[Efficacy and Safety of Gefitinib as First-Line Chemotherapy for Elderly Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer(NSCLC)].

Epidermalgrowth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor(EGFR-TKI)is the first choice for the treatment of EGFR mutation- positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). There have been few reports on the efficacy and safety of gefitinib in elderly patients with EGFR mutation-positive advanced NSCLC. We retrospectively assessed the efficacy and safety of gefitinib as first-line chemotherapy in 22 patients with advanced NSCLC aged 75 years or older and who were treated with gefitinib. The response rate was 81.8%, and the disease controlrate was 95.5%. The median progression-free survivaltime was 14.2 months, and the median survivaltime was 30.7 months. The common adverse events were skin toxicities(50.0%), liver dysfunction(18.2%), and diarrhea(18.2%). The dose of gefitinib was reduced in 36.3% of the patients, and the treatment of gefitinib was discontinued in 18.2% of the patients. Gefitinib is effective and safe for elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.

Bochdalek Hernia Causing Sigmoid Colon Strangulation in an Elderly Patient.

Diaphragmatic hernia with bowel strangulation is a fatal condition requiring a prompt diagnosis. Bochdalek hernia is a common type of diaphragmatic hernia that rarely but occasionally occurs in adults. We herein report a case of Bochdalek hernia causing sigmoid colon strangulation in an elderly patient whose condition was initially misdiagnosed as empyema. The early diagnosis of strangulated bowel stemming from diaphragmatic hernia can be challenging because of its rarity and the nonspecificity of its symptoms. However, tracing the mesenteric arteries on computed tomography can enable a quick diagnosis.

Combined Small and Squamous Transformation in EGFR-mutated Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Histologic transformation has been described as an acquired mechanism of resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). We herein report the case of a woman with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR exon 19 deletions who was initially treated with EGFR-TKIs; several cytotoxic chemotherapeutic regimens were used when resistance developed. A lymph node re-biopsy revealed histologic transformation of the tumor to combined small-cell lung cancer and squamous cell carcinoma with retained EGFR exon 19 deletions. Following sequential chemotherapy appropriate for transformed histology, a clinical response was achieved.

A Case Series of Acute Kidney Injury During Anti-tuberculosis Treatment.

Objective The standard anti-tuberculosis (TB) regimen occasionally causes acute kidney injury (AKI). The major etiology is rifampicin-induced acute interstitial nephritis. However, the standard management of AKI induced by anti-TB drugs has yet to be established. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients with TB who developed AKI after starting standard anti-TB treatment between 2006 and 2016 at a single TB center. The clinical characteristics and the management are described. Results Among 1,430 patients with active TB, 15 (1.01%) developed AKI. The mean age (standard deviation) was 61 years (18). The median (interquartile range) time to AKI development was 45 days (21-54 days). The median serum creatinine level before anti-TB treatment was 0.7 mg/dL (0.5-1.4 mg/dL), whereas the median peak serum creatinine level after AKI onset was 4.0 mg/dL (3.08-5.12 mg/dL). Five patients (33.3%) were pathologically confirmed as having acute interstitial nephritis (AIN), and 7 patients (46.7%) had a clinical diagnosis of the disease. All anti-TB drugs were stopped, and steroids were administered to 5 (100%) patients with pathologically confirmed AIN and 3 (42.8%) patients with clinically diagnosed AIN. The renal function was normalized in 12 patients (80.0%) after restarting anti-TB treatment without rifampicin (n=12) or isoniazid (n=1). Two patients died due to severe renal failure after restarting rifampicin. Conclusion Rifampicin is the leading cause of AKI. Levofloxacin may be an alternative to rifampicin thanks to its safety and potency. Restarting anti-TB treatment without rifampicin and short-term steroid administration may be a feasible management for AKI.

Effect of metformin on residual cells after chemotherapy in a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line.

Cancer chemotherapy, including molecular targeted therapy, has major limitations because it does not kill all the cancer cells; the residual cells survive until they acquire chemoresistance. In the present study, the combined effects of metformin and gefitinib were examined in vivo in a mouse xenograft model, inoculated with a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line that possesses an activating epidermal growth factor receptor mutation. The mechanism of the interaction was further elucidated in vitro. Metformin did not suppress the growth of already established tumors, nor did metformin augment tumor shrinkage by gefitinib. However, metformin significantly suppressed the regrowth of the tumor after effective treatment with gefitinib, suggesting the specific effect of metformin on the residual cells. Cytotoxicity of metformin was characterized by the absence of apoptosis induction and unremarkable cell cycle shift in vitro. The residual cell population after treatment with gefitinib was characterized by enriched cells with high expression of CD133 and CD24. Metformin was still effective on this specific cell population. Targeting residual cells after chemotherapy may represent an effective novel strategy for the treatment of cancer. Elucidating the mechanism of metformin cytotoxicity provides insights into future development of anticancer therapeutics.

A case of isolated peripheral pulmonary artery branch stenosis associated with multiple pulmonary artery aneurysms.

Selective right pulmonary arteriography and 3-dimensional computed tomography revealed multiple severe stenoses of the peripheral pulmonary artery associated with poststenotic aneurysms in a 65-year-old woman. She was referred to the hospital for evaluation of dry cough, gradually increasing dyspnea and multiple nodular shadows on a chest radiograph. Echocardiography and cardiac catheterization showed severe pulmonary hypertension, though other structural heart diseases or well-characterized congenital syndromes were ruled out. She was diagnosed as isolated peripheral pulmonary artery branch stenosis. Recent advances in CT technology enable a less-invasive assessment of pulmonary artery, and can be useful in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Juvenile pulmonary hypertension associated with fibromuscular dysplasia.

A 20-year-old female diagnosed as idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension at 7 years of age was referred with worsening dyspnea and chest pain. Several imaging studies and right cardiac catheterization showed multiple stenoses in the peripheral pulmonary arteries with severe pulmonary hypertension and multiple systemic arterial stenoses lacking in systemic hypertension. No evidence of inflammatory or autoimmune disease was detected. Fibromuscular dysplasia was clinically diagnosed because of the narrowed systemic and pulmonary arterial stenoses which included dilatation and aneurysms that appeared similar to a string of beads. Treatment with sildenafil yielded a temporary improvement in her disease state.