Primary Retroperitoneal Melanoma Presented in a Rare Extracutaneous Site for Malignant Melanoma

Malignant melanoma, as the name implies, is a malignant tumor of melanocytes, found in the skin, eyes, meningeal lining and the mucosal epithelium of the aero-digestive and genitourinary tracts. Malignant melanoma is typically skin malignancy, which rarely presents at extracutaneous site. Here we present a rare case of primary retroperitoneal melanoma and review the findings in comparison with other cases described in literature

Delaying Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Does Not Adversely Affect Survival Outcome

Background: Whether a delay in the initiation of chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can affect overall survival is not well studied. We aim to evaluate the effect of the time interval between diagnosis and initiation of chemotherapy on overall survival in patients with stage IV NSCLC. Methods: A retrospective review of newly diagnosed stage IV NSCLC patients who received chemotherapy between 1995 and 2012 was conducted. Demographics, histology and site(s) of metastases of patients were reviewed. Time interval between the date of diagnosis and the date of starting chemotherapy was calculated in days. Patients were divided in two groups based on median time interval: Group A \u3c 46 days and group B \u3e 46 days. The primary end point was the difference in overall survival between the two groups. Results: A total of 172 patients were reviewed. Each group had 86 patients. Median age for both groups was 61 years. The most common histology was adenocarcinoma in A and B (43% vs. 45%, respectively). The sites of metastases in A and B were: brain (25% vs. 28%), liver (20% vs. 9%), bone (30% vs. 30%), respectively. Performance status of ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) :( 0-1) was 82% vs. 76% in A and B, respectively. The median overall survival for A was 7 months vs.12 months for B (p=0.04). Conclusion: In this single institution review, delayed chemotherapy for stage IV NSCLC more than 46 days did not have a detrimental effect on overall survival and even suggested a better outcome. Further larger and prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings

Complete Response to Stage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma with Disease-free Survival at 24 Months: Case Report and Overview of the Literature

Over 150,000 new cases of colon cancer were diagnosed in the US in 2019. Stage and age at diagnosis are important prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). For the age group 70-79, the OS for females with poorly differentiated stage IV colon cancer at 1, 2 and 5 years after surgery is 39%, 15%, and 2%, respectively. We present a case of a 77-year-old female with significant cardiac history. She was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer complicated with enteric fistula. Due to her initial performance status and comorbidities, she was not a candidate for surgery or systemic chemotherapy. Nonetheless, and giving her tumor was microsatellite unstable, she was treated with neo-adjuvant immunotherapy. She achieved complete pathological remission with no evidence of disease found upon surgical resection, for which she eventually qualified due to improvement of performance status. Patient is alive and free of disease 24 months after operation

Long-term direct oral anticoagulation in primary osteonecrosis with elevated plasminogen activation inhibitor

Osteonecrosis is a pathological condition that could lead to a debilitating physical disease and impede daily activities. It is generally categorised into aetiology – primary (idiopathic) or secondary. When direct damage to the bone vasculature or direct injury of the bone marrow is related to an identifiable cause such as traumatic injuries, steroid or bisphosphonate use, increased alcohol intake, sickle cell disease, autoimmune diseases, chemotherapy or malignancy, it is categorised as secondary osteonecrosis. On the other hand, osteonecrosis wherein the mechanisms of development are not fully understood is categorised as primary or idiopathic osteonecrosis. This category includes inherited thrombophilia and hypofibrinolysis as potential causes. There are no clear guidelines or general agreements about anticoagulation treatment and duration in primary osteonecrosis due to thrombophilia or hypofibrinolysis. We report a case of primary osteonecrosis associated with hypofibrinolysis and successful control with lifelong direct oral anticoagulation therapy

Solitary Lytic Bone Metastasis: A Rare Presentation of Small Lymphocytic Leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by an over accumulation of incompetent neoplastic lymphocytes. Bone metastasis in CLL/SLL is very rare. We report a case of a 76-year-old Caucasian female presented with an unresolving pulmonary infiltrate with mediastinal lymphadenopathy concerning for malignancy. Positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) showed an infiltrative mass in the mediastinum with diffuse uptake and a hypermetabolic mass within the left iliac bone. Transbronchial biopsy revealed morphology and features of SLL. However, with concern for another primary cancer, a CT-guided biopsy of the PET avid left iliac bone was performed and revealed bone and marrow with involvement of CLL/SLL similar to the chest lymphadenopathy. To our knowledge and after extensive review of medical literature, this is first reported case of SLL with solitary bone metastasis to the hip

Chemotherapy-related acute respiratory distress syndrome in germ cell tumors: a literature review

Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are one of the more curable solid cancers in men. Approximately 8500 men are diagnosed with GCTs in the USA. The majority of patients survive due to the availability of effective treatment. Fewer than 400 men are estimated to die from their disease . Among those, there is a subset of patients with metastatic GCTs receiving chemotherapy who rapidly develop progressive respiratory failure and die during the early phase of their treatment course. In this review, we searched the available literature for reported cases and retrospective series of chemotherapy-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome in GCTs. We aim to determine whether a different approach from current treatment guidelines could be considered to prevent this catastrophic chemotherapy-related event

Comparison of toxicity profile and tolerability between two standard of care paclitaxel-based adjuvant chemotherapy regimens in breast cancer

In breast cancer, there are two widely used paclitaxel-based adjuvant chemotherapies, either dose dense paclitaxel (ddP) or weekly paclitaxel (wP). To our knowledge, the comparisons of toxicity and tolerability between the two regimens have never been reported in the literature. This is a retrospective single-institution charts review of breast cancer patients who were treated with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy either ddP or wP. In total, 76 and 45 patients with breast cancer received adjuvant standard ddP and wP, respectively. Patient characteristics in both groups were comparable. Our results showed no statistical significant difference in toxicity profile and tolerability between the two regimens. Particularly, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) was equally observed in both schedules. Furthermore, grade 3 and 4 CIPN was observed in 17 and 18 %, respectively (p = 0.93). In terms of tolerability, both regimens resulted in similar rates of hospitalization and treatment discontinuation. Our data analysis indicates no significant difference in toxicity profile between the two standard paclitaxel regimens in breast cancer. However, this is a small samplesized retrospective study and further prospective trial with a larger sample size is warranted

Leukemia cutis in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia presenting as bilateral helical nodules

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the most common adult leukemia worldwide, is considered an indolent but incurable non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Leukemia cutis is an uncommon manifestation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We present a case of an adult patient who presented with skin lesion of bilateral ears, which led to the diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We also reviewed the cases of auricular involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients reported in the literature. Local treatment is indicated in case of leukemia cutis; however, systemic treatment is recommended when there are systemic signs and symptoms. Better awareness of disease evolution and prompt diagnosis of this leukemia cutis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia will improve the effectiveness and outcome of its management

Primary retroperitoneal melanoma presented in a rare extracutaneous site for malignant melanoma

Malignant melanoma, as the name implies, is a malignant tumor of melanocytes, found in the skin, eyes, meningeal lining and the mucosal epithelium of the aero-digestive and genitourinary tracts. Malignant melanoma is typically skin malignancy, which rarely presents at extracutaneous site. Here we present a rare case of primary retroperitoneal melanoma and review the findings in comparison with other cases described in literature