Pseudo-Meigs' syndrome caused by a Krukenberg tumour of gastric cancer.

A 50-year-old woman who presented with a one-month history of abdominal fullness and dyspnoea was admitted to our hospital. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed the scirrhous-type gastric cancer on the greater curvature of the gastric body. Computed tomography revealed bilateral large ovarian tumours with massive right pleural effusion and ascites. A repeated cytological examination of pleural effusion and ascites revealed no malignant cells. The definitive diagnosis of pseudo-Meigs' syndrome was made by confirming the fact that pleural effusion and ascites disappeared after bilateral oophorectomy. Resection of ovarian tumours may also lead to long-term survival, even in the patients with pseudo-Meigs' syndrome caused by gastric cancer.

A case of long-term survival of metastatic desmoplastic small round cell tumor treated with multimodal therapy.

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare, aggressive and malignant tumor that predominantly affects young males. No standard therapy is currently available for patients with DSRCT and the prognosis remains extremely poor. In this study, we report a thought-provoking DSRCT case. A 24-year-old male was admitted to our hospital with a chief complaint of hematemesis. Computed tomography revealed a retrovesical mass with a splenic hilar tumor, multiple lung and liver tumors and marked lymph node swellings. The source of hematemesis was gastric varices caused by the compression of the splenic vein by a splenic hilar tumor. The patient was provided with a histological diagnosis of DSRCT based on needle biopsy from the liver tumors and the pelvic mass was thought to be the primary lesion. This is a long-term survival case of metastatic DSRCT treated with multimodal therapy including 15 courses of multiagent chemotherapy, radiation therapy for the hepatic portal region using 42.5 Gy, and four instances of therapeutic endoscopy. The prolonged progression-free survival period (15 months) obtained following chemotherapy suggests the chemosensitive feature of the disease. We used a modified P6 regimen (cyclophosphamide, pirarubicin, vincristine, ifosfamide and etoposide) and a modified PAVEP regimen (cyclophosphamide, pirarubicin, etoposide and cisplatin) to decrease severe adverse events and to improve the completion rate of chemotherapy. DSRCT is an aggressive but chemo-sensitive disease, and continuous chemotherapy using an appropriate regimen with possible supportive care is essential for long-term survival. This case report may represent a treatment option for this rare disease.

Pharmacokinetics of oxaliplatin in a hemodialytic patient treated with modified FOLFOX-6 plus bevacizumab therapy.

PURPOSE: To establish an appropriate administration schedule for oxaliplatin in FOLFOX plus bevacizumab therapy for a hemodialytic patient. METHODS: A 50-year-old man on chronic hemodialysis was treated for colon cancer and synchronous hepatic metastasis with modified FOLFOX-6 plus bevacizumab therapy every 3 weeks. The plasma concentration of free platinum was measured at eight points, before and within the first 50 h after oxaliplatin administration. A dose escalation study of oxaliplatin was performed at doses of 60, 70, and 85 mg/m(2). A 4-h dialysis session was begun at the end of the oxaliplatin treatment. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetics of free platinum showed a bimodal pattern at each dose: The serum concentration decreased rapidly soon after dialysis, then increased, and remained at a high level for 24 h. The areas under the curves (AUC) for free platinum were 17.6, 23.6, and 32.6 µg h/mL after doses of 60, 70, and 85 mg/m(2) oxaliplatin, respectively. These exceeded the AUC when 90 mg/m(2) was given to a patient with normal renal function (7.9 µg h/mL). Treatment was safely continued for 6 months without severe toxicity. CONCLUSION: FOLFOX plus bevacizumab therapy can be given safely to hemodialytic patients with no reduction in the dose of oxaliplatin if hemodialysis is performed soon after the administration of oxaliplatin and the dosing interval is extended to 3 weeks.