Incidental right atrial mass in a patient with secondary pancreatic cancer: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: The incidental detection of a right atrial mass during routine cardioncological workup is a rare condition. The correct differential diagnosis between cancer and thrombi is challenging. A biopsy may not be feasible while diagnostic techniques and tools may not be available. CASE SUMMARY: We report the case of a 59-year-old female patient with a history of breast cancer and current secondary metastatic pancreatic cancer. She developed deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and was admitted to the Outpatient Clinic of our Cardio-Oncology Unit for follow-up. Transthoracic echocardiogram incidentally found a right atrial mass. Clinical management was difficult due to the abrupt worsening of the patient's clinical condition and the progressive severe thrombocytopenia. We suspected a thrombus, according to its echocardiographic appearance, the patient's cancer history and recent venous thromboembolism. The patient was unable to adhere to low molecular weight heparin treatment. Due to worsening prognosis, palliative care was recommended. We also highlighted the distinguishing features between thrombi and tumors. We proposed a diagnostic flowchart to aid diagnostic decision making in the case of an incidental atrial mass. CONCLUSION: This case report highlights the importance of cardioncological surveillance during anticancer treatments to detect cardiac masses.

Abelacimab in Cancer-Associated Thrombosis: The Right Drug at the Right Time for the Right Purpose. A Comprehensive Review.

Cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) is a devastating complication of cancer that can significantly impact a patient's health and life. The incidence of CAT is approximately 20%, and 1 in 5 cancer patients will develop CAT annually. Indeed, CAT can promote pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, leading to increased morbidity and mortality that dramatically impact survival. CAT can also provoke delay or discontinuation of anticancer treatment, which may result in a lack of treatment efficacy and high costs for patients, institutions, and society. Current guidelines advocate direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) as the first-line anticoagulant option in CAT. Compared to low-molecular-weight-heparins (LMWHs), DOACs are advantageous in that they typically have an oral route of administration, do not require laboratory monitoring, and have a more predictable anticoagulant effect. However, in patients with thrombocytopenia, renal failure, or those receiving anticancer regimens with potential for drug-drug interactions, LMWH is still the mainstay of care. The main limitation of current anticoagulant agents is related to bleeding risk (BR), both for DOACs and LMWHs. Specifically, DOACs have been associated with high BR in gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers. In this challenging scenario, abelacimab, an anti-factor XI agent, could represent a viable option in the management of CAT due to its "hemostasis sparing" effect. The safe profile of abelacimab could be useful in patients with active malignancy and CAT, as long-term anticoagulant therapy is often required. Two ongoing international phase III trials (Aster and Magnolia) compare abelacimab with the standard of care (i.e., apixaban in patients with CAT and dalteparin in those with CAT and high BR, respectively). Abelacimab is a new and attractive anticoagulant for the management of CAT, especially in the insidious and critical scenario of active cancer patients with venous thromboembolism and high BR. The aim of this narrative review is to discuss the updated evidence on the performance of DOACs and LMWHs in the treatment of CAT and to focus on the potential role of abelacimab in CAT and its promising associated clinical trials.

Edoxaban: front-line treatment for brachiocephalic vein thrombosis in primitive mediastinal seminoma: A case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: Venous thromboembolism is a feared frequent complication of cancer with a 2-way relationship. Low molecular weight heparin is the mainstay of treatment. The use of direct oral anticoagulants is supported by established evidence for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis also in active cancer and they are prioritized over low molecular weight heparin for cancer-associated thrombosis according to current guidelines. However, upper limb deep vein thrombosis is poorly studied with scant data on the use of direct oral anticoagulants in noncatheter-related deep vein thrombosis. We report the case of a patient with noncatheter-related deep vein thrombosis and a rare tumor site effectively and safely treated with a direct oral anticoagulant, edoxaban, after lack of efficacy with low molecular weight heparin. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 35-year-old man with primitive mediastinal seminoma presented at our Cardio-Oncology Unit for prechemotherapy assessment. DIAGNOSIS: Persistent brachiocephalic deep vein thrombosis, despite full-dose enoxaparin, was detected at ultrasonography. INTERVENTION: We decided to switch the anticoagulant treatment from enoxaparin to edoxaban. OUTCOME: The 3-month ultrasonography showed almost total regression of the deep vein thrombosis without any adverse effects and a good patient compliance. LESSONS: We conducted a literature review on upper limb deep vein thrombosis, since its management is challenging due to inconsistency of evidence. This report highlights the benefits of direct oral anticoagulants compared to low molecular weight heparins in cancer-associated thrombosis therapy in terms of efficacy, safety and ease of use.

Cancer-Associated Thrombosis: Not All Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins Are the Same, Focus on Tinzaparin, A Narrative Review.

Cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) is the second main cause of cancer death with high related mortality and morbidity, leading to anticancer agent delays and interruptions. The recommended therapy, low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), however, is burdensome for patients and costly for society, as treatment should last until cancer is no longer active, even indefinitely. Tinzaparin is a manageable, efficient, safe, and cost-effective option. Compared to the other LMWHs, advantages are single-daily dose and safety in the elderly and those with renal impairment (RI). The purpose of this review is to critically discuss recent data on its efficacy and safety in CAT.

[A strange case of wide QRS tachycardia during paclitaxel chemotherapy]. / Uno strano caso di tachicardia a QRS largo in corso di chemioterapia con paclitaxel.

We report the case of a 50-year-old female patient with breast cancer who, during preoperative workup, presented repeated wide QRS complex tachycardias, recorded by Holter ECG. She was immediately referred to a hub center for electrophysiological study where she was diagnosed with right ventricular outflow tract ventricular tachycardia and underwent catheter ablation. The chemotherapy with paclitaxel that the patient was receiving combined with psychological stress may have triggered the arrhythmias.

Echocardiography Monitoring during Anthracycline Administration in Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: The Tei Index Evaluation.

Anthracyclines are widely employed in lymphoma's chemotherapy and has been shown to induce heart failure. Echocardiographic parameters of left ventricular (LV) systolic function are usually used to monitor the cardiac side effects during and after anthracyclines treatment. The measurement of theTei index could anticipate the onset of LV dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the delta Tei index for the early detection of cardiac toxicity in a prospective population of anthracycline-treated lymphoma patients. Our preliminary data suggest that the Tei index may predict the risk for cardiotoxicity in this subset of patients earlier than LV ejection fraction alteration.

Lean Perspectives in an Organizational Change in a Scientific Direction of an Italian Research Institute: Experience of the Cancer Institute of Bari.

Lean management is a relatively new organizational vision transferred from the automotive industry to the healthcare and administrative sector based on analyzing a production process to emphasize value and reduce waste. This approach is particularly interesting in a historical moment of cuts and scarcity of economic resources and could represent a low-cost organizational solution in many production companies. In this work, we analyzed the presentation and the initial management of current ministerial research projects up to the approval by the Scientific Directorate of an Italian research institute. Furthermore, the initial mode in 2021 ("as is") and the potential mode ("to be") according to a Lean model are studied, according to the current barriers highlighted by the final users of the process and carrying out some perspective analyses with some reference indicators.

Efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in an elderly patient with metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma and cardiological comorbidity: a case report.

Lenvatinib significantly prolonged progression-free survival versus placebo in patients with radio-iodine refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma. However, the primary adverse effects of any grade that occurred in >40% of patients in the lenvatinib group of the Phase III SELECT trial was hypertension (67.8%). Therefore, this drug should be used with caution in patients with cardiological morbidity. Here, we describe the case of a 73-year-old man with hypertension, obesity and chronic atrial fibrillation, who received lenvatinib for 6 months in the absence of cardiological symptoms.

Administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and ß-blockers during adjuvant trastuzumab chemotherapy for nonmetastatic breast cancer: marker of risk or cardioprotection in the real world?

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant trastuzumab therapy improves the outcome of patients with early breast cancer (EBC) and overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). However, it is potentially cardiotoxic. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/receptor blockers (ACEi/ARBs) and/or ß-blockers and development of heart failure (HF) and/or left ventricular dysfunction during 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab therapy. METHODS: A total of 499 women receiving adjuvant trastuzumab therapy for EBC entered in a multicenter registry and were divided into four subgroups according to treatment with ACEi/ARBs and/or ß-blockers. Occurrence of HF and decrease of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; minimum 10 percentage points) were recorded. RESULTS: HF occurred in 2% of patients who did not take either ACEi/ARBs or ß-blockers, 8% of patients receiving ACEi/ARBs alone, 8% receiving ß-blockers alone (p = .03), and 19% receiving both medications (p < .01). The prevalence of patients with LVEF that decreased by at least 10 percentage points was similar in all groups. Combined ACEi/ARBs and ß-blocker therapy was independently associated with hypertension and a significant reduction of LVEF from baseline to 3-month evaluation. The use of ACEi/ARBs alone or ß-blockers alone was predicted only by hypertension. Combined therapy of ACEi/ARBs plus ß-blockers predicted LVEF recovery from the 3-month to 12-month evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: In clinical practice, the degree of hypertension and decrease in LVEF during the first 3 months of adjuvant trastuzumab therapy for EBC are associated with the use of ACEi/ARBs and ß-blockers. The combined use of these two medications is associated with a recovery of LVEF during months 3-12 of adjuvant trastuzumab therapy.