Litigation associated with 5-alpha-reductase-inhibitor use: A Canadian legal database review.

INTRODUCTION: 5α-reductase inhibitors (5ARI) are commonly prescribed medications. There is ongoing controversy about the adverse events of these medications. The aim of this study is to characterize lawsuits in Canada involving medical complications of 5ARIs use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Legal cases were queried from CanLII. Cases were included if they involved a party taking a 5ARI who alleged an adverse event. Relevant full cases were retained, and pertinent characteristics were extracted with the help of a legal expert. RESULTS: Our deduplicated search yielded 67 unique legal documents from December 2013 to February 2019. Twelve of these documents met the inclusion criteria (representing 3 cases, considering each case had several hearings). The medical complaints filed by the plaintiffs were all related to medication side effects (n = 3, 100%). The plaintiffs were commonly patients themselves. Defendants were exclusively pharmaceutical companies. Persistent erectile dysfunction after stopping the medication was cited as a side effect in all complaints. The prescriptions were made for male pattern hair loss (n = 3, 100%) in all cases. All cases represent class actions brought by the plaintiffs, and they have been certified by their respective court. However, the cases are still ongoing. CONCLUSION: While 5ARI use has been linked to undesired sexual side effects, there have been few litigations on this issue in Canada. Persisting sexual dysfunction after stopping the medication is the only complaint presented in legal action. To date, no judgment against a physician or pharmaceutical company was identified. Cases are still ongoing.

Esophagitis as a complication of the combination of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab for advanced endometrial cancer: A case report.

Background: Pembrolizumab is a monoclonal antibody targeting the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1). It is used in the management and treatment of various oncologic conditions. To name a few: refractory and advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), renal cell carcinoma and gastric cancer. It is also approved for metastatic mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) endometrial carcinoma after failure of front-line chemotherapy. Lenvatinib is an oral multikinase inhibitor that targets vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1-3, fibroblast growth factor receptors 1-4, platelet-derived growth factor receptor-a, RET, and KIT. The combination of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab has proven to be more effective together than as monotherapy. Here, we present the case of a patient who probably developed lenvatinib-related esophagitis, a complication not previously described in the literature to our knowledge.Case presentation.We describe a 65 years old female with metastatic endometrial cancer who presented dysphagia after a few months of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab treatment. Upper endoscopy results revealed a very fragile upper esophageal mucosa with mucosal lacerations, consistent with grade 2 esophagitis. The biopsy showed esophagitis with mixed lymphocytic and eosinophilic inflammation and apoptotic component. Pembrolizumab was then stopped pending the results of the biopsy, following the recommendations of the gastroenterologist. Dysphagia, however, remained unchanged. In the meantime, the lenvatinib had to be stopped due to a dental procedure, and the patient noted a marked improvement in her symptoms. After discussion with the gastroenterologist, pembrolizumab was resumed and lenvatinib was suspended. The patient was also started on a PPI twice daily since the first digestive exploration. 1 month later, upper endoscopy showed complete recovery, the patient's symptoms improved, and lenvatinib was resumed. However, symptoms of dysphagia resumed a few days later. Lenvatinib was finally resumed at a reduced dose without reappearance in her symptoms. Conclusions: We present a case of oesophagitis as a likely complication of lenvatinib for advanced endometrial cancer. The initiation of PPI and dose reduction of the lenvatinib allowed the patient to successfully go back on treatment.

Preoperative fibrinogen level and blood transfusions in liver transplantation: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a major surgery often associated with significant bleeding. We conducted a systematic review to explore the association between preoperative fibrinogen level and intraoperative blood products transfusion, blood loss and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing OLT. METHODS: We included observational studies conducted in patients undergoing an OLT mostly for end-stage liver disease that reported an association between the preoperative fibrinogen level and our outcomes of interest. Our primary outcome was the intraoperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion requirements. Our secondary outcomes were intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative transfusion of any blood product, postoperative RBC transfusion, postoperative thrombotic or hemorrhagic complications, and mortality. We used a standardized search strategy. We reported our results mostly descriptively but conducted meta-analyses using random-effect models when judged feasible. RESULTS: We selected 24 cohort studies reporting at least one of our outcomes. We found that a high preoperative fibrinogen level was associated with fewer intraoperative RBC and other blood products transfusions, and lower blood loss. We also found a lower overall survival in patients with a higher fibrinogen level (pooled hazard ratio [95% CI] of 1.50 [1.23 to 1.84]; 5 studies, n = 1012, I2 = 48%). Only one study formally explored a fibrinogen level threshold effect. Overall, reporting was heterogeneous, and risk of bias was variable mostly because of uncontrolled confounding. CONCLUSION: A higher preoperative fibrinogen level was associated with fewer intraoperative RBC and other blood products transfusions, lower blood loss, and higher mortality. Further studies may help clarify observed associations and inform guidelines.

The Impact of Computed Tomography Measurements of Sarcopenia on Postoperative and Oncologic Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy.

Cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) is a treatment option for peritoneal metastases (PM) but is associated with significant postoperative morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of computed tomographic (CT)-measured sarcopenia on postoperative outcomes and survival in patients undergoing CRS-HIPEC for PM from various origins. A retrospective cohort study was conducted between 2012 and 2020. Three-hundred and twelve patients (mean age 57.6 ± 10.3, 34.3% male) were included, of which 88 (28.2%) were sarcopenic. PM from a colorectal origin was the most common in both groups. The proportion of major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ III) was not higher in the sarcopenic group (15.9% in sarcopenic patients vs. 23.2% in nonsarcopenic patients, p = 0.17). The mean Comprehensive Complication Index scores, HIPEC-related toxicities, length of hospital stay, and duration of parenteral nutrition were comparable regardless of sarcopenia status. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis of severe complications, only peritoneal carcinomatosis index reached statistical significance (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.08, p = 0.007). Sarcopenia did not impact origin-specific overall survival on Cox regression analysis. Sarcopenia was not associated with worse rates of postoperative severe complications or worse survival rates. Future prospective studies are required before considering sarcopenia as part of preoperative risk assessment.