The Importance of the Timing of Tocilizumab Administration in Moderate to Severely Ill COVID-19: Single Centered Experience Case series.

One of the main causes of death in COVID-19 is the dysregulation of the host's immune system which leads to cytokine storm, a potentially fatal systemic inflammatory syndrome. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is produced in response to infections and tissue injuries and is believed to play a pivotal role in the event of a cytokine storm, as signified by its increase in the process. Considering the role of IL-6 as a pro-inflammatory cytokine in the process of cytokine storm in COVID-19, perceiving IL-6 as a therapeutic target could prove to be promising. Tocilizumab is a monoclonal antibody that competitively inhibits the binding of IL-6 to its receptor (IL-6R). The use of IL-6R blocker is recommended for severe COVID-19 patients in the latest therapeutic guideline published by the World Health Organization (WHO), but the timing of the administration has not been specified. While previous studies about the use of tocilizumab in COVID-19 patients have shown various results, these studies do not emphasize on plasma IL-6 levels when deciding the time of tocilizumab administration. In this case series, we present three patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 infections that receive tocilizumab as an adjunct to the standard of care therapy. This case series introduces the novel idea that the timely use of tocilizumab as signified by plasma IL-6 levels in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients could potentially improve overall clinical condition and increase survival rate.

Tocilizumab as a Treatment for 'Cytokine Storm Syndrome' in COVID-19: A Case Report.

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) which is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been a problem worldwide, particularly due to the high rate of transmission and wide range of clinical manifestations. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiorgan failure are the most common events observed in severe cases and can be fatal. Cytokine storm syndrome emerges as one of the possibilities for the development of ARDS and multiorgan failure in severe cases of COVID-19. This case report describes a case of a 53-year-old male patient who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Further evaluation in this patient showed that there was a marked increase in IL-6 level in blood accompanied with hyperferritinemia, which was in accordance with the characteristic of cytokine storm syndrome. Patient was treated with tocilizumab, a monoclonal antibody and is an antagonist to IL-6 receptor. The binding between tocilizumab and IL-6 receptors effectively inhibit and manage cytokine storm syndrome. Although this case report reported the efficacy of tocilizumab in managing cytokine storm syndrome, tocilizumab has several adverse effects requiring close monitoring. Further clinical randomized control trial is required to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab administration in participants with various clinical characteristics and greater number of subjects.

Five-Year Cancer Epidemiology at the National Referral Hospital: Hospital-Based Cancer Registry Data in Indonesia.

PURPOSE: In 2016, there were 1,308,061 cases of cancer being treated in Indonesia, with 2.2 trillion rupiahs spent, amounting to $486,960,633 in US dollars (purchasing power parity 2016). The high burden of cancers in Indonesia requires a valid data collection to inform future cancer-related policies. The purpose of this study is to report cancer epidemiological data from 2008 to 2012 based on Hospital-Based Cancer Registry (HBCR) data from Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Indonesia. METHODS: This was a descriptive study with cross-sectional design. Data were collected from Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital HBCR 2008-2012. Demographical, diagnostic, stages of cancer, and histopathological types of cancer data were extracted. RESULTS: After screening, 18,216 cases were included. A total of 12,438 patients were older than 39 years of age (68.3%), with a female-to-male ratio of 9:5. Most patients have cancers at advanced stages (stages III and IV, 10.2%). The most common sites of cancer were cervix uteri (2,878 cases, 15.8%), breast (2,459 cases, 13.5%), hematopoietic and reticuloendothelial systems (1,422 cases, 7.8%), nasopharynx (1,338 cases, 7.4%), and lymph nodes (1,104 cases, 6.1%). CONCLUSION: From this HBCR, cancer incidence in female was almost twice the incidence in male, largely because of the burden of cervical and breast cancers. The cervix uteri as one of the top five cancer sites based on this HBCR, 2008-2012, are still approximately consistent with Global Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence 2018, which portrayed that Indonesia has been severely afflicted by cervical cancer cases more than any other Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries. The HBCR could serve as a robust database of epidemiological data for cancer cases in Indonesia.

Pulmonary papillomatosis: a rare case of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis presenting with multiple nodular and cavitary lesions.

Pulmonary papillomatosis is an extremely rare variant of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis which is hard to treat, causes prolonged morbidity, and may transform into malignant disorder in several cases. Since the symptoms and radiologic findings are not specific, pulmonary papillomatosis is often being misdiagnosed. Although considered benign, pulmonary papillomatosis carries the most significant mortality. This is a case report of a 26 year old man who complained recurrent chronic cough, slight hemoptoe, occasional pleuritic pain, and several episodes of fever. He also had laryngeal papillomatosis and undergone serial endoscopic resection since his childhood. Multiple nodular and cavitary lesions, some with air fluid level, were found in both lung fields at chest radiography and scintigraphy. Diagnosis of pulmonary papillomatosis complicated with secondary infection was made after endoscopic and histologic study.

Update on the role of intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy in the management of complicated parapneumonic effusions and empyema.

A parapneumonic effusion is the collection of exudative fluid in the pleural space associated with a concurrent pulmonary infection. Parapneumonic effusions account for approximately one-third of all effusions, and about 40% of patients with pneumonia develop a concomitant effusion. Patients with pneumonia who develop an effusion have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Some of the excess mortality is due to mismanagement of the parapneumonic effusion. Bacterial and white cell metabolism can rapidly turn a simple exudative parapneumonic effusion into a multiloculated purulent empyema with low pH and high lactate dehydrogenase levels. The optimal approach to treating parapneumonic effusions and pleural empyemas remains controversial. Accepted management consists of systemic antibiotics and drainage of the pleural cavity, which is achieved by either medical chest tube drainage or surgery. Several investigators have studied the efficacy and safety of intrapleural fibrinolytics in the treatment of pleural effusion and empyema. Intrapleural instillation of fibrinolytic agents is undertaken to dissolve fibrinous clots and membranes, to prevent fluid sequestration, and hence to improve drainage. Recombinant deoxyribonuclease has been reported to improve drainage in a single patient who did not respond to fibrinolytic therapy.