Complete response of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis secondary to breast cancer

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LC) is an unmet medical need associated with death in 4–6 weeks without treatment, delayed by 4 months in some patients with favorable prognosis and aggressive multimodal therapy. Unfortunately, most clinical trials excluded patients with LC, and the best management remains unknown.Here we present the first report of a LC secondary to HR positive breast cancer with a complete response to CDK4/6 inhibitors abemaciclib, letrozole and hippocampal-avoidance whole-brain radiotherapy.     

Intrathecal administration of trastuzumab with cytarabine and methotrexate in breast cancer patients with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis

HER2-positive status is associated with increased risk of central nervous system (CNS) metastases in breast cancer patients. Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) represents a rare but disastrous manifestation of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Several case reports of intrathecal (i.t.) trastuzumab in the treatment of LCM were published so far. Usually, i.t. trastuzumab was administered in monotherapy or in combination with metothrexate. Herein, we report for the first time two patients with metastatic breast cancer and leptomeningeal carcinomatosis treated by intrathecal methotrexate (15 mg total dose) and cytarabine (24 mg total dose) with escalating dose of trastuzumab. We observed that up to 100 mg of trastuzumab can be safely administered intratecally with i.t. metothrexate and cytarabine. Both patients achieved good control of leptomeningeal disease for 13.5 and 6 months without significant toxicity. We suggest that i.t. trastuzumab with cytarabine and metothrexate is associated with promising benefit and warrant further investigation.     

A diffuse metastatic leptomeningeal carcinomatosis from gallbladder cancer; case report]

We encountered a 72-year-old woman with diffuse metastatic leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, who first suffered from occipital pain and died about a month after onset. On postmortem examination, gallbladder cancer (adenocarcinoma) was found to be the primary disease. We focused on its frequency and the metastatic route. On the metastatic route, we obtained the following results: tumor cells infiltrated only the cerebrospinal fluid, but not the areas surrounding the gallbladder cancer (spine or spinal cord) or into the brain parenchyma. A comparative study of the state of cerebrospinal fluid between the ventricle and the subarachnoid space disclosed that the cerebrospinal fluid pressure, cell count, and CEA and CA 19-9 levels increased more in the intraventricular cerebrospinal fluid, especially when the CEA level was higher than that in the serum. On histopathological examination, tumor emboli were seen in choroidal vessels in the ventricular wall, and tumor cells existed sparsely around choroidal secretory vessels. These results were thought to support the theory of hematogenous metastasis as Little et al proposed.     

Treatment of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis with continuous intraventricular infusion of recombinant interleukin-2

A 42-year-old man developed leptomeningeal carcinomatosis 6 years after treatment of a malignant melanoma. He was treated with two courses of recombinant interleukin-2, administered as a continuous intraventricular infusion (6 X 10E5 U/24 h) during 5 days. During the first day of the first course he also received 5 X 10E9 lymphokine-activated killer cells intraventricularly. This gave rise to a severe elevation of intracranial pressure, with headaches and meningismus. During the second course no LAK cells were administered. This course was tolerated much better. The neurological status did not change during the treatment. Recombinant interleukin-2 levels were maintained at about 300 U/mL during both courses.     

Intrathecal chemotherapy for patients with meningeal carcinomatosis

BACKGROUND: Meningeal carcinomatosis (MC) is increasing, and these patients have a poor prognosis. We analyzed the effects of intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy for these patients. METHODS: Patients received both methotrexate (MTX) (15 mg/m(2)) and prednisolone (10 mg/m(2)) 6 times in 2 weeks by Ommaya reservoir, along with cytosine arabinoside (10 mg/m(2)) for 4 doses of MTX. A cycle consisted of a 2-week period during which patients received these drugs and then 2 weeks off. Treatments were repeated 3 to 6 cycles depending on the clinical status. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were also analyzed for cytology and a few markers. RESULTS: Of the 58 patients treated the most common tumor was lymphoma (30 patients), followed by lung and breast. Elevated soluble IL-2 receptor levels were observed in 23 of 30 patients with lymphomatous meningitis. Median survival of MC patients with malignant lymphoma, lung cancer, and breast cancer was 32.8 +/- 9.8, 13.0 +/- 4.1, and 18.4 +/- 7.4 months, respectively. Thus, the patients with lymphoma responded best, both by clearing the CSF and clinically. CONCLUSIONS: Our treatment regimen can improve the neurologic status of patients with MC. In particular, early IT chemotherapy can be effective for patients with lymphoma.     

