A 46-year-old man with relapsed and refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after salvage therapy (EPOCH and ESHAP regimens) was treated with continuous low-dose CPT-11 (irinotecan hydrochloride) at ...30 mg/day (20 mg/m2/day) for three consecutive days every week. The patient's general condition and both LDH and CRP, tumor related markers, improved dramatically. Complete remission was achieved after a 10-week cycle of therapy without severe adverse effects. Unfortunately, the lymphoma relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, low-dose CPT-11 therapy was used again to palliate tumor symptoms for 12 months. This therapy may be a useful salvage and palliative chemotherapy for relapsed and refractory lymphoma.
A 64-year-old woman, who had been treated for gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) by total gastrectomy and received 3 courses of CHOP therapy at 61 years of age, was diagnosed with ...recurrence of DLBCL in the small intestine. After the small intestinal tumor was resected, multiple metastases were found in the liver. Because intensive chemotherapy was difficult for her poor performance status, 50 mg of etoposide daily by oral was administered for 21 consecutive days. After one course of chemotherapy, liver metastases and lymph node swelling almost disappeared without severe adverse effects, and after five courses she achieved complete remission. Though DLBCL invaded the central nervous system, the abdominal regions had been free from recurrence for 12 months. This case report suggests that oral etoposide therapy is useful for gastrointestinal DLBCL which has metastasized to the liver.
To elucidate the clinical significance of serum KL-6 and SP-D for the diagnosis and treatment of interstitial lung disease in connective tissue disorders.
139 patients with various connective tissue ...disorders were subjected for the study, which included 46 cases of rheumatoid arthritis, 43 cases of Sjögren's syndrome, 16 cases of SLE, 10 cases of systemic sclerosis, 9 cases of polymyositis/dermatomyositis, 6 cases of vasculitis syndrome, 5 cases of Behçet's disease and 4 cases of MCTD. Serum levels of KL-6 and SP-D were determined by enzyme-immunoassay. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of serum KL-6 and SP-D for the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease were compared with serum LDH. The relationship of serum KL-6 and SP-D levels with high resolution CT (HRCT) of the lung and Gallium scintigraphy findings was analyzed. In some cases, serum levels of the two markers were determined monthly in the course of the disease.
When the serum levels of KL-6 and SP-D were measured simultaneously, the sensitivity to diagnose interstitial lung disease was 67.7%, the specificity was 98.1%, and the accuracy was 91.4%, while those of serum LDH were 45.2%, 88.9%, 79.1% respectively. In the patients with interstitial lung disease, those who had elevated serum levels of both KL-6 and SP-D showed parenchymal collapse opacity-dominant pattern in HRCT. On the other hand, the patients with interstitial lung disease who had normal levels of serum KL-6 and SP-D or had elevation either in KL-6 or SP-D levels showed ground glass opacity-dominant pattern in HRCT. There was no significant correlation between serum marker levels and Gallium scintigraphy findings. When serum KL-6 and SP-D were measured monthly, the levels of both markers changed more specifically and sensitively to the lung disease activity compared with serum LDH.
Serum KL-6 and SP-D are more specific and useful markers for the diagnosis and evaluation of interstitial lung disease compared with serum LDH in connective tissue disorders.
To examine therapeutic effect of leukocytapheresis (LCAP) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) resistant to various treatments. Thirteen patients with RA (mean age : 60.8±11.4, male : female=5 : 8), ① who ...were resistant to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologics, or ② who failed with those medicines because of side effects or complications. We performed LCAP, which was carried out once a week for a total of five sessions, with a throughput of about 0.1 L/kg. Before and after LCAP, we evaluated the effect of LCAP therapy. DAS28 (CRP) score was 5.70±1.12 before LCAP, 4.57±1.19 (P<0.05) just after the final LCAP and 4.83±1.35 (P<0.05) about 4weeks after LCAP. DAS28 score decreased in all patients after LCAP. No serious adverse events were observed except temporary anemia. LCAP therapy may be useful and safe for patients with RA resistant to conventional medication. Patients who show good clinical response by LCAP needs to be clarified.
We report an unusual case of the 'reverse' variant of follicular lymphoma in which the nodules had central parts that stained dark and cuffs that stained pale. Because diagnosis was difficult relying ...only on formalin-fixed histopathology, we examined the cell surface markers and karyotype. The patient, a 65-year-old man, presented with multiple lymphadenopathy, low-grade fever, night sweats, anorexia, dry cough and sense of chest oppression. Cell surface marker analysis showed that pathologic lymphocytes were positive for CD 10, CD 19, CD 20, HLA-DR, IgM/IgD and kappa, and t (14; 18) (q 32; q 21) was detected by karyotypic analysis. The 'reverse' variant of follicular lymphoma, clinical stage IVB was diagnosed the rearrangement band was detected with PCR-based clonality analysis in not only the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene but also the T cell receptor gamma chain gene, thus confirming monoclonal proliferation of both B cells and T cells.
Nasal breathing disorder has been associated with the condition and treatment of sleep disordered breathing (SDB). In the current study, we investigated the utility of measurement of nasal resistance ...in patients with SDB. We examined the relationship between nasal symptoms and nasal resistance in 219 patients, and how the results affected the administration of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) in 34 SDB patients. Total nasal resistance was not significantly different between patients who were divided into two groups: those with nasal symptoms, and those without. The left-right ratio of nasal flow in the group with nasal symptoms was higher than in the group without nasal symptoms (p < 0.01). The mean percentage of nCPAP use was not significantly different between two groups divided by total nasal resistance. The mean percentage of nCPAP use > or = 4 hours was lower in the group in which total nasal resistance was more than 0.25Pa/cm3/sec (p < 0.05). The left-right ratio of nasal flow does not affect nCPAP use. We conclude that measurement of nasal resistance for confirming nasal breathing disorder is effective in patients with SDB, whether a patient complains of nasal symptoms or not.
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