1/16. Successful low-dose concurrent chemotherapy and radiation for locally advanced or inoperable non-small cell lung carcinoma: a report of six cases.Many studies now demonstrate high overall response rates with concurrent chemotherapy and radiation (CCR) for locoregionally advanced or inoperable non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) but often with severe toxicity and only modest improvement in survival beyond 3 years. We report a simple CCR protocol for NSCLC that has resulted in long-term disease-free survival with low toxicity. In this retrospective review, 84 patients with NSCLC were seen between 1985 and 1991. Of these, 10 patients had stage IIIa or IIIb NSCLC without effusion or inoperable NSCLC, with no failed prior treatment at the time of referral for oncology evaluation. Six of these were treated with CCR consisting of three cycles of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil administered concurrently with radiation treatment followed by maintenance chemotherapy for at least five additional cycles. All six patients treated with this protocol had complete response with minimal side effects. Survival times ranged from 4.5 to more than 10 years. Three patients survived in complete remission; three others were in complete remission at the time of death due to unrelated causes. Stage III NSCLC without effusion and inoperable NSCLC can be treated effectively with concurrent local and systemic treatment without significant toxicity. In patients with complete response, maintenance chemotherapy may overcome residual microscopic systemic disease, leading to long-term survival and possible cure. The CCR strategy that resulted in this favorable outcome is noteworthy and should be pursued in larger numbers of patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = effusion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/16. pleural effusion and pulmonary injury as an unusual complication to chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer patients.We report the appearance of pleural effusion, or pulmonary failure after chemotherapy, followed by tumor reduction, in a small number of patients. Five hundred and fifty-four patients with lung cancer have undergone chemotherapy at our Institute during the last ten years. Three patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with locally advanced disease, exhibited an unusual consequence following cytotoxic drug treatment. Two patients with NSCLC had pleural effusion which improved within 2-3 weeks, together with tumor reduction, which allowed the continuation of treatment. One patient had pulmonary failure with pleural effusion and recovered within two weeks. Two of the three patients had positive cytology for cancer cells in the fluid. All three patients achieved partial remission with no repetition of the complication. The patients' recovery, response to treatment and the tumor reduction suggest that this complication was not due to disease progression.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3.5keywords = effusion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/16. Percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy by the use of Inoue balloon for the management of recurrent cardiac tamponade in a patient with lung cancer.A 32-year-old man with lung cancer involving pericarditis carcinomatosa underwent pericardiotomy, using an Inoue balloon dilating catheter, to create a non-surgical pericardial window. The procedure was performed from the thoracic wall to the left pleural effusion and parietal pericardium under local anesthesia. The effects of non-surgical pericardial window had been maintained until this patient died from his primary disease. It is concluded that percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy is helpful in the management of massive pericardial effusions particularly in patients with malignancies and poor clinical condition- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = effusion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/16. Beware the malignant jellyfish.Small pleural effusions that cannot be assessed by thoracentesis prior to surgery may represent a diagnostic challenge in the patient with a resectable, non-small cell cancer of the lung. Even if the effusion is drained preoperatively and analyzed, the cytology may be falsely negative. We have found that careful inspection of pleural effusions using a single small 2-cm incision and video-assisted thorascopy may reveal a gelatinous piece of clotlike material that resembles a jellyfish. This cohesive particulate piece of material lies in the effusion. This material can be sent for frozen section (unlike cytologic exams in most hospitals), and an immediate answer can be obtained. Cytology results of the surrounding effusion that return 24 hours later confirm the frozen section findings. If malignant, this avoids thoracotomy and pulmonary resection in a patient with unsuspected T4, stage IIIB lung cancer. It also avoids closing a patient with an unsuspected effusion and having to wait 24 hours for the cytology results. We review our experience with this jellyfish-like material.