Case Report: Durvalumab-Associated Encephalitis in Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Carcinoma.

In recent years, the clinical importance of immunotherapy has been demonstrated in the treatment of extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). However, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been shown to cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs), including autoimmune encephalitis. Here, we describe th treatment of a patient with ES-SCLC who developed immune-related encephalitis. A 68-year-old Japanese woman with ES-SCLC treated with carboplatin plus etoposide plus durvalumab 20 days earlier was admitted to our hospital with a high fever and anorexia. Her symptoms gradually worsened over time, and she had a headache daily and showed reduced levels of consciousness. An electroencephalogram showed diffuse slow waves, and there was a slight increase in cell counts and an increase in protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid. The patient was diagnosed with durvalumab-associated encephalitis. Her symptoms improved immediately after steroid pulse therapy. Following steroid pulse therapy, oral prednisolone (1 mg/kg) was administered, and then, the dose was gradually reduced. Subsequently, treatment with carboplatin plus etoposide without durvalumab was restarted. In conclusion, this study shows the efficacy of steroid therapy in the treatment of durvalumab-induced encephalitis in ES-SCLC.

Two cases of spontaneous epidural emphysema during asthmatic attack.

Two cases of spontaneous epidural emphysema that occurred during asthmatic attacks in a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old are reported here. Epidural emphysema was diagnosed in both cases by using computed tomography (CT), and in 1 case by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Neither patient had neurological findings. Both patients were discharged with no respiratory difficulties. It is generally believed that a diagnosis of epidural emphysema can only be made on CT. In this report, MRI was used to make the diagnosis of subdural emphysema, and it demonstrated that the air was localized within the epidural fat.

[Eosinophilic airway disorders: important causes of prolonged cough in Japan].

We studied 223 outpatients who presented between October 2001 and June 2003 with persistent cough of more than 3 weeks' duration. Eosinophilic airway disorders (EAD), including atopic cough and cough variant asthma, were clinically diagnosed in 119 patients, on the basis of the following factors: history of atopic disease, duration of cough, history of previous prolonged cough, or presence of forced expiration wheeze. Since eosinophils are frequently found in the sputum of patients with EAD, a positive test strongly suggests the presence of EAD. In this study, the test was positive in 86% of the patients with EAD. The patients with clinically diagnosed EAD, including those with no eosinophils in the sputum, were treated with inhaled fluticasone 400 or 800 microg/day. Fluticasone was effective in 97% of the patients with EAD and was more effective than bronchodilators or antiallergic drugs. When we compared the results of fluticasone 400 microg/day with those of 800 microg/day doses, the cough disappeared within 1 week in 28% of the patients who received 400 microg/day, whereas in 76% with 800 microg/day. Among the patients with diagnosed EAD, bronchial asthma developed in 6 patients during the observation period. Most of these patients had forced expiration wheeze and lower FEV 1 at the initial visit. This study showed that EAD could be diagnosed in the early stage on the basis of thorough history-taking, the presence of forced expiration wheeze and detection of eosinophils in the sputum. It is important to diagnose and treat EAD as early as possible since inhaled steroid is highly effective.