Vitreous hemorrhage: A rare ophthalmic adverse effect due to imatinib treatment.

INTRODUCTION: Imatinib is generally well tolerated by patients. The most common ophthalmic side effects are eyelid edema and periorbital edema. Other side effects which occur at rates of <1% include blepharitis, blurred vision, conjunctival hemorrhage, conjunctivitis, retinal hemorrhage, etc. An uncommon case is here reported of a 51-year-old male with chronic myeloid leukemia who developed vitreous hemorrhage due to imatinib after 9 months of treatment. CASE REPORT: A 51-year-old male with leukocytosis detected in the blood test examination was referred to the Hematology Department. The bone marrow biopsy result was compatible with chronic myeloid leukemia. Imatinib treatment (400 mg/day) was started. In the ninth month of imatinib treatment, the patient complained of a sudden decrease in vision. Vitreous hemorrhage was detected in the left eye and the patient underwent surgery. Vitreous hemorrhage recurred 1 month after the operation. On the fourth day after the discontinuation of imatinib treatment, the patient's ophthalmic complaints improved significantly. The Naranjo algorithm was applied and a score of 9 was detected. The vitreous hemorrhage of the patient was attributed to imatinib, and so the treatment of the patient was switched to bosutinib. DISCUSSION: Imatinib is an oral signal inhibitor that targets tyrosine kinase for BCR/ABL, platelet-derived growth factor, stem cell factor, and c-kit (CD117). The conjunctiva and sclera have a large amount of c-kit positive mast cells which are inhibited by imatinib. The inhibition of c-kit positive mast cells by imatinib may be responsible for further exposure of the conjunctival mucosa to injuries.

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis due to ruxolitinib treatment: A rare adverse effect.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is characterized by myeloid cell proliferation and prominent bone marrow fibrosis. Ruxolitinib, a selective inhibitor of JAK 1 and 2, significantly reduces constitutional symptoms and spleen size compared with placebo, and has significant clinical benefits in patients with myelofibrosis. The most common haematological side effects are thrombocytopenia and anaemia, and the most common non-haematological side effects are grade 1-2 diarrhoea and pyrexia. Leukocytoclastic vasculitis is small vessel vasculitis, characterized histopathologically by immune complex-mediated vasculitis of the dermal capillaries and venules in the lower extremities, which can be seen as palpable purpura. Although the cause is 50% idiopathic, the aetiology of leukocytoclastic vasculitis can be collected under many headings. CASE SUMMARY: The case is here presented of a patient with PMF who developed leukocytoclastic vasculitis after ruxolitinib treatment. Ruxolitinib was discontinued as the lesions were thought to be drug-related and all skin lesions disappeared approximately 2 months after termination of the drug. When the ruxolitinib treatment was restarted at the same dose (2 × 15 mg), the skin lesions recurred. The drug dose was reduced to 1 × 15 mg, and the rashes disappeared. Currently, the patient has no active complaints and is being followed up with ruxolitinib 1 × 15 mg without any complications. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, leukocytoclastic vasculitis due to ruxolitinib is extremely uncommon. This case report can be considered to contribute to the literature of this rare event.

Thrombocytopenia due to rivaroxaban: A rare adverse effect.

INTRODUCTION: Rivaroxaban is a novel, oral direct acting anticoagulant (DOAC) that is used for both treatment and prevention of thromboembolic diseases. Due to mechanism of action; most common side effect may be seen with hemorrhage. Here in we reported that a patient with chronic atrial fibrillation presented with thrombocytopenia while taking rivaroxaban. CASE REPORT: A 76-year-old female patient with atrial fibrillation was given rivaroxaban, after lack of dose administration of warfarin and gastrointestinal bleeding. In 12th dayweek of treatment, the patient was admitted to emergency department (ED) with oral mucosal bleeding and petechial spots.The patient diagnosed as Drug-induced Thrombocytopenia (DITP)due to rivaroxaban use, after ruled out most possibilities ofITP (immune thrombocytopenic purpura). After rivaroxaban is discontinued, the patient's bleeding complaints regressed,symptoms were completely resolved, and platelet count rapidly increased towards physiological level in days. The patient is currently in the 6th month of follow-up and is has no bleeding. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge there are only two cases about rivaroxaban induced thrombocytopenia (RIT). In addition to the well-known side effects ofrivaroxaban treatment, it should be kept in mind that thrombocytopenia may also develop.Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale calculated as 7 points.(probable cause for the patient's thrombocytopenia).

Q fever as a rare cause of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: Case report.

