Άρθρα

Risk Factors for Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Δευτέρα, 09 Αυγούστου 2021 09:43

Medical records of sequential, non-selected patients with lung cancer who were treated at the Oncology Unit, Sotiria General Hospital, Athens, Greece between January 2015 and June 2018 were reviewed.

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Lung Cancer in Greece

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Τετάρτη, 04 Αυγούστου 2021 09:26

Greece is a South European country, located at the east part of the Mediterranean basin and the southern edge of the Balcan Peninsula, with a population of 10,720,000 in 2019.
In the past decade, Greece’s mixed economy has gradually recovered from the financial deficit crisis that burst out in 2009 and led to the supervised funding of the country from the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund for several years. With a nominal per capita income of U.S. $31,413 in 2019 (adjusted to purchasing power parity), Greece has now reached approximately two-thirds of the EU- 28 average.1 Nevertheless, the economic depression has significantly affected health care investments and funding.
The Greek health care model is mixed, with the public sector mainly financed through compulsory social insurance, covering approximately 90% of the population, whereas a substantial number of beneficiaries also profit from private insurance funding, which is gradually growing.

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Clinical utility of thoracic endosonography (EBUS/EUS-b) in mediastinal staging of patients with non-small cell lung cancer: comparison with integrated PET/CT—a real-life prospective study in Greece

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Δευτέρα, 28 Δεκεμβρίου 2020 10:25

“Clinical utility of thoracic endosonography (EBUS-EUS b) in mediastinal staging of patients with Non Small Lung Cancer : comparison with intergrated PET-CT – a real life prospective study in Greece”. Serafeim Chrysikos, Ioannis Gkiozos, Katerina Dimakou et all, in Journal of Thoracic Diseases, 12 (10) :5657-5666, 2020.

One hundred and thirty patients were eligible for analysis (mean age ± SD: 67.6±7.6, males 97).

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Modern Radiopharmaceuticals for lung cancer imaging with positron emission tomography/ computed tomography scan: A systematic review

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Δευτέρα, 28 Δεκεμβρίου 2020 10:22

“Modern Radiopharmaceuticals for lung cancer imaging with positron emission tomography/ computed tomography scan: A systematic review” by Athanasios Theodoropoulos, Ioannis Gkiozos, Georgios Kontopyrgias et all, in SAGE Open Med. 2020, September28;8.

Lung cancer is one of the world’s most common and aggressive neoplasms. For this reason, it is important to have a timely diagnosis and then a proper treatment and follow-up. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a useful tool for detecting, staging, taking therapeutic decisions, and assessing response to treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, etc.).

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Sarcoidosis-Like Reactions Induced by Checkpoint Inhibitors

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Τετάρτη, 15 Αυγούστου 2018 11:19

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a newly developed component of cancer care that expands the treatment possibilities for patients. Their use has been associated with several immune-related adverse events, including ICIinduced sarcoidosis-like reactions. This article reviews the data concerning ICI-induced sarcoidosis-like reactions currently available in the medical literature.

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PET/CT and brain MRI role in staging NSCLC: prospective assessment of the accuracy, reliability and cost–effectiveness

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Τετάρτη, 15 Αυγούστου 2018 11:19

To determine whether PET/CT and brain MRI used in staging NSCLC can be accurate, reliable and cost-effective tools. NSCLC represents 80–85% of lung cancer and adequate information on the initial tumor staging is critical for planning an optimal therapeutic strategy.

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New data for venous thromboembolism in patients with small cell lung cancer: A review

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Πέμπτη, 18 Ιανουαρίου 2018 07:43

Lung cancer is the most common cancer in men and the third most common in women, worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 1,590,000 deaths worldwide due to lung cancer, annually. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both sexes in the United States of America (USA), following prostate cancer in males and breast cancer in women. In the past, small cell made up 17.3% of new cases of lung cancer; however, incidence has decreased in recent years. It now accounts for about 13% of new cases.

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The potential role of brachytherapy in the irradiation of patients with lung cancer: a systematic review

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Δευτέρα, 22 Μαΐου 2017 11:15

To review the use of brachytherapy as an adjuvant therapy to reduce recurrences after sublobar resections and as a palliation to patients with inoperable disease. A review of all published studies was performed to identify the recurrence rate after brachytherapy adjuvant to sublobar resection and assess the palliation of symptoms and the complications of brachytherapy as a palliative treatment.

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Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma treated with bevacizumab: A case series

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Πέμπτη, 17 Νοεμβρίου 2016 20:49

Epithelioid hemangioenthothelioma(EH) is a rare vascular neoplasm of endothelial origin. It most commonly develops in the lung and liver, but may also arise from any organ, and typically displays an intermediate clinical behavior between haemangioma and angiosarcoma.

