No abstract

Radiotherapy (RT) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is widely accepted as the standard treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC). Oral mucositis (OM) often develops as an adverse reaction in HNC patients that receive RT or CRT involving S-1. However, little is known about the risk factors for OM in HNC patients. We retrospectively evaluated patients' pre-treatment clinical data in order to identify the risk factors for severe OM in HNC patients that are treated with RT or CRT involving S-1. We analyzed the cases of 129 patients who received RT or CRT involving S-1 for HNC. The endpoint of the survey was the occurrence of severe OM (grade 2). Risk factors that were signiˆcantly related to severe OM were identiˆed using logistic regression analysis. The patients' mean age was 69.3±10.1 years, and 118 (92 ％) of the patients were male. The primary tumor was located in the oropharynx in 21.7％ of cases. Severe OM occurred in 85.0％ of cases. In the univariate analysis, the following variables were found to be associated with severe OM: age, the type of radiotherapy, disease stage, and chemotherapy. In the multivariate analysis, the location of the primary tumor and chemotherapy were identiˆed as signiˆcant risk factors that contributed independently to the risk of severe OM (p＜0.05). Our analysis suggests that cancer of the oropharynx and CRT are important risk factors for severe OM in HNC patients that undergo RT or CRT involving S-1.

A 14-year-old girl was referred to our department because of headache and visual impairment following the resection of recurrent cardiac myxoma. Head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan detected an intra-and supra-sellar tumor. Moreover, the patient showed the presence of spotty skin pigmentations on her cheeks and lower lip. Blood examination revealed hypothyrotropinemia, and ultrasonography results revealed multiple thyroid nodules. She was diagnosed with Carney complex (CNC). Her pituitary tumor was suspected as growth hormone (GH)-secreting adenoma, because overgrowth was observed in the patient. However, biochemical examinations, including oral glucose tolerance test, failed to show the characteristic findings of GH-secreting adenoma. In contrast, insulin tolerance test showed GH deficiency. Her visual impairment improved without performing decompression surgery, and the tumor size decreased, as per the MRI findings. Based on clinical course, the patient was diagnosed with pituitary apoplexy in pituitary adenoma, following which she was discharged. At 3 months after discharge, thyrotropin-releasing hormone loading test performed revealed low thyrotropin-stimulating hormone and thyroid hormone levels, and the patient was in a depressed mood. Therefore, l-T4 replacement was initiated, following which her GH secretory capacity gradually improved. Here, we report, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of a patient with pituitary apoplexy in CNC. Such condition must be identified in young patients with recurrent cardiac myxoma, and examinations, such as head MRI, must be performed.

Aim Intentional or unintentional acute drug poisoning occurs even in elderly people, but little is known about the factors influencing the intention to poisoning. A retrospective study was undertaken to describe the characteristics of acute drug poisoning in elderly people according to whether the poisoning was intentional or unintentional and the responsible agents. Methods The study was carried out in a single tertiary hospital in Japan. A total of 145 patients aged ≥65 years who were transferred by an ambulance service and were diagnosed with acute drug poisoning were included. Medical records were used to collect information on the intention behind poisoning and the responsible agents. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether they experienced intentional or unintentional poisoning and were further classified according to the responsible agent. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between hospitalization for acute drug poisoning and the use of benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BzRAs). Results Poisoning was unintentional in 102 (70.3%) patients and intentional in 43 (29.7%) patients. In total, 65 (44.8%) patients required hospitalization. Among patients in the unintentional poisoning group, those using non‐BzRAs were more likely to be hospitalized than those using BzRAs (odds ratio, 6.64; 95% confidence interval, 2.56–17.22). The length of hospital stay was significantly longer in the unintentional poisoning group than in the intentional poisoning group (13.9 vs. 6.2 days; P = 0.013). Conclusions The proportion of unintentional poisoning in the elderly is high, and particularly with respect to poisoning with non‐BzRAs, the hospitalization rates are high.