Multidisciplinary care for patients with breast cancer

Breast cancer management requires a multidisciplinary approach that is tailored to the patient's stage at presentation, desire for breast conservation or reconstruction, estimation of risk of recurrence, and assessment of the benefits and toxicities of potential adjuvant therapies. At the Lahey Clinic Medical Center, breast surgeons, plastic surgeons, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists staff the Breast Cancer Treatment Clinic, and work closely together to formulate treatment plans that will optimize the likelihood for cure with an acceptable cosmetic result. This involves careful preoperative work-up, surgical axillary staging, breast irradiation in the setting of breast conservation, and selection of chemotherapy or hormonal therapy if appropriate. Newer aspects of breast cancer care, including sentinal lymph node biopsy, postmastectomy radiation therapy, expanded use of hormonal therapy in younger women, new agents and chemotherapy combinations, and autogenous reconstruction techniques, have become an essential part of the multidisciplinary clinic approach.     

Rhabdoid meningioma occurring in an unrelated resection cavity with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. Case report

Rhabdoid meningioma (RM) is a recently described, aggressive variant of meningioma. The authors report a case of RM occurring in the resection cavity of an unrelated neurosurgical procedure, temporal lobectomy for intractable seizures. The patient presented with intractable headache 10 years after the temporal lobectomy. Imaging revealed a dura-based, uniformly enhancing lesion within the resection cavity. She underwent gross-total resection and the findings of the surgical pathological report were consistent with an RM, with a dramatically elevated MIB-1 index of approximately 50%. The patient's clinical course was complicated by severe pain and communicating hydrocephalus secondary to rapid dissemination of malignant cells throughout the CSF pathways. Despite aggressive measures, including tumor resection, ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement, and the initiation of conventional radiation therapy, the ensuing leptomeningeal carcinomatosis proved to be rapidly fatal.     

Chemoport with a non-collapsible chamber as a replacement for an Ommaya reservoir in the treatment of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis

Background  

The Ommaya reservoir for intraventricular chemotherapy of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) patients has been reported to have some complications. We introduced a Chemoport reservoir, with a solid non-collapsible, high-profile chamber as a the replacement for the Ommaya reservoir in LMC patients.     

Disseminated carcinomatosis of the bone marrow in two patients with prostate cancer

Disseminated carcinomatosis of the bone marrow is caused by metastasis to the bone marrow and can cause disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), leucoerythroblastosis, and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MHA). The prognosis of this syndrome is poor. We report herein two rare cases of disseminated carcinomatosis of the bone marrow in association with prostate cancer. Case 1 involved a 61-year-old man admitted to our department with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Prostate biopsy revealed prostate cancer, and imaging studies were performed. Under a diagnosis of prostate cancer (T3N1Mx), the patient was treated using hormonotherapy, but died 2 months after admission due to gastrointestinal bleeding of unknown cause, refractory DIC, and cachexia. Bone marrow biopsy after his death revealed metastasis of the prostate cancer to the bone marrow. Case 2 involved a 68-year-old man admitted to our department with gross hematuria. Cystoscopy revealed non-papillary tumor in the prostatic urethra. Transurethral biopsy was performed and histology identified prostate cancer. Treatment was initiated with hormonotherapy and zoledronate. After 8 months, he complained of general fatigue and blood testing identified anemia and thrombocytopenia. Bone marrow biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma in the bone marrow. Alternative androgen therapy and chemotherapy with docetaxel was started, and the patient recovered from pancytopenia and general fatigue.     

