Non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema complicating intermediate and high-dose Ara C treatment for relapsed acute leukemia

Design of amino acid- and carbohydrate-based anticancer drugs to inhibit polymerase η

DNA polymerase η (polη) is of significant value for designing new families of anticancer drugs. This protein takes a role in many stages of the cell cycle, including DNA replication, translesion DNA synthesis, and the repairing process of DNA. According to many studies, a high level of expression of polη in most cases has been associated with low rates of patients' survival, regardless of considering the stage of tumor cells. Thus, the design of new drugs with fewer side effects to inhibit polη in cancerous cells has attracted attention in recent years. This project aims to design and explore the alternative inhibitors for polη, which are based on carbohydrates and amino acids. In terms of physicochemical properties, they are similar to the traditional anticancer drugs such as Cytarabine (cytosine arabinose). These alternative inhibitors are supposed to disrupt the DNA replication process in cancerous cells and prevent the tumor cells from mitosis. These newly designed structures, which are based on natural products, are expected to be non-toxic and to have the same chemotherapeutic impact as the traditional agents. The combinatorial use of quantum mechanics studies and molecular dynamic simulation has enabled us to precisely predict the inhibition mechanism of the newly designed structure, which is based on carbohydrates and amino acids, and compare it with that of the traditional chemotherapeutic drugs such as Cytarabine. Our results suggest that the inhibitors containing the natural building blocks of amino acid and carbohydrate could be considered alternative drugs for Cytarabine to block polη.

Case Report: Mineralized Pulmonary Artery Thrombi in Two Dogs Treated for Meningoencephalitis of Unknown Origin

Meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) is a relatively common and very serious canine neurologic condition, which is typically associated with a poor long term prognosis despite treatment. This case series chronicles two dogs diagnosed with MUO who were treated with long term corticosteroids and cytosine arabinoside and lived well-beyond the typical survival time for this condition. Both eventually succumbed to respiratory signs associated with mineralized thrombi in their pulmonary arteries. Adverse effects from the two drugs used for treatment are reviewed in order to propose a possible mechanism to explain how long term use of these medications could result in such a phenomenon.

Suspected drug-induced infiltrative lung disease culminating in acute respiratory failure in a dog treated with cytarabine and prednisone

OBJECTIVE

To describe a case of suspected drug-induced infiltrative lung disease (ILD) and acute respiratory failure associated with the administration of cytarabine and prednisone in a dog requiring mechanical ventilation.

CASE SUMMARY

A 4.5-year-old, female spayed Yorkshire Terrier presented to the ICU with acute onset of respiratory distress following a 24-hour cytarabine infusion. The patient was previously diagnosed with meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology (MUO), caudal occipital malformation, and syringohydromyelia, and was being treated with oral prednisone and levetiracetam, and cytarabine infusions. The patient developed tachypnea and dyspnea, and had diffuse crackles on auscultation of all lung fields, and hypoxemia 6 hours following completion of the fourth cytarabine infusion (300 mg/m² ). Thoracic radiographs revealed diffuse, bilateral infiltrates consistent with noncardiogenic pulmonary edema or acute respiratory distress syndrome. Respiratory distress and hypoxemia persisted despite oxygen supplementation and furosemide therapy and led to initiation of mechanical ventilation. Approximately 12 hours later, the dog became progressively hypoxemic with worsening pulmonary edema. The owners elected euthanasia. Postmortem examination revealed pulmonary edema and diffuse interstitial pneumonia. Histopathologic evaluation revealed pulmonary edema, severe acute neutrophilic and histiocytic pneumonia, and multifocal interstitial fibrosis. Bacterial culture yielded no growth.

NEW OR UNIQUE INFORMATION PROVIDED

Drug-induced ILD is rarely reported in the veterinary literature, and has not previously been reported in dogs receiving cytarabine. As with administration of any medication, adverse events may occur. While ILD is unlikely to be commonly recognized, it may be considered in veterinary patients receiving chemotherapy that acutely become dyspneic.

Cytarabine syndrome despite corticosteroid premedication in an adult undergoing induction treatment for acute myelogenous leukemia

Cytarabine syndrome is a rare clinical condition characterized by fever, malaise, myalgia, arthralgia, and/or rash that occurs after receipt of cytarabine. Our patient developed fever, malaise, and diffuse body pain shortly following cytarabine initiation despite receiving prophylactic dexamethasone. The patient's discomfort was treated with intravenous morphine and her other symptoms were controlled with a higher dose of dexamethasone. Although the exact cause is not fully understood, cytarabine syndrome is hypothesized to be an immune-mediated response following cytarabine-induced apoptosis that results in a rapid increase in proinflammatory cytokines. While there is no standard therapy for cytarabine syndrome, corticosteroids appear to play a role in the treatment and prevention of the condition by suppressing the proinflammatory response. Since our case describes the development of cytarabine syndrome despite dexamethasone, clinicians should monitor for this adverse event if patients begin exhibiting characteristics of this syndrome.

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome after Treatment of Metastatic Prostate Cancer with Taxotere: A Case Report and Literature Review

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Docetaxel is a common chemotherapeutic agent that has proven its efficacy in the treatment of patients with both castration sensitive and resistant metastatic prostate cancer. We report a case of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in a patient with metastatic prostate cancer treated with docetaxel (Taxotere). ARDS is very rare but life threatening complication of docetaxel which requires aggressive supportive care and close monitoring. Better awareness and prompt diagnosis of this treatment related ARDS will improve the effectiveness and outcome of its management.

How I treat hyperleukocytosis in acute myeloid leukemia

Hyperleukocytosis (HL) per se is a laboratory abnormality, commonly defined by a white blood cell count >100 000/µL, caused by leukemic cell proliferation. Not the high blood count itself, but complications such as leukostasis, tumor lysis syndrome, and disseminated intravascular coagulation put the patient at risk and require therapeutic intervention. The risk of complications is higher in acute than in chronic leukemias, and particularly leukostasis occurs more often in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) for several reasons. Only a small proportion of AML patients present with HL, but these patients have a particularly dismal prognosis because of (1) a higher risk of early death resulting from HL complications; and (2) a higher probability of relapse and death in the long run. Whereas initial high blood counts and high lactate dehydrogenase as an indicator for high proliferation are part of prognostic scores guiding risk-adapted consolidation strategies, HL at initial diagnosis must be considered a hematologic emergency and requires rapid action of the admitting physician in order to prevent early death.

Drug-associated acute lung injury: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

A number of drugs have been reported as risk factors for acute lung injury (ALI) and ARDS. However, evidence is largely limited to case reports, and there is a paucity of data on the incidence and outcome of drug-associated ALI (DALI).

METHODS

Using a population-based retrospective cohort study design, critically ill patients with a diagnosis of ALI were studied. These patients were classified as having DALI or non-DALI, based on whether they were exposed to prespecified drugs prior to development of ALI. Outcomes were compared between the two groups and frequencies and incidences reported.

RESULTS

Among 514 patients with ALI, 49 (9.5%) had DALI with an estimated population-based incidence of 6.6 (95% CI, 4.8-8.5) per 100,000 person-years. Of the 49 patients with DALI,36 received chemotherapeutic/antiinflammatory agents, and 14 received amiodarone. Twelve patients had no additional risk factors for ALI (probable DALI), whereas 37 had alternative risk factors (possible DALI). Patients with and without DALI had similar baseline characteristics. However, the APACHE (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) III scores (median, 83 vs 70, P 5 .03), ICU mortality (35% vs 20%, P 5 .03), and hospital mortality (63% vs 32%, P , .001)were significantly higher in the DALI group compared with those of the non-DALI group. Hospital mortality remained significantly higher after adjusting for APACHE III score on admission and the presence of malignancy in logistic regression analysis (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.3-6.4; P 5 .009).

CONCLUSIONS

Drugs are important risk factors for ALI, and recognizing them as such may have important implications for early identification of patients at risk, discontinuation of the offending agent, and prognosis.

[Therapeutic of respiratory manifestations at the early phase of acute myeloid leukaemia]

The effective management of the respiratory manifestations at the early phase of acute myeloid hemopathies, especially acute myeloid leukaemia, frequently requires a close collaboration between hematologists, pulmonologists and intensivists. Dominated by infectious etiologies, there are however "specific" disease entities that should not be neglected in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach. These include lung leukostasis, leukemic lung infiltration, the cell lysis pneumopathy and the secondary alveolar proteinosis. These were the subject of a review in the Revue des Maladies Respiratoires published in 2010. We wished to review the management of these clinical situations, the severity of which mean patients frequently require intensive care unit admission. We are only able to make proposals for management here as there is little consensus, except in the metabolic care of tumour lysis syndrome. These data must therefore be reinterpreted regularly as new publications become available.

Pleuropulmonary Changes Induced by Drugs in Patients with Hematologic Diseases

Patients with hematologic diseases who are being treated with therapy drugs, or receive radiation therapy or blood transfusions may develop a host of potentially fatal infectious and noninfectious pulmonary complications [1]. The increased complexity of multimodality and high-dose treatment regimens with the intended benefit of augmented antineoplastic efficacy and prolonged disease-free survival, the use of a panel of novel drugs to treat malignant and nonmalignant hematologic conditions (e.g., azacytidine, bortezomib, cladribine, dasatinib, fludarabine, imatinib, lenalidomide, rituximab, and thalidomide), total body irradiation (TBI) and hematopietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have increased the incidence of severe sometimes life-threatening pulmonary complications.

Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema: an unusual and serious complication of anticancer therapy

Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema (NCPE) is a rare and less well-recognizable pulmonotoxic syndrome of anticancer therapy than pneumonitis/fibrosis. NCPE is a clinical syndrome characterized by simultaneous presence of severe hypoxemia, bilateral alveolar infiltrates on chest radiograph, and no evidence of left atrial hypertension/congestive heart failure. The diagnosis of drug-related NCPE relies upon documented exclusion of any infectious, metabolic, or cancer-related causes. The time proximity to therapy with drugs that are known to precipitate NCPE, any preceding episodes of flu-like symptoms during previous chemotherapy courses and possible response to corticosteroids may further support such a diagnosis. Cancer therapeutic agents clearly associated with NCPE are cytarabine, gemcitabine, and interleukin-2, as well as all-trans retinoic acid in acute promyelocytic leukemia patients, while a few other compounds have rarely or occasionally been implicated. The pathophysiology of lung injury in drug-induced NCPE remains unclear. There are indications suggesting that both a direct cytotoxic insult to the lung epithelial cells and induction of a cytokine-triggered inflammatory response may be involved in its pathogenesis. By distinction to drug-induced pulmonary pneumonitis that may lead to permanent pulmonary fibrosis, NCPE if not fatal, can be reversed upon prompt recognition, following immediate discontinuation of the offensive drug and start of intensive supportive treatment and intravenous corticosteroids.

Respiratory failure elicited by streptococcal septicaemia in patients treated with cytosine arabinoside, and its prevention by penicillin

In order to prevent septicaemia with streptococci, 20 consecutive selectively decontaminated patients on intermediate high-dose Ara-C treatment for malignant haematological diseases were given penicillin G. The incidence of infection with streptococci decreased from 0.76 per episode (14 patients, 17 episodes) for controls who did not receive penicillin G to 0.11 per episode in the prophylaxis group (20 patients, 26 episodes). Simultaneously, a decrease in the incidence of respiratory failure was observed, i.e. 0.52 per episode for controls and 0.19 per episode for patients on penicillin G. The results suggest that septicaemia with streptococci triggers the development of noncardiogenic pulmonary oedema in patients with pre-existing damage of the lung due to aggressive cytotoxic treatment. This suggestion is supported by the sequence of events, regarding the occurrence of infection and respiratory failure and the results of measurements of antileukoprotease serum concentrations, a parameter for pulmonary capillary leakage. Taking into account the data in the literature and the results of the present study, the conclusion is drawn that in patients treated with (intermediate) high dose Ara-C, prevention of streptococcal septicaemia is associated with a decrease in the incidence of respiratory failure.

