Quality of life in Croatian metastatic melanoma patients.

The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life (QoL) in 40 Croatian metastatic melanoma patients who had completed at least first-line treatment and to see if there was a correlation between QoL parameters and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). LDH levels were measured and all patients clinically examined between April and September 2013. Two QoL questionnaires were used for patient self-evaluation: the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the Dartmouth Primary Care Cooperative Research Network and the World Organization of National Colleges, Academies, and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians (COOP/WONCA) charts. The average EORTC QLQ-C30 score for global health status (GHS) was 41.204. The average scores for functional scales were high, with the exception of emotional functioning (65.02). Blood LDH levels positively correlated with the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status (r = 0.415; p < 0.01) and pain (r = 0.345; p < 0.05), but not with any functional or COOP/WONCA scores. Global health status (GHS) positively correlated with patient age at the time of evaluation (r = 0.386; p < 0.05) and age at the time when metastatic disease had been diagnosed (r = 0.366; p < 0.05). Quality of life for the studied group of metastatic melanoma patients in Croatia can be considered generally good, with the exception of emotional functioning and symptoms of fatigue, dispnoea, insomnia, and financial difficulties.

Radiation therapy in treatment of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: a case report and review of the literature.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is an extremely rare genetic disorder with diffuse extra-skeletal bone formation. The genetic mutation responsible for FOP has recently been discovered and is connected with excessive activation of bone morphogenetic protein receptor. This disease usually begins with typical ossification pattern in early childhood, causing increasing disability and making patients totally disabled by the age of 30. Ectopic ossification develops spontaneously and can be triggered by any trauma and even intramuscular injections. The symptoms of FOP are often misdiagnosed as cancer, causing unnecessary biopsies, which can precipitate further progressive heterotopic ossification. There is no effective treatment for this severe condition. Radiotherapy can be helpful in impeding ossification, although the strict evidence for that is lacking. There are only two reports in the literature referring to the use of radiotherapy in treatment of FOP. Herein, we present a 35-year-old patient successfully treated with small doses of fractionated radiotherapy in several courses. This case indicates that radiotherapy can be useful in treating patients with FOP.