Squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx with osteosarcoma-like stromal metaplasia

Osseous or chondroid metaplasias are uncommonly found adjacent to laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). These findings are less unusual in the spindle cell variant. We describe a moderately differentiated laryngeal SCC associated with osteocartilaginous metaplasia of the adjacent stroma which exhibited very similar morphologic changes and mitoses to an osteosarcoma. These uncommon findings can be more clearly understood if they are viewed as changes determined by the microenvironment of the tumour-host interface, as indicated in recent studies. Tumour cells seem able to regulate stromal development and differentiation via the release of growth factors and the induction of growth factor receptor expression on the cell surface. Irrespective of the limited number of reported cases, the association of SCCs of the larynx with osteocartilaginous metaplasia does not seem to support the adoption of treatments of choice that differ in approach to those for site- and stage-matched SCCs without osteocartilaginous metaplasia.     

Association of renal adenocarcinoma and BK virus nephropathy post transplantation

While most BK virus infections are asymptomatic, immunosuppression has been associated with BK virus reactivation and impaired graft function or ureteric ulceration in renal transplant patients and hemorrhagic cystitis in bone marrow transplant patients. Oncogenicity is also postulated and this is the first report of a child with a carcinoma of the donor renal pelvis following BK virus allograft nephropathy. Removal of the primary tumor and cessation of immunosuppression led to regression of secondary tumors and a return to health.     

Metastatic basal cell carcinoma: rapid symptomatic response to cisplatin and paclitaxel

BACKGROUND: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common cancer in the community, although it rarely metastasizes. The literature reports less than 100 patients who have received chemotherapy for metastatic BCC. A further case of this rare disease is reported here. The pattern of disease in the reported patient was similar to that described in the literature, but the patient experienced a long period with untreated metastatic disease compared with that in the literature. METHOD: The patient was treated with cisplatin in combination with paclitaxel. Literature review suggests this to be the first report of this combination. RESULTS: Rapid symptomatic response was achieved though late neurotoxicity occurred. CONCLUSION: This regimen is an active combination for the rare patient with metastatic BCC. The combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel causes less neurotoxicity and may therefore be a superior regimen.     

Genome-wide RNAi screens in Caenorhabditis elegans: impact on cancer research

Genes linked to human cancers often function in evolutionary conserved pathways, and research in C. elegans has been instrumental in dissecting some of the pathways affected, such as apoptosis and Ras signalling. The advent of RNA interference (RNAi) technology has allowed high-throughput loss-of-function analyses of C. elegans gene functions. Here we review some of the most recent genome-wide RNAi screens that have been conducted and discuss their impact on cancer research and possibilities for future screens. We also show that genes causally implicated in human cancers are significantly more likely to have a C. elegans homologue than average, validating the use of C. elegans as a cancer gene discovery platform. We foresee that genome-wide RNAi screens in C. elegans will continue to be productive in identifying new cancer gene candidates and will provide further insights into cancer gene functions.     

Outcome after cavo-tricuspid isthmus ablation in patients with recurrent atrial fibrillation and drug-related typical atrial flutter

This study evaluates the long-term clinical outcome of 56 consecutive patients affected by atrial fibrillation and drug-related typical atrial flutter who underwent cavo-tricuspid isthmus radiofrequency ablation. Symptomatic arrhythmic events recurred after ablation in 64% of the patients during follow-up of 19 +/- 9 months. Even in those who had recurrences, there was a substantial reduction in the incidence of episodes, quality of life was improved, and hospitalizations decreased.     

The safety of anakinra in high-risk patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: six-month observations of patients with comorbid conditions

OBJECTIVE: To determine in a placebo-controlled, double-blind trial the safety profile of daily anakinra (Kineret) use in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and concurrent comorbid conditions. METHODS: In 169 centers in 9 countries, 1,414 patients with active RA were randomly assigned to receive either anakinra (100 mg) or placebo treatment (4:1 anakinra-to-placebo allocation ratio), with study drug administered by daily subcutaneous injection for 6 months. The current post hoc analysis assessed baseline comorbid conditions, and patients were considered at high risk for the occurrence of adverse events if they had a history of at least one of the following: cardiovascular event, pulmonary event, central nervous system-related event, infection, diabetes, malignancy, or renal impairment. Within each treatment group (anakinra or placebo), incidence rates were summarized for serious adverse events, infectious events, and serious infectious events in high-risk patients and compared with these incidence rates in patients without comorbid conditions. RESULTS: The majority of patients in the trial had one or more comorbid conditions. In these high-risk patients, there were no differences in the incidence of serious adverse events or infectious events between treatment groups. The incidence of serious infectious events with anakinra use was similar between high-risk patients (2.5%) and the entire study population (2.1%) and was not attributable to any single comorbidity. CONCLUSION: Results of the analysis of adverse events in patients with active RA and coexisting comorbidities suggest that the favorable safety profile of anakinra is maintained in a high-risk patient population.