Infantile hemangiomas as frequent infancy tumors have been a controversial issue of medical scientists worldwide. Their clinical aspects are various and their physiopathology is yet to be fully understood. Numerous publications outline the characteristics, causes, evolution possibilities and therapeutic approaches. Deciding whether to treat or not is the main question of this kind of pathology. Hemangiomas that have complications or can cause irreversible damage need therapy. This is a brief review of up-to-date information regarding the presentation of infantile hemangiomas and target-therapies.
Background and aimSolid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) of the pancreas is a rare pathological condition, representing less than 3% of all exocrine pancreatic tumors. SPT usually occurs in young females, without notable symptoms, with a low malignant potential and excellent prognosis.MethodWe conducted a retrospective study during the period January 2005 – January 2015. SPT patients admitted in our institution were reviewed by describing demographic data, clinico-pathologic and radiological features, therapeutic management and prognosis records.ResultsThirteen patients with SPT were identified (10 females), with a median age of 30 years. The main clinical presentation was abdominal pain (92.3%). The tumor was mostly located in the body or tail of the pancreas (77%), and the mean size was 8.2 cm. Regarding the surgical approach there were 5 distal pancreatectomies with splenectomy, 3 body and tail pancreatectomies, 2 body and tail pancreatectomies with splenectomy, 2 pancreato-duodenectomy, 1 partial enucleation and of all only 2 partial resections. Postoperative hematoxylin- eosin staining and immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis in all cases. None of the patients had lymph nodes metastases. Only one local invasion. There was one case of death due to postoperative complications. Four cases followed adjuvant systemic chemotherapy. The mean follow-up was 18 months, without evidence of recurrence during this period.ConclusionSPT should always be considered in the differential diagnosis in young women with a pancreatic tumor. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice, and is usually curative. The decision to administer systemic therapy must be individualized. Malignant behavior and late recurrences mandates long-term follow-up for patients with SPT.
It is a new and exciting time for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). While nearly 50 years ago, only one in nine children with ALL survived with chemotherapy, nowadays nearly 90% of children have a chance of long-term survival. Adults with ALL, as well as the special category of adolescents and young adult (AYA) patients, are catching up with the new developments seen in children, but still their prognosis is much worse. A plethora of factors are regarded as responsible for the differences in treatment response, such as age, ethnicity, disease biology, treatment regimens and toxicities, drug tolerance and resistance, minimal residual disease evaluation, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation timing and socio-economic factors. Taking these factors into account, bringing pediatric-like protocols to adult patient management and incorporating new agents into frontline treatment could be the key to improve the survival rates in adults and AYA.
ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to describe the historical and clinical characteristics of hemangiomas in a series of cases of our clinic.MethodsThis is a retrospective study of 36 patients with infantile hemangiomas consulted in our clinic.ResultsWe had 14 multiple hemangiomas, and 1 kaposiform hemangioendothelioma. Almost two-thirds involved the cephalic extremity, and 76% of the cases were treated. Pregnancy risk factors included prematurity, low-birth weight and respiratory distress syndrome. Propranolol was used in 22 cases, followed by prednisone in 3 cases. Vincristine and interferon were used as associated therapies or as second line therapies. Two hemangiomas had complications, one ulceration and a Kasabach-Merritt syndrome. All the patients had a good evolution.ConclusionsOur study results regarding the involvement of pregnancy and birth risk factors in developing infantile hemangiomas is similar to literature data. The majority of patients had at least one risk factor suggesting that at least one trigger to develop an infantile hemangioma is necessary. Our study shows that the cephalic extremity is mostly involved, and because of its potential complications they are most likely to be treated. The study shows that propranolol is the leading treatment option with few and mild side effects.
Patient: Female, 6 Final Diagnosis: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia Symptoms: Abdominal pain • bloody diarrhea • malaise • vomiting Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Chemotherapy Specialty: Oncology Objective: Unusual clinical course Background: Malignant hypercalcemia is a rare finding in the pediatric population, even more rare in hematological malignancies, such as leukemia. Case Report: We present a case of a 6-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, with secondary hypercalcemia. She started chemotherapy following the IC-BFM ALL2002 protocol with simultaneous calcitonin, diuretics and aggressive hydration for hypercalcemia, and went into complete remission after the induction therapy. After 4 months of chemotherapy, she was diagnosed with relapse associated again with malignant hypercalcemia, and underwent chemotherapy with the relapse protocol. There was no response after the first 2 cycles, so we decided to start her on clofarabine. Due to the severe hypercalcemia and consecutive osteolysis, she developed several bone fractures and needed gypsum immobilization. We started her again on calcitonin, but she developed severe adverse reactions, so we found it necessary to start bisphosphonates, first zoledronic acid intravenously, and afterwards clodronate orally. Consolidation of bone fractures was achieved, but due to prolonged immobilization she developed bedsores, superinfected with Lichtheimia corymbifera . We started posaconazole orally, but she rapidly went into severe sepsis with multiple organ failure. The leukemia showed no response to chemotherapy, progressed rapidly, and the patient died. Conclusions: Malignant hypercalcemia is associated with a poor prognosis in leukemia, and might need a more aggressive therapy.
