Intestinal permeability testing using nonmetabolized sugars may represent a tool for noninvasive objective assessment of intestinal toxicity of anticancer therapy.

Citrulline represents a promising biomarker of gastrointestinal toxicity. Moreover, the volume of irradiated gut correlated with urinary neopterin concentrations and an association was observed between gastrointestinal toxicity evidenced by lower citrulline concentrations and systemic immune activation reflected in increased concentrations of urinary neopterin.

Metastases of esophageal carcinoma to the skeletal muscle are rare, but the incidence may be increasing because of better diagnosis resulting from widespread use of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). A cohort of 205 patients with esophageal carcinoma treated at our center who had PET/CT between 2006 and 2010 was retrospectively evaluated for the presence of skeletal muscle metastases. Four patients had skeletal muscle metastases of esophageal carcinoma, including two patients with squamous cell carcinoma. In another patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus and synchronous skeletal muscle metastases, muscle metastases were subsequently shown to be related to second primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In all cases, skeletal muscle metastases were the first manifestation of systemic disease. In three patients palliation was obtained with the combination of external beam radiation therapy, systemic chemotherapy or surgical resection. Skeletal muscle metastases are a rare complication of esophageal carcinoma.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare tumour of the skin that predominantly affects elderly or immunocompromised patients. The malignant transformation of Merkel cells is currently considered to be related to an infection with Merkel cell polyomavirus. Case Report: We present the case of a 62-year-old man who developed a Merkel cell polyomavirus-positive MCC in a non-UV-exposed part of the right gluteal region 8 years after combined kidney-pancreas transplantation. Following excision and radical re-excision of the tumour, no adjuvant radiotherapy was indicated because of the risk of adjacent pancreatic graft failure. Despite adjustment of the immunosuppressive therapy with conversion to sirolimus, the tumour generalised and metastasised into the pancreatic graft, leading to its failure. Subsequent chemotherapy did not affect the course of the disease, and the patient died 9 months after diagnosis. Conclusions: To our knowledge, we present the first case of MCC associated with metastatic involvement of the transplanted pancreas followed by its subsequent failure. Given the highly aggressive course of the disease in patients after organ transplantation, MCC therapy should be sufficiently aggressive from the time of diagnosis and should not be influenced by attempts to preserve graft function.