Search

The authors report the case of a young nun who came to their attention because of the simultaneous development of mammary and pelvic lymphoblastic lymphoma and acute leukemia showing aspects typical of nonendemic Burkitt's lymphoma. The rapid tumoral growth and the equally rapid spontaneous cell lysis led to severe renal insufficiency and metabolic acidosis which were ultimately the cause of death. Given the rareness of the clinical situation and the diagnostic problems involved, the authors examined the literature dealing with this subject.

In pre-terminal and terminal gynaecological patients with persistent cancer pain, now it is possible to carry out some anthalgic methods associated or not to parenteral administration of non-narcotic or narcotic analgesic, i.e. intrathecal neurolytic injections and epidural narcotic administration. Many favourable results have been obtained by means of single or repeated 7% phenol in glycerine injections to patients with advanced but not terminal cancer affected by somatic and segmental pain or by perineal pain. In order to control more extensive pains, epidural injections of morphine in saline have been employed in preterminal patients. This method appears to be the best answer to many problems complained by the patients: pain, depression, malaise. As a matter of fact, low doses of epidural morphine induce both complete pain relief and sedation or slight drowsiness.