Managing Side Effects of Cytotoxic Chemotherapy in Patients With High Grade Gliomas

Cytotoxic chemotherapy has been a mainstay of cancer treatment since the 1940s. In the recent era of emergent targeted therapies and immunotherapies, many cytotoxic chemotherapy agents including temozolomide are still one of main weapons for the treatment of high grade gliomas. However, cytotoxic chemotherapy often causes side effects. Proper management of chemotherapy-induced toxicity can have a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life and clinical outcomes. Many supportive care advances have transformed our ability to give full doses of chemotherapy, which is important for achieving their full efficacy. Prevention and treatment strategies have been developed for many chemotherapy-related toxicities. This review focused on managing gastrointestinal toxicity, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and hematologic toxicities such as thrombocytopenia during cytotoxic chemotherapy treatment in high-grade brain tumors.

2020 Korean guidelines for the management of metastatic prostate cancer

In 2017, Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO) published the Korean management guideline of metastatic prostate cancer. This paper is the 2nd edition of the Korean management guideline of metastatic prostate cancer. We updated recent many changes of management in metastatic prostate cancer in this 2nd edition guideline. The present guideline consists of the three categories: management of metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer; management of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer; and clinical consideration for treating patients with metastatic prostate cancer. In category 1 and 2, levels of evidence (LEs) have been mentioned according to the general principles of evidence-based medicine. And grades of recommendation (GR) was taken into account the quality of evidence, the balance between desirable and undesirable effects, the values and preferences, and the use of resources and GR were divided into strong recommendations (SR) and weak recommendations (WR). A total of 16 key questions are selected. And we proposed recommendations and described key evidence for each recommendation. The treatment landscape of metastatic prostate cancer is changing very rapid and many trials are ongoing. To verify the results of the future trials is necessary and should be applied to the treatment for metastatic prostate cancer patients in the clinical practice. Especially, many prostate cancer patients are old age, have multiple underlying medical comorbidities, clinicians should be aware of the significance of medical management as well as clinical efficacy of systemic treatment.

2020 Korean guidelines for the management of metastatic prostate cancer

In 2017, Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO) published the Korean management guideline of metastatic prostate cancer. This paper is the 2nd edition of the Korean management guideline of metastatic prostate cancer. We updated recent many changes of management in metastatic prostate cancer in this 2nd edition guideline. The present guideline consists of the three categories: management of metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer; management of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer; and clinical consideration for treating patients with metastatic prostate cancer. In category 1 and 2, levels of evidence (LEs) have been mentioned according to the general principles of evidence-based medicine. And grades of recommendation (GR) was taken into account the quality of evidence, the balance between desirable and undesirable effects, the values and preferences, and the use of resources and GR were divided into strong recommendations (SR) and weak recommendations (WR). A total of 16 key questions are selected. And we proposed recommendations and described key evidence for each recommendation. The treatment landscape of metastatic prostate cancer is changing very rapid and many trials are ongoing. To verify the results of the future trials is necessary and should be applied to the treatment for metastatic prostate cancer patients in the clinical practice. Especially, many prostate cancer patients are old age, have multiple underlying medical comorbidities, clinicians should be aware of the significance of medical management as well as clinical efficacy of systemic treatment.

Selection of Optimal Adjuvant Chemotherapeutic Agents for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment / 대한내과학회지

Pancreatic cancer generally has a dismal prognosis, with a 5-year overall survival rate of approximately 10%. At present, surgical resection is the only treatment with a curative aim; however, it is applicable to only 15–20% patients with pancreatic cancer at the time of diagnosis and the median survival following treatment with surgery alone is only 11–20 months. Many trials have shown that adjuvant chemotherapy offers improved outcomes over observation following surgical resection. Recently, modified folinic acid–fluorouracil–irinotecan–oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX) treatment following surgical resection in patients with good performance status has shown an impressive 9-month increase in disease-free survival. However, patients included in the study were selected based on a narrow set of criteria, and adverse events during adjuvant chemotherapy remain a limitation. In this article, we review some key trials of adjuvant chemotherapy treatment for pancreatic cancer and discuss future perspectives including neoadjuvant treatment approaches.

