Impact of a Cancer History on Cardiovascular Events Among Patients With Myocardial Infarction Who Received Revascularization.

BACKGROUND: It remains controversial whether a cancer history increases the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events among patients with myocardial infarction (MI) who undergo revascularization.Methods and Results: Patients who were confirmed as type 1 acute MI (AMI) by coronary angiography were retrospectively analyzed. Patients who died in hospital or those not undergoing revascularization were excluded. Patients with a cancer history were compared with those without it. A cancer history was examined in the in-hospital cancer registry. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiac death, recurrent type 1 MI, post-discharge coronary revascularization, heart failure hospitalization, and stroke. Among 551 AMI patients, 55 had a cancer history (cancer group) and 496 did not (non-cancer group). Cox proportional hazards model revealed that the risk of composite endpoint was significantly higher in the cancer group than in the non-cancer group (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.78; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13-2.82). Among the cancer group, patients who were diagnosed as AMI within 6 months after the cancer diagnosis had a higher risk of the composite endpoint than those who were diagnosed as AMI 6 months or later after the cancer diagnosis (adjusted HR: 5.43; 95% CI: 1.55-19.07). CONCLUSIONS: A cancer history increased the risk of CV events after discharge among AMI patients after revascularization.

Clinical factors associated with acute abdominal symptoms induced by gastric anisakiasis: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Gastric anisakiasis typically causes severe abdominal symptoms; however, we incidentally detected asymptomatic gastric anisakiasis cases during esophagogastroduodenoscopy. The factors associated with developing acute abdominal symptoms induced by gastric anisakiasis remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the clinical factors associated with abdominal symptoms of gastric anisakiasis by comparing symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study involving 264 patients diagnosed with gastric anisakiasis at nine hospitals in Japan between October 2015 and October 2021. We analyzed patients' medical records and endoscopic images and compared the clinical factors between the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-five patients (77.8%) were diagnosed with abdominal symptoms, whereas 47 (22.2%) were asymptomatic. Older age, male sex, diabetes mellitus, gastric mucosal atrophy, and gastric mucosal atrophy of the Anisakis penetrating area were significantly more common in the asymptomatic group than in the symptomatic group. Multivariate analysis revealed that age (p = 0.007), sex (p = 0.017), and presence or absence of mucosal atrophy (p = 0.033) were independent factors for the occurrence of acute abdominal symptoms. In addition, cases that were Helicobacter pylori naïve, with an elevation of white blood cells, or without an elevation of eosinophils were more common in the symptomatic group than in the asymptomatic group. CONCLUSIONS: Age, sex, and presence or absence of gastric mucosal atrophy were the clinical factors associated with the occurrence of acute abdominal symptoms. Older and male patients and those with gastric mucosal atrophy were less likely to show abdominal symptoms. The mechanisms of the occurrence of symptoms induced by gastric anisakiasis remain unclear; however, our results will help clarify this issue in the future.

Self-study of the non-extension sign in an e-learning program improves diagnostic accuracy of invasion depth of early gastric cancer.

Background and study aims We developed an e-learning program for endoscopic diagnosis of invasion depth of early gastric cancer (EGC) using a simple diagnostic criterion called non-extension sign, and the contribution of self-study quizzes to improvement of diagnostic accuracy was evaluated. Methods We conducted a prospective randomized controlled study that recruited endoscopists throughout Japan. After completing a pretest, the participants watched video lectures and undertook post-test 1. The participants were then randomly allocated to either the self-study or non-self-study group, and participants in the first group completed the self-study program that comprised 100-case quizzes. Finally, participants in both groups undertook post-test 2. The primary endpoint was the difference in post-test 2 scores between the groups. The perfect score for the tests was set as 100 points. Results A total of 423 endoscopists completed the pretest and were enrolled. Post-test 1 was completed by 415 endoscopists and 208 were allocated to the self-study group and 207 to the non-self-study group. Two hundred and four in the self-study group and 205 in the non-self-study group were included in the analysis. Video lectures improved the mean score of post-test 1 from 72 to 77 points. Participants who completed the self-study quizzes showed significantly better post-test 2 scores compared with the non-self-study group (80 vs. 76 points, respectively, P  < 0.0001). Conclusions Our e-learning program showed that self-study quizzes consolidated knowledge of the non-extension sign and improved diagnostic ability of endoscopists for invasion depth of EGC.