Intermediate-dose Ara-C/m-AMSA for remission induction and high-dose Ara-C/m-AMSA for intensive consolidation in relapsed and refractory adult acute myelogeneous leukemia

Thirty-four consecutive patients with either relapsed (n = 28) or primary refractory AML (n = 6) were treated with one or two cycles of intermediate-dose (ID) cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) (1 g/m2 i.v. q 12 h days 1-6) and amsacrine (m-AMSA) (120 mg/m2 i.v. days 5-7). Patients reaching complete remission (CR) were consolidated with one cycle of Ara-C 3 g/m2 i.v. q 12 h days 1-4 and m-AMSA 120 mg/m2 i.v. day 5. The median duration of the preceding remission was 8 months and median time from last chemotherapy until relapse 3.1 months. Of the relapsed patients, 22/28 (79%) achieved CR regardless of the type of prior intensive maintenance (HD Ara-C/m-AMSA/5-azacytidine) (AZA) or daunorubicin (DNR/CD-Ara-C). Three of the 28 (11%) patients died during hypoplasia; 3/28 (11%) were refractory to 2x ID-Ara-C/m-AMSA. Three of the 28 patients died in CR during hypoplasia after intensive consolidation with HD-Ara-C. Predictive factors for remission were duration of preceding remission and the time from last chemotherapy to relapse. Three patients were transplanted in second CR. One of the six refractory patients reached CR, two remained refractory, and three died during hypoplasia. The median duration of disease-free survival (DFS) of relapsed patients was 3.3 months without further treatment; median survival of responding patients (20 relapsed patients, 1 refractory patient) was 4.5 months, overall survival (n = 29) was 4.8 months. Patients receiving BMT were censored at the time of BMT. Seven patients experienced lung toxicity due to Ara-C, four of whom died.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The toxicity of cytarabine

The principal toxicity of standard induction regimens for acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) [including cytarabine (ARA-C) 100 mg/m2 for 7 days plus an anthracycline] is myelotoxicity, leading to death in at least 25% of cases during induction in non-selected patients. The complete remission rate is less than 35% in patients over 65 years of age, due in part to an age-related increase of myelotoxicity. The other important adverse effect of standard-dose cytarabine is gastrointestinal toxicity, especially oral mucositis, diarrhoea, intestinal ulceration, ileus and subsequent Gram-negative septicaemia. Idiosyncratic reactions like exanthema, fever and elevation of hepatic enzymes are relatively frequent, but do not represent therapeutic problems. Intermittent high-dose cytarabine (3 g/m2 in 8 to 12 doses) is extremely myelosuppressive. Similarly, the gastrointestinal toxicity is formidable and dose-limiting. Severe, and sometimes irreversible, cerebellar/cerebral toxicity in 5 to 15% of courses of treatment limits the peak dose of cytarabine. The pathogenesis, prophylactic and therapeutic measures are unknown. These major toxicities are age-related and prohibitive to the use of high-dose cytarabine therapy in patients older than 55 to 60 years. Subacute noncardiogenic pulmonary oedema occurs in some patients, with an incidence of about 20%, and seems to have an intriguing coincidence with precedent streptococcal septicaemia; high-dose systemic steroids may be beneficial. Corneal toxicity is very frequent in high-dose cytarabine therapy but is always reversible. It is largely preventable with prophylactic steroid or 2-deoxycytidine eyedrops. Fever, exanthema and hepatic toxicity have an incidence similar to that in standard dosage. The maximum tolerable cumulated dose of cytarabine is significantly lower when the agent is administered as a continuous infusion, due to myelosuppression and gastrointestinal toxicity. Conversely, continuous infusion may be less neurotoxic. The antileukaemic effect of continuous infusion high-dose cytarabine is less well established. The only significant toxicity of low-dose cytarabine is myelosuppression. Given the generally poor condition of leukaemia patients, low-dose cytarabine therapy is well tolerated, although occasional cases of diarrhoea, reversible cerebellar symptoms, peritoneal and pericardial reactions, and ocular toxicity have been reported. Continuous infusion may be more toxic than the usual intermittent dosage. It is concluded that the toxicity of the standard induction regimen for ANLL is acceptable in patients younger than 60 to 65 years with no concurrent disease. Low dose cytarabine is tolerable for virtually all ANLL patients, but the overall therapeutic efficacy still needs to be defined and compared to standard therapy in the relevant age groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)