The Antemortem Diagnosis of Primary Malignant Pericardial Mesothelioma: A Multidisciplinary Evaluation.

A 64-year-old woman complaining of progressive dyspnea was admitted with recurrence of massive pericardial effusion. The patient had been diagnosed with radiation pericarditis based on a previous case of pericardiocentesis. To make a diagnosis and improve her symptoms, imaging examinations and pericardial fenestration were performed. Because of difficulty making a diagnosis, after some months, pericardiotomy and incision of the epicardium were performed. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma of the epithelioid type. Primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma is a rare tumor that is difficult to diagnose. An antemortem diagnosis can be made by a multidisciplinary evaluation.

The Safety and Efficacy of Treatment with Nab-paclitaxel and Carboplatin for Patients with Advanced Squamous Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Concurrent with Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias.

Objective Although lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) accounts for 20-30% of lung cancer cases, new treatment options are limited. The CA031 study showed that nanoparticle albumin-bound-paclitaxel (nab-PTX) plus carboplatin produced a significantly higher overall response rate (41%) than solvent-based paclitaxel plus carboplatin in patients with lung SCC. However, the safety and efficacy of combination chemotherapy of nab-PTX and carboplatin has not yet been established for patients with concurrent lung SCC and idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs). The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy profiles of nab-PTX and carboplatin in patients with lung SCC and concurrent IIPs. Methods Eight patients with inoperable-stage lung SCC and IIPs were treated with nab-PTX plus carboplatin in a first-line setting between June 2013 and December 2016. One of the eight was a woman, and the median age was 77 (range=72-80) years. Their clinical outcomes, including chemotherapy-associated acute exacerbation of IIPs, were retrospectively investigated. Results The overall response rate was 50%, the median progression-free survival time was 5.6 months, and the median overall survival time was 8.1 months. No patients experienced chemotherapy-related exacerbation of IIPs in the first-line treatment with nab-PTX plus carboplatin. However, IIPs worsened in two of four patients who received second-line chemotherapy. Conclusion Combination chemotherapy of nab-PTX and carboplatin may be an effective and safe treatment option for patients with inoperable lung SCC with IIPs. To confirm this, a large-scale prospective study is needed.

Metastatic Recurrence of Typical Pulmonary Carcinoid Accompanied by Carcinoid Syndrome, Successfully Treated with Octreotide LAR.

We present a case of metastatic recurrence of carcinoid tumor accompanied by carcinoid syndrome in a 68-year-old Japanese man, 12 years after resection of typical pulmonary carcinoid. Histopathologic examination from percutaneous liver biopsy revealed metastatic typical carcinoid. Clinical symptoms gradually improved after administration of octreotide LAR. Two years after starting treatment, the disease remains well controlled. This case report illustrates the possibility of antiproliferative effects of octreotide LAR on typical pulmonary carcinoid.