Surgical resection of esthesioneuroblastoma metastasis to the chest wall.

A 51-year-old female patient was evaluated for a painful chest wall mass causing atelectasis of the right lung, pleural effusion, and dyspnea. The patient's history was significant for esthesioneuroblastoma at the age of 24; multiple recurrences of the tumor had been treated with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Surgical resection of the chest wall mass relieved her symptoms and improved her quality of life. Histologic examination confirmed metastatic esthesioneuroblastoma. The patient developed generalized disease and finally died 2 years after surgery. This case demonstrates the long natural history of this rare neoplasm and the need for close follow-up of patients so that they can be treated early.

Hemolytic uremic syndrome following the infusion of oxaliplatin: case report.

BACKGROUND: Oxaliplatin is a platinum derivative, which is used in the treatment of colorectal cancer. A small number of oxaliplatin-related hemolytic and/or thrombocytopenic reactions have been reported. We present a case of hemolytic-uremic syndrome that developed during the 4th cycle of combination chemotherapy with oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin. CASE PRESENTATION: A 52-year-old-male was administered chemotherapy with oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin for a Duke's stage C colorectal carcinoma. Three cycles of chemotherapy had been administered without complications when, at the beginning of the fourth cycle, the patient developed clinical and laboratory abnormalities consistent with the development of the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Treatment was discontinued; the patient was managed with monitored IV hydration and loop diuretics, high dose corticosteroids and fresh frozen plasma infusions and recovered completely. CONCLUSION: The hemolytic-uremic syndrome may be a rare complication of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. Clinicians need to maintain a high index of suspicion to diagnose and treat this life-threatening adverse event.

Combination docetaxel (Taxotere), fluorouracil, and leucovorin (TFL), as first-line chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer: a Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group phase II study.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the efficacy and safety profile of a docetaxel (Taxotere; Sanofi-Aventis, France), fluorouracil (FU), and leucovorin (LV) combination (TFL), as first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer. METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with advanced gastric cancer were entered in this phase II study. The chemotherapy regimen (TFL) was administered in an outpatient setting as follows: docetaxel 7 mg/m2 on day 1 and FU 50 mg/m2 and LV 30 mg/m2 on days 1 to 3, every 3 weeks for six cycles. RESULTS: On an intent-to-treat basis, 4 complete (7%) and 11 partial responses (19%) were observed, with an objective overall response rate of 26%; in addition, 22 patients (38%) had stable and 15 (26%) had progressive disease. For 6 (10%) patients, response could not be evaluated. Responses were noted at all metastatic sites. With a median follow-up of 55 months, median survival was 9 months; median time to progression, 5.9 months; and median duration of response, 10 months. Toxicity was manageable and no toxic death was reported. Neutropenia was the most frequent severe toxicity and occurred in 30% of the patients. The main non-hematologic toxicities were alopecia (76%), diarrhea (30%), and stomatitis (30%). CONCLUSION: The results of this phase II study seem to indicate that the TFL regimen has moderate activity in patients with advanced gastric cancer, with acceptable toxicity.