Depression is highly prevalent in those diagnosed with cancer and is also associated with poorer prognostic outcomes. Mindfulness-based interventions are effective in reducing depressive symptoms and improving quality of life in patients with cancer. The objective of this review was to investigate whether mindfulness practices can improve survival and, if so, what mechanisms of action may contribute to these outcomes. Although no long-term studies have investigated this hypothesis, the current literature supports an inflammatory basis for depression, implicating proinflammatory cytokines and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction as contributing factors. Markers of inflammation, such as interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factorα, and cortisol, are all found at elevated concentrations in many depressed individuals. These exact mechanisms are associated with higher mortality in patients with cancer. Mindfulness has been studied for its effects on cytokine and cortisol levels, and there are promising data to support that the intervention can measurably decrease inflammation. Therefore, it is conceivable that mindfulness programs can affect survival in this population. There are limited data on the long-term effects of mindfulness on depression and inflammatory markers in patients with cancer, and there are potential barriers to the implementation of mindfulness-based interventions as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Therefore, it is necessary to further explore these questions through longitudinal studies to establish a survival correlation.
We present a case of multidrug-resistant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient with graft-versus-host disease. We demonstrate evolving viral mutations with documented resistance to first-line CMV DNA polymerase inhibitors and letermovir. Leflunomide and compassionate use investigational third-party CMV-specific cytotoxic T-cell lymphocyte infusions led to reductions in CMV viremia; however, the patient succumbed to respiratory failure. This article highlights the difficult balance between immunosuppression for graft-versus-host disease therapy and refractory CMV treatment, with a review of CMV antiviral therapy.
Background
Scedosporium is a lesser-known non-Aspergillus genus of mold that can present in unsuspecting ways. If overlooked, it may disseminate and cause high mortality in high-risk allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients.
Case presentation
This case report describes a 65-year-old patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia who underwent an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant after a period of prolonged neutropenia with fluconazole prophylaxis. She suffered severe debility with altered mentation from a S. apiospermum infection which likely disseminated from a toe wound to the lung and central nervous system. She was successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin B and voriconazole, but faced a prolonged recovery from physical and neurologic sequela.
Conclusions
The case highlights the importance of adequate anti-mold prophylaxis in high-risk patients, and the value of a thorough physical examination in this patient population, with particular attention to skin and soft tissue findings.
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