Prolonged pleural catheters in the management of pleural effusions due to breast cancer

WOS: 000332779900012PubMed ID: 24605219Background: Breast cancer is the second most common etiologic cause in malignant pleural effusions (MPE). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of long term pleural catheters in inducing self sclerosis in pleural effusions of breast cancer patients. Methods: In this study, 26 patients with breast cancer relapleural effusions that occurred between January 2011 and July 2013, who were considered not to undergo any other treatments and managed with prolonged pleural catheters (Jackson-Pratt silicone flat drain), were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty pleural catheters were inserted in 26 patients. All patients were female, mean age was 52 (range, 37-66) years old. Drainage over 1,500 mL per day was not allowed in order to avoid a lung edema. The catheters were removed in patients who had restoration of lung expansion and drainage under 50 mL/day. Results: The histologic subtypes in pleural effusions were invasive ductal carcinoma in 18 patients, ductal carcinoma in situ in 4, invasive lobular carcinoma in 2, tubular carcinoma in 1, and medullary carcinoma in 1. Three of the 26 patients underwent bilateral catheter insertion, and one patient underwent a reinsertion of the catheter into the same hemithorax due to a recurrence. The catheters were retained for a mean period of 18 days (range, 11-38 days). In one patient with invasive ductal carcinoma and paramalignant pleural effusion (PMPE) (3.8%), a recurrent pleural effusion was seen 34 days after removal of the catheter. There were no complications. One patient died while the catheter was in place. Conclusions: Prolonged catheters for the management of pleural effusions in selected patients have become more popular than other treatment alternatives due to a shorter length of stay and lower costs. We recommend the use of Jackson Pratt (JP) silicone flat drains which in our opinion provide effective pleurodesis in addition to easy application in recurrent effusions caused by breast cancer

Prolonged pleural catheters in the management of pleural effusions due to breast cancer

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common etiologic cause in malignant pleural effusions (MPE). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of long term pleural catheters in inducing self sclerosis in pleural effusions of breast cancer patients

Prolonged pleural catheters in the management of pleural effusions due to breast cancer (Vol 6, pg 74, 2014)

WOS: 000337256900006

Development of Acute Pulmonary Hypertension After Bortezomib Treatment in a Patient With Multiple Myeloma: A Case Report and the Review of the Literature

WOS: 000354105700005PubMed ID: 24100255Bortezomib is widely used in treatment of multiple myeloma. In recent years, severe bortezomib-induced lung injury has been reported. The clinical course is generally characterized with fever and dyspnea, followed by respiratory failure with pulmonary infiltrates. Herein, we report a 57-year-old man with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma admitted with dyspnea, fever, and hypotension on the third day of the first dose of bortezomib therapy. He had bilateral jugular venous distention, crackles at the bases of the lungs and hepatomegaly. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed acute pulmonary hypertension (PH) with an estimated pressure of 70 mm Hg. The perfusion scintigraphy ruled out pulmonary embolism, and microbiological examination was negative. On his course, fever, dyspnea, hypoxia, and pulmonary vascular pressure subsided rapidly. The sudden onset of PH and its rapid decrement without any treatment suggests bortezomib as the underlying cause. Subsequently, the patient did not respond to vincristine-doxorubicin-dexamethasone regimen and thalidomide. Bortezomib treatment was repeated, and no pulmonary adverse reactions occurred. Follow-up echocardiographies revealed pulmonary arterial pressures to be maximally of 35 mm Hg. To our knowledge, this is the first case of acute PH after front-line bortezomib therapy. In this report, we review bortezomib-related pulmonary complications in the literature and possible underlying mechanisms

Synchronous and metachronous bilateral breast cancer: A long-term experience

WOS: 000451018200005PubMed ID: 30610782Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess the demographic, pathologic and survival characteristics of patients who were diagnosed as having bilateral breast cancer. Methods: A review was conducted of the records pertaining to patients who presented to our clinic and were diagnosed as having breast cancer. Any second cancer diagnosed within 12 months of initial diagnosis was defined as synchronous bilateral breast cancer. Assessment included treatments administered to the patients and survival rates, as well as their demographic, reproductive and pathologic features. Results: The total number of patients who were diagnosed as having bilateral breast cancer in the context of the present study was 99. Among the patients with synchronous breast cancer, the median age at the time of initial diagnosis was found as 57 years. The median age of the discovery of first tumor among the patients with metachronous tumor was 52 years and the median age of second tumor detection was 59 years. Family history in metachronous tumor was significantly greater (p =0.041). The median time of metachronous cancer incidence was 96 months. The length of disease-free period among the patients with synchronous tumor was 126.3 months, whereas it was 243.7 months in those with metachronous tumor (p=0.041). Conclusion: The incidence rate of synchronous breast tumors has been rising thanks to growing awareness and the leading-edge imaging methods. The fact that the second tumor developed after more than 5 years among the patients with metachronous cancer gave rise to the increased rate of survival

Trichomegaly Induced by Cetuximab: Case Series and Review the Literature

WOS: 000384446400018PubMed ID: 26079631Trichomegaly is a rare side effect of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors. We present here 4 patients who treated with cetuximab (an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor) for metastatic colorectal cancer. All of the cases were treated with cetuximab 500 mg/m(2) biweekly in combination protocol. The mean period from the start of the treatment until the development the trichomegaly was 4.75 (3-6) months. In all of the patients after the end of the cetuximab therapy, trichomegaly was regressed. Only 1 case resolved with topical treatment that conjunctivitis with trichomegaly. Trichomegaly is an important ocular toxicity of cetuximab that can cause visual discomfort and corneal damages. However, these side effects usually do not require discontinuation of treatment

