Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) in a patient with Crohn's disease and exposure to infliximab: a rare clinical presentation and review of the literature.

With the introduction of potent immunosuppressive and chemotherapeutic medications for various diseases, there is an increased incidence of therapy-related myeloid neoplasms. They are the result of mutational rearrangement and historically, have a grave prognosis compared with de novo myeloid neoplasms. We did a short review on various types of myeloid leukaemias reported after therapy with antitumour necrosis factor and also report, to the best of our knowledge, one among the very few cases of therapy-related acute promyelocytic leukaemia in a patient on infliximab therapy for refractory Crohn's disease. The patient responded well to the traditional treatment and is in complete remission for more than 5 years.

T-cell prolymphocytic leukaemia (T-PLL): a rare disease with a grave prognosis.

T-cell prolymphocytic leukaemia (T-PLL) is an extremely uncommon haematological malignancy that has an aggressive course and a grave prognosis. We describe a patient who presented with lymphocytosis, scalp erythema, ascites and splenomegaly and was diagnosed with T-PLL. He was treated with alemtuzumab with a good response and was referred for allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Triple negative mixed metaplastic breast carcinoma with squamous and spindle cells in an 84-year-old woman: a rare entity with unclear management strategy and poor prognosis.

Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast, a rare neoplasm, usually presents at an advanced stage, metastasises to distant sites more frequently, has higher Ki-67 expression and is more often triple negative compared with other invasive breast cancers. Here, the authors discuss a case of an 84-year-old woman with triple negative mixed metaplastic breast carcinoma treated with radical modified mastectomy, axillary lymph node dissection and radiation therapy. Because of the rarity of the disease, the pathogenesis and the management remain controversial, thus contributing to overall poor prognosis.

Right upper quadrant pain and mass in a 41-year-old previously healthy man: a presenting feature of HIV-associated extranodal diffuse large B cell lymphoma with cardiac involvement.

With an increasing pandemic of HIV/AIDS, the incidence of HIV-associated lymphoma is expected to rise. Here, the authors report a case of a 41-year-old man who presented with right upper quadrant pain and mass, and was subsequently diagnosed with HIV-associated diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with cardiac involvement. This case illustrates some of the uncommon and interesting aspects of DLBCL: primary extramedullary extranodal stage IV disease as the presenting feature; cardiac involvement at presentation; DLBCL as the only clue to the diagnosis of HIV; and management of HIV-associated DLBCL. This case is also a reminder of the importance of the routine HIV screening for all patients between the ages of 13-64 years, as advocated by centres of disease control and prevention.

Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH)-A Rare Etiology of Dysphagia.

A 72-year-old gentleman presented to the hospital with progressively worsening dysphagia to soft foods and liquids. He was diagnosed with severe pharyngeal dysphagia by modified barium swallow. A CT scan of the neck with IV contrast showed anterior flowing of bridging osteophytes from C3-C6, indicative of DISH, resulting in esophageal impingement. He underwent resection of the DISH segments. Following the surgery, a PEG tube for nutrition supplementation was placed. However, the PEG tube was removed after five months when the speech and swallow evaluation showed no residual dysphagia. DISH is a rare non-inflammatory condition that results in pathological ossification and calcification of the anterolateral spinal ligaments.

Acute hepatitis in a woman following excessive ingestion of an energy drink: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: The consumption of energy drinks has increased significantly. We report the case of a patient who presented to our hospital with jaundice, abdominal pain, and markedly increased liver transaminases likely due to the increased consumption of an energy drink. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report in the literature linking the development of acute hepatitis to the consumption of an energy drink. CASE PRESENTATION: A 22-year-old Caucasian woman presented to our hospital with epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, and low-grade fever. She had been drinking 10 cans of an energy drink daily for two weeks prior to presentation. Her physical examination revealed mild epigastric tenderness. Her initial blood tests revealed elevated alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bilirubin. A computed tomographic scan of the abdomen and pelvis was normal, and the patient was discharged to home. She returned to the Emergency Department of our hospital with worsening pain and new-onset jaundice. This time her physical examination revealed epigastric tenderness and icteric sclera. Her aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and international normalized ratio were markedly elevated. Further radiological studies were non-specific, and she was admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of acute hepatitis. Her viral serology and toxicology screens were negative. The patient was treated supportively and was discharged after resolution of her symptoms and a marked decrease in her liver enzymes. CONCLUSION: The development of acute hepatitis in this patient was most likely due to the excessive ingestion of an energy drink, and we speculate that niacin was the culprit ingredient.

Achievement of three year remission with bevacizumab and irinotecan in recurrent glioblastoma multiforme: a case report.

A 34-year-old man presented to the hospital with right-sided headache. He was diagnosed with GBM. He underwent resection of the tumor with placement of carmustine impregnated wafers. Then he underwent adjuvant chemotherapy with temozolamide. Before the completion of chemotherapy he had a recurrence. He underwent re-resection with placement of carmustine impregnated wafers. Subsequently he had eighteen cycles of salvage biochemotherapy with bevacizumab and irinotecan. To date, routine MRI scans of the brain have not shown evidence of recurrence. He continues to be in remission three years after treatment with bevacizumab and irinotecan.

Secretion of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin by non-small cell lung cancer: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: We describe a case of non-small cell lung cancer that was found to stain positive for beta-human chorionic gonadotropin on immunohistochemistry. Only a few case reports have described lung cancers that secrete beta-human chorionic gonadotropin. CASE PRESENTATION: A 68-year-old Caucasian man presented with symptoms of weakness, fatigue and weight loss for the past two months. On examination, he was found to have generalized lymphadenopathy, and radiologic workup revealed numerous metastases in the lungs, liver and kidneys. Biopsy of the supraclavicular lymph node revealed metastatic large cell lung cancer with beta-human chorionic gonadotropin hormone positivity. The serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin level was 11,286 mIU/ml (upper limit of normal, 0.5 mIU/ml in non-pregnant females). He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung non-small cell lung cancer. The patient refused chemotherapy. He was discharged home with hospice care. CONCLUSION: The markedly elevated serum values of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin initially prompted the medical team to investigate germinal tumors. In the presence of a negative testicular ultrasound, workup was performed to find an extratesticular source of the tumor. Finally, the diagnosis was made with a tissue biopsy. This case illustrates that atypical markers can be seen in many cancers, emphasizing the role of immunohistochemistry and tissue biopsy in establishing the diagnosis.