A Rare, Yet Treatable Pancreatic Tumor: Epstein-Barr Virus-Positive Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

BACKGROUND Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a rare subtype of B-cell neoplasm that can have diverse presentations. When it involves the pancreas (i.e., pancreatic lymphoma), it can mimic metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Pancreatic lymphoma and adenocarcinoma often have similar clinical, laboratory, and radiographic features making the distinction challenging without pathological tissue examination. The differentiation of these 2 entities is important as the prognosis of pancreatic lymphoma is certainly more favorable with a chance of cure with chemoimmunotherapy. CASE REPORT We present an unusual case of EBV-positive DLBCL involving the pancreas that was initially believed to be metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The patient was treated with chemoimmunotherapy and had a remarkable response. This is the first known case of EBV-positive DLBCL involving the pancreas that was successfully treated with chemoimmunotherapy. CONCLUSIONS EBV-positive DLBCL can have diverse presentations, including a pancreatic mass with multi-organ involvement, which mimics metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The prognosis of EBV-positive DLBCL is thought to be worse than that of EBV-negative tumors. However, it remains certainly superior to that of its adenocarcinoma counterpart with conventional chemoimmunotherapy.

Obstructing Duodenal Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma with Peritoneal Lymphomatosis with Exceptional Response to R-CHOP.

Primary small bowel tumors are uncommon and usually carry a poor prognosis. Adenocarcinoma is the predominant histological type while lymphoma is far less common. Small bowel diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) can mimic adenocarcinoma; thus, the distinction can be challenging before tissue examination is performed. Bowel obstruction, as well as peritoneal involvement, are often seen in gastrointestinal (GI) adenocarcinoma cases; however, these features are extremely uncommon with GI lymphomas. Herein, the authors report an unusual case of an obstructing duodenal mass with peritoneal involvement, which was highly suspicious for an advanced duodenal adenocarcinoma. Surprisingly, sampling of the tumor revealed a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors in elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the USA and worldwide. At diagnosis, half of the patients are over 70 years of age, and most present with advanced disease for which chemotherapy provides modest benefit with significant toxicity. Older patients often have more comorbidities than their younger counterparts and tend to be excluded from clinical trials. AREAS COVERED: A small percentage (less than 7%) of patients with NSCLC have the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement. Compared to the general NSCLC population, this clinically distinct group has a relatively younger median age of 51 years at diagnosis. As such, elderly patients with ALK-positive disease are both a minority within this group and are expected to be underrepresented in clinical trials. Expert commentary: Despite promising results in the general population, data about the efficacy and safety of ALK inhibitors in the elderly population remains scarce. In our review, we briefly discuss the current evidence of ALK inhibitors in the general population and we shed light on this subgroup of elderly patients with advanced ALK-positive disease.

Epidemiology of bloodstream infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at a tertiary care hospital in New York.

BACKGROUND: In the United States, bloodstream infections (BSIs) are predominated by Staphylococcus aureus. The proportion of community-acquired methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) BSI is on the rise. The goal of this study is to explore the epidemiology of BSI caused by S aureus within Staten Island, New York. METHODS: This is a case-case-control study from April 2012-October 2014. Cases were comprised of patients with BSI secondary to MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S aureus (MSSA). The control group contained patients who were hospitalized during the same time period as cases but did not develop infections during their stay. Two multivariable models compared each group of cases with the uninfected controls. RESULTS: A total of 354 patients were analyzed. Infections were community acquired in 76% of cases. The major source of BSI was skin-related infections (n = 76). The first multivariable model showed that recent central venous catheter placement was an independent infection risk factor (odds ratio [OR] = 80.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-3,014.1). In the second model, prior hospital stay >3 days (OR = 4.1; 95% CI, 1.5-5.7) and chronic kidney disease (OR = 3.0; 95% CI, 1.01-9.2) were uniquely associated with MSSA. Persistent bacteremia, recurrence, and other hospital-acquired infections were more likely with MRSA BSI than MSSA BSI. CONCLUSION: Most infections were community acquired. The presence of a central venous catheter constituted a robust independent risk factor for MRSA BSI. Patients with MRSA BSI suffered worse outcomes than those with MSSA BSI.

Persistence of a Cervical Neck Mass, Not Just the Lymphoma.

Actinomycosis is a rare, chronic granulomatous infection caused by gram-positive, anaerobic to microaerophilic branching filamentous bacteria. In the cervicofacial region, it usually presents as an enlarging neck mass. It remains a diagnostic challenge due to the fact that cultures show no growth in more than 50% of cases. We report a case of a 67-year-old patient known to have a neck mass secondary to lymphoma in which the neck mass persisted despite therapy. Upon evaluation, the diagnosis of culture-negative actinomycosis was based on histopathology findings, and the patient received antibiotic therapy. We will discuss the diagnosis and pathology of actinomycosis, attempting to explore the relationship between actinomycosis and lymphoid malignancy.

Rivaroxaban-Induced Nontraumatic Spinal Subdural Hematoma: An Uncommon Yet Life-Threatening Complication.

