Adenovirus-Associated Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation.

A 21-year-old previously healthy Caucasian female presented to the emergency department (ED) in the pre-COVID-19 era for evaluation of thrombocytopenia after a flu-like illness. The patient reported fever, cough, headache and myalgias for one week. She was on oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) for five years but discontinued one week ago. She was found to be in disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and her hospital course was complicated by intraparenchymal hemorrhage, deep vein thrombus (DVT) in the right arm veins, bilateral pulmonary embolus (PE) and multiple splenic infarcts. An extensive workup was negative but nasopharyngeal swab came back positive for adenovirus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is an oncologic emergency, more commonly occurring in patients with hematologic malignancies receiving cancer-directed therapy due to massive cellular breakdown. Spontaneous TLS is rare and occurs in the absence of cancer-directed therapy. Herein, we present a case of spontaneous TLS associated with squamous cell carcinoma.

Decision points in the treatment of transfusional iron overload in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: why, when, and how to chelate.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) differ from those with other transfusion-dependent conditions (eg, thalassemia) as they are typically older, have comorbid conditions, and a generally shorter life expectancy. The underlying disease process in MDS and frequent use of red blood cell transfusions lead to iron accumulation and ultimately organ damage. Whether iron-reducing interventions such as chelation therapy can improve outcomes in this population is currently under investigation. Areas covered: We reviewed published English-language articles from PubMed on the topic of iron overload (IO) in MDS, and the use of iron chelation therapies (ICTs) to alleviate iron burden. Expert commentary: Data on IO-associated complications in MDS are derived largely from retrospective studies and there are limited data to guide clinicians on major treatment decisions. Although effective and well-tolerated oral ICTs are available, and general recommendations may be made regarding usage in MDS, guidance is not yet based on prospective data. The clinical endpoints and assessments for MDS may differ substantively from those used in patients with thalassemia, as an older population may have competing causes for morbidity. We expect that emergent data from clinical trials currently underway will define more appropriate endpoints/assessments for the MDS population in clinical trials.

Pharmacoeconomic benefits of deferasirox in the management of iron overload syndromes.

Deferasirox is a once-daily, orally administered, tridentate iron chelator that is indicated in the treatment of iron overload resulting from regular packed red blood cell transfusions in patients with transfusion-dependent anemias, such as beta-thalassemia, sickle cell disease, myelodysplastic syndrome and other rare anemias. Randomized, controlled trials have established its efficacy to reduce liver iron concentration and serum ferritin levels to be comparable to the historic standard iron chelator, deferoxamine, which is administered as a parenteral infusion. However, deferasirox may be more effective than deferoxamine in actual clinical practice owing to the improvement in quality of life and, hence, increased compliance associated with the oral route of administration. The higher acquisition cost of deferasirox may be counterbalanced by savings in the administration cost, as well as the treatment of complications of iron overload that result from noncompliance with therapy attributable to the parenteral mode of administration. Deferasirox may also have potential as an important supplement and even an alternative to phlebotomies in nontransfusional, genetic iron overload disorders, such as hereditary hemochromatosis.