Surgical strategies for gastric cancer with synchronous peritoneal carcinomatosis

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer frequently spreads to the peritoneal cavity. Whether laparoscopy is useful in planning therapy remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of laparoscopy and to develop a therapeutic algorithm. METHODS: Six hundred and sixty consecutive patients with gastric cancer were included in this prospective observational study. The sensitivity of abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT) and laparoscopy for detecting peritoneal carcinomatosis was compared. The lesions were biopsied and classified as P1, P2 or P3 according to the recommendations of the Japanese Research Society for Gastric Cancer. Prognosis was determined according to the stage of peritoneal carcinomatosis and therapeutic procedure adopted. RESULTS: One hundred and ten (16.7 per cent) of 660 patients presented with synchronous peritoneal carcinomatosis. The sensitivity for detecting peritoneal carcinomatosis was 85 per cent for laparoscopy compared with 19 per cent for ultrasonography and 28 per cent for CT. Patients with P3 disease did not benefit from additional surgery compared with chemotherapy alone. Those with P1 carcinomatosis had improved survival rates after complete resection followed by chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopy improves the detection and classification of peritoneal carcinomatosis, and offers patients with gastric cancer a more individualized and effective therapy.     

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis following 27 years remission from breast cancer with epidermoid: a case report

We herein report a patient with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LC) in long-term remission from breast cancer, co-existing with a posterior fossa epidermoid and an increase in the serum CA19-9 level which complicated the diagnosis. A 59-year-old woman underwent a left mastectomy due to breast cancer 27 years ago. She was admitted to our hospital suffering from a headache and diplopia. Her serum CA19-9 level on admission was elevated, and diffusion weighted images showed a high-intensity tumor in the prepontine and left cerebello-pontine cistern. A left lateral suboccipital craniotomy with endoscopic assistance was performed for tissue sampling. The pathological diagnosis was an epidermoid and LC from breast cancer. She died of progression of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis 31 days after surgery. LC alone following long-term remission from breast cancer is extremely rare. Meningeal irritation co-existing with an epidermoid mimicking chemical meningitis is even rarer. Pathological confirmation is required for such rare cases.     

Standards for follow-up care of patients with breast cancer

In the United States alone, over 200,000 women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year, and another 50,000 are diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ. The vast majority of these women will survive for five or more years, and the majority will never experience a recurrence of their disease. Follow-up care is focused on the early identification of new primary cancer and locoregional recurrences. There is no clear evidence that early identification of distant metastases will lead to an extension in survival, and for this reason routine imaging studies such as CT and PET scans are not recommended. Comprehensive care for breast cancer survivors should also address late complications of treatment and ongoing psychosocial problems that may have arisen as a result of a breast diagnosis and treatment. Although subspecialists often provide follow-up care for breast cancer survivors, randomized trials have demonstrated that generalists can provide such care. As the number of breast cancer survivors continues to increase, guidelines and programs to provide comprehensive, compassionate, and cost-effective follow-up care will become ever more important.     

Outcome of palliative operations for malignant bowel obstruction in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis from nongynecological cancer

Background:Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) secondary to peritoneal carcinomatosis carries a grave prognosis. We evaluated clinicopathologic factors that predict outcomes after palliative operations for MBO.Methods:Data on patients undergoing laparotomy for palliation of gastrointestinal MBO at City of Hope between 1995 and 2000 were retrospectively collected. Successful palliation was defined as the ability to tolerate solid food (TSF).Results:Sixty-three patients underwent operative treatment. In 20 patients, MBO was the first presentation of disease; for others, the median disease-free interval was 15 months. The complication rate was 44%, and postoperative mortality was 15%. The median length of stay was 12 days. Twenty-nine patients (45%) were discharged from the hospital on a regular diet; 22 (76%) continued to eat until their last follow-up. Median survival was 90 days. Univariate factors for longer survival were TSF on discharge, colorectal primary, and nonmetastatic status at first diagnosis. Patients with ascites and whose cancer first presented with MBO had an inferior survival. Noncolorectal primary remained a multivariate predictor for decreased survival. TSF was predicted by the absence of ascites, an obstruction not involving the small bowel, and a preoperative albumin of >3.0 mg/dl. Multiple logistic regression analysis yielded presence of ascites and small-bowel obstruction as predictors of inability to TSF.Conclusions:Only one third of patients with MBO from peritoneal carcinomatosis will have prolonged postoperative palliation with significant, but acceptable, treatment-related morbidity. TSF at discharge is a useful predictor of continued palliation for most patients. Patients with colorectal cancer may have superior survival outcome and better palliation; others are at risk for poor outcomes, especially in the presence of ascites and MBO of small bowel. In these patients, highly selective use of laparotomy is recommended.     

