth, each of which was treated with chemotherapeutic regimens. Since the patient was diagnosed with leukocytopenia, he could not undergo chemotherapy for the third regrowth; hence, he was administered CAM. His lymphadenopathy regressed and the levels of soluble interleukin 2-receptor decreased. This case shows that treatment using CAM may be effective in some cases of FL.