Paraneoplastic Dermatomyositis Revealing the Metastatic Progression of an Undifferentiated Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Case Report From Northern Morocco.

Dermatomyositis (DM) is an inflammatory disease of striated muscles and skin that can occur sporadically or rarely be associated with malignancy, thereby serving as a potential clinical indicator or harbinger of underlying cancer. Knowing the pathognomonic, clinical, and biological features of DM plays a pivotal role in its recognition. Its correlation with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is particularly prevalent in regions where the incidence of NPC is notably high, underscoring the intricate interplay between immune dysregulation and oncogenesis. Specially, in the context of patients previously treated for NPC, the emergence of DM raises the clinical suspicion of metastatic progression or recurrence of the cancer. Thus, early recognition of DM-associated paraneoplastic syndromes can facilitate prompt intervention and optimize patient outcomes. We present a case of metastatic progression in a patient treated for NPC, revealed by the pathognomonic, clinical, and biological signs of DM.

New therapeutic possibilities of combined treatment of radiotherapy with oxaliplatin and its liposomal formulation, Lipoxal™, in rectal cancer using xenograft in nude mice.

AIM: To determine the benefits of irradiation at the time of maximum linking of oxaliplatin to the DNA of tumor cells, and evaluate the potential of its liposomal formulation, Lipoxal™, for chemoradiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nude mice implanted with human colorectal carcinoma HCT116 cells were injected with oxaliplatin or Lipoxal™. The amount of platinum in tumor, tumoral DNA, normal tissues and blood was measured 4, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h later by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The effect of concomitant radiotherapy was assessed as tumor growth delay resulting from irradiation 4, 24 and 48 h after drug administration. RESULTS: While the amount of platinum in the tumor reached a peak at 4 h after injection and declined over time, the concentration of oxaliplatin-DNA adducts reached two maxima observed at 4 h and 48 h after drug administration, a behavior not observed with Lipoxal™. The greatest combined effect was obtained when radiation was given at 48 h after drug injection, resulting in an increase of tumor growth delay by factors of 3.71 and 3.33 for treatments with oxaliplatin and Lipoxal™, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm the importance of irradiating a tumor when the concentration of oxaliplatin bound to tumor DNA is maximal. This finding should have a significant impact on the design of more efficient chemoradiation treatment protocols and should be further explored in clinical studies.

A Case of Complete Response in Locally Advanced Vulvar Cancer after Concomitant Chemoradiation Therapy / 대한산부인과학회잡지

Cancer of the vulva accounts for approximately 0.5% of all gynecologic malignancies. At diagnosis, one-third of these cases is detected in an advanced stage (FIGO stages III, IV), and local extension of primary vulvar cancer may involve adjacent midline structures such as the clitoris, urethra, vagina, and anus. Initial surgical therapy of such locally advanced primary cancers may compromise the functional integrity of midline structures, necessitating ultraradical surgery including pelvic exenteration. In view of the relatively elderly age of the patients and the morbidity of this ultraradical dissection, concomitant chemoradiation therapy - that the efficacy had been proven in head and neck cancer, anal cancer has approached for patients with locally advanced vulvar cancer. We experienced a case of stage III vulvar cancer patient, who underwent concomitant chemoradiation therapy with 5-fluorouracil(FU) and cisplatin and who showed complete response. So, we report this case with brief review of the literatures.