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INTRODUCTION: Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal symptoms. It may compromise quality of life and social functioning and result in increased healthcare use and costs. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of constipation symptoms, as well as those of refractory constipation symptoms among patients who underwent colonoscopy. METHODS: Over 4.5 years, patients who underwent colonoscopy and completed questionnaires were analyzed. Patients' symptoms were evaluated using the Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale. RESULTS: Among 8,621 eligible patients, the prevalence of constipation symptoms was 33.3%. Multivariate analysis revealed female sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.7, P < 0.001), older age (OR 1.3, P < 0.001), cerebral stroke with paralysis (OR 1.7, P = 0.009), chronic renal failure (OR 2.6, P < 0.001), ischemic heart disease (OR 1.3, P = 0.008), diabetes (OR 1.4, P < 0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 1.5, P = 0.002), benzodiazepine use (OR 1.7, P < 0.001), antiparkinsonian medications use (OR 1.9, P = 0.030), and opioid use (OR 2.1, P = 0.002) as independent risk factors for constipation symptoms. The number of patients taking any medication for constipation was 1,134 (13.2%); however, refractory symptoms of constipation were still present in 61.4% of these patients. Diabetes (OR 1.5, P = 0.028) and irritable bowel syndrome (OR 3.1, P < 0.001) were identified as predictors for refractory constipation symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Constipation occurred in one-third of patients, and more than half of patients still exhibited refractory symptoms of constipation despite taking laxatives. Multiple medications and concurrent diseases seem to be associated with constipation symptoms.
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Patients with malignant esophageal fistulas often experience dysphagia and infection, resulting in poor prognoses. Self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement is a palliative treatment option; however, its efficacy and safety are unclear. We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of SEMS placement for malignant esophageal fistulas. We retrospectively investigated patients who underwent SEMS placement for malignant esophageal fistulas between 2013 and 2022 at the Cancer Institute Hospital. Dysphagia scores (DSs) before and after SEMS placement, adverse events, and overall survival from SEMS placement until death were evaluated. A total of 17 patients underwent SEMS placement, including 12 and 5 patients with esophageal and lung cancers, respectively. Prior treatments included chemoradiotherapy (n = 11), radiotherapy (n = 4), and chemotherapy (n = 4); two patients underwent palliative radiotherapy after chemotherapy. All procedures were technically successful. After SEMS placement, 14 (82.4%) patients were able to consume semisolid or solid food (DS ≤ 2). Major adverse events were encountered in only one case. The median survival time after SEMS placement was 71 days (range 17-247 days). SEMS placement allowed most patients to resume oral intake with a low rate of major adverse events. SEMS placement is a reasonable palliative treatment option for patients with malignant fistulas who have poor prognoses.
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Lung cancer immunotherapy is an effective treatment option; however, it can be hampered by adverse events, including pancreatitis, associated with excessive immune activation. Here, we report the case of a 70-year-old patient who presented with recurrent lung squamous carcinoma and was started with pembrolizumab treatment (200 mg every three weeks). The patient developed pembrolizumab-induced pancreatitis. After 14 months of pembrolizumab treatment, positron emission tomography-computed tomography showed a tumour-shaped, highly integrated lesion at the pancreatic head and significantly elevated tumour markers, including carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (149.3 U/mL), s-pancreas antigen-1 (44.7 U/mL), and duke pancreatic monoclonal antigen type 2 (412 U/mL). Pembrolizumab-induced immune-related pancreatitis was effectively treated with prednisolone 90 mg (1 mg/kg/day). Four months later, normal levels of the three specific tumour markers were detected, with improved pancreatic enzymes and radiographic findings. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of immune-related pancreatitis with elevated pancreatic cancer-specific markers.
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We report two cases of bucillamine-induced bullous reactions with keratinocyte necrosis. The first patient, a 27-year-old woman, developed toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) over her whole body after taking bucillamine 300 mg/day for seven days. The second patient, a 63-year-old woman, developed several bullous erythemas on the mucous membranes and legs after taking bucillamine for more than two years. The fixed drug eruptions were diagnosed based on a provocation test in addition to clinical and histopathologic findings. These cases highlight the importance of considering fixed drug eruption as well as TEN in the differential diagnosis of bucillamine-induced bullous drug eruption.