Background and aim: Multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare and severe condition associated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children with onset approximately 4–6 weeks after infection. To date, the precise mechanism that causes MIS-C is not known and there are many questions related to the etiology, risk factors, and evolution of this syndrome. We aimed to describe the clinical manifestations, treatment methods, and disease evolution and analyze the main risk factors for MIS-C in children hospitalized in our clinic. Material and methods: We performed a retrospective study including children with MIS-C followed-up in the 2nd Pediatric Clinic of the Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children Cluj-Napoca, Romania, for 13 months (November 2020–December 2021). Results: We included in our cohort 34 children (mean age 6.8 ± 4.6 years) who met MIS-C criteria: high and prolonged fever associated with organ dysfunction (heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, bone marrow or gastrointestinal organs), and autoantibodies and/or polymerase chain reaction positives for SARS-CoV-2. Nineteen patients (55.88%) had a severe form of the disease, with multiorgan failure and shock, and myocardial or respiratory failure. The number of organs affected in the severe forms was significantly higher (more than 6 in 73.70%) than in mild forms (2–3 in 60%). Cardiac dysfunction, hypoalbuminemia, hypertriglyceridemia and hyponatremia were more important in severe forms of MIS-C. These patients required respiratory support, resuscitation with fluid boluses, vasoactive drugs, or aggressive therapy. All patients with mild forms had fully recovered compared to 63.16% in severe forms. The others with severe forms developed long-term complications (dilation of the coronary arteries, premature ventricular contraction, or myocardial fibrosis). Two patients had an extremely severe evolution. One is still waiting for a heart transplant, and the other died (hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis syndrome with multiorgan failure). Conclusions: From mild to severe forms with multiorgan failure, shock, and many other complications, MIS-C represents a difficult challenge for pediatricians, who must be aware of the correct diagnosis and unpredictable, possibly severe evolution.
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in Europe, with an annual increase in incidence ranging between 0.4 and 3.6% in various countries. Although the development of CRC was extensively studied, limited number of new therapies were developed in the last few years. Bevacizumab is frequently used as first- and second-line therapy for management of metastatic CRC (mCRC). The aim of this study is to present our experience with using bevacizumab beyond disease progression at different dosage levels in mCRC patients, in terms of overall survival, progression-free survival, time to treatment failure, and toxicities.Methods: We performed a consecutive retrospective analysis of patients with confirmed mCRC who were treated with bevacizumab at "Prof Dr. Ion Chiricuta" Institute of Oncology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. We included patients who had received bevacizumab as first- or second-line therapy and further stratified them according to the dose administered as a second-line (either standard dose of 5 mg/kg every 2 weeks or 7.5 mg/kg every 3 weeks, or double dose of 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks or 15 mg/kg every 3 weeks–depending on the classical chemotherapy partner). All patients had received bevacizumab beyond progression (BYP) which is defined as continuing bevacizumab administration through second-line treatment despite disease progression. In each group, we evaluated the prognostic factors that influenced survival and treatment outcome.Results: One hundred and fifty-one (151) patients were included in the study. Themedian age of patients receiving double dose bevacizumab (DDB) and standard dose bevacizumab (SDB) was 58 years (range 41–71) and 57 years (range 19–75), respectively. The median overall survival in the DDB group was 41 months (range 27–49) compared to 25 months (range 23–29) in the SDB group (p = 0.01 log-rank test). First-line oxaliplatin-based treatment was used more frequently regardless of group, while irinotecan-based more frequently used as a second-line treatment (p = 0.014). Both oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based regimens were found to be suitable partners for BYP. Statistical analysis revealed that dose intensity, primary tumor location, and cumulative exposure to BYP had significant influence on survival.Conclusion: Doubling the dose of bevacizumab after first progression may improve survival in mCRC patients. Increasing bevacizumab dose intensity could override the prognostic impact of primary tumor location in patients receiving double the dose of bevacizumab after first disease progression.
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