Modified outpatient dexamethazone, cytarabine and cisplatin regimen may lead to high response rates and low toxicity in lymphoma

Our purpose was to investigate the efficacy of and establish a toxicity profile for a modified regimen of dexamethasone, cytarabine and cisplatin [DHAP] for lymphoma outpatients. Fifty-one lymphoma patients, 26 with Hodgkin's disease and 25 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, were included. The patients' median age was 32 years [range: 17-61]. Twenty had progressive/refractory disease and 31 relapsed disease. Twenty-five were in clinical stage I/II and 26 in clinical stage III/IV before the initiation of salvage chemotherapy. DHAP consisted of dexamethasone [40 mg i.v. on days 1-4], cytarabine [2 g/m[2] i.v. as 3-hour infusion on days 2 in the evening and 3 in the morning] and cisplatin [35 mg/m[2] as 2-hour infusion on days 1-3] were administered every 21 days. A total of 154 cycles of modified DHAP were administered, with a median of 3 cycles per patient [range: 2-4]. The main toxicity was myelosuppression. WHO grade III-IV neutropenia and grade III-IV thrombocytopenia were observed in 27 [52.9%] and 21 [41%] patients, respectively. The overall response rate [85% for Hodgkin's disease and 95% for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma] was 88.3% [39.2% complete response and 49.1% partial response]. The results showed that this outpatient schedule of DHAP was well tolerated and an effective salvage regimen

Paraneoplastic motor neuron disease resembling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a patient with renal cell carcinoma

To report an unusual paraneoplastic syndrome, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, associated with renal cell carcinoma. Case Presentation and Intervention: A 59-year-old man presented with muscle weakness and fasciculations in the upper extremities. Neurological examination showed that the fasciculations arose spontaneously in the upper limbs. Electrodiagnostic studies revealed an active neurogenic disorder. The patient was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease mimicking amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Urine analysis revealed microscopic hematuria. Abdominal computerized tomography scans showed a 9.5 x 8 cm renal mass in the lower pole of the right kidney. Curative right radical nephrectomy was performed. Pathologic examination showed a clear cell adenocarcinoma. After nephrectomy, the muscle weakness and fasciculations disappeared spontaneously within 2 months. The patient was disease-free for 58 months after right radical nephrectomy. He complained of muscle weakness and fasciculation at the last follow-up again. Physical examination revealed fasciculation in the upper limbs. Abdominal tomography showed a 22 x 20 mm solid mass in the lower pole of the left kidney. Kidney-saving surgery was performed and the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma was confirmed pathologically. Following surgery, fasciculations completely disappeared and muscle weakness diminished within 3 months. This case highlights motor neuron disease as a rare paraneoplastic syndrome in association with renal cell carcinoma and resolution after removal of the tumor

Impact of C-erb2 status on survival after high dose chemotherapy in high-risk breast cancer patients

To investigate the impact of c-erb2 status on survival after high-dose chemotherapy. Between March 1997 and June 2004, a total of 54 women with breast cancer who has at least 8 metastatic lymph nodes underwent high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Giilhane Military Medical School, Ankara, Turkey. Archival specimens were analyzed by fluorescent in situ hybridization to determine the impact of c-erb2 status after peripheral blood stem cell transplantation on survival. The patients were divided into c-erb2 negative [n=20] and positive [n=l 1] groups. No statistically significant differences were detected between c-erb2 negative and positive groups regarding 5 -year disease-free survival [41 and 27%, log rank p=0.1 1], and overall survival [60 and 45%, p=0.33[. Transplant related mortality did not differ between groups. We found no differences between c-erb2 negative and positive groups regarding disease-free and overall survival. To clarify the value of the c-erb2 status in predicting outcome after high-dose chemotherapy, prospective randomized studies are needed