Justin LaPorte

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome following pembrolizumab therapy for relapsed Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is characterized by a group of central nervous system related symptoms. Diagnosis is usually made by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Common causes can be arterial hypertension, sepsis, autoimmune disorders, and medications. We report PRES in a relapsed Hodgkin’s Lymphoma patient after a dose of pembrolizumab.

Long Complete Remission Achieved with the Combination Therapy of Cisplatin and Gemcitabine in a Patient with Aggressive Natural Killer Cell Leukemia

Aggressive natural killer cell leukemia (ANKL) is a rare and often lethal lymphoproliferative disorder. Patients may present with constitutional symptoms, jaundice, skin infiltration, lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly. ANKL can progress quickly to multiorgan failure and survival is usually measured in weeks. Although a rapid and accurate diagnosis is critical, unfortunately there is no hallmark diagnostic marker of ANKL. We report a case of a 48-year-old male who was able to obtain a complete remission following cisplatin-based chemotherapy. We describe the details of the chemotherapy regimens used and a literature review of the treatment of ANKL.

A unique schedule of palonosetron, ondansetron, and dexamethasone for the prevention of delayed nausea and vomiting in patients receiving myeloablative chemotherapy

Myeloablative chemotherapy administered prior to autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT) is associated with a significant amount of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). We conducted a phase II trial to assess the safety, efficacy, and impact on quality of life when palonosetron (PAL) 0.25 mg combined with dexamethasone were given on the final or only day of myeloablative chemotherapy for auto-SCT. The primary end point of this study was the incidence of achieving a delayed CINV complete response defined as no emetic episode and no use of rescue medications during the 24–120 h period post chemotherapy. Eighty-five patients were enrolled in the study and received PAL. A delayed CINV complete response was achieved in 15% of patients. A multivariate analysis demonstrated no associated differences between age, gender, diagnosis, or regimen. By day 5 after PAL, the mean nausea severity was 0.91 ± 2.45 vs. 0.09 ± 1.58 at baseline (p = 0.012). Quality of life measurements demonstrated similar quality of life between baseline and day 3. By day 6 however, nausea alone had a statistically significant impact on quality of life. In our study, PAL controlled nausea severity and sustained quality of life, but further strategies are needed to control delayed CINV associated with the auto-SCT process.