BACKGROUND Thalidomide based regimen is an effective and well tolerated therapy in multiple myeloma (MM) patients, however, there were a small number of studies written about the results of thalidomide therapy in non-transplant MM patients. We therefore conducted a retrospective study of 42 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory MM treated with thalidomide- based indu...

Gastrocolic fistula is a rare complication of Crohn’s disease (CD). Due to its asymptomatic presence in the majority of the cases, the diagnosis may be delayed. Anti TNF-α therapy has previously been shown to be effective in the induction and maintenance therapy of fistulizing CD. Anti TNF-α therapy is graded as probably safe in pregnancy. We report a case of gastrocolic fistula secondary to CD...

Some clinical trials follow a design where patients are randomized to a primary therapy at entry followed by another randomization to maintenance therapy contingent upon disease remission. Ideally, analysis would allow different treatment policies, i.e., combinations of primary and maintenance therapy if specified up-front, to be compared. Standard practice is to conduct separate analyses for t...

Extracapillary-proliferative glomerulonephritis is a rare complication of multiple myeloma. Partial remission of kidney involvement with cyclophosphamide therapy has previously been described. We report the case of a 60-year-old male patient diagnosed with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis associated with IgG kappa monoclonal gammopathy. His kidney biopsy revealed pauci-immune extracapilla...

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common pediatric oncologic diagnosis, and advances in its treatment have led to progressive improvements in survival. The 4 main components of therapy are remission induction, consolidation, maintenance, and central nervous system-directed therapy, and usually last 2 to 3 years. Treatment intensity based on risk-based stratification is the cornerst...

Castleman disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder, which presents in a unicentric or multicentric fashion. Multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) is associated with significant systemic symptoms, in part related to the underlying role of interleukin-6 in disease pathogenesis. Treatment for MCD has not been well established and prognosis has historically been poor. We present a case of seve...

background: the induction chemotherapy regimen for acute myeloid leukemia has evolved as once induction is completed patients progress through the consolidation phase and achieve remission in 76% of cases. for patients with relapsed or refractory disease, alternative chemotherapy agents are available. monoclonal antibody therapy with biological agents, such as the immunotoxin gemtuzumab ozogami...

Background: The induction chemotherapy regimen for acute myeloid leukemia has evolved as once induction is completed patients progress through the consolidation phase and achieve remission in 76% of cases. For patients with relapsed or refractory disease, alternative chemotherapy agents are available. Monoclonal antibody therapy with biological agents, such as the immunotoxin gemtuzumab ozog...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS A number of observational studies have reported an association between serum levels of infliximab [IFX] at various thresholds, and clinical outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]. This association has not previously been systematically analysed. METHODS Systematic review of studies that reported serum infliximab levels according to outcomes in IBD. Primary outcome wa...