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A Sureda

Publications and source records attributed to A Sureda.

154 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Low-dose amphotericin B lipid complex for the treatment of persistent fever of unknown origin in patients with hematologic malignancies and prolonged neutropenia.

We studied the safety of low-dose amphotericin B lipid complex (ABLC, at 1 mg/kg/day) in 30 persistently febrile (>38 degrees C for at least 5 days or with recurrent fever after 3 days of apyrexia) and neutropenic (<0.5 x 10(9)/l) adult patients with hematologic malignancies. The median age was 45 years (range 18-67), most (60%) had an acute leukemia and all had fever of unknown origin (FUO). The total duration of neutropenia was a median of 17 days (range 9-33), and the total number of days with fever 10 days (range 6-39). Seven patients experienced mild-to- moderate infusion-related adverse events (IRAE). The serum creatinine and urea increased from baseline to end of therapy in 76 and 63% of cases, but the maximum levels reached were <130 micromol/l and <11 mmol/l, respectively, in all cases. Liver enzymes showed modest but significant increases in most patients during therapy, while bilirubin decreased in 74% of cases. Response to treatment (defervescence within 6 days without developing a fungal or nonfungal infection) was seen in 22 cases (73%, 95% CI 58-89%), while 8 episodes were considered treatment failures: 2 due to persistent FUO, 1 withdrew due to IRAE, 2 developed nonfungal infections and 3 developed a presumed or definite invasive mycosis. We conclude that low-dose ABLC is very safe and well tolerated and seems as effective as c-AmB for this indication. Thus, randomized trials at this dose level appear justified to demonstrate any real benefit over c-AmB or other lipid formulations for the treatment of FUO in neutropenic patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Successful treatment of chronic autoimmune neutropenia with cyclosporin A.

Chronic primary autoimmune neutropenia (AIN) is a distinct clinical entity seen mostly in young children, characterized by persistent neutropenia with circulating anti-neutrophil antibodies and no associated disorders known to produce AIN. Herein we report a 22-year-old male who spontaneously developed severe chronic neutropenia with recurrent episodes of high fever and oral aphthous ulcers. Laboratory evaluations detected the presence of anti-granulocyte autoantibodies directed against the NA1 neutrophil-specific antigen. Clinical, laboratory and roentgenographic testing did not reveal any disorder known to be associated with AIN. The patient' s severe neutropenia did not respond to therapy with prednisone alone, but resolved following treatment with prednisone and high-dose cyclosporin A.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Leukemic dermal infiltrate at the exit site of a central venous catheter.

This report describes the case of a minimally differentiated acute myeloid leukemia (FAB M0) diagnosed in a 55-year-old woman. During a second chemotherapy-induced complete remission, a subcutaneous nodule appeared at the scar of a recently removed Hickman catheter, which when biopsied revealed leukemic infiltration of the dermis and hypodermis. The patient had a bone marrow relapse three weeks later. The authors review similar recent reports and emphasize the importance of recognizing this particular type of cutaneous leukemic relapse.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation for advanced low-grade lymphoproliferative disorders: report of six cases.

