[Double-Hit Follicular Lymphoma with BCL2 and MYC Translocations].

Double-hit lymphomas are rare tumors that are defined by a chromosomal breakpoint affecting the MYC/8q24 locus in combination with another recurrent breakpoint, mainly a t(14; 18)(q32;q21)involving BCL2. We report a case of a 38-yearold woman with a 2-month history of abdominaldistention. 18F-FDG PET showed multiple positive systemic lymph nodes, positive peritoneum, and multiple positive intra-abdominal masses. Histopathology results of the cervical lymph node were compatible with double-hit follicular lymphoma(Grade 3A)because fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH)demonstrated both MYC rearrangement and BCL2 gene fusion. She was initially started on R-CHOP(rituximab and doxorubicin, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and prednisolone), but after one course the regimen was changed to dose-adjusted EPOCH-R(rituximab and doxorubicin, etoposide, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and prednisolone). However, she showed no response to this chemotherapy regimen or haploidentical stem cell transplantation. The treatment strategy included salvage chemothera- py. An autologous and/or allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation is important for non-responders to DA-EPOCH-R.

[A retrospective study of high-dose toremifene treatment for patients with aromatase inhibitor refractory advanced or metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer].

Aromatase inhibitors (AI) have largely replaced tamoxifen as the first-line of treatment for postmenopausal women with advanced or metastatic hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. However, there is no established strategy for treating AI refractory cases. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of high-dose Toremifene therapy (HD-TOR). From January 2001 through April 2010, nineteen patients received 120 mg of TOR daily. The overall response rate was 36.8% (CR; 1, PR; 6), and the clinical benefit was 47.4%. The clinical benefit rate to each of the metastatic organs were: lung, 42.9%; bone, 13%; liver, 25%; and lymph node, 40%. A higher clinical benefit rate was observed in lung or lymph node metastases. The clinical benefit rate of HD-TOR as first to third-line therapy was 50%, which was more effective than that of fourth-line therapy. Our data suggests that HD-TOR may be one of the effective treatment strategies for patients with AI refractory advanced or metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

The selective µ opioid receptor antagonist ß-funaltrexamine attenuates methamphetamine-induced stereotypical biting in mice.

We investigated whether pretreatment with opioid receptor antagonists affected methamphetamine (METH)-induced stereotypy in mice. Pretreatment of male ICR mice with naloxone, a relatively non-selective opioid receptor antagonist, significantly attenuated the total incidence of METH-induced stereotypical behavior compared with saline vehicle-pretreated subjects. Furthermore, the distribution of METH-induced stereotypical behavior was affected by naloxone administration. Thus, METH-induced stereotypical sniffing and persistent locomotion were significantly increased by naloxone treatment while stereotypical biting was reduced. One way to interpret this pattern of effects is that pretreatment with naloxone appeared to produce a shift in the dose-response curve for METH. Thus, while the more intense forms of oral-facial stereotypies were reduced, increased persistent locomotion was observed in mice given naloxone followed by METH. The selective µ opioid receptor antagonist ß-funaltrexamine, but not nor-binaltorphimine (a κ-selective antagonist) nor naltrindole (a δ-selective antagonist), mimicked the effect of naloxone. These observations suggest that opioid receptor antagonists may attenuate METH-induced stereotypical biting in mice via µ opioid receptors, and suggest that antagonism of this system may be a potential therapeutic approach to reducing some deleterious effects of METH use and perhaps in the treatment of some forms of self-injurious behavior.