Multiple myeloma presenting as acute pancreatitis

Acute Pancreatitis: Diagnosis and Treatment

Acute pancreatitis is a common indication for hospital admission, increasing in incidence, including in children, pregnancy and the elderly. Moderately severe acute pancreatitis with fluid and/or necrotic collections causes substantial morbidity, and severe disease with persistent organ failure causes significant mortality. The diagnosis requires two of upper abdominal pain, amylase/lipase ≥ 3 ×upper limit of normal, and/or cross-sectional imaging findings. Gallstones and ethanol predominate while hypertriglyceridaemia and drugs are notable among many causes. Serum triglycerides, full blood count, renal and liver function tests, glucose, calcium, transabdominal ultrasound, and chest imaging are indicated, with abdominal cross-sectional imaging if there is diagnostic uncertainty. Subsequent imaging is undertaken to detect complications, for example, if C-reactive protein exceeds 150 mg/L, or rarer aetiologies. Pancreatic intracellular calcium overload, mitochondrial impairment, and inflammatory responses are critical in pathogenesis, targeted in current treatment trials, which are crucially important as there is no internationally licenced drug to treat acute pancreatitis and prevent complications. Initial priorities are intravenous fluid resuscitation, analgesia, and enteral nutrition, and when necessary, critical care and organ support, parenteral nutrition, antibiotics, pancreatic exocrine and endocrine replacement therapy; all may have adverse effects. Patients with local complications should be referred to specialist tertiary centres to guide further management, which may include drainage and/or necrosectomy. The impact of acute pancreatitis can be devastating, so prevention or reduction of the risk of recurrence and progression to chronic pancreatitis with an increased risk of pancreas cancer requires proactive management that should be long term for some patients.

Clinical characteristics and outcome of tumor-associated acute pancreatitis: a single-center cohort study

Background

What features should alert clinicians to suspect underlying tumors in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) was largely unknown. This study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics and outcome in patients with tumor-associated AP.

Methods

Patients who presented with AP and were diagnosed with tumor after admission were included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and followed up by hospital notes, telephone, WeChat and/or e-mail. The clinical characteristics and outcome were analyzed with multivariable logistic regression and were compared with AP patients without tumor.

Results

Out of a cohort of 1,792 AP patients we identified 103 who had a neoplastic etiology. The 103 patients had a median age of 57 (range, 13-81) and 65 were males. AP was mild in 92 patients, moderately severe in 7 and severe in 4. The three most common tumors included pancreatic cancer (PC) (40), periampullary carcinoma (PAC) (25), and neoplastic pancreatic cysts (NPC) (22). The following ranked features were predictive of a tumor etiology: dilation of main pancreatic duct (MPD) (OR 417.83, 95% CI: 80.40-2,171.42), vascular invasion (OR 82.04, 95% CI: 6.05-1,113.14), mild AP (8.29, 95% CI: 1.98-34.73), and anemia (OR 5.73, 95% CI: 2.02-16.26). The median survival period of AP patients with PC, PAC, and NPC was 10.0 (7.0-23.5), 21.0 (5.0-37.0), and 35.0 (30.0-96.0) months, respectively.

Conclusions

Mild AP patients with dilation of MPD, vascular invasion, and anemia were more frequently suggested a tumor etiology. Thus, clinical vigilance is needed for timely detection of tumor-associated pancreatitis with these characteristics.

Hypercalcemia of Malignancy and Acute Pancreatitis

OBJECTIVES

Hypercalcemia of malignancy confers a poor prognosis. This systematic review evaluated published cases of hypercalcemia of malignancy presenting with acute pancreatitis (AP), in terms of clinical presentation and outcomes.

METHODS

A comprehensive review of PubMed and Embase until March 18, 2020, was conducted. Studies were included if they reported on patients with hypercalcemia of malignancy and AP with attempts to exclude other etiologies of hypercalcemia and AP. Two independent reviewers selected and appraised studies using the Murad tool.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven cases were identified. Mean (standard deviation) age was 44.8 (2.46) years. Mean (standard deviation) presenting corrected calcium was 14.5 (0.46) mg/dL. Parathyroid carcinoma (21.6%) and multiple myeloma (21.6%) were the most common malignancies. Cases were classified as severe (37.8%), mild (21.6%), and moderately severe (18.9%), whereas 21.6% did not report severity. Necrotizing pancreatitis developed in 21.6% of cases. Most cases were treated with intravenous hydration and bisphosphonates or calcitonin/calcitonin analogues. Mortality was 32.4% during the same presentation of AP. Among mortality cases, 10 of 12 had severe AP, and 5 of 12 had necrotizing pancreatitis. Degree of hypercalcemia did not influence mortality.

CONCLUSION

Acute pancreatitis associated with hypercalcemia of malignancy is rare. One in 3 patients with this presentation may not survive AP.

Uncommon Presentations of Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a rare malignancy that exhibits a wide range of possible clinical presentations. In recent years, with the advent of stem cell transplantation, the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma has been increasing. We searched the literature for reports of atypical myeloma presentations to aid clinicians in formulating differential diagnoses and to increase the number of cases diagnosed early. There have been a number of reports of early ocular symptoms, including, but not limited to, proptosis, optic neuropathy, vision loss, retinal hemorrhage, and detachment. Neurological presentations included cranial nerve palsies, vertigo related to cerebellar involvement, and diabetes insipidus related to pituitary involvement. Among gastrointestinal manifestations, there are a number of reports of multiple myeloma presenting as acute and chronic pancreatitis. Mesenteric ischemia due to amyloidosis, acute abdomen, and hepatosplenomegaly were also among reported presentations. When it comes to renal involvement, while acute renal failure and proteinuria are typical, there are reports of patients presenting with both nephritic and nephrotic forms of glomerular disease, as well as end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis. We believe that it is essential for clinicians to keep reporting atypical multiple myeloma presentations and consider it as a possible diagnosis in a patient with serious, atypical symptoms.