A 52-year-old man with a past medical history of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in remission developed progressive shortness of breath over a two-month period. He was initially treated with dasatinib for four years, until developing pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with pleural effusions. His symptoms improved after stopping dasatinib. He was then switched to bosutinib for approximately one year, which was then stopped before admission due to worsening shortness of breath. His initial workup showed bilateral pleural effusions with severe PAH and cor pulmonale. He had symptomatic improvement with PAH-specific therapy following discontinuation of the bosutinib.The life expectancy of CML patients has increased in the era of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), and managing adverse events (AEs) of the TKIs and improving quality of life are becoming more important.Pulmonary hypertension (PH) and pleural effusions are rarely reported AEs of bosutinib. More reports with PH and pleural effusions arising after bosutinib use in patients previously treated with dasatinib is furthermore concerning. In this era with novel chemotherapeutic agents, physicians ought to be weary of the significant morbidity implicated by these agents in the lives of patients.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among US men. Metastasis typically occurs in the bone, lymph nodes, liver, and thorax. This case highlights a patient who was suspected of having prostate cancer several years before presenting to the emergency department with back pain and an umbilical hernia of increasing size. Gross examination revealed fixed masses on the abdominal wall that appeared malignant on computed tomographic imaging. The umbilical mass was a Sister Mary Joseph nodule (SMJN), which is sometimes found in patients with advanced, metastatic abdominal cancer. An SMJN is most commonly suggestive of gastrointestinal or gynecologic cancer, but it is a rarely reported finding in the context of prostate cancer. SMJN is a frequently missed finding that may delay further investigation for malignant neoplasms. This case reinforces the importance of this physical examination finding and provides evidence for adding prostate cancer to the list of possible diagnoses for patients who have an SMJN.
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