Frequency and risk factors of bleomycin-induced pulmonary toxicity in South Indian patients with germ-cell tumors

Pulmonary toxicity induced by the use of bleomycin in patients with germ cell testicular tumors

Introduction. Pulmonary toxicity induced by bleomycin is a dangerous complication of polychemotherapy in patients with germ cell tumors. It occurs with a frequency of up to 46%, and in 14% of cases it is fatal. Aim. To present cases of pulmonary toxicity during polychemotherapy with the inclusion of bleomycin for testicular germ cell tumors. Materials and Methods. Two patients aged 43 and 33 years old with testicular germ cell tumors were under observation after orchifuniculectomy who underwent chemotherapy according to the BER scheme (bleomycin + etoposide + cisplatin) in the steady-state mode in 4 and 6 cycles respectively. Positron emission tomography combined with computer tomography (PET/CT) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose was performed when clinical symptoms appeared at the end of treatment. Results. Histologically, the tumor in a 33-year-old patient was a mixed tumor seminoma, embryonal cancer with teratoid cancer elements. Abdominal spiral computed tomography revealed metastases to retroperitoneal lymph nodes. In a 43-year-old patient, the tumor had the structure of fetal cancer with multiple metastases to the lungs, mediastinal lymph nodes and retroperitoneal lymph nodes. Six and four cycles of polychemotherapy according to the BER regimen were administered, respectively. The cumulative dose of bleomycin was 540 and 360 mg in 18 and 12 injections. Treatment was accompanied by the development of febrile neutropenia with G-CSF correction. These risk factors should be considered the most significant. The appearance of respiratory symptoms during treatment should be regarded as a manifestation of pulmonary toxicity. PET/CT is the method of choice for diagnosis. The clinical picture in the observed patients, as well as changes on PET/CT, were detected 2 weeks after chemotherapy was completed. Conclusion. Pulmonary toxicity induced by the use of bleomycin in patients with germ cell testicular tumors is a very dangerous complication, sometimes with a lethal outcome. Therefore, its early diagnosis taking into account risk factors is of great importance in clinical practice. Among medical imaging methods, a special role is played by PET/CT, which allows predicting toxicity before the clinical and radiological debut.

Oncological Prognosis and Fertility Outcomes of Different Surgical Extents for Malignant Ovarian Sex-Cord Stromal Tumors: A Narrative Review

Background

Malignant ovarian sex-cord stromal tumors (MOSCSTs) are rare neoplasms that account for approximately 5–7% of all ovarian malignancies. The majority (70%) of patients had an early stage; thus, surgery is the predominant treatment. Patients were relatively young at the onset of the tumor. Moreover, the prognosis of patients with this tumor is better than that of malignant epithelial ovarian tumors and tends to recur late with an indolent clinical course. Thus, patients may be more inclined to conservative surgical procedures. There is, however, no objective criterion for selecting a suitable surgical procedure. Clinically, surgical extent depended on the preoperative evaluations, age, and willingness of patients, and gynecologists were relatively subjective when choosing surgery. The prognosis of patients with different surgical extents is still controversial. The review aimed to summarize the impacts of different surgical extents on oncological prognosis and fertility outcomes.

Methods

The literature search was performed in PubMed (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/), and publications between January 2011 and December 2021 in English including clinical cohort studies and case reports were eligible for inclusion.

Results

We finally identified 12 large-sample retrospective studies and 18 cases of MOSCSTs. The primary surgical procedures include fertility-spring surgery (FSS), total hysterectomy with unilateral or bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (TAH-USO/BSO), FSS with complete staging procedure, complete staging surgery (CSS), and debulking surgery. FSS includes cystectomy (CYS), unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (USO) or bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) with uterine preservation that allows for potential future assisted reproductive approaches. Complete staging procedure includes peritoneal cytologic examinations, inspections of peritoneal surfaces, random peritoneal biopsies and omentectomy. FSS with complete staging procedure means surgical procedure with uterine preservation and complete staging procedure. And, generally, CSS means TAH-BSO with complete staging procedure.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that USO can be done in young, fertility-desired patients with tumors confined to the ovary but avoid CYS. FSS with complete staging procedure is feasible among stage IC-III patients who have fertility desire. Patients can choose to have a complete surgery once their family is complete or without fertility requirements. CSS is recommended for patients with risk factors such as high stage, poor differentiation, and large tumor size and without fertility desire. A close follow-up is essential.