PBT-6, a Novel PI3KC2γ Inhibitor in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is considered as a promising therapeutic target for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) because of its involvement in inflammatory processes. However, limited studies have reported the involvement of PI3KC2γ in RA, and the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated the role of PI3KC2γ as a novel therapeutic target for RA and the effect of its selective inhibitor, PBT-6. In this study, we observed that PI3KC2γ was markedly increased in the synovial fluid and tissue as well as the PBMCs of patients with RA. PBT-6, a novel PI3KC2γ inhibitor, decreased the cell growth of TNF-mediated synovial fibroblasts and LPS-mediated macrophages. Furthermore, PBT-6 inhibited the PI3KC2γ expression and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in both synovial fibroblasts and macrophages. In addition, PBT-6 suppressed macrophage migration via CCL2 and osteoclastogenesis. In CIA mice, it significantly inhibited the progression and development of RA by decreasing arthritis scores and paw swelling. Three-dimensional micro-computed tomography confirmed that PBT-6 enhanced the joint structures in CIA mice. Taken together, our findings suggest that PI3KC2γ is a therapeutic target for RA, and PBT-6 could be developed as a novel PI3KC2γ inhibitor to target inflammatory diseases including RA.

Surrogate decision making of chemotherapy consent: do we really provide informed consent of chemotherapy for patients?

BACKGROUND/AIMS@#Despite increased demand for cancer patient's to make their own decisions based on an adequate understanding of what is involved in chemotherapy, the primary signing agent and the reasons for surrogate signing have not been appropriately evaluated.@*METHODS@#The ethics committee of the palliative medicine subgroup of the Korean Cancer Study Group designed this study and solid cancer patients to whom chemotherapy was offered, from seven institutions, were evaluated. The details relating to surrogate's signing of chemotherapy consent were evaluated. Then, we analyzed the factors associated with surrogate's signing according to patient's demographics and characteristics related to chemotherapy consent.@*RESULTS@#Surrogate's signing was noted for 20.7% (84/405) of patient and over half of surrogate signings were performed by the patients' son or daughter (60.7%). Two main reasons for surrogate signing were patient's incapacity (34.5%) and taking over authorization from patients (33.3%). The factors associated with more frequent surrogate's signing were absence of spouse, lower education level, outpatient, and when residents played a role as a principle provider of chemotherapy consent.@*CONCLUSIONS@#This study suggests the lack of patients' own decision making for chemotherapy in some situations. This ethical dilemma must be considered for adequately informed decision making for chemotherapy while ensuring the patients' autonomy is maintained.

Factor V Deficiency in Korean Patients: Clinical and Laboratory Features, Treatment, and Outcome

Due to rarity of factor V (FV) deficiency, there have been only a few case reports in Korea. We retrospectively analysed the clinical-laboratory features of FV deficiency in 10 Korean patients. Between January 1987 and December 2013, 10 case reports published in a Korean journal or proceedings of Korea Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis were reviewed. Severity is defined as mild (> 5% of factor activity), moderate (1%-5%), and severe (< 1%). The median age at diagnosis, six males and four females, was 26 years (range, 1 month-73 years). Six of 10 patients were classified as moderate, three as mild, and one as severe disease. Eight patients were diagnosed as inherited FV deficiency. The most frequent symptoms were mucosal tract bleedings (40%) such as epistaxis, and menorrhagia in female. Hemarthroses and postoperative bleeding occurred in one and four patients, respectively. Life-threatening bleeding episodes occurred in the peritoneal cavity (n = 2), central nerve system (n = 1), and retroperitoneal space (n = 1). No lethal haemorrhages happened to patients with mild disease. The majority of bleeding episodes were controlled with local measures and fresh-frozen plasma replacement. Two acquired FV deficient-patients showing life-threatening haemorrhages received the immunosuppressive therapy, but one of them died from postoperative bleeding complications. Despite the small sample size of this study due to rarity of the disease, we found that Korean patients with FV deficiency had similar clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes shown in previous studies.

