[A case of Carboplatin and pemetrexed combination chemotherapy for synchronous double cancers of hepatocellular carcinoma and primary lung cancer].

A 78-year-old man presented to our hospital with lung abnormality on his chest radiograph. Computed tomography (CT) showed a mass and obstructive pneumonia in the right upper lobe of the lung. The mass was diagnosed as a pulmonary adenocarcinoma with a bronchoscopy (cT4N2M0, Stage IIIB). CT also revealed multiple hepatic tumors, which were diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by dynamic CT and gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(EOB-MRI). First, we treated the lung cancer with a combination of cisplatin and pemetrexed (PEM), but it caused renal dysfunction. Carboplatin (CBDCA) and PEM combination chemotherapy was administered, and not only the lung cancer but also the HCCs decreased in size. There are few reports of synchronous double cancers of HCC and primary lung cancer, and the treatment is not established. We report that platinum-containing anticancer drugs such as CBDCA may be effective against synchronous double cancers of HCC and lung cancer.

[Contact investigation using QuantiFERON-TB Gold test to evaluate TB exposure in 61 subjects in a hospital setting--(2) Change in QuantiFERON response during one year after exposure].

UNLABELLED: OBJECTIVES & SUBJECTS: The change in IGRA (interferon-gamma release assay, with QuantiFERON-TB Gold, QFT) responses was followed up for one year in a group of contacts of healthcare workers who had been exposed to tuberculosis (TB) infection for a relatively short period in a hospital. The observation was made of a total of 59 close contacts of the index case, where 16 showed positive QFT-conversion and 7 showed the intermediate response ranging 0.1 to 0.35 IU/mL. Three of the conversion cases developed active TB. RESULTS: 67% of the QFT conversions occurred within 2 months of exposure and the others between 2 to 9 months. Those having converted later than 2 months after the exposure showed generally weaker QFT responses than the earlier converters. In response to the treatment to converters (either to latent TB infection or to active TB), 80% of the cases reversed to negative or intermediate. The geometric means of the response values for ESAT-6 and CFP-10 also showed significant decline over the treatment time. DISCUSSIONS: The time profile of responses in the intermediate responders revealed an obviously distinct pattern from that of the negative responders with the values remaining uniformly at very low level throughout, which suggests that this group includes somehow exceptional responders either with or without infection.

[A case of advanced gastric cancer with carcinomatous lymphangitis of the lung treated with docetaxel and S-1 combination chemotherapy].

A 67-year-old woman with complaints of cough and dyspnea was admitted; her chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) scans revealed pulmonary carcinomatous lymphangitis. Endoscopic examination revealed advanced gastric cancer and the patient was treated with a combination of 40 mg/m2 docetaxel, administered on day 1, and S-1 100 mg/body/day, administered for 14 days followed by a 7-day interval, as 1 course despite her performance status( PS) being grade 3. After 2 courses of chemotherapy, CT showed that the carcinomatous lymphangitis had improved, and the patient was discharged with PS of grade 0. We report that combination chemotherapy with docetaxel and S-1 might be effective for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer with carcinomatous lymphangitis of the lung in patients with a poor systemic condition.

[Contact investigation using QuantiFERON-TB Gold test to evaluate TB exposure in 61 subjects in a hospital setting--(1) Outline of the outbreak and its clinical picture].

The index case was a patient who was admitted to a general hospital and treated with pulsed corticosteroid therapy; her breathing was assisted by a respirator. Soon she developed tuberculosis (TB) and died. Immediately after her death, QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT) test was conducted in healthcare workers who were in close contact with the index case. From the results of the test, all the healthworkers except 1 were TB negative. However, the QFT test repeated in the healthworkers after 8 weeks was positive in 18.6%. Subsequently, 5 healthworkers, including a doctor, nurses, and radiology technicians, developed TB. Bacterial isolates from 3 of them showed restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns similar to that of the index case. These 3 secondary TB cases included one healthworker who was in contact with the index case for less than 5 min, another whose QFT was negative (or "doubtful" according to the Japanese criterion of the QFT), and a third who was TB positive for QFT test but declined treatment for latent TB infection (LTBI). No other healthworkers or hospitalized patients developed TB. These healthcare workers with TB were further assessed using the QFT test at 6, 9, and 12 months after initial exposure, which showed an additional 4 positive reactors and 4 "doubtful" reactors who were indicated for LTBI treatment. Among these subjects, 7 were those who showed TB positive results 6 months after initial contact. Discussions were made on TB prevention in hospital settings including contact investigations the staff with special reference to application of the QFT test.

Unilateral methotrexate-induced lung injury with foreign bodies in the airway: A case report.

