Atovaquone-Proguanil: A Promising Therapy for Persistent Relapsing Babesiosis.

We report a challenging case of persistent relapsing babesiosis in an immunocompromised host that was successfully managed with atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone). Malignant B-cell transformation and immunosuppressants, such as rituximab, deplete normal B-cells which normally produce antibodies to combat Babesia infection. Treatment can be prolonged and challenging in immunocompromised hosts. Atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) is a novel therapy that can be used as part of a salvage regimen in case antimicrobial resistance or failure exists. Weighing the risks and benefits of continuing cancer therapy treatment or reducing the level of immunosuppression may aid in treatment. These are just as important as the choice of antimicrobial therapy for effective treatment and eradication of Babesia infection, especially in immunocompromised hosts.

A Case of Pulmonary Tumor Thrombotic Microangiopathy: A Rare and Fatal Phenomenon.

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a pulmonary hypertensive arteriopathy thought to be caused by activation of the coagulation cascade at the surface of circulating tumor microemboli along with intimal proliferation in small pulmonary arteries in patients with metastatic carcinomas. The subsequent stenosis of the pulmonary vasculature leads to pulmonary hypertension (PH) and, cor pulmonale with eventual respiratory compromise leading to respiratory failure. PTTM is always a nearly fatal disease with most cases diagnosed postmortem. Most cases reported on this condition are from Japan where the incidence of gastric malignancy is relatively higher than other parts of the world. We report a case of a Caucasian man with a classic presentation of PTTM to help make physicians aware of this rare, rapidly progressive and usually fatal phenomenon.

A Unique Case of Community Acquired Proteus mirabilis Meningitis.

Proteus mirabilis, a gram-negative bacterium commonly known for causing urinary tract infections (UTI) can rarely present with central nervous system (CNS) infections. Proteus mirabilis CNS infections are usually encountered in the neonatal and infantile period and occasionally cause brain abscesses. It is an uncommon cause of adult CNS infection. We report the first case of a community-acquired Proteus mirabilis meningitis (PMM) in a patient with Proteus mirabilis UTI, urolithiasis, and bacteremia. Risk factors for gram-negative bacillary meningitis (GNBM) include extremes of age, cancer history, diabetes mellitus, UTI, and nosocomial exposure, with the latter being a more prominent cause of PMM. Compromise of the anatomical defense against CNS infections whether accidental or neurosurgical is another important cause, and approximately two-thirds of reported cases of PMM have occurred after neurosurgical procedures. PMM patients develop fever, altered consciousness, and have an acute clinical course. Antimicrobials that can be used for treatment include third-generation cephalosporins, ciprofloxacin, imipenem/ cilastatin, aztreonam, and intraventricular aminoglycosides. Despite appropriate antibiotic therapy outcomes are poor with severe neurological deficit and death commonly resulting. Nosocomial infections can be drug-resistant and multiple antibiotics should be started while awaiting culture results. Literature review reveals that treatment with intraventricular aminoglycosides when attempted has shown bacteriological cure indicating this can be an important treatment approach. Due to the acute clinical course and high morbidity and mortality, we recommend starting multiple antibiotics with different mechanisms of action as soon as the disease is suspected. Our patient was initially started on ceftriaxone, vancomycin, acyclovir, and ampicillin for UTI and meningoencephalitis. The antibiotics were later consolidated to cefepime based on blood, urine and, cerebrospinal fluid cultures growing pan-sensitive Proteus mirabilis. Her clinical condition continued to worsen and ciprofloxacin was added. However, due to the progressive decline in her condition, the family elected for inpatient hospice care and intraventricular aminoglycosides were not attempted.

Bilateral Breast Radiation Associated Angiosarcoma After Radiotherapy for Bilateral Invasive Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Angiosarcoma is a rare, highly malignant endothelial cell carcinoma. Radiotherapy on breast cancer increases the risk of developing an angiosarcoma. We report an extremely rare case of bilateral breast radiation-associated angiosarcoma (RAA). Patient had a strong breast cancer family history, and genetic testing identified KRAS, PIK3CA, RPTOR, and VHL mutation, along with MYC amplification. The overall prognosis of RAA is poor as RAA is characterized by early metastasis, frequent local recurrence, and short overall survival time. The patient eventually passed away because of breast cancer metastasis to the lung and liver.

Metastatic Cavitary Adenocarcinoma of the Lung in a Patient with Recent Aggressive Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Chest Wall.

The concurrence of two histologically different primary malignancies is rare and diagnostically challenging. Management and monitoring for progression also add to the dilemma as management varies amongst various types of malignancies and radiological imaging cannot differentiate between different primaries. We present a case of 62-year-old male with history of invasive squamous cell carcinoma of chest wall who was found to have cavitary lesions on a chest CT. Initially thought to be metastatic, as squamous cell carcinoma is notorious to case cavitary lesions, on biopsy they turned out be a separate primary malignancy, i.e. adenocarcinoma of the lung. The case highlights, not only such a possibility, but also the need of research to find common chemotherapeutic drugs that can target both pathologies and save patients from side effects of additional anticancer therapies.

Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma Presenting as a Pineal Gland Mass With Obstructive Hydrocephalus.

Background: Adenocarcinoma is the most prevalent type of non-small cell carcinoma of the lungs. Patients with lung adenocarcinoma often present with cough, dyspnea, pain, and weight loss. They can also present with signs and symptoms of brain metastasis because the lungs are one of the most common origins of metastatic brain cancer. We describe a rare case of adenocarcinoma of the lungs presenting with pineal region metastasis. Case Report: A 61-year-old male presented to the emergency department with dizzy spells and gait disturbance. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated a solitary mass in the pineal region with marked obstructive hydrocephalus. A stereotactic biopsy was performed, and metastatic adenocarcinoma consistent with pulmonary origin was diagnosed. Computed tomography scan of the chest revealed a spiculated mass. The patient died shortly after the diagnosis was made. Conclusion: The pineal region is an unusual site for brain metastasis. Although such metastasis has rarely been described, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pineal region tumors, especially for patients with suggestive clinical or histopathologic features of primary malignancy elsewhere.

Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane (Anti-Gbm) Disease - Effect of Early Diagnosis and Treatment on Prognosis.

Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) is seen in 80-90 percent of patients in anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease. Concurrent alveolar hemorrhage is present in up to 50 percent of the patients. Pulmonary disease is usually responsive to treatments and carries a favorable prognosis. However, the outcome for renal disease is variable. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment is essential to preserve kidney function. We present here a case of healthy female who presented with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage and was diagnosed with anti-GBM disease. Timely diagnosis due to a high index of suspicion led to aggressive treatment, which ultimately translated into a favorable prognosis for our patient and, notably, no loss of kidney function.

Asymptomatic cervical stiffness as the sole presenting feature of ovarian follicular lymphoma: The value of hands-on medicine.

A primary care visit is the first encounter of a patient with health care. In context to malignancies, breast cancer and primary ovarian lymphomas are NA clinically and morphologically different malignancies. The rare concurrence of breast cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) does not warrant any routine surveillance through testing but we present a case of a 71-year-old female with the history of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast in remission who was diagnosed with follicular carcinoma after an abnormal pelvic examination during her routine primary care visit. This highlights that a routine PC visit with a skilled physical examination can prove to be one of the most cost-effective tools for screening high-risk cancer patients in remission.