Factor V Deficiency in Korean Patients: Clinical and Laboratory Features, Treatment, and Outcome

Due to rarity of factor V (FV) deficiency, there have been only a few case reports in Korea. We retrospectively analysed the clinical-laboratory features of FV deficiency in 10 Korean patients. Between January 1987 and December 2013, 10 case reports published in a Korean journal or proceedings of Korea Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis were reviewed. Severity is defined as mild (> 5% of factor activity), moderate (1%-5%), and severe (< 1%). The median age at diagnosis, six males and four females, was 26 years (range, 1 month-73 years). Six of 10 patients were classified as moderate, three as mild, and one as severe disease. Eight patients were diagnosed as inherited FV deficiency. The most frequent symptoms were mucosal tract bleedings (40%) such as epistaxis, and menorrhagia in female. Hemarthroses and postoperative bleeding occurred in one and four patients, respectively. Life-threatening bleeding episodes occurred in the peritoneal cavity (n = 2), central nerve system (n = 1), and retroperitoneal space (n = 1). No lethal haemorrhages happened to patients with mild disease. The majority of bleeding episodes were controlled with local measures and fresh-frozen plasma replacement. Two acquired FV deficient-patients showing life-threatening haemorrhages received the immunosuppressive therapy, but one of them died from postoperative bleeding complications. Despite the small sample size of this study due to rarity of the disease, we found that Korean patients with FV deficiency had similar clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes shown in previous studies.

Prognostic Implication of Semi-quantitative Immunohistochemical Assessment of CD20 Expression in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

BACKGROUND: Immunohistochemical demonstration of CD20 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is prerequisite not only for the diagnosis but also for assigning patients to rituximab-containing chemotherapy. However, little is known about the impact of abundance of CD20 expression assessed by immunohistochemistry on the clinical outcome of DLBCL. We performed a semi-quantitative immunohistochemical analysis of CD20 expression in DLBCL to examine the prognostic implication of the level of CD20 expression. METHODS: Pre-treatment diagnostic tissue samples from 48 DLBCL patients who were treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) regimen were represented in a tissue microarray and immunostained for CD20. The relative abundance of CD20 expression was semi-quantitatively scored using a web-based ImmunoMembrane plug-in. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine a prognostically relevant cut-off score in order to dichotomize the patients into CD20-high versus CD20-low groups. RESULTS: The levels of CD20 expression were heterogeneous among the patients, with a wide and linear distribution of scores. Patients in CD20-low group showed significantly poor clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The levels of CD20 expression in DLBCL are heterogeneous among the patients with DLBCL. A subgroup of the patients with CD20 expression levels below the cut-off score showed poor clinical outcome.

A Case of Disseminated Extranodal Interdigitating Dendritic Cell Sarcoma Arising from Parotid Gland / 고신대학교의과대학학술지

Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS) is an extremely rare tumor derived from professional antigen presenting cell and primarily found in lymph nodes, with rarer case report about extranodal presentation of IDCS. A 71-yr-old man was admitted with progressively enlarging and painless mass in the right parotid area for 2 months. Computed tomography of the neck and chest revealed enhancing mass in right parotid gland, multiple lymphadenopathies around neck and mediastinum, and an osteolytic metastasis at thoracic spine. Morphological and immunohistochemical analysis of an excisional biopsy specimen from parotid mass were consistent with a diagnosis of IDCS. Palliative chemotherapy with 6 cycles of CHOP (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisolone) regimen and 2 cycles of ABVD (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) regimen plus radiotherapy on parotid mass failed in tumor reduction. We describe a rare case of disseminated extranodal IDCS arising from parotid gland.

Rosai-Dorfman Disease Combined with Aortic Vasculitis, Arrhythmia, and Valvular Heart Disease

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare and benign self-limited disorder with pathologic feature of the lymph node sinuses expanded by a proliferation of distinctive histiocytes. The most often involving site is bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy, followed by the skin and soft tissue. Treatment options, including steroid, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and debulking surgery depend on the symptoms or the extent and localization of the lesions. We encountered a very rare case of RDD at the skin lesions, particularly combined with aortic vasculitis, arrhythmia, and valvular heart disease.

