Outcomes of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDA) remain dismal despite extensive clinical investigation. Combination chemotherapy provides modest improvements in survival above best supportive care, and immunotherapy has thus far not proven effective. Nevertheless, growing insight into antitumor immunity and the tumor microenvironment has inspired the discovery of novel agents targeting PDA. Oncolytic viruses represent an emerging class of immunotherapeutic agents that have undergone extensive preclinical investigation and warrant further investigation in well-designed clinical trials.
A 58-year-old female had a mass in the right breast palpable beneath the areola. A mammogram revealed a 1.5-centimeter soft tissue density that was confirmed with a subsequent ultrasound. The patient underwent a core needle biopsy which was initially reported as a moderately differentiated invasive ductal carcinoma. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed negative staining for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2), mammaglobin, and gross cystic disease fluid protein 15 (GCDFP-15). A wide local excision of the mass was performed. The pathology report stated the tumor had an infiltrative growth pattern with a desmoplastic stromal response with enhanced epithelial atypia consistent with malignant transformation of a nodular clear cell hidradenoma. Clear cell hidradenoma is a very rare tumor originating from the sweat gland and has a propensity for the face and extremities. The malignant variant of this tumor is extremely rare and has been reported to originate from the breast in few cases. This case represents the difficulty in diagnosing this tumor along with the radiographic and histologic features that can distinguish this malignancy from other entities.
Background. Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) occur after solid organ transplantation. Treatment guidelines include reduction in immunosuppression (RIS), radiation, rituximab, chemotherapy, and immunological agents. We present a rare case of recurrent diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presenting as a PTLD in a heart transplant patient treated with autologous blood stem cell transplant (ASCT) after failure of conventional therapy. Case Presentation. A 66-year-old male presented with a neck mass. He has a history of Hodgkin's disease status after staging laparotomy with splenectomy and heart transplantation due to dilated nonischemic cardiomyopathy 8 years prior to the development of PTLD. His examination was remarkable for right submandibular swelling. An excisional biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell NHL. Patient received RIS, rituximab, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy with a complete remission. His lymphoma relapsed and he subsequently was treated with RICE salvage chemotherapy and consolidative high-dose chemotherapy with BEAC regimen followed by ASCT resulting in a complete remission. Conclusion. Patients with PTLD present a difficult therapeutic challenge. In this case, the patient's prior history of Hodgkin's disease, splenectomy, and a heart transplant appear to be unique features, the significance of which is unclear. ASCT might be a promising therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory PTLD.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive liver tumor that occurs with chronic liver disease. Surgical resection is the mainstay of therapy for localized disease whereas therapeutic options for advanced disease are limited. The innovative blockade of immune checkpoints with targeted immunotherapies, such as monoclonal antibodies against programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1), have shown promise in the treatment of solid malignancies. The PD-1 inhibiting antibodies, nivolumab and pembrolizumab prolonged overall survival in randomized trials in metastatic melanoma and advanced non-small cell lung cancer. This is a report of a 75-year-old male patient with metastatic HCC who was initially treated with the standard of therapy sorafenib. After failure of sorafenib therapy, pembrolizumab was started. There was a dramatic response to pembrolizumab with decrease in tumor size and drop in alfa fetoprotein. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of metastatic HCC responsive to pembrolizumab after failure of sorafenib.
IntroductionScreening for prostate cancer remains controversial because of conflicting results from the two major trials: The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer (PLCO) screening trial and the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC).ObjectiveMeta-analyze and meta-regress the available PSA screening trials.MethodsWe performed a living systematic review and meta-regression of the reduction in prostate cancer mortality as a function of the duration of screening provided in each trial. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Registry, and references lists from previous meta-analyses to identify randomized trials of PSA screening. We followed PRISMA guidelines and qualified strength of evidence with a GRADE Profile.ResultsWe found 6 trials, but excluded one that also screened with trans-rectal ultrasound. We considered each ERSPC center as a separate trial. When pooling together all 11 trials we found no significant benefit from screening; however, the heterogeneity was 28.2% (95% CI: 0% to 65%). Heterogeneity was explained by variations in the duration of serial screening (I2 0%; 95% CI: 0% to 52%). When we analyzed the subgroup of trials that added more than 3 years of screening (range 3.2 to 3.8) we found a significant benefit for screening with risk ratio 0.78 (95% CI 0.65–0.94; I2 = 0%; 95% CI: 0% to 69%) and a number needed to invite for screening of 1000. We downgraded the quality of evidence to moderate due to our retrospective identification of subgroups and limited data on control group screening.ConclusionsAdequate duration of screening reduces mortality from prostate cancer. The benefit, while small, compares favorably with screening for other cancers. Our projections are limited by the moderate quality of evidence.
PHARC syndrome is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by mutations in the ABHD12 gene. It is a genetically heterogeneous and clinically variable disease, which is characterized by demyelinating polyneuropathy, hearing loss, cerebellar ataxia, retinitis pigmentosa, and early‐onset cataract and can easily be misdiagnosed as other neurologic disorders with a similar clinical picture, such as Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease and Refsum disease. We describe the genotype‐phenotype correlation of two siblings with a novel genotype underlying PHARC syndrome. The genotype was identified using next‐generation sequencing. We examined both patients by means of thorough history taking and clinical examination, nerve conduction studies (NCS), brain imaging, and optical coherence tomography to establish a genotype‐phenotype correlation. We identified a novel homozygous point mutation (c.784C > T, p.Arg262*) in the ABHD12 gene. This mutation was detected in both siblings, who had bilateral hearing loss and cataracts, signs of cerebellar ataxia, and neuropathy with a primarily demyelinating pattern in NCS. In one case, retinitis pigmentosa was also evident. As PHARC syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, our findings highlight the importance of an interdisciplinary diagnostic workup with clinical and molecular genetic testing to avoid a misdiagnosis as Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease or Refsum disease.
Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is rarely diagnosed in adults. Incidence is reported as one case per million persons per year. It can be triggered by conditions that affect immune homeostasis as infections, malignancies, and rheumatologic disorders. The following case demonstrates a rare instance in which undiagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presented as HLH. A 28-year-old male presented with progressive weakness and recurrent fevers for 2 months. Vital signs were within normal limits except for temperature of 100.3°F. His exam was unremarkable except for a left cervical scar and malar rash. His labs showed pancytopenia with neutropenia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypofibrinogenemia, and hyperferritinemia. Hemophagocytosis was present on bone marrow biopsy. All workup for a source of infection was negative. A tentative diagnosis of HLH was made based on clinical presentation and laboratory data. The patient was treated with an HLH protocol. Later, it was determined that his HLH was actually secondary to a primary diagnosis of SLE. The patient was treated for SLE with an immunosuppressive regimen of cyclosporine and dexamethasone, and he improved dramatically. HLH rarely presents due to a rheumatologic condition such as SLE. Physicians should consider testing for SLE in patients diagnosed with HLH.
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