Emphysematous pyelonephritis after urinary diversion by percutaneous nephrostomy in patient with advanced cervical cancer: A case report.

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a severe kidney infection that is common in women and patients with diabetes mellitus, but rare in cancer patients. A 64-year-old patient with advanced uterine cervical cancer developed emphysematous pyelonephritis after urine diversion by percutaneous nephrostomy of the left kidney, which is a possible approach to this infection. Antibiotic therapy was started to achieve clinical improvement and preserve renal function, and radical nephrectomy was not an option due to the functional exclusion of the contralateral kidney. The patient progressed with worsening renal function; thus, she started outpatient hemodialysis, with improvement of the uremic encephalopathy. She died 7.7 months after admission, 1 month after treatment for emphysematous pyelonephritis. Treatment should be adjusted to the patients' needs, including maintenance of hemodialysis to improve symptoms. Further investigation is needed to identify possible causes and prevent emphysematous pyelonephritis in cancer patients.

Prognostic role of hydronephrosis in the treatment of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer: a retrospective cohort.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive uropathy is present in almost 50% of patients with advanced cervical cancer and is associated with worse outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prognostic role of hydronephrosis and the impact of ureteral obstruction resolution in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer undergoing treatment. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2018 stage IIIB to IVA treated in a tertiary oncologic referral center in Brazil between January 2009 and June 2018. Three different groups were evaluated: (I) without hydronephrosis, (II) with hydronephrosis and urinary diversion, and (III) with hydronephrosis but no urinary diversion. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests estimated overall survival and progression-free survival based on the presence of hydronephrosis and urinary diversion. Clinicopathological variables were evaluated using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model for overall survival and progression-free survival. RESULTS: A total of 151 patients were evaluated: group I - 62 (41.1%); II - 44 (29.1%), and III - 45 (29.8%). Stage, histological type or grade, tumor size, parametrial or lymph node involvement were not statistically different between groups. Group I had more favorable overall survival than groups II (p<0.003) and III (p<0.02); however, no difference was noted between groups II and III. Progression-free survival was similar between groups (log-rank test p=0.95). Univariate analysis revealed hydronephrosis (p=0.002) and concurrent chemoradiotherapy (p<0.001) as a prognostic factor for worse overall survival; while tumor size (p=0.023), pelvic lymphadenopathy (p=0.015), and histological type (p=0.03) were associated with worse progression-free survival. On multivariate analysis, hydronephrosis remained as an independently associated factor with worse overall survival (HR=2.06; 95% CI 1.12 to 3.79, p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Patients with locally advanced cervical cancer with hydronephrosis had lower overall survival even after controlling for potential confounding factors, but no difference in progression-free survival. Urinary diversion showed no impact on overall survival or progression-free survival.

Efficacy of amphotericin B in a fat emulsion for the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis in AIDS patients.

Several formulae have been developed in an attempt to reduce the toxicity of amphotericin B (AmB), but their high costs preclude widespread use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of amphotericin B in a fat emulsion, i.e. Intralipid (AmB-IL), in 37 AIDS patients with cryptococcal meningitis (CM). We retrospectively reviewed data collected in a non-comparative open study between January 1999 and December 2001. The therapeutic cure was defined as complete resolution or improvement of the clinical symptoms or complete absence or improvement of the mycological alterations of the CSF. The outcomes were evaluated at 2 weeks, induction phase (IP), and at the end of treatment or consolidation phase (CP) with the last available CSF. Prior to the diagnosis of CM, 72% of patients had had one or more OI and 67.57% had a concomitant OI. The median CD4-cell count was 32 cells/mm(3), the median leukocyte count in the CSF was 29 cells/mm(3) and the median cumulative dose of AmB-IL was 1,200 mg (300-2,500). The therapeutic cure was 57.14% in the IP and 64.86% in the CP. During IP, 9 patients died (24.32%) and 4 (10.81%) during the CP (p=0.2). Thus, the overall mortality rate was 35.14%. AmB-IL, an inexpensive preparation, might be an alternative to conventional AmB. Some questions remain such as its compatibility, stability and level of toxicity. The benefit is especially important in developing countries, where no drugs other than AmB are available to treat systemic fungal infections.

Efficacy of amphotericin B in a fat emulsion for the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis in AIDS patients

Several formulae have been developed in an attempt to reduce the toxicity of amphotericin B (AmB), but their high costs preclude widespread use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of amphotericin B in a fat emulsion, i.e. Intralipid (AmB-IL), in 37 AIDS patients with cryptococcal meningitis (CM). We retrospectively reviewed data collected in a non-comparative open study between January 1999 and December 2001. The therapeutic cure was defined as complete resolution or improvement of the clinical symptoms or complete absence or improvement of the mycological alterations of the CSF. The outcomes were evaluated at 2 weeks, induction phase (IP), and at the end of treatment or consolidation phase (CP) with the last available CSF. Prior to the diagnosis of CM, 72 percent of patients had had one or more OI and 67.57 percent had a concomitant OI. The median CD4-cell count was 32 cells/mm³, the median leukocyte count in the CSF was 29 cells/mm³ and the median cumulative dose of AmB-IL was 1,200 mg (300-2,500). The therapeutic cure was 57.14 percent in the IP and 64.86 percent in the CP. During IP, 9 patients died (24.32 percent) and 4 (10.81 percent) during the CP (p=0.2). Thus, the overall mortality rate was 35.14 percent. AmB-IL, an inexpensive preparation, might be an alternative to conventional AmB. Some questions remain such as its compatibility, stability and level of toxicity. The benefit is especially important in developing countries, where no drugs other than AmB are available to treat systemic fungal infections.