The Clinicopathological Significance of Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition Associated Protein Expression in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) has an important role in invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the roles of EMT-associated proteins on progression and metastasis as a prognostic/predictive factor in curatively-resected (R0) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: A total of 118 patients who received curative surgery for HNSCC at Inha University Hospital between January 1996 and December 2011 were included. We used protein immunohistochemistry to evaluate the expression of E-cadherin, vimentin, and EZH2 on tissue microarrays. Also, we reviewed all medical records and analyzed the relationship between the expression of EMT-associated proteins and prognosis. RESULTS: The E-cadherin-negative group showed more moderate/poor differentiation of cancer cell type than the higher E-cadherin-expressing group (p=.016) and high EZH2 expression was significantly correlated with nodal metastasis (p=.012). Our results demonstrate a significant association between high expression of EZH2 and vimentin and presence of distant progression (p=.026). However, expression of E-cadherin, vimentin, and EZH2 was not significantly associated with overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that an EMT-associated protein expression profile is correlated with aggressiveness of disease and prognosis, and could be a useful marker for determination of additional treatment in curatively-resected HNSCC patients.

A Case of Gastric Cancer Manifesting as a Solitary Brain Metastasis in the Cerebellopontine Angle That Mimicked Acoustic Neuroma / 전남의대학술지

At the time of diagnosis, about 20% of patients with gastric cancer have stage IV disease involving the liver, lung, and bone. Brain metastasis from gastric cancer is exceedingly rare, with an incidence of <1% of clinical cases. A 59-year-old man was admitted with hearing loss in the left ear and left facial palsy for 1 month. A magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed a tumor in the cerebellopontine angle that extended to the inner auditory canal and that was clinically diagnosed as acoustic neuroma. After complete resection, histological examination showed metastatic poorly differentiated carcinoma. Further investigation revealed advanced gastric cancer involving the antrum with no evidence of the involvement of other sites except the brain parenchyma. Palliative total gastrectomy was performed and the surgical specimen revealed a poorly cohesive carcinoma that was histopathologically identical to that of the resected brain tumor. Here we report this rare case of gastric cancer that initially presented as a solitary brain metastasis mimicking acoustic neuroma.

A Case of Gastric Cancer Manifesting as a Solitary Brain Metastasis in the Cerebellopontine Angle That Mimicked Acoustic Neuroma / 전남의대학술지

At the time of diagnosis, about 20% of patients with gastric cancer have stage IV disease involving the liver, lung, and bone. Brain metastasis from gastric cancer is exceedingly rare, with an incidence of <1% of clinical cases. A 59-year-old man was admitted with hearing loss in the left ear and left facial palsy for 1 month. A magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed a tumor in the cerebellopontine angle that extended to the inner auditory canal and that was clinically diagnosed as acoustic neuroma. After complete resection, histological examination showed metastatic poorly differentiated carcinoma. Further investigation revealed advanced gastric cancer involving the antrum with no evidence of the involvement of other sites except the brain parenchyma. Palliative total gastrectomy was performed and the surgical specimen revealed a poorly cohesive carcinoma that was histopathologically identical to that of the resected brain tumor. Here we report this rare case of gastric cancer that initially presented as a solitary brain metastasis mimicking acoustic neuroma.

A Case of Inguinal Sparganosis Mimicking Myeloid Sarcoma

We report here a case of inguinal sparganosis, initially regarded as myeloid sarcoma, diagnosed in a patient undergone allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation (HSCT). A 56-year-old male patient having myelodysplastic syndrome was treated with allogeneic HSCT after myeloablative conditioning regimen. At day 5 post-HSCT, the patient complained of a painless palpable mass on the left scrotum and inguinal area. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography revealed suspected myeloid sarcoma. Gun-biopsy was performed, and the result revealed eosinophilic infiltrations without malignancy. Subsequent serologic IgG antibody test was positive for sparganum. Excisional biopsy as a therapeutic diagnosis was done, and the diagnosis of sparganosis was confirmed eventually. This is the first report of sparganosis after allogeneic HSCT mimicking myeloid sarcoma, giving a lesson that the physicians have to consider the possibility of sparganosis in this clinical situation and perform adequate diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

A Case of Acute Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Resulting in an ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a well-known chemical asphyxiant, which causes tissue hypoxia with prominent neurological and cardiovascular injury. After exposure to CO, several cardiac manifestations have been reported, including arrhythmias, acute myocardial infarction, and pulmonary edema. However, an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) due to CO poisoning is a very rare presentation, and the treatment for STEMI due to CO poisoning is not well established. Here, we report a rare case of STEMI complicated by increased thrombogenicity secondary to acute CO poisoning and complete revascularization after antithrombotic treatment.

