Kazuho Nakanishi

Maintenance therapy for long-term control of high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma

High-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (HG-ESS) is a malignant uterine tumour with a poor prognosis. This study aimed to demonstrate the usefulness of maintenance chemotherapy with paclitaxel (PTX) and carboplatin (CBDCA) for HG-ESS recurrence, by examining a case of HG-ESS tumour progression as a result of maintenance therapy interruption because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The patient was a woman in her 60s who presented with lower abdominal pain, nausea and a pelvic tumour, which was diagnosed as HG-ESS. Chemotherapy with PTX (175 mg/m2 day 1) + CBDCA (area under the concentration-time curve 5 day 1) every 21–28 days (TC therapy) was administered for long-term maintenance of HG-ESS. After 26 cycles, chemotherapy had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, thus leading to disease progression and eventually death. In conclusion, TC therapy can prolong survival in patients with HG-ESS, and maintenance chemotherapy should not be postponed.

Somatic gene mutations in malignant steroid cell tumours and response to multiple treatments

Malignant ovarian steroid cell tumours are a rare subgroup of sex cord-stromal tumours. There are no systematic reviews on the associated treatments, and little is known about their genomic profile. We describe a case of a pelvic malignant ovarian steroid cell tumour in a premenopausal woman in her 40s. She received cytoreductive surgery and six cycles of paclitaxel+carboplatin+bevacizumab. After recurrence, the tumour was surgically removed again, followed by radiation and hormone blockade therapy. Complete remission was achieved after treatment with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin. She remained in a platinum-sensitive relapse state and subsequently received maintenance therapy with olaparib. Since the tumour was initially refractory to treatment, tissue specimens were screened for gene mutations using a next-generation sequencing oncology panel and a somatic variant detection system, which revealed somatic gene mutations in ARID1A, PIK3CA, TERT and ATM, some of which are involved in DNA repair.

Allergy testing for Cremophor in a patient with cervical cancer with infusion reactions to paclitaxel and docetaxel

A woman in her 30s with cervical cancer underwent postoperative chemotherapy and showed allergic reactions to multiple taxanes. As the patient had infusion reactions to both paclitaxel and docetaxel, a prick test with Cremophor was conducted. In the absence of an allergic reaction to etoposide, we determined that the patient was allergic to pure taxane compounds. Among infusion reactions caused by taxanes, Cremophor allergy is reported in 3% of cases. Therefore, a prick test with Cremophor performed on a taxane infusion reaction will be useful in diagnosing allergy. In addition, allergy due to docetaxel may be managed by adequate premedication and continuous intravenous chlorpheniramine administration.