Long-term outcome of primary endocrine non-Hodgkin lymphomas: does the site make the difference?

AIM: Primary lymphomas of endocrine glands are extremely rare. Our study adds more data to the few published series regarding the incidence, clinical characteristics, management and overall survival (OS) by comparing the various diffuse large B-cell endocrine lymphomas. Moreover, it contributes to a better understanding of these neoplasms and provides concepts for future research. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the clinical profile and the patterns of outcome among patients who were treated in our center with the diagnosis of aggressive, B-cell, primary endocrine lymphoma. RESULTS: Between May 1980 and December 2011, 450 patients were diagnosed as primary extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Among them, 18 cases (4%) were primary testicular lymphoma (PTL), 8 cases (2%) were primary thyroid lymphoma (PTHL) and 4 cases (1%) were primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL). The therapeutic approaches employed were variable, including mainly chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy and surgery. The median OS for the patients with PTL and PAL was 27 and 6 months, respectively. Better outcome was observed in patients with PTHL for whom the median OS has not been reached yet, whereas the PAL group had the worst prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The discrepancies in the outcome among endocrine lymphomas could be partly attributed to their biologic variability, which might be determined by the initial site involved. We conclude that treatment decisions should be made according to a multi-disciplinary approach to avoid unnecessary surgery. Existing treatment strategies for PTL and PAL fail to provide long-term survival, rendering the application of novel therapeutic approaches essential.

Docetaxel in combination with carboplatin for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma: a multicentre phase I study.

Docetaxel and carboplatin have shown in vitro and in vivo activity against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A phase I study was conducted in order to determine the dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) and the maximum tolerated doses (MTDs) of their combination. Chemotherapy-naïve patients with stage IIIB and IV NSCLC, age<75 years old, performance status (WHO) 0-2, with adequate bone marrow, renal, liver and cardiac function, were treated with docetaxel and carboplatin. Docetaxel was given at escalated doses starting from 70 mg/m(2) with increments of 10 mg/m(2) followed by carboplatin also administered at escalated doses starting from AUC 5 to 7 AUC (mg/ml. min); the regimen was administered every 3 weeks. No colony-stimulating factor or intrapatient escalation was allowed. The toxicity of the regimen was assessed during the first chemotherapy cycle. 35 enrolled patients received a total of 114 chemotherapy cycles (median 3 cycles/patient; range: 1-8). All patients were assessable for toxicity. Neutropenia was the main dose-limiting toxicity of the regimen; overall, grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 16 (14%) cycles; six (5%) neutropenic episodes were complicated with fever but there was no septic death. Grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia was uncommon (two cycles; 2%). Grade 3/4 diarrhoea occurred in 5 (14%) patients whilst neurotoxicity, fatigue and mucositis were extremely uncommon. Two MTDs were defined: the MTD(1) was docetaxel 80 mg/m(2) and carboplatin AUC 7 mg/ml x min whilst MTD(2) was docetaxel 100 mg/m(2) and carboplatin AUC 6 mg/ml x min. The combination of docetaxel and carboplatin is a feasible and well-tolerated outpatient regimen for the treatment of patients with locally advanced and metastatic NSCLC. This regimen merits further investigation in phase II trials.

Identification of rib cage's lower margin in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The Guidelines of the American Heart Association (J Am Med Assoc 1992;268(16):2184-2198) and the European Resuscitation Council (Resuscitation 1992;24:103-110; Resuscitation 1998;37:67-80) for adult basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), suggest that the hands of the rescuer should be positioned on the sternum of the victim after identification of the lower margin of the rib cage, but how this identification is made is not described. Lay persons have problems with the identification of anatomical structures that they cannot actually see (Bahr et al., Resuscitation 1997;35:23-6). Although this does not present a problem for those familiar with human anatomy, we have noticed that lay persons have problems with the identification of the lower margin of the rib cage. In this report, we suggest a method for correct and rapid recognition of the costal margin.