Lumbar Spinal Canal Stenosis in Acromegaly: A Case Report and Literature Review.

A 60-year-old Japanese man diagnosed with acromegaly at 28 years old had difficulty walking due to worsening back pain. He had been treated with somatostatin analog since 57 years old, but his pain and numbness continued to worsen. Lumbar magnetic resonance imaging showed disc bulging at L3/4 and L4/5, and he was diagnosed with lumbar spinal canal stenosis due to hypertrophy of the yellow ligament. Patients with acromegaly may complain of osteoarthropathy, so we must pay attention to the symptoms of spinal canal stenosis in collaboration with orthopedic specialists.

A mosaic mutation of phosphate-regulating gene with homologies to endopeptidases on the X chromosome (PHEX) in X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets with mild bone phenotypes.

X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH) is primarily characterized by renal phosphate wasting with hypophosphatemia, short stature, and bone deformity of the leg. Here we present a male case of XLH with relatively mild bone deformity caused by a mosaic mutation of the phosphate-regulating gene with homologies to endopeptidases on the X chromosome (PHEX). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) direct sequencing revealed a novel in-frame deletion, NM-000444.6:c.671-685del p.Gln224-Ser228del, at exon 6 in PHEX as a mosaic pattern. This mutation was not found in any database and may result in a significant change in higher-order protein structure and function. TA cloning of the PCR product and clone sequencing estimated the mutation allele frequency at 21%. Literature review of the previously reported three cases with novel mosaic mutations in PHEX, together with the present case, suggests that the rates of the mutation allele correlate with phenotype severity to some extent. We initially treated him with nutritional vitamin D supplements and phosphate salts. However, to avoid the development of secondary/tertiary hyperparathyroidism, we had switched nutritional to active vitamin D supplementation with reduced phosphorus salts. The present report contributes to understanding the relationship between the mosaic rate, in addition to the mutation locus, of the PHEX gene, and clinical features of XLH.

[Investigation and Measurement of Hypophosphatemia Induced by Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia].

We retrospectively investigated hypophosphatemia induced byty rosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs), in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Subjects evaluated were 14, 11, and 8 patients who received TKIs(imatinib, dasatinib and nilotinib), respectively, at the Department of Hematology in Ichinomiya Municipal Hospital, between 1st January 2006 and 31st Decem- ber 2016. The incidence of hypophosphatemia was 85.7%(12/14)for imatinib, 18.2%(2/11)for dasatinib, and 37.5%(3/ 8)for nilotinib, and hypophosphatemiaBgrade 3 occurred in 57.1%(8/14)of imatinib- and 9.1%(1/11)of dasatinibtreated patients. Instances of hypophosphatemiaBgrade 3 were not confirmed for nilotinib. Six patients received oral phosphate for hypophosphatemia, and all of these were patients who had been administered imatinib. We confirmed a significant improvement(p<0.05, 95%CI: 0.111-0.989)in serum phosphate levels after administration of oral phosphate, suggesting that it constitutes an effective measure against this situation.

The impact of side effects from outpatient chemotherapy on presenteeism in breast cancer patients: a prospective analysis.

In the field of occupational health services, productivity loss can be expressed by absenteeism (i.e., employees being absent from work and taking leave due to health problems) and presenteeism (i.e., a reduction in the ability to perform one's tasks at work). Similar to absenteeism, it is important to assess presenteeism because it can severely reduce productivity. Despite numerous reports about the impact of disease and medical treatments on presenteeism, there is a lack of data regarding the influence of medication side effects. In this study, a prospective analysis was conducted via questionnaire survey to clarify the influence of the side effects of anticancer drugs on presenteeism in workers receiving outpatient chemotherapy for breast cancer. Between December 2012 and November 2013, the influence of side effects on the quality of life, absenteeism, and presenteeism was investigated via a questionnaire conducted before and after 1 course of chemotherapy in 19 currently employed breast cancer patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy for the first time at Gifu Municipal Hospital, Japan. The rate of absenteeism was 24.7 %, resulting in financial losses of 2002 yen/day (national statistical data) and 881 yen/day (our questionnaire data). The rate of presenteeism was 33.7 %, resulting in financial losses of 1354 yen/day (national statistical data) and 1263 yen/day (our questionnaire data). Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was observed between absenteeism and presenteeism (r = 0.687, p = 0.001), suggesting that the productivity losses associated with presenteeism due to the side effects of anticancer drugs in breast cancer patients are large and similar to that associated with absenteeism in these patients. Our results may be useful for improving the occupational health of workers receiving chemotherapy for cancer.

The impact of outpatient chemotherapy-related adverse events on the quality of life of breast cancer patients.

The objective of our study was to clarify the impact of adverse events associated with the initial course of outpatient chemotherapy on the quality of life of breast cancer patients. We conducted a survey to assess the quality of life in 48 breast cancer patients before and after receiving their first course of outpatient chemotherapy at Gifu Municipal Hospital. Patients completed the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions and Quality of Life Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs before and after 1 course of outpatient chemotherapy. European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions utility value and Quality of Life Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs total score decreased significantly after chemotherapy (p<0.001 and p = 0.018, respectively). The mean scores for the activity, physical condition, and psychological condition subscales of the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs decreased significantly after chemotherapy (p = 0.003, p<0.001, and p = 0.032, respectively), whereas the social relationships score increased significantly (p<0.001). Furthermore, in the evaluation of quality of life according to individual adverse events, the decrease in quality of life after chemotherapy in terms of the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions utility value and the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs total score was greater in anorexic patients than in non-anorexic patients (p = 0.009 and p<0.001, respectively). This suggests that anorexia greatly reduces quality of life. Our findings reveal that anticancer drug-related adverse events, particularly anorexia, reduce overall quality of life following the first course of outpatient chemotherapy in current breast cancer patients. These findings are extremely useful and important in understanding the impact of anticancer drug-related adverse events on quality of life.