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Background: Listeriamonocytogenes is a facultative intracellular parasitic bacterium that is Gram positive, catalase positive, oxidase negative, and a facultative anaerobe. It is known to infect humans through food. It is a bacillus with low virulence, but can cause meningitis and sepsis in infants and immunocompromised patients. Case presentation: A case of 75-year-old Japanese female with small cell carcinoma of the thymus and pleural dissemination is described. She was treated with carboplatin and etoposide and showed a partial response. However, the tumor recurred 6 months later. Therefore, we again administered carboplatin and etoposide.Though peritoneal dissemination was suspected based on abdominal computed tomography findings after two courses, the assessment was stable disease. She was occasionally treated for constipation. She developed chills, rigor, and diarrhea, necessitating admission on the 7th day of the third course of chemotherapy. We suspected intestinal infection, and cefepime was thus administered. However, her blood pressure dropped and neutropenia manifested on the 4th day of admission. We therefore switched the antibiotic from cefepime to meropenem and also administered granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. Listeria monocytogenes was detected by two blood cultures, and the antimicrobial medication was thus switched to ampicillin, in consideration of sensitivity. Her general condition improved and she was able to leave the hospital on the 19th day after admission. Conclusions: During chemotherapy, factors such as impaired bowel movements, malnutrition, and myeloablation can contribute to the development of severe infections. It is necessary to comprehensively assess a patient's state and treat all aspects of illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lung cancers with anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangements are highly sensitive to anaplastic lymphoma kinase tyrosine kinase inhibition, underscoring the notion that such cancers are addicted to anaplastic lymphoma kinase activity. Several anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors have been identified and are being evaluated in clinical trials. However patients with poor performance status (3 or 4) were not involved in these clinical trials, it has been unclear to use anaplastic lymphoma kinase–tyrosine kinase inhibitors for these patients. Here, we report an anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non small cell lung cancer patient with performance status 4, who was successfully treated with alectinib. Case presentation: We report on a 52-year-old patient diagnosed as non small cell lung cancer harboring echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase fusion gene. His performance status was 4 because of severe respiratory failure. We treated this patient with alectinib as the first line therapy. Dramatic response was obtained and his performance status improved from 4 to 1 without severe adverse events. Conclusion: Alectinib is a therapeutic option for the anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive patients with poor performance status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]