A Case of Leukemoid Reaction in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma / 대한소화기학회지

Leukemoid reaction is defined as leukocytosis exceeding 50,000 cells/mm3. When it occurs in a patient with a malignancy, secondary causes such as infections, drugs, hematologic diseases and hemorrhage need to be ruled out. After excluding such causes, paraneoplastic leukemoid reaction can be considered as a diagnosis of exclusion. Paraneoplastic leukemoid reactions have been described in association with lung, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and head and neck cancers. However, pancreatic cancer with leukemoid reaction has been rarely reported. We diagnosed a case of a 55-year-old Korean woman with extreme leukocytosis associated with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Prerequisites of Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy is a widely accepted method for the evaluation of the colon and terminal ileum. Its diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic safety are influenced by prerequisites, including modulation of medication and bowel cleansing. Appropriate choices of sedative medication and bowel-cleansing regimen, together with diet modification, should be made based on the patient's underlying disease, age, and medication intake. Moreover, effective methods for patient education regarding bowel preparation should be considered.

Recent Update of Gastrointestinal Endoscope Reprocessing

As infection-related issues have become one of the most important concerns in endoscopy centers, proper reprocessing of endoscopes has attracted great interest. Compliance with established guidelines for reprocessing is critical to prevent pathogen transmission. However, hospital compliance with guidelines has not been satisfactory. To increase compliance, efforts have focused on developing new and more innovative disinfectants and an automated endoscope reprocessor. Reprocessing must be performed by appropriately trained personnel and regular monitoring of reprocessing is essential for quality assurance to improve compliance.