Search

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to share our outcomes and experiences on allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in elderly patients aged 60 years and older with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in South Korea, and to compare them with other studies. Materials and Methods: We analyzed the clinical outcomes of 116 patients with AML or MDS aged 60 years and older who underwent allogeneic HSCT. We also analyzed which pretreatment factors affect the overall survival (OS) after allogeneic HSCT. Results: Neutrophil and platelet engraftment were achieved at median day +11 [interquartile range (IQR) 10-15] and +14 (IQR 11-19), respectively. A complete donor chimerism was confirmed in 65 (56.0%) patients at 3 weeks and in 63 (54.3%) patients at 3 months after HSCT. The estimated incidence of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) at day 100 was 13.7%. The estimated incidence of chronic GVHD at 2 years was 38.8%. Within a median follow-up of 14 months after HSCT, OS was 64% at 1 year and 55% at 2 years, and non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 20% at 1 year and 28% at 2 years. Multivariate analysis revealed that male sex and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation-Specific Comorbidity Index =3 were associated with poor OS. Conclusion: This study showed that allogeneic HSCT in elderly adults aged 60 and older can be performed with successful engraftment and acceptable NRM and OS are expected given the generally known survival of patients with higher risk MDS and poor risk AML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Erlotinib has been the only targeted agent to show significantly improved outcomes in pancreatic adenocarcinoma when combined with gemcitabine. We aimed to evaluate whether the addition of oxaliplatin to a combination gemcitabine/erlotinib treatment conferred a clinical benefit in patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Materials and Methods: Chemotherapy-naïve patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer were randomly assigned to receive GEMOX-T [gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 and oxaliplatin 50 mg/m2 on day 1 (D1) and D8 plus erlotinib 100 mg daily for 3 weeks] or GT (gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on D1 and D8 plus erlotinib 100 mg daily for 3 weeks). The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR). Results: Between 2013 and 2016, 65 patients were assigned to a treatment group (33 in the GEMOX-T arm, 32 in the GT arm). The ORR was 18.2% [95% confidence interval (CI), 8.82-27.58] in the GEMOX-T arm and 6.2% (95% CI, 0.34-12.06) in the GT arm (p=0.051). The disease control rate was significantly superior in the GEMOX-T arm compared to the GT arm (72.7% vs. 43.8%, p=0.019). After a median follow-up of 19.7 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.9 months for the GEMOX-T arm and 1.4 months for the GT arm (p=0.033). However, this did not translate to an improvement in overall survival. The most common grade 3 or higher hematologic adverse events were neutropenia (16.9%) and anemia (13.8%). Conclusion: The addition of oxaliplatin to a first-line gemcitabine/erlotinib regimen demonstrated higher response rates and significantly improved PFS in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple myeloma is a common hematological malignancy. Aggressive myeloma invades the organs outside the bone marrow, lymph, or reticuloendothelial systems. Among the extramedullary involvements of multiple myeloma, myelomatous ascites are extremely rare and are associated with a poor prognosis. We describe a case of myelomatous ascites as an initial manifestation of extramedullary involvement of multiple myeloma in 39-year-old patient. The patient was treated with high-dose chemotherapy, but extensive extramedullary involvement progressed, and the patient expired approximately five months after the initial detection of ascites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal infections occur in severely immunocompromised patients having profound and prolonged neutropenia. Here, we report a case of a 41-year-old female who, at the conclusion of ind니ction chemotherapy for acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia, developed angioinvasive mucormycosis involving the appendix and liver, which presented as abdominal pain. This case is the first to provide detailed computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings of angioinvasive appendiceal and hepatic mucormycosis. The implications of these findings as well as the diagnosis and management of mucormycosis, is further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the effects of Lithospermi radix (LR) on the compound 48/80-induced release of histamine from rat peritoneal mast cells, as well as on anti-dinitrophenyl (DNP) immunoglobulin E antibody-induced passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA). According to the authors, LR inhibited phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and the A23187-induced production of cytokines and activation of NF-kappa B in a human mast cell line.

The article examines the effect of gromwell extract and borage oil on reversing epidermal hyperproliferation in guinea pigs. The results demonstrate that gromwell is more effective in reversing epidermal hyperproliferation with a marked increase in ceramides. They have concluded that dietary supplementation of gromwell alone or in combination with borage oil might be an alternative therapy, or might serve as an adjunct to conventional therapies in the treatment of hyperproliferative disorders.