A 75-year-old woman who had been taking methotrexate presented to our hospital for fever and dry cough. Chest computed tomography showed ground-glass opacity in the upper lobe of the right lung and foreign bodies in the lower lobe of the right bronchus. During bronchoscopy, foreign bodies were removed from the airway. We found increased levels of lymphocytes and a high CD4/CD8 ratio in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed lymphocytic infiltration. Methotrexate was discontinued, and the imaging findings improved. Methotrexate-induced lung injury does occur unilaterally. Foreign bodies in the airway might also trigger unilateral methotrexate-induced lung injury.

Nationwide surveillance of bacterial respiratory pathogens conducted by the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy in 2008: general view of the pathogens' antibacterial susceptibility.

For the purpose of nationwide surveillance of the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial respiratory pathogens collected from patients in Japan, the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy conducted a third year of nationwide surveillance during the period from January to April 2008. A total of 1,097 strains were collected from clinical specimens obtained from well-diagnosed adult patients with respiratory tract infections. Susceptibility testing was evaluable with 987 strains (189 Staphylococcus aureus, 211 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 6 Streptococcus pyogenes, 187 Haemophilus influenzae, 106 Moraxella catarrhalis, 126 Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 162 Pseudomonas aeruginosa). A total of 44 antibacterial agents, including 26 ß-lactams (four penicillins, three penicillins in combination with ß-lactamase inhibitors, four oral cephems, eight parenteral cephems, one monobactam, five carbapenems, and one penem), three aminoglycosides, four macrolides (including a ketolide), one lincosamide, one tetracycline, two glycopeptides, six fluoroquinolones, and one oxazolidinone were used for the study. Analysis was conducted at the central reference laboratory according to the method recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI). The incidence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was as high as 59.8%, and those of penicillin-intermediate and penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae (PISP and PRSP) were 35.5 and 11.8%, respectively. Among H. influenzae, 13.9% of them were found to be ß-lactamase-non-producing ampicillin (ABPC)-intermediately resistant (BLNAI), 26.7% to be ß-lactamase-non-producing ABPC-resistant (BLNAR), and 5.3% to be ß-lactamase-producing ABPC-resistant (BLPAR) strains. A high frequency (76.5%) of ß-lactamase-producing strains was suspected in Moraxella catarrhalis isolates. Four (3.2%) extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing K. pneumoniae were found among 126 strains. Four isolates (2.5%) of P. aeruginosa were found to be metallo ß-lactamase-producing strains, including three (1.9%) suspected multidrug-resistant strains showing resistance to imipenem, amikacin, and ciprofloxacin. Continual national surveillance of the antimicrobial susceptibility of respiratory pathogens is crucial in order to monitor changing patterns of susceptibility and to be able to update treatment recommendations on a regular basis.

Pulmonary Malignant Ameloblastoma without Local Recurrence 31 Years after Primary Resection: A Case Report and Literature Review.

A 78-year-old man with a history of surgical resection for ameloblastoma 31 years earlier visited our hospital for prolonged cough. Chest computed tomography showed multiple nodules in both lungs. Although there was no local recurrence in the mandible, the specimen taken from a transbronchoscopic bronchial biopsy showed recurrent ameloblastoma. Despite receiving no treatment, the disease in our patient remained clinically stable for 8.4 years. Chest physicians should be aware that pulmonary malignant ameloblastoma can first relapse several decades after curative surgery. In addition, pulmonary malignant ameloblastoma without local recurrence may be associated with a good prognosis.

Pulmonary exercise testing predicts prognosis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

OBJECTIVE: In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), patient age and initial value of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) have been considered the most accurate predictors of mortality among the parameters obtained from pulmonary exercise tests. However, few studies have examined the predictive variables of prognosis among exercise parameters in COPD. We therefore attempted to identify the best index for predicting long-term survival in patients with COPD among the cardiopulmonary variables obtained during exercise testing. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with COPD (50 men and 8 women) without hypoxemia at rest or other serious complications performed resting pulmonary function tests followed by a symptom-limited ramp exercise test on a cycle ergometer with breath-by-breath gas analysis and arterial blood gas sampling. RESULTS: After 3,570+/-1,373 days follow-up (mean+/-SD), 21 died because of deaths by respiratory failure. The overall survival rates calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method were 92.9% and 75.8% at 5 years and 10 years, respectively. In univariate Cox hazards analysis, age, FEV1, VC, RV/TLC, VEmax, VO2max, VCO2max, PaO2max, PacO2max, and PaO2 at rest were found to be significant prognostic indices of survival. However, multivariate analysis revealed only FEV1, PaO2max, and age as independent predictors of mortality. In severe COPD patients (FEV1 <50% predicted, n=35), PaO2max and age also correlated with prognosis, whereas FEV1 did not. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary exercise testing is useful in predicting prognosis in patients with COPD.