Spontaneous regression of metastatic renal cell carcinoma: case report

Spontaneous regression of metastatic renal cell carcinoma is rarely observed. A case of suspected spontaneous regression of pulmonary metastases following nephrectomy for histologically proven renal cell carcinoma without systemic treatment is presented along with a brief review of the literature

Spontaneous regression of bone metastasis from renal cell carcinoma; A case report

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous regression of metastatic renal cell carcinoma is rarely observed. CASE PRESENTATION: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma was identified in a 70-year-old male using computed tomography-guided percutaneous needle biopsy. Two months after the diagnosis, a partial resection of the sternal bone was performed. Pathological examination revealed granulated tissue with bleeding and necrosis but no carcinogenic cells. CONCLUSION: We report a pathologically identified case in which a sternal bone metastasis that was noticed two years after radical nephrectomy regressed completely and spontaneously

Osteoblastic flare in a patient with advanced gastric cancer after treatment with pemetrexed and oxaliplatin: implications for response assessment with RECIST criteria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The RECIST guidelines are commonly used in phase II and III clinical trials. The correct definition of response can be controversial in some situations, as in the case we describe.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 43 year-old man with advanced gastric cancer was enrolled in a phase II trial where he was treated with pemetrexed 500 mg/m²plus oxaliplatin 120 mg/m²every 3 weeks. At baseline, the target lesions were lymph-nodes, and the non-target lesions were small pulmonary nodules. At first re-evaluation, the target lesions showed partial response and the non-target lesions showed complete response, but new diffuse osteoblastic lesions appeared. The investigator decided to continue treatment until the second re-evaluation. CT scan confirmed the response of the target and non-target lesions, while the osteoblastic lesions did not change.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The appearance of osteoblastic lesions after an active antitumor treatment, a phenomenon known as flare, can complicate the definition of the best overall response using RECIST criteria. This possibility should be considered by oncologists involved in clinical trials.</p

Oxaliplatin and protracted venous infusion of 5-fluorouracil in patients with advanced or relapsed 5-fluorouracil pretreated colorectal cancer

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the activity and safety of oxaliplatin and protracted venous infusion of 5-fluorouracil (PVI 5-FU) in patients with advanced or relapsed 5-FU pretreated colorectal cancer. 38 patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal carcinoma with documented progression on or within 6 months following 5-FU or thymidylate synthase inhibitor containing chemotherapy were recruited between June 1997 and September 2000. Oxaliplatin (100 mg m−2) was given every 2 weeks and PVI 5-FU (300 mg m−2day−1) was administered. Median age of patients was 61 years. 17 patients had >2 sites of disease involvement. 10 had received 5-FU based adjuvant chemotherapy. 16 received oxaliplatin and PVI 5-FU as second-line chemotherapy for advanced disease and 22 as third or subsequent lines. Median follow up was 6.1 months. The best achieved objective tumour response rate was 29% (11 partial responses 95% confidence interval [CI] = 15–46%). 20 patients (52.6%) had stable disease. The median duration of response was 3.9 months. Even for patients who had previously received both 5-FU and irinotecan (n= 22), 27.3% had partial response with oxaliplatin and PVI 5-FU. 37 patients had symptoms on entry into the study. 25 patients had pain, 10 had anorexia and 28 had lethargy. 64%, 70% and 17.9% had symptomatic improvement after treatment respectively. Grade 3–4 toxicities were anaemia 10.6%, neutropenia 2.6%, thrombocytopenia 5.2%, diarrhoea 18.9%, nausea and vomiting 2.7%, infection 5.4% and lethargy 37.8%. The median survival was 9.1 months. Probability of overall survival at 6 months was 58.4% (95% CI = 38.7–73.7%). The median failure-free survival was 4 months. Oxaliplatin and PVI 5FU is an active and well tolerated regimen in patients with heavily pre-treated advanced colorectal cancer. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaig

Coexistence between renal cell cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma: A rare coincidence

BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma is the most common kidney tumor in adults and accounts for approximately 3% of adult malignancies. An increased incidence of second malignancies has been well documented in a number of different disorders, such as head and neck tumors, and hairy cell leukemia. In addition, treatment associated second malignancies (usually leukemias and lymphomas but also solid tumors) have been described in long term survivors of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), Non Hodgkin's lymphoma and in various pediatric tumors. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 66 year-old woman with abdominal pain and dyspnea. We performed a thorax CT scan that showed lymph nodes enlargement and subsequently by presence of abdominal pain was performed an abdominal and pelvis CT scan that showed a right kidney tumor of 4 × 5 cms besides of abdominal lymph nodes enlargement. A radical right nephrectomy was designed and Hodgkin's lymphoma was diagnosed in the abdominal lymph nodes while renal cell tumor exhibited a renal cell cancer. Patient received EVA protocol achieving complete response. CONCLUSION: We described the first case reported in the medical literature of the coexistence between Hodgkin's lymphoma and renal cell cancer. Previous reports have shown the relationship of lymphoid neoplasms with solid tumors, but they have usually described secondary forms of cancer related to chemotherapy

Twelve weeks of protracted venous infusion of fluorouracil (5-FU) is as effective as 6 months of bolus 5-FU and folinic acid as adjuvant treatment in colorectal cancer.

We performed a multicentre randomised trial to compare the efficacy and toxicity of 12 weeks of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) delivered by protracted intravenous infusion (PVI 5-FU) against the standard bolus regimen of 5-FU and folinic acid (5-FU/FA) given for 6 months as adjuvant treatment in colorectal cancer. A total of 716 patients with curatively resected Dukes' B or C colorectal cancer were randomised to 5-FU/FA (5-FU 425 mg m(-2) i.v. and FA 20 mg m(-2) i.v. bolus days 1-5 every 28 days for 6 months) or to PVI 5-FU alone (300 mg m(-2) day for 12 weeks). With a median follow-up of 19.8 months, 133 relapses and 77 deaths have been observed. Overall survival did not differ significantly (log rank P=0.764) between patients receiving 5-FU/FA and PVI 5-FU (3-year survival 83.2 vs 87.9%, respectively). Patients in the 5-FU/FA group had significantly worse relapse-free survival (RFS, log rank P=0.023) compared to those receiving PVI 5-FU (3-year RFS, 68.6 vs 80%, respectively). Grades 3-4 neutropenia, diarrhoea, stomatitis and severe alopecia were significantly less (P<0.0001) and global quality of life scores significantly better (P&<0.001) for patients in the PVI 5-FU treatment arm. In conclusion, infused 5-FU given over 12 weeks resulted in similar survival to bolus 5-FU and FA over a 6 month period, but with significantly less toxicity

WAP four-disulfide core domain protein 2 gene(WFDC2) is a target of estrogen in ovarian cancer cells

BACKGROUND: WAP four-disulfide core domain protein 2 (WFDC2) shows a tumor-restricted upregulated pattern of expression in ovarian cancer. METHODS: We investigated the role of estradiol (E2) on cell growth in estrogen-sensitive or estrogen-insensitive ovarian cancer cell lines. Real-time (RT)-PCR and western blotting were used to examine the expression of WFDC2 at RNA and protein levels. Growth traits of cells transfected with WFDC2-shRNA or blank control were assessed using MMT arrays. Cell apoptosis was analyzed using annexin V-FITC/PI and flow cytometry. Estrogen receptor expression was evaluated using RT-PCR and flow cytometry. Apoptosis-related proteins induced by E2 directly and indirectly were determined using an antibody array comparing cells transfected with WFDC2- shRNA or a blank control. RESULTS: High-dose (625 ng/ml) E2 increased the expression of WFDC2 in HO8910 cells at both the mRNA and protein levels. However, E2 had no effect on WFDC2 expression in estrogen-insensitive SKOV3 cells. Of interest, knockdown of WFDC2 enabled a considerable estrogen response in SKOV3 cells in terms of proliferation, similar to estrogen-responsive HO8910 cells. This transformation of SKOV3 cells into an estrogen-responsive phenotype was accompanied by upregulation of estrogen receptor beta (ERß) and an effect on cell apoptosis under E2 treatment by regulating genes related to cell proliferation and apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: We postulate that increased WFDC2 expression plays an important role in altering the estrogen pathway in ovarian cancer, and the identification of WFDC2 as a new player in endocrine-related cancer encourages further studies on the significance of this gene in cancer development and therapy. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13048-015-0210-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users