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = effusion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/16. Dramatic effect of ZD1839 ('Iressa') in a patient with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and poor performance status.We describe the case of a 52-year-old Japanese woman with advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung, in whom once-daily treatment with 250 mg ZD1839 ('Iressa') demonstrated a marked antitumour effect. She had initially achieved a partial response with cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy, but had subsequently progressed and had failed to respond to salvage chemotherapy. She had also received whole-brain irradiation for brain metastases. On admission, the patient was confined to bed due to dyspnoea and had rapidly progressing hypoxia secondary to lymphangitis carcinomatosa and a massive right pleural effusion. She was treated with oxygen supplementation and oral ZD1839, which, within a week, led to marked tumour regression and gradually improving dyspnoea. The main adverse event observed was a grade 2 rash. A month after starting ZD1839 treatment, the patient was discharged without the need for oxygen supplementation and had since returned to full-time work. This is a demonstration of ZD1839 producing a dramatic clinical response when administered to a patient with poor performance status who had received extensive prior treatment with cytotoxic agents.'Iressa' is a trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = effusion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/16. pulmonary embolism as the initial manifestation of large cell lung cancer--a case report with review.Lung cancer is known as a risk factor of pulmonary embolism. We experienced a case of pulmonary embolism combined with pleural effusion and pleuritic chest pain as the initial manifestation of large cell lung cancer, which is a relatively rare cell type of lung cancer in korea. We report it with a review of the literature.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = effusion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/16. Repetitive yawning associated with cardiac tamponade.yawning occurs frequently in daily life and is often attributed to boredom and fatigue. Rarely, it may be a symptom of serious underlying medical illness, primarily involving the central nervous system. We report a case of acute cardiac tamponade resulting from a large, malignant pericardial effusion. The patient manifested striking repetitive yawning that resolved immediately after pericardial drainage. An association between repetitive yawning and acute cardiac tamponade has not been previously described.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = effusion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/16. Unilateral breast edema in two patients with malignant pleural effusion.Unilateral breast edema usually signifies an underlying pathology of the breast and prompts extensive investigations for the purpose of an early treatment. Although breast edema has been reported with other systemic etiologies, it has not been described in patients with lung cancer. We report two cases of unilateral breast edema occurring in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and ipsilateral pleural effusion. mammography and ultrasound of the breast both revealed increased interstitial density suggestive of fluid retention without any underlying masses. We performed a therapeutic pleurocentesis on one patient for symptomatic relief, and there was simultaneous improvement of the breast edema. We postulate a possible pathophysiology for the association between breast edema and malignant pleural effusion. The principle of management when one encounters similar cases would be to treat the underlying pleural effusion.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3.5keywords = effusion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/16. Response to temozolomide in second-line treatment of recurrent nonsmall cell lung carcinoma: case report.Almost all patients with stage IV nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who show an initial response to chemotherapy will eventually relapse. For patients with a good performance status at relapse, second-line chemotherapy is a standard treatment option. A case of recurrent NSCLC described herein profiles a patient previously treated with cisplatin, irinotecan, and radical thoracic radiation for stage IIIb NSCLC. The patient showed a complete response to first-line therapy that lasted for approximately 17 months. When new adenopathy was discovered, therapy with the oral chemotherapeutic agent temozolomide was initiated. After 2 treatment cycles, a near complete response was obtained and she remained free from disease progression during all subsequent treatment cycles with temozolomide. The patient remained free from disease progression for a total of 15 months when she was treated for dehydration and a computed tomography (CT) scan showed new small bilateral pleural effusions and enlarging subcarinal, right hilar, and left infrahilar lymph nodes. The patient died 21 months after her first treatment cycle with temozolomide, most likely because of progressive disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = effusion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/16. EGFR mutations in malignant pleural effusion of non-small cell lung cancer: a case report.EGFR mutations have been shown to correlate with the clinical responsiveness to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI). The detection of EGFR mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is important from the perspective of targeted anticancer therapy. We report the first case showing that the status of EGFR mutations can be successfully determined in malignant pleural effusion of NSCLC using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, and correlated to the clinical responsiveness to gefitinib, an EGFR-TKI. This case demonstrated the importance of molecular cytology in the era of targeted therapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2.5keywords = effusion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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