Successful Desensitization of T cell Flow Cytometry Crossmatch Positive Renal Transplant Recipients Using Plasmapheresis and Super High-Dose Intravenous Immunoglobulin

Background. High-dose IVIG (2 g/kg) alone or low-dose IVIG (100 mg/kg) in conjunction with plasma exchange is typically administered as a renal transplantation desensitization therapy. Herein, we monitored changes in T cell and B cell flow cytometry crossmatch (FCXM) to assess the effects of short-term super high-dose IVIG (4 g/kg) administration with plasmapheresis before living-donor renal transplantation. Methods. Seventeen patients, each showing positive T cell FCXM (median ratio, ≥ 1.4) after 2 rounds of double-filtration plasmapheresis, received 4-day regimens of IVIG (1 g/kg per day) over 1-week periods. T cell and B cell FCXM determinations were obtained after every IVIG dose and again up to 4 weeks after initiating IVIG to ascertain negative conversion of T cell FCXM (median ratio < 1.4). The primary study endpoint was the percentage of patients achieving T cell FCXM-negative status after the 4-dose IVIG regimen. Results. Upon completion (4 g/kg total) or discontinuation of IVIG administration, 8 (47.1%) of 17 patients displayed negative T cell FCXM. Based on Kaplan-Meier estimates, the cumulative T cell FCXM-negative conversion rate 4 weeks after IVIG administration initiation was 60.3%. The T cell FCXM-negative conversion rates after cumulative doses of 1, 2, 3, and 4 g/kg IVIG were 29.4%, 35.3%, 56.3%, and 46.7%, respectively. Conclusions. Desensitization of donor-specific antibody-positive renal transplant recipients seems achievable in only a subset of recipients through IVIG dosing (1 g/kg × 4) within 1 week after double-filtration plasmapheresis. The T cell FCXM-negative conversion rate resulting from a cumulative IVIG dose of 3 g/kg or greater surpassed that attained via conventional single-dose IVIG (2 g/kg) protocol. This short-term high-dose IVIG desensitization protocol may be an alternative to conventional protocols for recipients with donor-specific antibody

A case of focal nodular hyperplasia-like lesion presenting unusual signal intensity on the hepatobiliary phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance image

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) or FNH-like lesions of the liver are benign lesions that can be mostly diagnosed by hepatobiliary phase gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Accurate imaging diagnosis is based on the fact that most FNHs or FNH-like lesions show characteristic hyper- or isointensity on hepatobiliary phase images. We report a case of an FNH-like lesion in a 73-year-old woman that mimicked a malignant tumor. Dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and MRI using gadoxetic-acid revealed an ill-defined nodule showing early enhancement in the arterial phase and gradual and prolonged enhancement in the portal and equilibrium/transitional phases. Hepatobiliary phase imaging revealed inhomogeneous hypointensity, accompanied by a slightly isointense area compared to the background liver. Angiography-assisted CT showed a portal perfusion defect of the nodule, inhomogeneous arterial blood supply in the early phase, and less internal enhancement in the late phase, accompanied by irregularly shaped peritumoral enhancement. No central stellate scar was identified in any of the images. Imaging findings could not exclude the possibility of hepatocellular carcinoma, but the nodule was pathologically diagnosed as an FNH-like lesion by partial hepatectomy. In the present case, an unusual inhomogeneous hypointensity on hepatobiliary phase imaging made it difficult to diagnose the FNH-like lesions

Prognostic Value of Pretreatment Red Blood Cell Distribution Width in Patients With Esophageal Cancer Who Underwent Esophagectomy

Objective:. This comprehensive analysis aimed to elucidate the mechanism underlying how high pretreatment red blood cell distribution width (RDW) reflects poor prognosis after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Background:. Several cohort studies have reported that preoperative RDW might be a predictive marker for poor prognosis after esophagectomy; however, the underlying mechanism of this relationship has not been elucidated. Methods:. This study included 626 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy between April 2005 and November 2020. A retrospective investigation of the association between pretreatment RDW and clinicopathological features, blood data, short-term outcomes, and prognosis was conducted using a prospectively entered institutional clinical database and the latest follow-up data. Results:. Of 626 patients, 87 (13.9%) had a high pretreatment RDW. High RDW was significantly associated with several disadvantageous characteristics regarding performance status, the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, respiratory comorbidity, and nutritional status. Similarly, high RDW correlated with frequent postoperative morbidities (respiratory morbidity and reoperation; P = 0.022 and 0.034, respectively), decreased opportunities for adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.0062), and increased death from causes other than esophageal cancer (P = 0.046). Finally, RDW could be an independent predictor of survival after esophagectomy (hazard ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.009–2.148; P = 0.045). Conclusion:. High pretreatment RDW reflected various adverse backgrounds and it could be a surrogate marker of poor prognosis in patients who have undergone esophagectomy for esophageal cancer

Clinical Investigations Outcomes of salvage high-dose-rate brachytherapy with or without external beam radiotherapy for isolated vaginal recurrence of endometrial cancer

Abstract Purpose: This study was designed to retrospectively analyze outcomes of high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, with or without external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), in patients with vaginal recurrence of endometrial carcinoma, and to identify factors prognostic of patient outcomes. Material and methods: The medical records of all patients who underwent HDR brachytherapy for initial recurrence in the vagina of endometrial cancer after definitive surgery between 1992 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent either intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT) or interstitial brachytherapy (ISBT) with or without EBRT. Late toxicity was graded using the EORTC (LENT/SOMA) scale, revised in 1995. Results: Thirty-seven patients were identified. The median follow-up time was 48 months (range: 6-225 months). Of these 37 patients, 23 underwent ICBT, 14 underwent ISBT, and 26 underwent EBRT. Tumor size at first examination of initial relapse was significantly larger in the ISBT than in the ICBT group. The 4-year respective overall survival (OS), local control (LC), and progression-free survival (PFS) rates in the entire cohort were 81.0%, 77.9%, and 56.8%, respectively. The interval between diagnosis of first recurrence and radiotherapy (&lt; 3 months, ≥ 3 months) was a significant predictor of LC and PFS. OS and LC rates did not differ significantly in the ICBT and ISBT groups. Two patients experienced grade 2 rectal bleeding, and four experienced grade 2 hematuria. No grade 3 or higher late complications were observed. Conclusions: Salvage HDR brachytherapy is an optimal for treating vaginal recurrence of endometrial carcinoma with acceptable morbidity. Early radiotherapy, including brachytherapy, should be considered for women who experience vaginal recurrence of endometrial cancer. J Contemp Brachytherapy 2017; 9, 3: 209-215 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/jcb.2017.67755 Key words: endometrial cancer, high-dose-rate brachytherapy, vaginal recurrence. Purpose Endometrial cancer is the second most frequent gynecologic malignancy in Japan Material and methods Patients The medical records of all patients treated with HDR brachytherapy for initial recurrence after definitive sur