Background There are conflicting reports on the role of hydroxyurea (HU) in the pathogenesis of avascular necrosis of the femoral head (AVNFH) in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Procedure The present study is a prospective cohort study of Kuwaiti children with SCD who were treated with HU. They had magnetic resonance imaging of the hips before starting HU and at regular intervals during a follow‐up period, ranging from 1 to 15 years. Results There were 40 patients (18 SS, 19 Sβ0‐thalassemia, and three SD genotypes), aged 6–20 years. Pre‐HU, 11 (27.5%) had varying grades of AVNFH, while post HU, the prevalence was 32.5%. Two patients developed new lesions during the study, while five (45.5%) that had lesions pre‐HU remained static, another five (45.5%) progressed, and one (9%) improved radiologically. The older patients who had been on HU the longest were more likely to deteriorate. The only hematological parameter that was consistently associated with AVNFH was the reticulocyte count. Conclusions The frequency and rate of progression of AVNFH in this study is much less than that previously reported for our patients not treated with HU. There is no evidence that HU therapy is a risk factor for AVNFH. It may, in fact, prevent new lesions and deter the progression of existing AVNFH.

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A 47-year-old female presented to the emergency department with new episodes of hematemesis. She had a background of unresectable T4b + N1 + M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Contrast CT thoracic aorta diagnosed a ruptured mycotic aortic pseudoaneurysm of the descending aorta, forming a life threating aorto-esophageal fistula secondary to neoplasm. Due to the high risk of fatal haemorrhage, she underwent successful emergency thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Mycotic aortic pseudoaneurysms are a rare and often fatal complication of esophageal carcinomas. They represent a small subsection of aorto-esophageal fistulas. Early diagnosis with cross sectional imaging and vascular control of the sentinel bleed is essential for survival. TEVAR may be used as a bridge to palliative treatment in the case of unresectable esophageal carcinoma.

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Systemic therapy is the mainstay of treatment for de novo metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Heterogeneity between primary tumours and metastases may lead to discordant responses to systemic therapy at these sites. The aim of the present study was to examine these discrepancies and to evaluate the rates of complications arising from the primary tumour and the strategies employed to manage these complications. Electronic medical records were screened for patients eligible for data analysis between January 1st, 2014 and December 31st, 2019. All patients diagnosed with de novo mCRC with primary tumour in situ at the time of initial systemic therapy were included in data analysis. Responses in primary tumour and metastatic sites (according to the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumours v1.1), discrepancies in these responses and rates of complications arising from primary tumours were assessed along with patient, pathological or molecular factors that may be associated with these discrepant responses or primary tumour complications. A total of 50 patients were identified (median age, 62 years). Right-colon, left-colon and rectal primary tumours comprised 34, 44 and 22% of CRC cases, respectively. All patients received 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy (either alone or in combination with oxaliplatin or irinotecan). Disease response (DR), stable disease (SD) and progressive disease (PD) were observed as the first response to systemic therapy in 24, 62 and 12% of primary tumours and in 36, 18 and 44% of metastatic sites, respectively. Only 36% of patients demonstrated concordant responses between the primary tumours and metastases, while the remaining 62% demonstrated discordant responses between the primary tumour and distant metastases (22% had DR with SD; 36% had DR or SD with PD; and 4% had PD with SD in the primary tumour and metastases, respectively). Restaging images were not available for 2% of the patients. Approximately 30% of patients developed complications from primary tumours, including bowel obstruction (6.12%), perforation (6%), rectal pain (6%) and rectal bleeding (10%). Approximately 10% of patients underwent palliative stoma creation. Additionally, 12% required palliative radiotherapy to the primary tumour (due to localized complications arising from the tumour). Discordant responses to systemic therapy between primary tumours and metastases occurred in 60% of patients with de novo mCRC (with primary tumour in situ at the time of first systemic therapy). The observations of the present study have potential implications for molecular tissue analysis to help guide systemic therapy. Tissue from metastatic sites may be preferable to confirm biomarker status in mCRC based on this study.