Use of olanzapine for the relief of nausea and vomiting in patients with advanced cancer: a multicenter survey in Japan.

Nausea and vomiting are among the most common and distressing symptoms in patients with advanced cancer. Olanzapine, an antipsychotic agent, is known to have an affinity for multiple neurotransmitter receptors. Previous studies have reported olanzapine to be efficacious in the treatment of nausea and vomiting. Although it has been administered at a number of facilities, its applicability to treat nausea and vomiting in patients with advanced cancer is poorly understood. We investigated the use of olanzapine for nausea and vomiting in patients with advanced cancer at multiple centers. This retrospective study was carried out at seven palliative care units and three facilities with palliative care teams in Japan from 2013 to 2015. The dosage of olanzapine, treatment duration, and duration from initial use until death were collected from the medical records. One hundred and eight patients met our inclusion criteria. The average dose of olanzapine was 3.6 mg (2.5 mg, n = 61; 5 mg, n = 46; 10 mg, n = 1) and average treatment duration was 18.7 days. The average duration from initial use until death was 39.0 days. There were no differences in the duration of administration until death between olanzapine doses (2.5 and 5 mg). Our results suggest that olanzapine have been used in patients with poor prognoses for nausea and vomiting in patients with advanced cancer. Conducting a prospective trial would further yield promising results.

Hepatitis B virus reactivation in adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Immunosuppressive therapy, such as chemotherapy or the use of corticosteroids, may stimulate reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Most of these episodes occur in patients whose hepatitis B surface antigens are positive (HBsAg+). We report a case of HBV reactivation in a patient with negative HBsAg during chemotherapy for breast cancer, in spite of avoiding corticosteroids. A 68-year-old woman received adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Her serological examinations showed that HBsAg, HBeAg, and HBV-DNA were all negative. Her chemotherapy consisted of CAF (cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m(2), doxorubicin 50 mg/m(2), fluorouracil 500 mg/m(2)) without administration of corticosteroids. She received six cycles of CAF. At day 27 after her sixth CAF, she was admitted to the hospital with acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation. She received glycyrrhizinic acid by intravenous injection (80 mg/day), ursodeoxycholic acid (300 mg/day), and entecavir (0.5 mg/day). Then she received interferon by intravenous injection (3 million units/day), prednisolon by intravenous injection (45 mg/day), and plasma exchange therapy. However, she died of liver failure. This is a rare case in which HBV reactivation occurred in an HBsAg negative patient during chemotherapy without using corticosteroids. This episode suggests that HBV reactivation may occur during chemotherapy in any patient with a history of HBV infection. Therefore, we recommend checking HBsAg, HBsAb, and HBcAb before starting chemotherapy. Moreover, with positive HBsAb or/and HBcAb patients, HBV-DNA should be checked before starting chemotherapy and monitored during chemotherapy by a sensitive PCR method.

Early gallbladder carcinoma associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis and ulcerative colitis.

Patients troubled with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are at high risk for cholangiocarcinoma, whereas cancer of the gallbladder (GBC) is rarely reported to develop in that population. A Japanese man aged 62 years with a 14-year history of PSC and UC had been found to have a protruding lesion of the gallbladder by screening sonography. The preoperative examination suggested the lesion to be GBC at an early stage. Pathology examination after cholecystectomy proved that the lesion was papillary adenocarcinoma localized in the mucosal layer. Although the prognosis of GBC is poor, the outcome of cholecystectomy against early GBC is relatively good. Early detection of the tumor is required for a better prognosis of patients with GBC. According to the review of the literature, PSC and UC patients are regarded as a high-risk group not only for cholangiocarcinoma but also GBC. It is advocated that clinicians perform repeated radiographic examinations including sonography for patients with PSC and UC even if the diseases are being controlled.

Long-term pain control in trigeminal neuralgia with local anesthetics using an indwelling catheter in the mandibular nerve.

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine the usefulness of long-term continuous trigeminal nerve block with local anesthetics using an indwelling catheter in a patient with trigeminal neuralgia. DESIGN: The study design included pain control in a patient with trigeminal neuralgia until the time of neurosurgical operation. SETTING: The study was conducted in the Dental Hospital of Tokyo Medical and Dental University. PATIENT: The patient was a 78-year-old woman with trigeminal neuralgia in the right maxillary region. Her pain could not be controlled by carbamazepine and was unbearable. INTERVENTION: The authors estimated the patient's pain intensity, quality, and locality using a visual analog scale to determine the effectiveness of continuous nerve block. OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual analog scores were measured during treatment. The treatment term was divided into three periods according to the difference of the catheter location and injection protocol (premandibular nerve block, infuser injection, and patient-controlled analgesia [PCA] pump injection). The authors also examined the patient's general condition and blood concentration of drugs. RESULTS: The visual analog values were 44.8 +/- 3.6, 26.7 +/- 3.5, and 11.9 +/- 3.1 mm in each period, respectively. The value in the PCA pump infusion period was significantly lower than that in the other periods. No side effects of the local anesthetics were observed on the patient's systemic condition. CONCLUSIONS: The authors controlled trigeminal neuralgia pain by blocking the mandibular nerve with local anesthetics administered through an indwelling catheter. Because the continuous nerve block with local anesthetics is reversible and only mildly toxic, this method is beneficial for pain control in patients with trigeminal neuralgia scheduled to undergo microvascular decompression.