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a reactive disorder of the mononuclear phagocytic system characterized by increased histiocytic proliferation, activation and hemaphagocytosis. The underlying etiology may be genetic (primary) or acquired (secondary). Secondary causes include drugs, autoimmune diseases, malignancies and infections of which EBV is the most common. A 28-year old male patient who was a shepherd with no known concomitant comorbid disease was admitted to the Emergency Department with the complaints of abdominal pain, fever, severe fatigue. Physical examination revealed high fever, hepatosplenomegaly and laboratory examination revealed pancytopenia, hyperferritinemia and hypertriglyceridemia. Hemophagocytes were observed in the bone marrow biopsy and the patient was diagnosed as HLH. The patient was treated with cyclosporine A, dexamethasone, intravenous immunoglobulin (IvIg) and etoposide according to the HLH 2004 protocol. Coxiella burnetii was detected in the serological evaluation of the etiology and doxycycline was added to the current treatment. Fever was controlled in the second week of the treatment and the patient was discharged after complete recovery of the cytopenia in the fourth week. In the outpatient setting, treatment was completed in 8 weeks and follow-up of the patient is still ongoing without medication. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case from Turkey of HLH secondary to Q-fever which was treated and managed successfully. Since the mortality of HLH is quite high, the etiology should be determined as soon as possible to be able to provide appropriate treatment.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma progression with skin involvement: A case report.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) constitutes the most frequent subtype of all non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. DLBCL is an aggressive disease and extranodal involvement is seen in approximately 30% of patients and most common extranodal sites are gastointestinal tract and skin. Skin involvement may be either primary or secondary. Secondary cutaneous lymphoma has a worse prognosis. The case is here reported of a 56-year old male DLBCL patient with cutaneous lesions and aggressive clinical course. The patient had no skin lesions at diagnosis and during follow up and treatment period, skin, cerebrospinal fluid and bone marrow involvement was occurred. Salvage chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation was planned but the patient died before the second cycle of salvage chemotherapy. In contrast to primary cutaneous lymphoma, which tends to be more indolent, secondary skin involvement is associated with unfavourable prognosis. In conclusion it should be kept in mind that skin can be involved in lymphoma patients and in these cases, skin biopsy should be performed rapidly.

An acute transverse myelitis attack after autologous stem cell transplantation: A rare case.

Transverse myelitis is a quite rare complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The case is here reported of a 49 year old male with diffuse large B cell lymphoma in complete remission who developed transverse myelitis after autologous stem cell transplantation. The patient presented with numbness and sensory loss of the bilateral lower extremities and difficulty in urinating on the 20th day after cell transplantation. Millimetric hyperintensity was detected in the C5-C6 and T2-T5 segments of the spinal cord on cervical and thoracic vertebral magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment was initiated of pulse steroid and intravenous immunoglubulin followed by plasmapheresis and cyclophosphamide due to inadequate response. The patient then started a rehabilitation program and was discharged in the 9th month after stem cell transplantation when most of the symptoms were relieved. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case reported in literature of TM development after autologous stem cell transplantation.

The outcome of COVID-19 in patients with hematological malignancy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the malignancy-related clinical course and overall survival, and to determine the factors affecting mortality. Methods: This retrospective study included 77 patients with hematological cancer and COVID-19. Patients were sub-grouped for analysis as survivors and non-survivors. Results: COVID-19 was seen more frequently in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Mortality rate due to COVID-19 was 20.8%. No statistically significant difference was determined between the survivor and non-survivor groups with respect to age and gender, presence of any comorbidity, leukocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte values. Platelet count and hemoglobin count were significantly lower in the group with mortality than in the group with recovery. Conclusion: It should be kept in mind that low hemoglobin and platelet levels contribute to mortality. In addition, it is important to protect patients with hematological cancer from COVID-19 and undertake effective vaccination due to its mortal course.

Mean platelet volume is a predictive and prognostic marker for patients with acute myeloid leukemia: a two-center retrospective analysis.

There are only a few predictive markers that can truly aid therapy decisions in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The current study aimed to examine the impact of easily available common laboratory parameters on the course and prognosis of patients with AML. Gender, initial bone marrow blast percentage, mean platelet volume (MPV), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, treatment regimen, and complete remission (CR1) were found to have a statistically significant effect on both OS and PFS (p < 0.05). Only MPV, LDH, and initial treatment regimen were found to have a significant effect on CR1 achievement (p < 0.05). According to the current study, besides the induction regimen, only MPV was seen to affect short and long-term outcomes including both CR achievement, OS and PFS. MPV can be considered as a predictive or prognostic marker in patients with AML. Patients with higher MPV at the time of diagnosis should be evaluated carefully.

A Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma Presented as Refractory Acquired Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.

Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) can be observed as a paraneoplastic syndrome (PS) in certain tumors. MAHA-related signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) of an unknown origin is very infrequent. Herein we present a SRCC case presented with refractory acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). A 35-year-old man applied to the emergency service with fatigue and headache. His laboratory tests resulted as white blood cell 9,020/µL, hemoglobin 3.5 g/dL, platelet 18,000/µL. Schistocytes, micro-spherocytes, and thrombocytopenia were observed in his blood smear. MAHA was present and he was considered as having TTP. Plasma exchange treatment was initiated; however, he was refractory to this treatment. Thorax and abdomen computerized tomography revealed thickening of minor curvature in stomach corpus with hepatogastric and paraceliac lymphadenopathy. Bone marrow (BM) investigation by our clinic resulted as the metastasis of adenocarcinoma. Ulceration and necrosis were observed by gastric endoscopy procedure. Biopsy was taken during endoscopic intervention, which resulted as SRCC. MAHA may be seen as a PS in some tumors, especially gastric cancers. Tumor-related MAHA is generally accompanied by BM metastases. As a result, BM investigation may be used as the main diagnostic method to find the underlying cancer. The clinical course of cases with tumor-related MAHA is usually poor, and these cases are usually refractory to plasma exchange treatment. In conclusion, physicians should suspect a malignancy and BM involvement when faced with a case of refractory TTP.