Intravenous Steroids for Refractory Chemotherapy-Related Diarrhea: A Case Report.

The clinical course of a patient with chemotherapy-related diarrhea (CRD) refractory to standard therapy was monitored over the course of 21 days. The patient was minimally responsive to traditional treatment options, including bismuth subsalicylate, diphenoxylate-atropine, loperamide, octreotide, and oral (PO) steroids, and exhibited reportable improvements with the addition of intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone to other antidiarrheal agents. We present a case of CRD in an 82-year-old female.

Evaluation of INK4A promoter methylation using pyrosequencing and circulating cell-free DNA from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hyper-methylation of CpG dinucleotides in the promoter region of inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 4A (INK4A) has been reported in 60%-80% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As INK4A promoter hypermethylation event occurs early in HCC progression, the quantification of INK4A promoter methylation in blood sample may represent a useful biomarker for non-invasive diagnosis and prediction of response to therapy.

Methods: We examined INK4A promoter methylation using circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) in a total of 109 serum specimens, including 66 HCC and 43 benign chronic liver diseases.

Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma of the tonsil and its treatment.

Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma (HCCC) is a rare neoplasm affecting mainly the minor salivary glands of the oral cavity. We describe an unusual case of HCCC involving the tonsil and its successful management. A 67-year-old Hispanic woman was discovered to have an asymptomatic right tonsillar mass on routine clinic visit that revealed HCCC on biopsy.

Rituximab: current status as therapy for malignant and benign hematologic disorders.

Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody targeting the pan-B-cell antigen CD20 and was the first monoclonal antibody approved for clinical use in the treatment of cancer. Since its first approval by the FDA in 1997, investigators have continued to explore a variety of clinical conditions in which rituximab has proven effective with minimal toxicity. Rituximab, as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy, has been studied extensively in untreated and relapsed/refractory settings as both induction and maintenance therapy for the treatment of CD20-positive lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, in addition to non-malignant hematologic disorders including autoimmune hemolytic anemia and immune thrombocytopenic purpura.