From the present study, it appears that total DPD deficiency is a rare event. Although pretreatment DPD activity cannot be a useful indicator for improving FU dose adaptation strategy, the identification of severe DPD deficiency (< 0.100 nmol/min/mg protein) could lead to starting the treatment with a markedly reduced FU dose or even to using an alternative chemotherapy regimen.

CDDP at moderate doses can reasonably be administered to patients older than 80 years who may benefit from antineoplastic chemotherapy.

We conclude that transplant patients with impaired kidney function will have an immediate benefit from partially replacing calcineurin inhibitors by rapamycin.

A case is reported of angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy (AILD), in which a IgM Kappa monoclonal gammopathy developed. On the first admission the immunoblasts were shown to be T cells by surface-marker studies. Although the number of circulating T cells was normal, their functional capacities were markedly reduced. The patient was followed for two months at the end of which she died with hematologic features of immunoblastic plasma cell leukemia.

No abstract