Clostridium tertium bacteremia: contamination or true pathogen? A report of two cases and a review of the literature

We observed two cases of Clostridium tertium bacteremia three months apart in the sterile unit of our department of hematology and oncology. One patient was being treated for first-relapse acute myeloblastic leukemia, while the second was receiving high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell support for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. At the time that C. tertium was identified, the first patient was completely asymptomatic, while the second was highly febrile. Both responded biologically and/or clinically to antibiotherapy. We discuss the epidemiology and pathology of C. tertium in the general and cancer patient population. (C) 2010 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Nodular regenerative hyperplasia : a deleterious consequence of chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastases?

AIMS: This report describes three patients suffering from nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH). METHODS: These patients have received six, 16 and 20 cycles of neoadjuvant 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy before planned extended hepatectomy. Two patients underwent uneventful portal vein embolization to hypertrophy the future remnant liver. RESULTS: At the end of chemotherapy, liver function tests deteriorated and portal hypertension appeared in two patients, including ascites, splenomegaly and oesophageal varices. Liver biopsy was performed through a percutaneous (two patients) or a transjugular approach (one patient) and allowed the diagnosis of NRH, which was considered to be a contraindication for major liver resection in all three patients, associated with extrahepatic disease progression in one patient. All patients died from neoplastic disease progression despite further chemotherapy at 6, 17 and 31 months following the diagnosis of NRH. One patient developed liver failure and ascites at the time of death. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians should be aware of the potential occurrence and therapeutic impact of NRH in patients suffering from CRLM and treated by neoadjuvant 5FU-oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy before major liver surgery

A real-time in-vivo approach to explore tannins effect on aroma release and perception of red wine after air exposition

International audienc

Flexible care in breast cancer

Treatment of patients with cancer in hospitals or clinics is resource-intensive and imposes a burden on patients. ‘Flexible care’ is a term that can be used to describe treatment administered outside the oncology ward, oncological outpatient clinic or office-based oncologist setting. Programmes that reduce travel burden by bringing cancer treatment to the patient's home, workplace or closer to the patient's home, in the form of satellite clinics or mobile cancer units, expand treatment capacity and are well received. Clinical trial data show that, compared with intravenous administration, subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of trastuzumab is preferred by patients with breast cancer (BC), saves healthcare professionals' (HCPs) time, reduces drug preparation and administration time and reduces direct and indirect costs. As such, s.c. trastuzumab is well suited to flexible care. The results of a Belgian study (BELIS) show that home administration of s.c. trastuzumab is feasible and preferred by patients with BC. Numerous programmes and pilot studies in Europe show that s.c. trastuzumab can be administered effectively in the patient's home, in primary care settings or local hospitals. Such programmes require planning, training, careful patient selection and technology to link patients, caregivers and specialists in oncology clinics. Once these elements are in place, flexible care offers patients with BC a choice of how treatment may be delivered and lead to improved quality of life, while reducing pressure on HCPs and hospitals. The concept of flexible care is particularly relevant amid the COVID-19 pandemic where guidelines have been developed encouraging remote care.SCOPUS: re.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe