Background and Objective: Cancer survival has improved significantly, which reflects the achievements in screening, diagnosis, and treatment. As a consequence, multiple primary malignancies are diagnosed more frequently, with an incidence ranging from 0.52–11.7%. The types of malignancy that coexist and survival patterns vary notably in different countries and geographical areas. Due to the limited literature in Saudi Arabia, a baseline of prevalent malignancy combinations and their survival patterns would support early detection and disease management. Method: This was a retrospective descriptive study conducted from 1993–2022 at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Department of Medical Oncology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Patients with at least two biopsy-proven solid malignancies were included. Patients with hematological malignancies, missing data, or an uncertain or indecisive pathology report were excluded. Result: In total, 321 patients were analyzed. More than half (57.3%) of the patients were female. A third (33%) of the cases were synchronous, and 67% were metachronous. The most frequent site of the first primary malignancy was breast cancer, followed by colorectal, skin, and thyroid cancers. The most frequent site of the second primary malignancy was colorectal cancer, followed by thyroid, breast, and liver cancers. Only 4% of the cases had a third primary malignancy, with colorectal and appendiceal cancers being the most frequent. The most frequently observed histopathology in the synchronous and metachronous malignancies was adenocarcinoma. Breast–colorectal, breast–thyroid, and kidney–colorectal were the most frequently observed malignancy combinations. Conclusion: The current study offers a baseline of multiple primary malignancies in Saudi Arabia and provides supporting evidence that the pattern of multiple primary malignancies varies among different countries and ethnicities. The possibility of developing another primary malignancy should be considered when treating and monitoring cancer patients.
Endocarditis is an extremely rare complication of Salmonellosis with an incidence of 0.2–0.4%. It is a destructive and invasive infection that follows a highly complicated course and carries a high mortality rate that exceeds 45%. Multiple predisposing factors for Salmonella endocarditis have been described in the literature, including human immunodeficiency virus infection, congenital heart diseases, and the presence of a prosthetic valve. Herein, we report a case of Salmonella prosthetic valve endocarditis complicated by splenic infarction and aortic pseudoaneurysm presenting as a month-long history of fluctuating fever, chills, and rigors, accompanied by occasional cough and shortness of breath in a 55-year-old female with aortic and mitral valves replacement and multiple comorbidities. She was diagnosed by multiple radiographic studies and successfully treated with the Commando procedure and a long course of IV antibiotics.
1 January 2024 in Clinical Medicine Insights: Oncology
Background: Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a rare malignancy that affects soft tissues. It encompasses various subtypes and requires different treatment strategies. Doxorubicin is a commonly used anthracycline in the management of localized and metastatic STS. However, high doses of doxorubicin are associated with cardiotoxicity, which can significantly impact patients’ long-term outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate doxorubicin’s effect on cardiac function in patients with sarcoma and to correlate the frequency of cardiotoxicity with potential risk factors. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with sarcoma who were treated with doxorubicin between 2016 and 2022 at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Saudi Arabia. Patient demographic information, comorbidities, cardiac measurements, laboratory values, systemic therapy, and treatment outcomes were collected from electronic medical records. A statistical analysis was performed to assess the association between cardiotoxicity and various factors. Results: A total of 133 patients were included in the study, with a median age of 30 years. Cardiotoxicity was observed in 9% of the patients. Female patients had a significantly higher risk of developing cardiotoxicity. Patients with a higher Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status and lower troponin I levels also had an increased risk of cardiotoxicity. However, there was no significant association between cardiotoxicity and the number of chemotherapy cycles, total cumulative dose of doxorubicin, or history of radiation. Furthermore, patients with cardiotoxicity had a higher risk of mortality. The overall survival of the patients was 18 months. Conclusion: Doxorubicin-associated cardiotoxicity is a concern for patients with sarcoma. Female patients and patients with a higher ECOG performance status are at an increased risk of developing cardiotoxicity. Careful monitoring and risk assessment are crucial for mitigating the adverse effects of doxorubicin treatment in patients with sarcoma. Future studies are warranted to validate these findings and explore preventive strategies for doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in patients with sarcoma.
Monoclonal plasma cells form the solitary neoplasm known as solitary plasmacytoma. Isolated extramedullary plasmacytoma is less common than solitary bone plasmacytoma. An elderly male presented with coughing blood and was diagnosed with pharyngeal plasmacytoma with synchronous multiple myeloma. Herein, we present this challengingly rare case to increase awareness of this unusual entity.
Osmoregulation is a fundamental process of homeostasis that maintains metabolic and biochemical reactions, thermoregulation, and fluid-electrolytes balance. Fluid-electrolytes imbalance leads to various clinical manifestations ranging from mild weakness to severe neurological dysfunction. Adipsic hypernatremia is an exceedingly rare life-threatening condition characterized by defective osmoregulatory mechanisms. It is more often reported in patients with severe untreated psychiatric disorders for unknown etiologies, but it may result from congenital or acquired hypothalamic lesions in the form of stroke, neoplastic infiltration, trauma, or infection. Herein we report an unusual case of isolated hypernatremia in a fully independent non-psychiatric 27-year-old diabetic male with spina bifida, repaired cleft palate, and mild caudal regression syndrome.