Der Internist
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Management of critically ill cancer patients warrants stringent admission criteria and clear concepts concerning duration and limits of intensive care. Recent developments in mechanical ventilation and sepsis therapy can easily be used to improve the outcome of critically ill cancer patients. ⋯ Furthermore, novel oncology drugs-in particular immune modulators-produce unexpected and substantial side effects. Therefore, the development of an interdisciplinary algorithm by oncologists and intensivists remains an important and dynamic challenge.
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Biography Historical Article
[Congratulations to Prof. Dr. Jürgen Schölmerich on the occasion of his 65th birthday].
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Multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) is a rare polyclonal lymphoproliferative disorder that is typically accompanied by an overproduction of circulating cytokines (mainly interleukin-6). We here report the case of a 40-year-old HIV-negative woman with pulmonary manifestation of MCD. ⋯ In our patient, various treatment courses with immunomodulatory drugs were unsuccessful. Finally, treatment with the interleukin-6 receptor antibody tocilizumab has resulted in continual clinical improvement over the last 5 years.