[Possibility of Prolonging Treatment by Preventing Paclitaxel-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Using Compression Therapy].

We evaluated the efficacy of surgical glove(SG)-compression therapy for paclitaxel (PTX)-induced peripheral neuropathy (PN)and the impact of PN prevention on treatment duration. Patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer underwent a combined treatment of PTX and bevacizumab with(n=20; patients wore 2 SGs for 120 min)or without(n=15) compression therapy. SG-compression therapy significantly decreased the incidence of Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events(CTCAE)v4.0 Grade 2 or higher PN by 71.9% and prolonged time-to-treatment-failure(TTF)of PTX from 200 to 240 days. SG-compression therapy was effective for PTX-induced PN and may have prolonged the TTF of PTX.

Non-bacterial Cystitis With Increased Expression of Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 in the Urothelium: An Unusual Immune-Related Adverse Event After Atezolizumab Administration for Metastatic Breast Cancer.

We report a case of non-bacterial cystitis that occurred after administration of atezolizumab, an antibody against programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). This cystitis was considered an immune-related adverse event (irAE). A 67-year-old woman with advanced breast cancer (cT4bN1M1, cStage IV) was treated with atezolizumab and nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab) paclitaxel. She consulted a physician for urethral pain and frequent urination during the fourth cycle of treatment. Cystitis symptoms were not relieved by antibiotic treatment and worsened. The results of her urine culture and cytology were negative for malignancy. Cystoscopy showed diffuse redness of the bladder mucosa. A bladder biopsy revealed no evidence of malignancy. Since the patient's symptoms resolved with steroid therapy, urethral pain and frequent urination associated with atezolizumab were considered to be irAE by the diagnosis of exclusion. After immunostaining of the bladder biopsy sections, high PD-L1 expression was detected in the urothelium, which could explain the cause of irAE.

Aortitis and aortic dissection after administration of pegfilgrastim during adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer.

A 70 year-old woman on adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer developed acute aortitis after receiving pegfilgrastim. 12 days after pegfilgrastim administration, she presented to our hospital with fever and shoulder pain. White blood cell count and C-reactive protein were elevated. As the computed tomography scan revealed thickening of the walls of the aortic arch and surrounding arteries, we suspected granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-related aortitis. Although steroid treatment administered once improved the general condition, her symptoms and C-reactive protein worsened again. On increasing the steroid dose, her general condition recovered rapidly. On day 85, Stanford type A aortic dissection was incidentally detected by a follow-up computed tomography scan. Physicians should recognize these adverse events of filgrastim.

Potential effectiveness of combining bevacizumab with paclitaxel for treating HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Although various first- to third-line HER2-targeted therapies have been established, the optimal sequence after third-line therapy has not been determined yet. Here, we describe seven patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who underwent bevacizumab (BV) and paclitaxel (PTX) combination therapy after several HER2-targeted therapies. Re-biopsy of metastatic sites was performed on four patients during the treatment prior to BV + PTX; three patients presented the same HER2-positive status as that of the primary tumor and two of whom achieved partial response. Four of seven patients achieved partial response and a 10-month median progression-free survival. Therefore, bevacizumab combined with paclitaxel is potentially effective in the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, if standard HER2-targeted therapy fails.