Receptor discordance rate and its effects on survival in primary and recurrent breast cancer patients

WOS: 000392785500014PubMed ID: 28039703Purpose: The receptor status of breast cancer plays a critical role in clinical practice. During the metastatic process, a change in the biological characteristics of the tumor can be seen. This study aimed to investigate the hormone receptor and HER2 status changes between primary and recurrent breast cancers and their effect on survival. Methods: Eighty-six breast cancer patients with biopsy-proven local recurrences or distant metastases during the follow-up period were included in the study. Patients with metastatic disease at the time of first diagnosis or with history of previous neoadjuvant chemotherapy were excluded. Results: Forty-three of the 86 patients (50%) had changes in at least one of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), or HER2. ER, PR and HER2 discordance rates were 12.7,38.3, and 15.1%, respectively, and PR discordance was significantly higher (p=0.000). Among all molecular subtypes, the triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype showed the least change. When the effect of chemotherapy on receptor change was analyzed, PR discordance was significantly higher in the group who received chemotherapy (p =0.029). Analysis of the hormonotherapy effects on receptor discordance revealed results similar to those of chemotherapy. Only the PR discordance was significantly greater in the group that received hormonotherapy (p=0.000). None of the three receptor discordances or loss of any receptor were related to survival. Primary tumor TNBC subtype and disease-free-interval (DFI) shorter than 5 years were found as independent prognostic factors that negatively affected overall survival (OS). Conclusion: This study showed that during recurrent disease there was 50% discordance in the expression of ER, PR, and HER2. The receptor showing the greatest discordance and influence from the systemic treatment was PR. A significant relationship between receptor discordance and survival could not be demonstrated in our study

Clinical and histopathological factors associated with Ki-67 expression in breast cancer patients

WOS: 000350918100005The aim of the present study was to identify the optimal Ki-67 cut-off value in breast cancer (BC) patients, and investigate the association of Ki-67 expression levels with other prognostic factors. Firstly, a retrospective search was performed to identify patients with stage I-III BC (n=462). A range of Ki-67 index values were then assigned to five groups (= 25%). The correlation between the Ki-67 index and other prognostic factors [age, tumor type, histological and nuclear grade, tumor size, multifocality, an in situ component, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PR) expression, human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER-2) status, axillary involvement and tumor stage] were investigated in each group. The median Ki-67 value was revealed to be 20% (range, 1-95%). A young age (= 15% was associated with the largest number of poor prognostic factors (P=0.036). In addition, a Ki-67 value of >= 15% was identified to be statistically significant in association with certain luminal subtypes. The rate of disease-free survival was higher in patients with luminal A subtype BC (P=0.036). Following the correlation analysis for the Ki-67 index and the other prognostic factors, a Ki-67 value of >= 15% was revealed to be the optimal cut-off level for BC patients

Current adjuvant treatment modalities for gastric cancer: From history to the future

WOS: 000408542300003PubMed ID: 27190583The discrepancy between the surgical technique and the type of adjuvant chemotherapy used in clinical trials and patient outcomes in terms of overall survival rates has led to the generation of different adjuvant treatment protocols in distinct parts of the world. The adjuvant treatment recommendation is generally chemoradiotherapy in the United States, perioperative chemotherapy in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, and chemotherapy in Asia. These options mainly rely on the United States Intergroup-0116, United Kingdom British Medical Research Council Adjuvant Gastric Infusional Chemotherapy, and the Asian Adjuvant Chemotherapy Trial of S-1 for Gastric Cancer and Capeci-tabine and Oxaliplatin Adjuvant Study in Stomach Cancer trials. However, the benefits were evident for only certain patients, which were not very homogeneous regarding the type of surgery, chemotherapy regimens, and stage of disease. Whether the dissimilarities in survival are attributable to surgical technique or intrinsic biological differences is a subject of debate. Regardless of the extent of surgery, multimodal therapy may offer modest survival advantage at least for diseases with lymph node involvement. Moreover, in the era of individualized treatment for most of the other cancer types, identification of special subgroups comprising those who will derive more or no benefit from adjuvant therapy merits further investigation. The aim of this review is to reveal the historical evolution and future reflections of adjuvant treatment modalities for resected gastric cancer patients

Prognostic relevance of sunitinib toxicities and comparison of continuous vs. intermittent sunitinib dosing schedule in metastatic renal cell cancer patients

WOS: 000382525900009PubMed ID: 27358594Aim of the study: Sunitinib-related side effects may develop as a result of the pharmacokinetic pathway affects the of the drug. Material and methods: Data on mRCC patients were obtained from the hospital archives. Outcomes of patients were evaluated in terms of related prognostic factors, sunitinib adverse events during the treatment, and two different sunitinib dosing schedules. Results: Seventy patients diagnosed with mRCC and treated with sunitinib were analyzed for prognostic factors and survival rates. During the mean follow-up of 33.5 months, 38 (54%) patients were alive and 32 (46%) patients died. The median time of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) was 27 months (12-61) and 19 months (5-45), respectively. In univariate analysis, good prognostic risk group according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSK-CC), hypothyroidism as sunitinib toxicity and patients on sunitinib treatment more than 1 year were favorable prognostic factors for OS. Leukopenia and fatigue as sunitinib toxicity were poor prognostic factors for OS. PFS and OS of the patients were not significantly different when we compared intermittent (4/2) vs. continuous treatment dosing schedules. Conclusions: As a result of this trial, having hypothyroidism as an adverse effect of sunitinib was a favorable prognostic factor for OS and PFS in mRCC patients. It was also found that 4/2 and continuous dosing schedules of sunitinib did not give rise to different outcomes in mRCC patients