The dose of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for the treatment of pneumonia (PCP) in patients without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has not been verified. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and toxicity of a low-dose TMP-SMX regimen in such patients. A retrospective study was conducted in four hospitals. We reviewed the medical records of patients with PCP but not HIV (non-HIV-PCP) who were treated with TMP-SMX between 2003 and 2016. The patients were divided into conventional-dose (TMP, 15 to 20 mg/kg/day) and low-dose (TMP,<15 mg/kg/day) groups after patients who received high-dose (TMP, >20 mg/kg/day) treatment were excluded. Grouping was done according to a correction dose, which was based on renal function. Eighty-two patients had non-HIV-PCP. The numbers of patients who received high-, conventional-, and low-dose treatments were 5, 36, and 41, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis for death associated with PCP showed no statistically significant difference in survival rates between the conventional- and low-dose groups. Ninety-day cause-specific mortality rates were 25.0% and 19.5% in the conventional-dose and low-dose groups ( = 0.76), respectively. Adverse events that were graded as ≥3 according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 4.0) (National Cancer Institute, 2010) were 41.7% and 17.1% in the conventional-dose and low-dose groups ( = 0.02), respectively. Moreover, vomiting ( = 0.03) and a decrease in platelet count ( = 0.03) occurred more frequently in the conventional-dose group. Treatment of non-HIV-PCP with low-dose or conventional-dose TMP-SMX produces comparable survival rates; however, the low-dose regimen is better tolerated and associated with fewer adverse effects.

Conclusion: These results suggest that gefitinib readministration may be an opti on, albeit with a low response rate and short progression-free survival, for patients 4 who responded well to initial gefitinib followed by systemic chemotherapy. These findings provide valuable in formation for the management of previous gefitinib responders.

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We present the case of a 74-year-old Japanese woman who presented with dyspnea, a palpable right breast mass, and swollen right axillary lymph node. Imaging studies revealed bilateral pleural effusion and systemic lymph adenopathy and pleural fluid study showed high levels of triglycerides. A right inguinal lymph node biopsy disclosed malignant lymphoma cells that were human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) provirus DNA-positive, a condition endemic to patient’s birthplace, by the Southern blot hybridization method. She was diagnosed as having adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) with chylothorax. After commencing chemotherapy for ATL, her chylothorax disappeared and swollen lymph nodes reduced remarkably, indicating an association between the chylothorax and ATL. Bilateral chylothorax is a relatively rare condition associated with such nontraumatic causes as ATL. Clinicians should therefore bear chylothorax in mind when encountering patients with pleural effusion. A detailed medical history can also enable prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Background In the LUX‐Lung 3 and LUX‐Lung 6 trials, afatinib improved overall survival in previously untreated patients with EGFR 19del mutated non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to chemotherapy. The appropriate management of adverse events and dose reduction of afatinib are important for EGFR‐ positive NSCLC patients. We conducted a retrospective and observational study of patients treated with first‐line afatinib for EGFR‐ positive NSCLC in Nagano prefecture, Japan, focusing on efficacy and toxicities. Methods We retrospectively collected the medical records of NSCLC patients initially treated with afatinib between May 2014 and March 2018. Results A total of 62 patients with a median age of 67 years and a median body surface area (BSA) of 1.57 m 2 were included. The overall response rate was 87.7% and median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 15.7 months. The median PFS was similar between standard initial dose (40 mg) and reduced initial doses (30 and 20 mg) (15.7 vs. 14.2 months; P = 0.978). The frequency of dose reduction and the discontinuation rate in the 40 mg daily dose group was higher in patients with BSA < 1.58 m 2 (100%) compared to BSA ≥ 1.58 m 2 (68.2%) ( P = 0.014). The frequency of diarrhea was higher in patients with BSA < 1.58 m 2 (93.5%) compared to BSA ≥ 1.58 m 2 (71.0%) ( P = 0.02). Conclusion In real‐world clinical practice, first‐line afatinib was well managed and was equally as effective as in previous clinical trials of EGFR ‐positive NSCLC. BSA is considered a predictive marker for appropriate afatinib dose reduction.