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Survival and Quality of Life Benefit after Endoscopic Management of Malignant Central Airway Obstruction

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Κυριακή, 10 Ιουλίου 2016 21:26

Although interventional management of malignant central airway obstruction (mCAO) is well established, its impact on survival and quality of life (QoL) has not been extensively studied.
Aim: We prospectively assessed survival, QoL and dyspnea (using validated EORTC questionnaire) in patients with mCAO 1 day before interventional bronchoscopy, 1 week after and every following month, in comparison to patients who declined this approach

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MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH OF TUMORS OF THE CHEST

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Τετάρτη, 04 Μαΐου 2016 17:18

Venous Thromboembolism in Patients with Lung Cancer

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Κυριακή, 07 Φεβρουαρίου 2016 11:21

Considering the high prevalence of lung cancer, our purpose was to summarize the existing literature to identify the several factors that contribute to the increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with lung cancer and to analyze the current recommendations for thromboprophylaxis and treatment of VTE in those patients. Methods: We searched the Medline and EMBASE databases from February 1985 to February 2014 to identify retrospective and prospective randomized controlled studies that investigate one or more risk factors for VTEs in patients with lung cancer.

Results: A VTE is a major complication for patients diagnosed with lung cancer. The risk factors for VTE events in patients with lung cancer consist of cancer-related (histological type and stage of cancer), treatment-related (surgery, chemotherapy, angiogenic agents, and supportive care agents), and patient-related factors (comorbidities, immobility, performance status, and prior thrombosis). Lowmolecular-weight heparins are recommended for long-term treatment of cancer-associated thrombosis. Duration of anticoagulant therapy beyond 6 months should be based on individual clinical evaluation. Thromboprophylaxis for patients with lung cancer during hospitalization and immediate postoperative period is well established. Conclusions: Efforts to assess thrombotic risk in patients with lung cancer may improve therapeutic and preventive strategies in the future, with final goal to minimize the burden and consequences of thrombotic events in patients with lung cancer.

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Anaphylaxis during rapid oral desensitization to rifampicin

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Κυριακή, 07 Φεβρουαρίου 2016 11:19

Rifampicin (also known as rifampin) is one of the most potent first-line antituberculosis drugs and an indispensable treatment option for isoniazid-resistant, rifampicin-sensitive tuberculosis (TB). Hypersensitivity reactions to rifampicin, mainly including fever, flu-like syndrome, rash, thrombocytopenia, acute renal failure, urticaria, and anaphylaxis, are considered rare but may occur among susceptible individuals and lead to premature discontinuation of the drug.1

Drug desensitization is a well-established procedure that may temporarily modify a patient’s immunologic response to the sensitizing agent, thus allowing for continuation of treatment.2 Desensitization to rifampicin has been previously described in rare case reports, almost invariably with successful results.2-6 We herein report a case of anaphylaxis during rapid oral desensitization to rifampicin in a male patient with active TB and a history of anaphylactic reactions to this agent. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the English literature of a severe immediate-type reaction during desensitization to rifampicin.

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Giant Tuberculin Reaction Associated With the Homeopathic Drug Tuberculinum: A Case Report

Δημιουργηθηκε στις Δευτέρα, 20 Ιουλίου 2015 11:11

The tuberculin skin test (TST) is the most widely used screening tool for the detection of latent tuberculosis. Skin reaction to intradermal injection of tuberculin, a purified protein derivative (PPD) of tubercle bacilli, is based on the induction of a delayed- type hypersensitivity response in subjects presensitized to mycobacterial antigens [1]. According to the latest guidelines and recommendations by the American Thoracic Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a cutoff point of 15 mmshould be used for separating positive from negative skin reactions to tuberculin in low-risk groups (patients from lowincidence regions, with no history of tuberculosis contact, immunosuppression, or other known risk factor for tuberculosis) [1].

Giant reactions to tuberculin, defined as accelerated and exaggerated responses typically exceeding 40 mm in diameter, are extremely rare and have been previously reported almost exclusively in individuals with lepromatous leprosy [2, 3] and only occasionally in patients with active tuberculosis [2, 4]. To the best of our knowledge, large tuberculin reactions in the absence of active mycobacterial infection have been previously reported only as a result of inadvertent injection of vaccine instead of a PPD product [5].We report a tuberculin reaction of 100 mm in diameter, associated with administration of Tuberculinum, a homeopathic drug prepared from tuberculous tissue, in a patient with no evidence of active mycobacterial infection. A propos of this case, the need for improved safety and quality control of homeopathic medicines prepared from potentially hazardous biological materials is also briefly discussed.

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