Interim results of treatment of breast cancer with breast conservation for all patients

Since April 1979, all female patients who have come to this unit with carcinoma of the breast have received primary treatment with breast conservation. Until December 1984, 288 patients underwent local excision of the tumor with radical radiotherapy. After 1 to 5 years, the overall and recurrence-free survival rates have been comparable with those expected after mastectomy. Local recurrence occurred in 7 of 76 (9%) patients who had stage I disease, and in 16 of 181 (9%) and 3 of 27 (11%) patients with stage II and stage III disease, respectively. Eleven patients required a mastectomy to control recurrence of the cancer, and of the 29 patients who died of breast cancer, only three had symptomatic local disease at the time of death.     

乳腔镜在乳腺癌微创外科手术中的应用

随着现代生物科学、信息科学、材料科学、计算机科学、网络技术等学科的深入发展，微创与功能治疗即以最小的侵袭或损伤达到最佳疗效，已成为21世纪肿瘤学者追求的目标。微创技术和保留功能手术在乳腺外科的应用从针吸细胞学检查（fine needie aspiration，FNA）和空心针穿刺活检术（cutting needle biopsy，CNB）开始，     

Fiberoptic ductoscopy for breast cancer patients with nipple discharge

Background: Breast cancer and precancer are thought to originate in the lining of the milk duct, but until recently, we have not had direct access to this area other than in tissue removed blindly by core biopsy or fine-needle aspiration. Fiberoptic ductoscopy (FDS) is an emerging technique that allows direct visual access of the ductal system of the breast through nipple orifice cannulation and exploration. To date, this technique has been used only in pilot studies. Previously, we have demonstrated that fiberoptic ductoscopy in patients with and without nipple discharge is a safe and effective means of visualizing the intraductal lesion. When combined with cytology, it is a screening technique that has high predictive value. Methods: We applied ductoscopy to 415 women with nipple discharge with the specific intent of detecting those patients with nipple discharge who had intraductal carcinoma (DCIS) as the basis of their discharge. Results: In this cohort of patients, ductoscopy was successful in visualizing an intraductal lesion in 166 patients (40%). In these cases, ductal lavage following ductoscopy increased the yield of cytologically interpretable ductal epithelial cells 100-fold compared to discharge fluid alone. In the majority of these patients, FDS examination detected lesions that had the appearance of typical papillomas. However, in 10 patients, the intraductal lesion exhibited one of several atypical features, including bleeding, circumferential obstruction, and gross fungating projections. In eight of these patients, the subsequent histopathology turned out to be DCIS. In two of these eight patients, endoscopic biopsy revealed cytologically malignant cells; in two others, ductal lavage (washings) revealed cytologically malignant cells. In three additional patients, although FDS examination uncovered a typical papilloma that was not biopsied, ductal lavage (washings) revealed cytologically malignant cells. On surgical pathology review of the extirpated lesions, all 11 patients were subsequently shown to have DCIS. Of these 11 cases of DCIS that were initially detected with a combination of FDS and ductal lavage cytology, six were completely negative on mammogram and physical exam. Conclusion: Although nipple discharge is an unusual presentation for DCIS, in patients with nipple discharge, FDS with ductal lavage cytology is a useful technique for diagnosing DCIS prior to definitive surgery.     

Male breast cancer in patients with a familial history of breast cancer

We describe herein the clinical characteristics of five male breast carcinoma (MBC) patients with a familial history of breast carcinoma (FHBC). Four of these patients suffered from multiple primary cancers, being gastric and prostate cancer in 1, gastric cancer in 1, and asynchronous bilateral breast cancers in 2. The average age of these patients at diagnosis was not lower than that of MBC patients with no such familial history. The aggregation of cancer in these families had three prominent characteristics: (1) The families included women with early-onset breast cancers which had occurred at the ages of 38, 38, and 35 years, respectively, and/or early-onset uterine cancer which had occurred at the age of 35 years. (2) The incidence of multiple primary cancers was significantly higher in the siblings of MBC patients with a FHBC than without. (3) There were many cancers in hormone-related organs in two families.