Unilateral Ptosis in an Older Adult; a Rare Presentation of Primary Extranodal Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a neoplasm arising from B cells characterized by the presence of Reed-Steenberg cells. Primary extranodal presentation is rare and accounts for less than 1% of all HL cases. In addition, the orbit is an uncommon site of extranodal HL, with only 9 cases reported in the literature. We present a case of an 84-year-old male who presented with right eye ptosis. He was diagnosed with stage IIE Orbital HL and treated with combined modalities of radiation and chemotherapy. He continues to be in complete remission after 1 year of therapy. Hodgkin's disease has an excellent prognosis, and recent data show it is curable in at least 80% of the patients. Extranodal involvement represents systemic dissemination of Hodgkin's disease in most cases and is usually considered an advanced-stage disease with a poor prognosis. In rare circumstances, extranodal involvement can be the primary manifestation. Unfortunately, there are only a few case reports and case series regarding this topic. We attempt to add another case to the literature emphasizing the prognosis and outcome of primary extranodal HL.

Targeted agents in the management of small cell lung cancer - present and future.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide and is the second most common cancer in both sexes. The small cell lung cancer (SCLC) subtype constitutes about 13% to 15% of all diagnosed lung cancers with an expected 5-year mortality of about 90%. In the past decades, various strategies used to treat newly diagnosed, relapsed or refractory SCLC have shown no significant improvement in clinical outcomes. In the genomic era of oncology, with a better understanding of tumor biology and pathway specific investigations, multiple investigational agents have been studied with the aim to improve clinical outcomes. Some of them include epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), BCR-ABL TKIs, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors, etc. All of them have been unsuccessful in adding any survival advantage. DNA repair inhibitors, immunotherapies and anti-delta-like protein 3 (DLL3) antibody-drug conjugates have also been tested so far. This article aims to review the current literature and investigational approaches to improving clinical outcomes of SCLC.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia with necrotic herpetic adenitis: an elusive clinical condition.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) adenitis is a rare but important cause of morbidity in immunocompromised patients. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)/Small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) is an indolent disease which impairs the cellular and humoral immunity, predisposing patients to a myriad of infections. Clinically, herpetic adenitis can mimic large cell (Richter's) transformation in patients with CLL. To date, less than 30 cases of HSV adenitis have been reported in the literature. We report a case of a patient with CLL with no prior history of HSV infection, who presented with rapidly enlarging lymph nodes after initial response to idelalisib raising the suspicion of Richter's transformation. However, excisional biopsy of a lymph node revealed HSV adenitis along with CLL, which was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining.

Treatment-Free Remission: a New Therapeutic Goal in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by the presence of Philadelphia chromosome [t(9:22)] leading to the presence of pathognomonic fusion gene product, BCR-ABL1. This leads to constitutive activation of ABL1 kinase. CML was a difficult-to-treat illness until the advent of small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), imatinib which revolutionized therapy of CML. Since then, multiple second- and third-generation TKIs have been formulated which have proven effective and has led to marked improvement in survival. In this article, we review currently available data on possibility of holding TKI therapy in patients in deep remission [treatment-free remission (TFR)] and safety of this approach. RECENT FINDINGS: As CML treatment has become more effective, new questions have emerged, most important being whether the treatment with TKIs can ever be stopped. This is especially relevant in patient experiencing side effects from therapy or who may be subject to increased health risks due to treatment. There is now evidence that some CML patients who have achieved stable deep molecular response can safely stop TKI. Furthermore, patients can safely re-establish remission after restarting their TKI therapy in the situation of relapse. CML is highly treatable disease, but the treatment has untoward physical and socioeconomic consequences. The idea of TFR is hence attractive. There is a growing body of evidence that some CML patients who have achieved stable deep molecular response can safely stop TKI.

Ischemic Colitis Associated with Paclitaxel and Carboplatin Combination.

A 62-year-old white female with a history of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer on a combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel in the adjuvant setting presented with lower gastrointestinal bleeding. She tolerated 4 cycles of dose-dense adriamycin/cyclophosphamide with no major symptoms. After 6 cycles of weekly paclitaxel in combination with carboplatin every 3 weeks, she presented with diarrhea and lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Colonosopic examination showed erythema and inflammation in the splenic flexure, descending colon, and sigmoid colon consistent with ischemic colitis. Pathology favored the same diagnosis. She was treated conservatively with intravenous fluids and bowel rest. Chemotherapy was held for 2 weeks and resumed after recovery without carboplatin. She was able to tolerate the remaining 6 cycles of paclitaxel with no recurrence of her symptoms.

Agranulocytosis - Sequelae of Chronic Cocaine Use: Case Series and Literature Review.

Agranulocytosis is a rare condition with a reported incidence ranging from one to five cases per million population per year. Most commonly, agranulocytosis is secondary to chemotherapeutic agents, however, other medications have also been associated with it. An immune mediated destruction of circulating granulocytes and/or granulocyte precursors secondary to drug-dependent or drug-induced antibodies is the postulated mechanism. Agranulocytosis has also been reported secondary to recreational drug use. Cocaine is one of the most commonly used recreational drugs and is often laced with Levamisole to enhance its psychostimulatory properties. Levamisole is an immune modulator and can cause bone marrow suppression. It can be detected in urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We report two cases of recurrent agranulocytosis in non-oncology patients secondary to chronic cocaine abuse, who were treated with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) and broad spectrum antibiotics without sustained response. The high prevalence of cocaine use continues to be a serious public health concern. This case series discusses the association of adulterated cocaine as an etiology of unexplained neutropenia and highlights the diverse clinical complications of chronic cocaine abuse. Currently, the available literature is reviewed.

Low toxicity for lung tumors near the mediastinum treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy.

PURPOSE: To report the local control, survival, and low toxicity observed at the Cooper University Hospital CyberKnife Center post stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in the treatment of lung tumors near the mediastinum. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty-four medically inoperable lung cancer patients with tumors near the mediastinum were treated using the Accuray CyberKnife system (Accuray, Sunnyvale, CA) with Monte Carlo dose calculations and heterogeneity corrections from July 2008 to May 2010. The prescription dose ranged from 28.5 Gy to 60 Gy in 3-5 fractions. For conventional fractionation schemes, Emami et al(1) organized the dose tolerance limits into a unified format for clinical utility and partitioned them into 2 risk levels (5% and 50%) with preset volumes for most critical structures throughout the body. In contrast, statistical SBRT dose tolerance limits for mediastinal structures have not been established yet. We have sufficient experience at least to begin organizing a unified format with low-risk and high-risk partitions and preset volumes for 1-5 fractions exposing mediastinal structures. With the help of the (dose-volume histogram) DVH Evaluator, a software tool developed by our senior author, each treatment plan was assessed for safety and feasibility prior to treatment. The DVH Evaluator was also used to analyze the follow-up data and to create graphs of risk, called DVH Risk Maps, superimposing clinical data onto the unified SBRT dose tolerance limits. RESULTS: It was not feasible to prescribe the doses of peripheral lung lesions for all tumors near the mediastinum because of known toxicity. The crude local tumor control rate achieved in our series was 92%. Median survival was 26.8 months for the primary lung cases and 9.6 months for the metastatic cases. No patients experienced grade 3 or higher toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: We affirm that SBRT is feasible in the treatment of centrally located lung cancers when the dose tolerance limits of critical structures are diligently respected. The low adverse event rates that we have experienced, combined with a good local tumor control rate, are encouraging.