1/6. Beneficial treatment of patients with advanced cancer using a newcastle disease virus vaccine (MTH-68/H).newcastle disease virus Vaccine (MTH-68/H) was administered to patients suffering from advanced neoplastic diseases after non-efficient tumor-destructive treatment. case reports of selected patients suggest promising effects of this treatment. A prospectively-randomized clinical study (phase III; in accordance with Good Clinical Practice, GCP) was proposed to confirm these results and is currently under consideration.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = suffering (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/6. Weekly irinotecan in a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer on hemodialysis due to chronic renal failure.BACKGROUND: The cytotoxic treatment of patients suffering from advanced or metastatic cancer undergoing hemodialysis due to chronic renal failure still remains a problem, since for those patients pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data on most cytotoxic agents are lacking. CASE REPORT: We report a 45-year-old male who suffered from chronic renal failure and was diagnosed with stage-3 colorectal cancer (CRC) in February 2000. After surgical removal of the tumor an adjuvant chemotherapy of dose-reduced i.v. bolus 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid was begun (Mayo protocol). Due to excessive gastrointestinal toxicity, therapy was discontinued after the first cycle. In April 2000 liver metastases were diagnosed. The patient was then put on a weekly schedule of dose-reduced CPT-11 (50 mg/m(2), 80 mg total). No hematological or non-hematological toxicity grade 3/4 was observed. Due to excellent tolerability and lack of severe side effects the dose was increased up to 80 mg/m(2) (140 mg total) weekly. A dose escalation to 100 mg/m(2) (180 mg total) resulted in severe diarrhea (grade 4). Within 2 months of treatment the patient achieved a lasting partial remission until April 2001 (12 months). A significant progression of hepatic metastases required an alternative treatment regimen beginning in July 2001 (HAI, hepatic artery infusion). CONCLUSION: This case report demonstrates the feasibility and efficacy of a weekly treatment with dose-reduced CPT-11 in a patient with metastatic CRC on hemodialysis due to chronic renal failure.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = suffering (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/6. tumor lysis syndrome following endoscopic radiofrequency interstitial thermal ablation of colorectal liver metastases.Radiofrequency interstitial thermal ablation (RITA) provides a palliative option for patients suffering from metastatic liver disease. This procedure can be performed using a laparoscopic approach with laparoscopic ultrasound used to position the RITA probe. We describe a case of laparoscopic RITA performed for colorectal liver metastasis that was complicated by tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) following treatment. We consider RITA to be a safe procedure, as supported by the literature, but where intracorporal tumor lysis is the treatment goal we believe that the systemic release of tumor products can overwhelm the excretory capacity; therefore, TLS is an inevitable consequence in some patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = suffering (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/6. Exacerbation of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome after treatment of localized cancer: a report of two cases.patients with malignancy often present with a variety of coagulation abnormalities which may ultimately lead to recurrent arterial and venous thromboses. Recently the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies in cancer patients has been proposed as one of the potential mechanisms promoting hypercoagulability. Here we report two consecutive patients with localized tumors, one suffering from breast cancer and another presenting with colorectal cancer, who experienced dramatic exacerbation of the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APAS) within 4 weeks after surgery. In the first patient who had also received one course of adjuvant chemotherapy, major ischemic stroke and recurrent venous thromboembolism were paralleled by the development of ulcerative livedoid vasculitis and pancytopenia, constituting the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus with secondary APAS. In the second patient, progressive thrombotic occlusion of the superior and inferior vena cava was associated with bilateral pulmonary embolism, acute renal failure, and disabling soft tissue edema. Although not fulfilling the classic criteria of "catastrophic" APAS, the clinical features were life threatening and appeared to be refractory to oral anticoagulation with phenprocoumon. In addition, a diagnosis of Trousseau's syndrome was unlikely due to missing evidence of gross metastatic disease. Besides a suggested treatment strategy comprising high doses of low-molecular-weight heparin, potential pathogenic mechanisms are discussed in consideration of a recently proposed "thrombotic storm," which may cause multiple thromboses after an initial provocation in patients with known hypercoagulability.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = suffering (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/6. octreotide LAR resolves severe chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea (CID) and allows continuation of full-dose therapy.Severe diarrhoea after chemotherapy is a dose-limiting toxicity of first-line chemotherapeutic agents approved for the treatment of colorectal cancer including 5-fluorouracil leucovorin (5-FU/LV) and irinotecan (CPT-11). This report explores the potential of the long-acting version of the somatostatin analogue octreotide, for secondary prophylaxis in patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea (CID). A case series of three patients in a general community setting with colorectal cancer and severe refractory diarrhoea after fluoropyrimidine or irinotecan therapy resulting in suspension of chemotherapy, hospitalization, and/or refusal of further treatment. After the failure of initial aggressive antidiarrhoeal therapy with loperamide and/or diphenoxylate-atropine, patients were treated with octreotide LAR (30 mg q28d). The ability of octreotide LAR to resolve diarrhoea, prevent further episodes of grade 3 or 4 gastrointestinal toxicity and prevent costly hospitalizations. octreotide LAR 30 mg q28d speed resolution of diarrhoea and was able prevent further episodes during subsequent cycles of chemotherapy. One patient who initially refused chemotherapy because of CID was able to complete his treatment. All patients reported improvement in quality of life following resolution of diarrhoea with octreotide LAR and no further hospitalizations because of CID were necessary.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = suffering (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/6. Severe enteropathy associated with raltitrexed and oxaliplatin chemotherapy: report of two patients experiencing this rare, potentially lethal gastrointestinal adverse event.Among the several different combination chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed has shown encouraging therapeutic results and a fairly good toxicity profile. Here, we report on two patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving this combination therapy, which leads to severe enterocolitis and neutropenia resulting in death in one patient. One patient was a 67-year-old woman suffering from an adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon with multiple liver metastases. The other patient was a 74-year-old woman with colon cancer, and metachronous multiple pulmonal and hepatic metastases. In both patients, palliative chemotherapy consisted of oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 in combination with raltitrexed 3 mg/m2 on day 1 every 21 days. Both patients developed neutropenia in combination with severe enterocolitis after the fourth and the second chemotherapy cycle, respectively. Despite antibiotic treatment, diarrhea persisted in both patients for weeks. One patient died 17 days after hospital admission because of enteric sepsis with bleeding of the colonic mucosa and multiorgan failure. The other patient recovered completely and was discharged from hospital after 8 weeks. Severe enterocolitis, a hitherto infrequently recognized adverse event, which has been described in association with 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin and oxaliplatin chemotherapy, may also occur with raltitrexed and oxaliplatin. physicians should be aware of this rare, although potentially lethal, gastrointestinal toxicity.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = suffering (Clic here for more details about this article) |