BACKGROUND: Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is being increasingly used to treat young patients with poor-prognosis low-grade lymphoproliferative disorders. We report our single-center experience. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six adults (four with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia, one follicular center cell lymphoma and one mantle cell lymphoma) underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Five received bone marrow while one received peripheral blood stem cells. Donors were HLA-identical siblings in five cases and an HLA-haploidentical sibling in one. The conditioning regimen included in five cases cyclophosphamide, TB1 and high-dose chlorambucil, without the latter in the patient with follicular lymphoma. RESULTS: Five patients successfully engrafted, while the patient who received the haploidentical marrow suffered primary graft failure. There were two cases of grade 2 acute GVHD and one limited chronic GVHD. Four patients are alive in complete remission (CR) with a follow-up of 17+ to 118+ months. Additionally, there is no evidence of residual disease by immunologic and molecular techniques in three cases, while one patient has residual disease assessed by molecular methods. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that allogeneic SCT can achieve prolonged remissions in advanced chronic lymphoproliferative disorders.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Risk of reactivation of a recent invasive fungal infection in patients with hematological malignancies undergoing further intensive chemo-radiotherapy. A single-center experience and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Patients with hematologic malignancies and a history of an invasive fungal infection are considered to be at high risk of suffering reactivation of the infection during subsequent intensive chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 1993 to September 1996, nine patients with a hematologic malignancy and previous invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) or Pseudallescheria boydii pneumonia and five with invasive candidiasis received further intensive chemotherapy (n = 3) or a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant (n = 11) four days to 13 months (median three months) from the start of therapy for the fungal infection. Five patients with IPA and all five with invasive candidiasis showed complete or good partial radiologic resolution of the infection with the primary antifungal therapy given, which was continued before, during and after the period(s) of subsequent neutropenia. RESULTS: Twelve of the 14 patients showed no signs of progression or reactivation of the fungal infection during therapy, while two patients with active IPA died with progressive aspergillosis shortly after an allogeneic transplant. A review of the literature revealed that in both types of infections the risk of reactivation and dissemination appears low after achieving clinical and radiologic signs of response, which takes several weeks or months before proceeding to further antileukemic therapy. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Despite lack of definite evidence, administration of an active antifungal drug before, during and after the period of neutropenia appears to be useful. In IPA, residual masses, nodules or cavities in the lung usually contain viable invasive fungal elements and should be resected whenever possible. On the other hand, the risk of reactivation and progression of an active fungal infection during intensive chemoradiotherapy is very high, and novel therapeutic strategies appear warranted in this setting.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Acute rhabdomyolysis and myonecrosis complicating aeromonas bacteremia in neutropenic patients with hematologic malignancies: report of two cases.

Infections by Aeromonas spp. are a rare cause of systemic infection in normal and immunocompromised hosts. We report the cases of two patients with acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia who developed septic shock by Aeromonas species with unusual soft-tissue complications. One patient who was undergoing consolidation chemotherapy developed septic shock by Aeromonas hydrophila with rhabdomyolysis and subsequent soft-tissue destruction consistent with myonecrosis. She recovered with combination antibiotic therapy and supportive care. The second patient developed neutropenia due to ganciclovir treatment for post-allogeneic transplant cytomegalovirus antigenemia. He developed a rapidly progressive septic shock due to Aeromonas sobria with rhabdomyolysis, multi-organ failure and bilateral lower limb myonecrosis, and died within 48 hours. The portal of entry was not identified in either case. These cases confirm the potentially aggressive nature of these bacteria in neutropenic cancer patients with an unusual tendency to produce muscular and soft-tissue destruction.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Meropenem versus ceftazidime plus amikacin in the treatment of febrile episodes in neutropenic patients: a randomized study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Meropenem is the first of a new class of carbapenems which may be administered without cilastatin. This study was performed to assess the clinical efficacy and tolerability of meropenem monotherapy (1 g/8 h) compared with the standard combination of ceftazidime (2 g/8 h) plus amikacin (15 mg/kg/day) for the empirical treatment of infective febrile episodes in neutropenic cancer patients. METHODS: This was a three-center, randomized, non-blind parallel group trial. The primary objective was to compare the clinical efficacy of meropenem monotherapy with that of ceftazidime plus amikacin in the empirical treatment of febrile infective episodes in neutropenic patients. This was evaluated by the number of patients surviving on unmodified therapy at 72 h (primary end point) and by the clinical response at the end of therapy (secondary end point). RESULTS: A total of 93 febrile episodes (46 meropenem, 47 ceftazidime/amikacin) were evaluable. Bone marrow transplant patients accounted for 49.5% of all cases. There was a high incidence of Gram-positive infections but no pseudomonal infections. Microbiologically documented infections, clinically documented infections and unexplained fever accounted for 45%, 10% and 45% of episodes, respectively. There was a similar proportion of patients in the meropenem and ceftazidime/amikacin groups on unmodified empiric therapy at 72 h (80.4% vs 76.6%, p = 0.65,) and cured at the end of therapy (37% vs 36.2%, p = 0.9). No significant difference in tolerability was observed between the groups. Meropenem was well tolerated; of note, there were no cases of nausea/vomiting or seizure related to its use. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Meropenem monotherapy was well tolerated and produced response rates similar to those obtained with ceftazidime/amikacin. The low overall success rates with both treatments concur with those of other recent studies and are probably due to a combination of several factors, including the adoption of strict assessment criteria.

Amikacin↗