A phase II study of modified docetaxel, cisplatin, and S-1 (mDCS) chemotherapy for unresectable advanced gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: Triplet therapy using docetaxel, cisplatin, and S-1 (DCS) against unresectable gastric cancer as previously reported by us showed high clinical efficacy, with a 87.1% total response rate; however, it also showed a high incidence of grade 3/4 toxicity. With the aim of reducing toxicities, we conducted a phase II study of modified DCS (mDCS), using a reduced dose of docetaxel, and evaluated the clinical efficacy and adverse events of this regimen. METHODS: Patients with unresectable gastric cancer received chemotherapy with S-1 (40 mg/m2 b.i.d) on days 1-14, and docetaxel (50 mg/m2) plus cisplatin (60 mg/m2) on day 8 every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was the response rate (RR). Overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), and toxicities were also evaluated. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were enrolled from November 2011 to April 2014, and 43 were eligible. The overall RR was 79.1%, including two cases of a complete response (4.7%), and 32 cases of a partial response (74.4%). Nine cases had stable disease (20.9%) but none showed progressive disease. Of the 43 cases, 15 cases (34.9%) underwent curative conversion surgery. The median PFS was 350 days (95% CI 240-416 days) and median OS was 722 days (95% CI 411 days-not reached). Grade 3/4 neutropenia developed in 79.1%, and febrile neutropenia in 34.9%, of patients. Non-hematological grade 3/4 adverse events were anorexia (25.6%), nausea (4.7%), and diarrhea (9.3%). CONCLUSION: Modified DCS therapy showed high clinical efficacy sufficient enough to attempt conversion therapy against unresectable gastric cancer. Modified DCS showed fewer toxicities, but careful management of these is still essential.

Pneumatosis intestinalis during chemotherapy with nilotinib in a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia who tested positive for anti-topoisomerase I antibodies.

A 55-year-old man with several comorbidities including idiopathic interstitial pneumonia under long-term corticosteroid therapy, longstanding myocardial infarction, chronic heart failure, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, constipation, and history of paralytic ileus, was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase. He also tested positive for anti-topoisomerase I antibodies without clinical diagnosis of any connective tissue disease, including systemic sclerosis. Approximately 5 months after the initiation of nilotinib for CML, he developed upper abdominal distension with intermitting abdominal pain, and based on abdominal computed tomography findings, a diagnosis of pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) was made. Five courses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy quickly eliminated the PI and related symptoms without the cessation of nilotinib and, thereafter, additional oral prokinetic agents and non-absorbable antibiotics ensured the non-recurrence of PI. At 6 and 18 months after commencing nilotinib therapy, major and complete molecular response were achieved, respectively. It is suspected that both gastrointestinal hypokinesis related to the presence of anti-topoisomerase I antibodies and mucosal permeability due to corticosteroid therapy had existed. Thus, subsequent administration of nilotinib may have triggered PI by depressing gastrointestinal motility via the inhibition of c-kit.

Thrombocytopenia and Anemia with Anti-c-Mpl antibodies Effectively Treated with Cyclosporine in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Chronic Renal Failure.

A 61-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis who was undergoing hemodialysis for end-stage renal failure was transferred to our hospital due to severe thrombocytopenia and anemia. A bone marrow biopsy showed the complete absence of megakaryocytes and erythroblasts. Cyclosporine treatment resulted in the improvement of her megakaryocyte and erythroblast levels, and a decrease in her serum level of anti-c-Mpl (thrombopoietin receptor) antibodies. After this initial improvement, her anemia progressively worsened, despite the continuous administration of immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine. Her platelet and leukocyte counts remained stable. This is the first report of a probable case of anti-c-Mpl antibody-associated pure red cell aplasia and acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenic purpura.

[Successful treatment with dose-adjusted EPOCH-R for triple-hit lymphoma having BCL2, BCL6 and MYC translocations].

Double- and triple-hit lymphomas (DHL/THL), high-grade B-cell lymphomas with an extremely poor prognosis, are defined by a chromosomal breakpoint affecting the MYC/8q24 locus in combination with another recurrent breakpoint. The successful use of dose-adjusted (DA) EPOCH-R in patients with MYC-positive lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma (BL) was recently reported. A 74-year-old man with acute renal dysfunction and hyperkalemia was transferred to our emergency center by ambulance. PET-CT revealed a left renal hilar mass enveloping the abdominal para-aortic domain and bladder and hydronephrosis. High (18)F-FDG uptake revealed lymph node, peritoneum, and multiple bone metastases. Analysis of the bone marrow aspirate revealed abnormal lymphoid cells with deeply basophilic cytoplasm and numerous vacuoles resembling Burkitt cells. Chromosomal analysis revealed a complex chromosomal karyotype, including t(14;18)(q32;q21), and FISH analysis confirmed split BCL2, BCL6, and MYC signals. Bone marrow biopsy revealed diffusely infiltrating large abnormal lymphoid cells with a CD10⁺, CD20⁺, BCL2⁺, BCL6⁺, c-MYC⁺ and MUM1(-) immunophenotype. B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and BL, was diagnosed. The patient achieved a partial response after eight courses of DA-EPOCH-R chemotherapy. Our experience suggests that DA-EPOCH-R may be an effective treatment for DHL/THL.

