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Background/aims: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare salivary gland tumor characterized by indolence, with a high rate of local recurrence and distant metastasis. This study aimed to investigate the effect of concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) on locally advanced unresectable ACC., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 10 patients with pathologically confirmed ACC of the head and neck who received CCRT with cisplatin in Seoul National University Hospital between 2013 and 2018., Results: Ten patients with unresectable disease at the time of diagnosis or with positive margins after surgical resection received CCRT with weekly cisplatin. Eight patients (80%) achieved complete remission, of which three later developed distant metastases without local relapse; one patient developed distant metastasis and local relapse. Two patient achieved partial remission without progression. Patients experienced several toxicities, including dry mouth, radiation dermatitis, nausea, and salivary gland inflammation of mostly grade 1 to 2. Only one patient showed grade 3 oral mucositis. Median relapse-free survival was 34.5 months (95% confidence interval, 22.8 months to not reached)., Conclusion: CCRT with cisplatin is effective for local control of ACC with manageable toxicity and may be an effective treatment option for locally advanced unresectable ACC.

Introduction: Severe hypoglycemia can be life-threatening; therefore, it is important to identify the characteristics of the hypoglycemic patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the type and characteristics of diabetic patients with hypoglycemia who visited an emergency room., Methods: We included diabetic patients with hypoglycemia who visited the emergency room of St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul from January 2009 to August 2018 in the study. Hypo&#95;S group patients visited the emergency room once whereas Hypo&#95;M group patients visited twice or more. We also compared the incidence of cardiovascular disease between the groups within 5 years after hypoglycemia., Results: A total of 843 patients were included in this study, with a mean age of 71 ± 14 years and average glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level of 6.7 ± 1.4%. For patients with hypoglycemia, lower body mass index, lower HbA1c, shorter diabetes duration, and lower glomerular filtration rate have a statistically significant relationship with patient characteristics in the emergency room group (all p < 0.001). Hypoglycemia symptoms were most frequently observed between 6:00 and 12:00 am ( p < 0.001). Cardiovascular diseases within 5 years after discharge were more frequent in the Hypo&#95;S group than in the Hypo&#95;M group; however, there was no statistical significance. The frequency of aneurysms was significantly higher in patients with hypoglycemia than in other patients in the emergency room ( p < 0.05)., Conclusion: Relatively thin older patients with a diabetes duration shorter than 10 years and good blood sugar control showed higher frequency of visits to the emergency room due to hypoglycemia. For these patients, medical staff should always be mindful of their susceptibility to hypoglycemia when prescribing insulin or OHA and educate them on the prevention of hypoglycemia., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article is reported., (Copyright © 2020 Tong Min Kim et al.)

Pruritus is a very common symptom in patients, undergoing targeted anticancer therapy. However, the characteristics of pruritus, according to the targeted anticancer agents, are still unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of pruritus, induced by targeted anticancer agents, using a questionnaire-based survey. The survey was administered to cancer patients currently receiving anticancer agents. Medical records were also reviewed. A total of 374 cancer patients completed the survey, of which 108 were treated with the targeted therapy. A total of 205 patients had pruritus, of which 66 were under the targeted therapy. Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor (EGFRI) users showed the highest prevalence rate of itching and numeric rating scale score for itching. The 5-D itch score was also highest among users of EGFRIs. In conclusion, patients receiving EGFRIs suffer from severe pruritus frequently. They not only experienced long lasting and intense itching, causing sleep discomfort, but also developed itching at specific body sites.