Coronary sarcoidosis presenting as acute coronary syndrome

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disorder of uncertain etiology characterized by noncaseating granulomatous inflammation. The disease often involves the heart on autopsy, but the antemortem diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis is frequently missed. Cardiac involvement usually includes granulomatous inflammation or fibrosis of the myocardium, conduction system, or pericardium. We now describe a case of epicardial coronary involvement by sarcoidosis, where the diagnosis was made by surgical biopsy of the coronary artery in an African American man presenting with acute coronary syndrome and recurrent symptomatic restenosis following coronary intervention. The case extends the spectrum of common cardiac syndromes that cardiac sarcoidosis can masquerade as and highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for early recognition and instituting specific treatment that might improve prognosis. A review of the literature also suggests the need for improvement in diagnostic approaches and prospective clinical trials to establish the best management strategy for this disease.

Endobronchial brachytherapy and optimization of local disease control in medically inoperable non-small cell lung carcinoma: a matched-pair analysis

PURPOSE

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) alone for early stage, medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (MILC) can produce local disease control and sometimes cure. We have previously reported that higher EBRT doses result in improved disease control and, for patients with tumors > or =3.0 cm, improved survival. This report describes the impact of dose escalation with endobronchial brachytherapy boost during or following EBRT upon local disease control.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Medical records of 404 patients with MILC treated with radiotherapy alone were reviewed. Thirty-nine patients received a planned endobronchial brachytherapy boost during or following a course of EBRT. A matched-pair analysis of disease control and survival was performed by matching each brachytherapy patient to 2 EBRT patients from a reference group of the remaining patients.

RESULTS

Endobronchial brachytherapy boost significantly improved local disease control over EBRT alone (58% vs. 32% at 5 years). The local control benefit for brachytherapy was found to be limited to patients with T(1-2) disease or tumors < or =5.0 cm. Among these patients treated with endobronchial boost, EBRT doses of > or =6500 cGy were necessary to optimize local disease control. No overall survival differences were observed at 3 years. Excess toxicity with brachytherapy was not observed.

CONCLUSION

Endobronchial brachytherapy boost enhances local disease control rates in MILC treated with EBRT. Local control outcome is optimized when radical EBRT doses are used in conjunction with brachytherapy.

Salmeterol in the treatment of chronic asthma

Salmeterol is a highly selective beta 2-adrenoreceptor agonist with a long duration of action--as long as 12 hours or more. When inhaled twice daily in the management of chronic asthma, salmeterol can improve lung function and the quality of life for patients with asthma, and reduce acute asthma exacerbations. It is also a useful adjunct in the treatment of exercise-induced asthma and nocturnal asthma. In patients who continue to have symptomatic asthma despite the regular use of an inhaled corticosteroid, salmeterol acts as a secondary controller of symptoms and reduces the need for inhaled short-acting beta 2-agonist "rescues". Since salmeterol is different from other beta 2 agonists, patients must be carefully educated in its proper use. Salmeterol should be administered in combination with an inhaled anti-inflammatory medication as adjunctive therapy, but it should not be used for rescue bronchodilatation.