Uracil with ftorafur and low dose oral folinic acid in advanced colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Low dose oral Folinic acid was used together with uracil with ftorafur (UFT) producing some response with low toxicity in advanced colorectal cancer. However, the 28 day regimen produced 20 per cent severe (grade III, IV) diarrhea. This study required 21 days' treatment to evaluate the response rate and toxicity in advanced colorectal cancer. METHOD: UFT 300 mg/m2/day together with oral Folinic acid 7.5 mg/dose for 21 days with 7 days rest were required to treat 28 cases of recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer. RESULTS: Partial response was seen in 13.6 per cent of 22 evaluable cases and minimal response seen in 18.2 per cent. The majority (77%) of these patients had previously been treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). These results are comparable to other studies. Toxicity was low with 3.3 per cent grade III, IV diarrhea. CONCLUSION: This regimen produced some activity in metastatic colorectal cancer with low toxicity.

Inflammatory aortic aneurysm: a case report and review of literatures.

A case of an uncommon variant of aortic aneurysm, inflammatory type, is reported. A 51-year-old Thai male presented with a pulsatile abdominal mass associated with pain. Ultrasonography demonstrated infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm preoperatively and operative findings revealed dense fibrous tissue around the lesion. Serological tests for syphilis and bacteriological studies of aneurysm contents were all negative. Aneurysmorrhaphy was done, using Dacron straight graft, and two serious complications developed at six and two months interval: aortocolonic and aortoduodenal fistulae. However, the patient survived the three operations. Definite diagnosis of inflammatory aortic aneurysm was confirmed by typical pathological findings. Clinical presentations, operative and pathological findings were compared to previous literature.

Splenic abscess at Siriraj Hospital, Thailand.

Splenic abscess is an unusual disease and may be presented either as a localized area of infection in the spleen or as a part of generalized sepsis. Population-based autopsy studies have established the incidence of splenic abscess at between 0.2-0.7 per cent. An eleven-year retrospective study of cases of splenic abscess treated at Siriraj hospital, a total of 9 cases, is presented. Pseudomonas pseudomallei is the most frequent causative agent, found in one-third of the cases, especially if the patient is thalassemic or a resident in the Northeastern part of the country. Thalassemia is also the leading predisposing condition of this malady with the incidence of 33 per cent. There are some differences in the presenting clinical features in Thai patients compared with those reported in the literature. Splenectomy was performed in all but one who died of leukemia preoperatively. The mortality rate of this disease in this series is 11 per cent and we recommend splenectomy under antibiotic coverage as soon as the diagnosis of splenic abscess has been confirmed.

Cholecystitis associated with Enterobacter agglomerans.

A case report of chronic cholecystitis due to Enterobacter agglomerans, occurred in a 54-year old female with homozygous beta-thalassemia. The patient responded successfully to cholecystectomy and sulfamethoxazole + trimetroprim therapy. The source of the infection was not known, however, cystic duct obstruction and immune deficit were thought to be the predisposing causes.