In the last decade, the desire for safer oral anticoagulants (OACs) led to the emergence of newer drugs. Available clinical trials demonstrated a lower risk of OACs-associated life-threatening bleeding events, including intracranial hemorrhage, compared to warfarin. Nontraumatic spinal hematoma is an uncommon yet life-threatening neurosurgical emergency that can be associated with the use of these agents. Rivaroxaban, one of the newly approved OACs, is a direct factor Xa inhibitor. To the best of our knowledge, to date, only two published cases report the incidence of rivaroxaban-induced nontraumatic spinal subdural hematoma (SSDH). Our case is the third one described and the first one to involve the cervicothoracic spine.

"The Great Mimicker": An Unusual Etiology of Cytopenia, Diffuse Lymphadenopathy, and Massive Splenomegaly.

Sarcoidosis is an idiopathic multisystem disease characterized by the formation of noncaseating granulomas. It frequently presents with pulmonary infiltrates and bilateral hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Splenic involvement is common, but massive splenomegaly is a rare occurrence. Sarcoidosis is known as "the great mimicker" (or "the great imitator") since it exhibits a myriad of symptoms, mimicking other inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic conditions, including lymphoma. Herein, we report the case of a 44-year-old male patient who was found to have bicytopenia, hypercalcemia, diffuse lymphadenopathy, and massive splenomegaly, a constellation of findings suggestive of underlying lymphoma. Interestingly, lymph node biopsy showed noncaseating granulomas suggestive of sarcoidosis, without evidence of malignancy.

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. At diagnosis, half of the patients are over 70 years of age, and most present with advanced disease, for which chemotherapy is recommended as first-line treatment. However, the benefit from such therapy is modest and it is at times poorly tolerated. The discovery of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) has significantly impacted the treatment of patients with EGFR mutation-positive advanced NSCLC. These novel agents demonstrate efficacy and a favorably mild toxicity profile. Despite limited data in elderly patients, the largest subpopulation in NSCLC, EGFR-TKIs are considered the standard of care therapy for advanced EGFR-positive disease in the elderly. In this review, we seek to compile the available data about the EGFR-TKIs use in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC, with the hope to better understand its role in this major yet, underrepresented, group of patients.

Primary Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma of the Spine: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of the spine is a rare form of extranodal lymphoma. This entity constitutes a diagnostic challenge due to its mimicking of other spinal diseases and the difficulty in establishing a tissue diagnosis. In fact, core biopsy can be inconclusive, oftentimes requiring surgical biopsy. Definitive evidence is lacking regarding the treatment of choice. As a result, the prognosis remains unfavorable. We present the case of an adult female who presented with back pain and was found to have a spinal NHL. We also review the literature regarding this rare occurrence.

Spontaneous Tumor Lysis Syndrome in Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Rare Complication.

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a life-threatening condition which consists of a constellation of electrolyte imbalances, acute renal failure, seizure, and arrhythmias. It is most commonly seen with hematologic malignancies after the initiation of chemotherapy. However, it can also occur spontaneously, prior to treatment with cytotoxic agents. TLS has been rarely described with non-hematologic solid tumors, and it is even more uncommon to have spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome (STLS) in solid tumors. To our knowledge, only two cases of STLS in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) were reported in the literature. Herein, we present the case of a patient with metastatic SCLC who developed STLS. Our case highlights that in the setting of metastatic solid tumors, STLS must be in the differential diagnosis, to allow prompt initiation of prophylaxis and treatment.

Hypoalbuminemia in colorectal cancer prognosis: Nutritional marker or inflammatory surrogate?

Albumin is the single most abundant protein in the human serum. Its roles in physiology and pathology are diverse. Serum albumin levels have been classically thought to reflect the nutritional status of patients. This concept has been challenged in the last two decades as multiple factors, such as inflammation, appeared to affect albumin levels independent of nutrition. In general, cancer patients have a high prevalence of hypoalbuminemia. As such, the role of hypoalbuminemia in patients with colorectal cancer has received significant interest. We reviewed the English literature on the prognostic value of pretreatment albumin levels in colorectal cancer. We also consolidated the evidence that led to the current understanding of hypoalbuminemia as an inflammatory marker rather than as a nutritional one among patients with colorectal cancer.

An Overlapping Case of Lupus Nephritis and IgG4-Related Kidney Disease.

We report a case of a 71-year-old Filipino female who was admitted to the hospital for abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea of 8 days duration. The patient was found to have marked acute kidney injury (AKI), which required hemodialysis in the next 3 days. Extensive workup revealed hematuria, subnephrotic range proteinuria, elevated anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) and elevated total immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels, with normal IgG4 and anti-dsDNA levels. On kidney biopsy, mild membranous glomerulonephritis was found, along with autoimmune tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) with a "full-house" pattern of immune deposits. These findings were suggestive of lupus interstitial nephritis. However, IgG4+ plasma cells were detected in the interstitium by immunostaining, favoring a diagnosis of IgG4-related kidney disease (IgG4-RKD). Our case highlights the difficulty in differentiating lupus nephritis (LN) from IgG4-RKD in some patients, raising the suspicion that these two entities can co-exist.