Acute interstitial pneumonitis during chemotherapy for haematological malignancy.

Fourteen adult patients with haematological malignancies (eight non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, one multiple myeloma, one chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, two acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and two acute myeloid leukaemia) developed acute interstitial pneumonitis (IP) during the course of chemotherapy. All patients manifested high fever over 38 degrees C, bilateral diffuse pulmonary interstitial infiltrates in the chest radiograph and severe hypoxia without hypercapnia in the arterial blood gas analysis. Pathogenic microorganisms were not detected in repeated examinations in any patient.

Elevated levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor in serum of patients with hematological or non-hematological malignancies.

We measured the levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in the serum of 53 patients with hematological malignancies (14 with acute leukemia, 10 myeloproliferative disorders, 21 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 8 multiple myeloma), 40 with non-hematological solid malignancies (24 with lung cancer, 11 digestive system cancer and 5 other cancers) and 95 healthy subjects as a control using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Both hematological and non-hematological neoplasms showed significantly higher sIL-2R levels than normal subjects (p<0.01).

Hemostatic abnormalities following bone marrow transplantation.

Hemostatic abnormalities in 26 patients following bone marrow transplantation (BMT) were examined. In the event-free survival group, the plasma levels of antithrombin (AT) and protein C (PC) were significantly decreased 1 and 2 weeks after BMT, and the plasma levels of thrombomodulin (TM) and tissue plasminogen activator-plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 complex (tPA-PAI-I complex) were significantly increased from 4 weeks to 13 weeks after BMT. Excepting AT, there was no significant difference in hemostatic parameters before BMT among the event-free survival, 6-month survival, and death within 6 months groups.

Effect of direct infusion of antifungal agent on invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a patient with acute leukemia.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is a serious problem in the treatment of patients with acute leukemia. A 52-year-old woman with acute myeloid leukemia developed invasive pulmonary aspergillosis during remission induction chemotherapy. Initially, we treated her with a continuous intravenous drip infusion of amphotericin B, together with itraconazole, given orally.

[Aggressive transformation and extramedullary tumor formation in IgA-lambda multiple myeloma].

A 52-year-old woman complained of lower back pain and gluteal pain in April 1997, and was found to have anemia, hypercalcemia and renal disorder. In September of the same year, she was diagnosed as having IgA-lambda myeloma (stage IIIA). VMMD-IFN therapy was started in November, 1997, and this resulted in improvement of the M-protein level, and relief of the pain in the lower back and gluteal region.