Acute bacterial infection negatively impacts cancer specific survival of colorectal cancer patients.

AIM: To assess the impact of bacterial infections on cancer-specific survival in patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of colorectal cancer patients treated at the A.C. Camargo Cancer Center between January 2006 and April 2010. The presence of bacterial infection during cancer treatment, or up to one year after, was confirmed by laboratory tests or by the physician. Infections of the urinary, respiratory or digestive tracts, bloodstream, skin or surgical site were defined by testing within a single laboratory. Criteria for exclusion from the study were: chronically immunosuppressed patients; transplant patients (due to chronic immunosuppression); human immunodeficiency virus carriers; chronic use of corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive drugs; patients with autoimmune disease or primary immunodeficiency; known viral or parasitic infections. Patients with infections that did not require hospitalization were not included in the study because of the difficulty of collecting and tracking data related to infectious processes. In addition, patients hospitalized for pulmonary thromboembolism, stroke, acute myocardial infarction, uncontrolled diabetes, malignant hypercalcemia or other serious non-infectious complications not directly related to infection were also excluded. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method, and log-rank tests (univariate analysis) and a Cox test assuming a proportional hazards model (multivariate analysis) were performed to examine associations between clinical history and characteristics of infection with cancer-specific survival. RESULTS: One-hundred and six patients with colorectal cancer were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of bacterial infection. Patient ages ranged from 23 to 91 years, with a median of 55 years. The majority of patients were male (57/106, 53.77%) with stage III colorectal cancer (45/106, 44.11%). A total of 86 bacteriologic events were recorded. Results indicate that the presence and number of infections during or after the end of treatment were associated with poorer-cancer specific survivals (P = 0.02). Elevated neutrophil counts were also associated with poorer cancer-specific survival (P = 0.02). Analysis of patient age revealed that patients > 65 years of age had a poorer cancer-specific survival (P = 0.04). A multivariate analysis demonstrated that infection was an independent predictor of poor survival (HR = 2.62, 95%CI: 1.26-5.45; P = 0.01) along with advanced clinical staging (HR = 2.63, 95%CI: 1.08-6.39; P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Infection and high neutrophil counts are associated with a poorer cancer-specific survival in colorectal cancer patients.

Sebastian syndrome: report of the first case in a South American family.

The Sebastian syndrome (SS) is a MYH9-related disorders, which are an extremely infrequent group of four autosomal dominant illnesses. SS consist of giant platelets, leukocyte inclusions and thrombocytopenia. To our knowledge, there are no case reports of this syndrome in South America. The propositus was a 35-year-old Argentine woman with a history of purpuric lesions in her lower limbs and thrombocytopenia. Idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP) was previously diagnosed, but she did not respond to treatment with steroids. Family history failed to provide any evidence of hearing loss, easy bruising, nephritis, renal failure or cataracts. The patient and 11 members of her family were evaluated. The diagnosis of SS was established by demonstrating giant platelets, thrombocytopenia and leukocyte inclusions in peripheral smear in two relatives and by peripheral smear and electronic microscopy in the propositus. MYH9-related disorders should be suspected whenever a patient has a low platelet count or a bleeding diathesis of unknown origin. In these cases, the history, carefully peripheral smear exam, immunocytochemistry and electronic microscopy will be of great help. Differentiation ITP with SS is important to avoid unnecessary diagnostic studies and treatments.