[Paraneoplastic vasculitis in a patient with cervical cancer]. / Paraneoplastická vaskulitída u pacientky s karcinómom krcku maternice.

BACKGROUND: Paraneoplastic syndromes precede the dia-gnosis of malignancy. Early detection of paraneoplastic syndrome may lead to detection of malignancy in its early and potentially curable stage. Differential diagnostic process of rare paraneoplastic vasculitis requires multidisciplinary cooperation between rheumatologists, radiologists and oncologists. CASE: 41 year old female patient with cervical cancer in stage IVB (paraaortic lymphadenopathy) and clinical symptoms of acute vasculitis was admitted to our ward for oncological treatment. Chemoradiotheraphy was initiated concurrently with corticotherapy. During the treatment we observed alleviation of vasculitis related symptoms. Ongoing followup, however, brought no further improvement in vasculitis related symptoms. This lead us to suspicion of recurrence, confirmed on CT scan. Palliative chemotherapy was without any effect and due to worsening performance status was terminated. CONCLUSION: The activity of vasculitis was closely associated with the activity of primary malignant disease. Early recognition of paraneoplastic syndrome may contribute not only to dia-gnosis of malignancy, but is helpful during followup of these patients.

[Syndrome of vena cava obstruction in oncology]. / Syndróm hornej dutej zily v onkológii.

BACKGROUND: Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCO) is caused by compression of superior vena cava and restriction of blood flow to the heart. The most common underlying condition in cancer patients is lung cancer or other malignancy expanding in the upper mediastinum. SVCO belongs to oncological emergencies and requires a prompt dia-gnostic work up and treatment. CASE 1: A 79year old man with a history of right sided stage IIIB nonsmall cell lung cancer, after two cycles of chemotherapy, was admitted to hospital with clinical signs of SVCO. The initial radiotherapy brought no relief of symptoms and due to deterioration of patients status during the treatment we proceeded to self expanding caval stent insertion. This was followed by immediate resolution of SVCO symptoms. CASE 2: In the second case we describe a 56year old female with a newly dia-gnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma who presented with SVCO symptoms when referred to our outpatient chemotherapy department. She had no history of previous treatment and she complained of a rapid face and eyelid edema and intractable cough in the last two days. CT scan revealed mediastinal mass compressing the superior vena cava. Urgent antilymphoma chemotherapy (RCHOP schedule) was commenced and yielded quick resolution of her symp-toms. CONCLUSION: Superior vena cava syndrome is a medical emergency in oncological patients usually caused by external compression of cava by lung cancer, lymphoma, other tumors, less frequently, from a thrombosis of indwelling central venous catheter. Multidiscip-linary cooperation among radiation and medical oncologists and interventional radiologists is needed in order to provide an early treatment without an undue delay.

[Pulmonary tuberculosis 1994-1998 at the Tuberculosis and Pulmonary Disease Clinic of Comenius University Medical School Hospital in Bratislava]. / Pl'úcna tuberkulóza v rokoch 1994-1998 na klinike tuberkulózy a pl'úcnych chorôb LFUK a FN Bratislave.

The authors present the incidence of new cases of tuberculosis of the lungs treated at the Clinic of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in the years 1994-1998. This study evaluates the clinical forms of tuberculosis, rate of debacillisation, age stratification and the incidence of diseases associated with severe tuberculosis.

[The furosemide test in diagnosis of the cause of bronchial obstruction]. / Furosemidový test v diagnostike pôvodu bronchiálnej obstrukcie.

The authors studied the rate of relief in cases of moderate, reversible airway obstruction after Furosemide administration. They examined 25 patients with bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive bronchitis (mean age 49 years). They found out that intravenous administration of Furosemide to patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis has a significant bronchodilating effect. The reduction of interstitial lung water and the decrease in congestion of airways mucosa in latent left ventricular failure may be the possible explanations of this phenomenon. After administration of Furosemide by inhalation, a mild decrease in airway obstruction was observed in asthmatic patients. The influence of Na+/K+/Cl- transport in the bronchial epithelium, or changes in PGE2 are supposed to represent the effective mechanisms. The authors conclude that Furosemide given intravenously to patients with moderate airflow limitation in connection with lung function tests may be helpful in the diagnosis of the nature of airway obstruction.