Identification of anti-thrombopoietin receptor antibody in prolonged thrombocytopenia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation treated successfully with eltrombopag.

A 55-year-old female with stage IVA follicular lymphoma in third complete remission underwent allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Neutrophil engraftment was achieved on day +18; however, platelet counts remained below 10 × 10(3)/µL, necessitating transfusions twice a week for more than 3 months. Bone marrow showed a decreased number of megakaryocytes with hypolobulated nuclei. No graft versus host disease, viral infection, or disease relapse was observed. Furthermore, severe thrombocytopenia below 5.0 × 10(3)/µL refractory to transfusion appeared on day +240 after influenza virus infection. Treatments with intravenous immunoglobulin, romiplostim, and rituximab were administered without any recovery. Subsequently, eltrombopag was initiated on day +443, after which platelet counts rose gradually and continued to rise above 20 × 10(3)/µL after 10 weeks of administration. The serum thrombopoietin (TPO) level was markedly elevated, and anti-TPO receptor (TPOR) antibody was detected in the patient's serum. Anti-TPOR antibody may play an important role in some cases of prolonged thrombocytopenia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with unknown etiology, and eltrombopag could be a novel therapeutic option for such cases.

Open-label, randomized, comparative, phase III study on effects of reducing steroid use in combination with Palonosetron.

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of a single administration of dexamethasone (DEX) on day 1 against DEX administration on days 1-3 in combination with palonosetron (PALO), a second-generation 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in non-anthracycline and cyclophosphamide (AC) moderately-emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC). This phase III trial was conducted with a multi-center, randomized, open-label, non-inferiority design. Patients who received non-AC MEC as an initial chemotherapy were randomly assigned to either a group administered PALO (0.75 mg, i.v.) and DEX (9.9 mg, i.v.) prior to chemotherapy (study treatment group), or a group administered additional DEX (8 mg, i.v. or p.o.) on days 2-3 (control group). The primary endpoint was complete response (CR) rate. The CR rate difference was estimated by logistic regression with allocation factors as covariates. The non-inferiority margin was set at -15% (study treatment group - control group). From April 2011 to March 2013, 305 patients who received non-AC MEC were randomly allocated to one of two study groups. Overall, the CR rate was 66.2% in the study treatment group (N = 151) and 63.6% in the control group (N = 154). PALO plus DEX day 1 was non-inferior to PALO plus DEX days 1-3 (difference, 2.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -7.8%-12.8%; P-value for non-inferiority test = 0.0004). There were no differences between the two groups in terms of complete control rate (64.9 vs 61.7%) and total control rate (49.7% vs 47.4%). Anti-emetic DEX administration on days 2-3 may be eliminated when used in combination with PALO in patients receiving non-AC MEC.

[Langerhans cell sarcoma developing acute myeloid leukemia after achieving complete response by THP-COP].

An 86-year-old man presented with enlarged left submandibular, left inguinal, and superficial femoral lymph nodes. He was diagnosed with Langerhans cell sarcoma (LCS) on the basis of the histopathological findings of the left inguinal lymph node biopsy. In addition, laboratory examinations revealed normocytic normochromic anemia, and bone marrow aspiration and biopsy led to a diagnosis of idiopathic cytopenia of undetermined significance (ICUS). Because of the patient's age, he was administered a regimen of cyclophosphamide, pirarubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (THP-COP), and achieved a partial response after six courses. However, he developed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) 11 months after completion of the THP-COP therapy, and received only supportive care until his death. LCS is an extremely rare and aggressive dendritic cell neoplasm. To the best of our knowledge, only 67 cases have been reported in the literature. There are case reports describing the concurrence of hematological malignancies. Herein, we report the first documented development of LCS in a patient with ICUS who progressed to AML, and summarize the published data on the epidemiology of and therapeutic options for LCS.

Anti-erythropoietin receptor antibody-associated pure red cell aplasia accompanied by Coombs-negative autoimmune hemolytic anemia in a patient with T cell/histiocyte-rich large B cell lymphoma.

