Idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of the mesenteric veins: A systematic review and individual patient data regression analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of the mesenteric veins (IMHMV) is an uncommon cause of colonic ischemia for which surgical treatment is typically curative. We describe clinical, radiologic, and endoscopic findings in IMHMV patients to provide clinicians with a framework for pre-surgical identification of this rare disease. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of seven databases for IMHMV cases and identified additional cases from Yale New Haven Hospital records. To identify features specifically associated with colonic ischemia due to IMHMV, we performed multivariate logistic regression analysis incorporating data from a large cohort of patients with biopsy-proven ischemic colitis. RESULTS: A total of 124 patients with IMHMV were identified (80% male, mean age 53 years, 56% Caucasian). Presenting symptoms were most commonly abdominal pain (86%) and diarrhea (68%). The most affected areas were the sigmoid colon (91%) and rectum (61%). Complications associated with diagnostic delay occurred in 29% of patients. Radiologic vascular abnormalities including non-opacification of the inferior mesenteric vein were observed in 35% of patients. Of the patients, 97% underwent curative surgical resection. Compared with non-IMHMV colonic ischemia, IMHMV was significantly associated with younger age, male sex, absence of rectal bleeding on presentation, rectal involvement, and mucosal ulcerations on endoscopy. CONCLUSION: IMHMV is a rare, underreported cause of colonic ischemia that predominantly involves the rectosigmoid. Our findings suggest younger age, rectal involvement, and absence of rectal bleeding as clinical features to help identify select patients presenting with colonic ischemia as having higher likelihood of IMHMV and therefore consideration of upfront surgical management.

Safety of 5α-reductase inhibitors and spironolactone in breast cancer patients receiving endocrine therapies.

PURPOSE: To provide dermatologists and oncologists with a foundation for practical understanding and uses of 5α-reductase inhibitors and spironolactone for breast cancer patients and survivors receiving endocrine therapies (ETs), including the effect of these treatments on sex hormone levels, any reported drug interactions, and any risk of malignancy. METHODS: All published studies from January 1978 through April 2018 were considered, using databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct. Forty-seven studies were included in this review. RESULTS: There is no evidence of interactions between 5α-reductase inhibitors and spironolactone with ETs used in breast cancer. Sex hormone alteration with 5α-reductase inhibitor or spironolactone use is variable. Three randomized controlled trials, 1 case-control study, and 6 retrospective cohort studies, including 284 female patients, studied the effects of 5α-reductase inhibitors on serum estrogen levels. Levels were increased in 97 of 284 (34%) patients, decreased in 15 of 284 (5.3%) patients, and unchanged in 162 of 284 (57%) patients. Four retrospective cohort studies, 1 case study, and 1 double-blinded crossover study, including 95 female patients, assessed the effect of spironolactone on estrogen levels. Levels were increased in 25 of 95 (26%) patients, decreased in 6 of 95 (6.3%) patients, and unchanged in 64 of 95 (67%) patients. Ultimately, most patients did not have a significant alteration in the level of estrogen when using 5α-reductase inhibitors or spironolactone. No consistent evidence of increased risk of female breast cancer while on spironolactone was reported in 3 studies including 49,298 patients; the risk of breast cancer with the use of 5α-reductase inhibitors has not been studied. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients did not show increased estrogen levels with spironolactone and there were no data suggesting increased risk of breast cancer. Based on hormonal and pharmacological activity, spironolactone may be considered for further research on alopecia and hirsutism in breast cancer patients.

Dysdiadochokinesia, Ataxia, and Anemia: A Sign of Intraluminal Malignant Mesothelioma?

An 87-year-old man presented with altered mental status and ataxia was found to have a neuron-restricted antibody in his cerebrospinal fluid, concerning for a paraneoplastic syndrome of unknown origin. He also exhibited anemia, but otherwise normal electrolytes and liver chemistries. He underwent positron emission tomography/computed tomography which revealed abdominal lymphenopathy. He then underwent push enteroscopy and was found to have a jejunal mass, biopsy proven to be malignant mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is 4-5 times more prevalent in men than women. It is limited to the small bowel, and paraneoplastic syndromes are extremely rare and carry a poor prognosis. The presence of anemia with cerebellar symptoms should trigger a search for a paraneoplastic syndrome-related malignancy.

Cardiovascular Effects of Chemotherapy Used in the Treatment of Breast Cancers.

Attempts to carry out clinical trials to improve the treatment of breast cancers, including chemotherapy and targeted oncologic therapies, often exclude women with baseline cardiovascular compromise, such as low ejection fraction or arrhythmia. Therefore, despite concrete evidence of cardiotoxicity from a select number of chemotherapeutic agents, it has been difficult to better characterize the progression of cardiac dysfunction in women with preexisting cardiac conditions who receive chemotherapy. Women who have impaired cardiac function should be included in future clinical trials, or at least placed in separate trials with careful monitoring, to better assess this high-risk population. This article will discuss the epidemiology, mechanisms, diagnostic methods, and management of cardiotoxicity from systemic chemotherapy used to treat breast cancer.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With Breast Cancer With Leptomeningeal Metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Disease presentation, prognostic factors, and treatment patterns for patients with breast cancer with leptomeningeal metastasis are not well characterized. In this study, we examined patient characteristics and prognostic factors for survival after a diagnosis of leptomeningeal metastasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three hundred eighteen consecutive patients with breast cancer diagnosed with leptomeningeal metastasis from January 1998 to December 2013 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were identified. Clinicopathologic and treatment information were obtained in a retrospective review. Associations with time from leptomeningeal diagnosis to death were evaluated according to Kaplan-Meier curves, log rank tests, and Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: Of the 318 patients, 44% were hormone receptor-positive (HR+) HER2-, 18% were HR+HER2+, 8.5% were HR-HER2+, 25.5% were triple-negative; and 4% had missing information. The median survival was 3.5 months (95% confidence interval, 3.0-4.0) with 63 patients (20%) surviving >1 year. Recent diagnosis (after 2006), HER2+ subtype, higher performance status, cranial-only involvement, and no evidence of noncentral nervous system disease were independently associated with improved survival in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Despite the improvement noted with the more recent years of diagnosis, survival after a diagnosis of leptomeningeal metastasis remains poor. Similar to patients with parenchymal brain metastasis only, the survival differs among different receptor subtypes. A closer examination to identify factors, such as introduction of new systemic therapies that might contribute to longer-term survival might provide insight to improve management of these patients. In addition, factors we identified that are associated with survival might be considered as stratification variables in the design of future randomized clinical trials in this population.