Rapid Fire: Acute Blast Crisis/Hyperviscosity Syndrome

Detection of Retinal Microvascular Changes with Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Patients with Acute Leukemia Without Retinopathy

INTRODUCTION

Acute leukemia often affects microcirculation perfusion. This study aimed to investigate retinal microvascular changes in patients with acute leukemia without retinopathy during clinical remission using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to determine the correlation of these changes with systemic laboratory values.

METHODS

Thirty-eight patients in remission from acute leukemia with no retinopathy (NLR group) and 36 age-matched healthy individuals (control group) were included in this cross-sectional study. OCTA parameters, including the central foveal thickness (CFT), foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, FAZ perimeter, acircularity index (AI), foveal density (FD300), and the vessel densities (VDs) of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and choriocapillaris were analyzed in a 6 × 6 mm2 macular scan. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify potential systemic characteristics associated with these OCTA metrics.

RESULTS

AI (P = 0.034) and FD300 (P < 0.001) differed significantly between the NLR and control groups. The VD of SCP in the parafovea (P = 0.001) and of DCP in both the parafovea (P = 0.011) and perifovea (P = 0.001) were significantly lower in the NLR group than in the control group. In a multiple linear regression analysis, the reduced VD of the perifoveal DCP was significantly correlated with the increased international normalized ratio (standardized beta [STD β] = - 0.356; P = 0.047).

CONCLUSIONS

Macular microvascular changes can be observed during remission from acute leukemia antecedent to clinically visible retinal lesions. Hematological disturbances may be associated with microvascular impairments in preclinical leukemic retinopathy.

An updated narrative review on the management of the most common oncological and hematological emergencies

Oncological emergencies are defined as an acute life-threatening event in a patient with a tumor occurring as part of their complex treatment regimen or secondarily to their underlying malignancy. These events can occur at any time from the initial diagnosis of their cancer to end-stage disease. These oncological emergencies are broadly classified into four major categories; metabolic, structural, hematological and treatment-related causes; and can be encountered in any clinical setting, ranging from primary care physician and emergency department visits to a variety of subspecialty environments. This study aims to cover an in-depth review of the underlying pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and updated management protocol of most common emergencies belonging to the above-mentioned categories. An all-language literature search was conducted on 15th October 2021 and 10th March 2022, limited to 5 years on PubMed database using the following search strings: oncological emergencies, malignant spinal cord compression, febrile neutropenia, hyperviscosity syndrome, superior vena cava syndrome, immune related adverse events, tumor lysis syndrome, hypercalcemia of malignancy, corrected calcium, malignant pericardial effusion and chemotherapy extravasation.

Neurologic Complications in Patients with Cancer

Neurologic symptoms are commonly seen in patients with cancer and can be among the most challenging to diagnose and manage. It is often difficult to determine if new neurologic symptoms are secondary to direct effects of a malignant lesion, systemic complications of disease, paraneoplastic disorders, or side effects of cancer treatment itself. However, early diagnosis and treatment of each of these conditions can improve patients' quality of life and long-term functional outcomes. In this review, we describe a systematic approach to the diagnosis of new neurologic symptoms in patients with known malignancy. We have categorized the neurologic complications of cancer through a mechanistic approach, with an emphasis on ascertaining underlying pathophysiology to guide treatment choice. This review focuses on the acute neurologic complications of cancer that require hospital admission.

Rare Presentation of Bilateral Central Retinal Vein Occlusion and Leukemic Retinopathy in a Young Adult Diagnosed with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Simultaneous bilateral central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is a rare presentation that warrants consideration of an underlying hyperviscosity state. Increased serum viscosity can lead to the hematologic emergency of leukostasis with resultant vascular obstruction and hypoxic tissue damage. The following case demonstrates the first case of bilateral CRVO in a young adult secondary to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). A 23-year-old female presented to the emergency department (ED) with two days of worsening bilateral blurry vision and bitemporal headache. Her ocular exam was significant for bilateral intraretinal hemorrhages consistent with CRVO with chest radiograph demonstrating widened mediastinum with perihilar lymphadenopathy and serologic testing revealing ALL with blast crisis. The patient was subsequently admitted to the oncology service for induction chemotherapy. Patients with new headache and bilateral vision changes should prompt a thorough neurological and ophthalmologic exam to assess for underlying systemic pathologies. Concurrent bilateral CRVO is a rare but specific finding for systemic hyperviscosity syndrome, blood dyscrasia, polycythemia, or other serious illness. Early recognition and treatment of the underlying condition can prevent further vision loss and overall morbidity and mortality.