A 79-year-old female diagnosed with T cell/histiocyte-rich large B cell lymphoma in complete remission after six cycles of rituximab-combined chemotherapy developed severe anemia, reticulocytopenia, and bone marrow erythroid hypoplasia. She was diagnosed with pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) accompanied by Coombs-negative autoimmune hemolytic anemia evidenced by a lack of glycophorin-A-positive cells in the bone marrow, haptoglobin under the detection level, and a high titer of RBC-bound IgG. Anti-erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) antibody was detected in the serum, and oligoclonal α/ß and γ/δ T cells were also detected in her peripheral blood by Southern blotting analysis. Parvovirus B19 DNA was not detected by PCR. Although the treatment with rituximab had limited efficacy (specifically, only for hemolysis), subsequent cyclosporine therapy led to prompt recovery of erythropoiesis with the disappearance of anti-EPOR antibody and oligoclonal T cells. This is the first case report of anti-EPOR antibody-associated PRCA in a patient with malignant lymphoma treated successfully with cyclosporine.

[Primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the uterine cervix successfully treated with rituximabplus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone chemotherapy-a case report].

Primary malignant lymphoma of the uterine cervix is a rare disease, and the therapeutic strategy has not been clearly established. A 45-year old woman presented with vaginal bleeding and hypermenorrhea in January 2012. Physical examination revealed a mass in the pelvic cavity approximately the size of a neonate's head. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) showed a solid mass 11 cm in size in the uterine cervix with homogeneous low intensity on T1-weighted images, iso-high intensity on T2-weighted images, and heterogeneous iso-high intensity on gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetate(Gd- DTPA)-enhanced images. Multiple lymphadenopathy were also detected in the pelvis. The Papanicolaou smear indicated class 5 cervical cytology, and a subsequent histological examination by a punch biopsy of the cervix showed diffuse infiltration of medium- to large-sized mononuclear cells that stained positive for CD20 and CD79a and negative for CD3, CD5, and EBER. Bone marrow biopsy revealed no abnormality. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography(PET-CT)showed strong fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG)accumulation in the uterine cervix mass, and in the pelvic and right inguinal lymphadenopathy. The patient was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the uterine cervix, Ann Arbor stage II AE. She was successfully treated with 8 courses of rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone(R-CHOP) chemotherapy, and maintains a complete remission.

[Successful rituximab treatment for acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenic purpura complicated with Coombs-negative autoimmune hemolytic anemia].

Acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenic purpura (AATP) is a rare disorder characterized by severe thrombocytopenia associated with total absence or a selective decrease in bone marrow megakaryocytes. A 67-year-old male presented with a 2-month bleeding tendency. He was referred to our hospital because of severe thrombocytopenia. Bone marrow biopsy showed complete absence of megakaryocytes without dysplasia in cells of the myeloid and erythroid lineages. AATP was diagnosed. In addition, mild normocytic normochromic anemia and reticulocytosis were also observed and haptoglobin was below the detectable level. Coombs-negative autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) was diagnosed based on the high titer of RBC-bound IgG and negative direct and indirect coombs test results. He was first treated with cyclosporine 200 mg per day and subsequently with prednisolone but only slight temporary improvement was achieved. Administration of eight doses of rituximab 375 mg/m(2) per week ameliorated both thrombocytopenia and anemia. AATP should be considered in the differential diagnosis of thrombocytopenia, and immunosuppressive therapy is a potential first-line treatment. This is the first case report of AATP accompanied by AIHA successfully treated with rituximab.

[Loss of CD23 expression after bortezomib plus dexamethasone therapy in CCND1/IGH-positive multiple myeloma].

A 69-year-old male was referred to our hospital because of anemia, renal insufficiency, and a positive urine test for Bence-Jones protein. A bone marrow examination showed 73.7% of myeloma cells with lymphoplasmacytic morphology, the strong expressions of CD20 and CD23 by flow cytometry, and the chromosomal aberration of CCND1/IGH by FISH analysis. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, IgG-λ type. The initial treatment with bortezomib plus dexamethasone (BD) provided a rapid decrease in the level of IgG; however, he developed bortezomib-induced recurrent paralytic ileus accompanied by aspiration pneumonia during the second course. Interestingly, CD23 expression on myeloma cells decreased from 87.7% to 2.2% after 2 courses of BD. Negative CD23 expression was maintained following lenalidomide plus dexamethasone therapy. There are extremely few reports on CD23 expression on myeloma cells, and this is the first case report of multiple myeloma in which CD23 expression was lost after BD therapy.

[A case of anal variceal bleeding successfully treated with endoscopic injection sclerotherapy].

We report a case of anal variceal bleeding successfully treated with endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS). A 64-year-old man with alcoholic liver cirrhosis was hospitalized because of repeated anal bleeding. Colonoscopy revealed external anal varices connecting with rectal varices. Three days after admission, external anal variceal bleeding was observed. Angiography revealed that the anorectal varices formed by hepatofugal inferior mesenteric vein drained into the internal iliac vein. On angiography, the variceal blood flow rate was extremely low, therefore we performed EIS. Seven days after therapy, thrombosis of anorectal varices was observed.