Disseminated Invasive Aspergillosis with Multiple Brain Abscess after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Treated Successfully with Voriconazole and Neurosurgical Intervention / 감염과화학요법

Invasive aspergillosis is a serious infectious complication, which can occur after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In particular, despite antifungal treatment, invasive aspergillosis involving the central nervous system (CNS) shows very high mortality. In principle, a neurosurgical procedure with an antifungal agent is recommended for treatment of CNS invasive aspergillosis. We encountered a patient suffering from disseminated invasive aspergillosis involving the lung, brain, and soft tissues after allogeneic HSCT for treatment of relapsed acute myeloid leukemia who was cured with voriconazole and stereotactic drainage of the brain abscess.

Three-Weekly S-1 Monotherapy as First-Line Treatment in Elderly Patients with Recurrent or Metastatic Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) have generally been excluded from clinical trials, and there are few data available on the treatment of these patients. The efficacy of palliative S-1 monotherapy as a first-line treatment regimen for elderly patients has not been well elucidated. METHODS: For this study, 25 AGC patients were enrolled between January 1, 2007 and March 31, 2009; 4 cases were recurrent AGC and 21 cases were metastatic AGC at the time of diagnosis. These patients received S-1 therapy at a dose of 40 mg/m2 twice daily for 14 days every 3 weeks. All of the patients were older than 70 years. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration, the median progression-free survival, and the overall survival time were 8.7 months (range, 4.9 to 12.5 months), 4.9 months (range, 3.5 to 6.3 months), and 10.8 months (range, 6.6 to 15.0 months), respectively. Grade 3/4 nonhematologic toxicities were rare. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was noted in two patients. The partial response rate was 21.7% and stable disease was observed in 34.8% of the patients. Two patients (8%) died due to chemotherapy-associated toxicity during treatment (septic shock/intracranial hemorrhage). CONCLUSIONS: Oral S-1 chemotherapy seems to be effective as a first-line treatment regimen for elderly patients with metastatic or recurrent AGC. However, elderly patients receiving S-1 treatment should undergo continuous toxicity monitoring, since they are highly susceptible to adverse effects.

A Case of Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm Initially Mimicking Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare disease. The prognosis is poor in most cases with rapid progression despite administering chemotherapy. A 67-year-old man complained of skin rashes on his back and this spread to the trunk, face, arms and thighs, and he was initially diagnosed with cutaneous lupus erythematosus according to the skin biopsy. The skin rashes then became aggravated on a trial of low dose methylprednisolone for 3 months. Repeated skin biopsy revealed a diffuse infiltration of lymphoid cells with medium sized nuclei, positive for CD4 and CD56, negative for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), indicating a diagnosis of BPDCN. Further workups confirmed stage IVA BPDCN involving the skin, multiple lymph nodes, the peripheral blood and the bone marrow. He was treated with six cycles of combination chemotherapy consisting of ifosphamide, methotrexate, etoposide, prednisolone and L-asparaginase, and he achieved a partial response. Herein we report on a rare case of BPDCN that was initially misinterpreted as cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Plasmablastic Lymphoma in the Anal Canal / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) of the oral cavity is an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related lymphoma. The immunophenotype of this disease is associated with poor expression of B-cell markers but a positive reactivity for plasma cell markers. PBL is highly aggressive and responds poorly to treatment. Although originally described in the oral cavity, this disease can occur in other body niches. Here, we describe a very rare case of PBL in the anal canal of a 40-year-old woman with human immunodeficiency virus infection. The malignant cells were positive for Epstein-Barr virus and human herpes virus 8.