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Sjögren’s syndrome is a heterogeneous autoimmune disorder that may be associated with systemic manifestations involving multiple organs. We herein reported a rare combination of immunoglobulin A nephropathy; non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis; and polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal plasma cell disorder, and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome in a 15-year follow-up of a female patient initially diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome. The patient had excessive lymphoproliferation featured by lymphadenopathy and hyperglobulinemia. The diagnoses of immunoglobulin A nephropathy and non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis were confirmed by renal and liver biopsies. She received prolonged corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs, which improved immunoglobulin A nephropathy but did not hinder the progression of portal fibrosis, leading to intractable variceal bleeding. The patient died of repeated hematemesis despite endoscopic variceal ligation. Valuable pathological information of multi-organ involvement as well as detailed clinical course were presented to facilitate further understanding of this rare entity. Excessive lymphoproliferation might play an important role in the progression of systemic complications in Sjögren’s syndrome, which requires prolonged immunosuppression and organ-specific treatment.

POEMS syndrome is a rare plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein, and skin changes. This study reviewed the clinical characteristics and long-term outcome of 99 consecutive Chinese patients with newly diagnosed POEMS syndrome in a single institute. The median age of 99 patients was 45 years, and the ratio of men/women was 1.4. The median time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 18 months. The typical five features of peripheral neuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein, and skin change remained to be essential for patients with POEMS syndrome in China. The unusual features like pulmonary hypertension (36%) and renal impairment (37%) were not uncommon in China. Eighty-three percent patients were alive after follow-up time of 25 months, and 10% patients had survived more than 60 months. Melphalan-based therapy (OR, 0.076; 95% CI, 0.02–0.285) and normal renal function (OR, 0.246; 95% CI, 0.076–0.802) were independent prognostic factors for the survival of patients with POEMS syndrome. In conclusion, POEMS syndrome in Chinese patients was a multi-systemic disease with clinical features similar to non-Chinese ones. Active therapy can effectively improve the prognosis of patients with POEMS syndrome.

POEMS syndrome is a rare, chronic, disabling paraneoplastic disorder characterized by peripheral neuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal plasma cells disorder and skin changes. Diagnosis relies on the fulfillment of a set of clinical criteria of which polyneuropathy and a monoclonal plasma cell dyscrasia are early and essential features. Treatment may be either local or systemic and is aimed at the monoclonal plasma cell disorder. Our knowledge of the pathogenesis underlying the POEMS syndrome has advanced greatly over the past years, favoring an important progression in the recognition and management of this disorder. Here, we discuss the recent literature that has advanced our knowledge of the pathogenesis and clinical management of the polyneuropathy in POEMS syndrome.

This article reports a rare case of a patient with POEMS syndrome who developed secondary myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) two years after undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). The patient was initially misdiagnosed with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) due to symptoms of limb numbness and weakness. Two years later, the diagnosis was corrected to POEMS syndrome. After induction therapy with the lenalidomide-dexamethasone (RD) regimen, ASCT is performed and partial remission is achieved. And lenalidomide was used for maintenance therapy. Over a year later, he was infected with SARS-CoV-2 and subsequently developed pancytopenia. Bone marrow routine revealed increased myeloblasts with multilineage dysplasia, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) found a TP53 mutation, leading to the diagnosis of secondary MDS. The pathogenesis of secondary MDS in POEMS syndrome is discussed from three aspects: cytotoxic therapy, genetic predisposition, and SARS-CoV-2 infection. This case underscores the importance of prolonged surveillance for secondary myeloid neoplasms (sMN) in POEMS patients and suggests that early genomic profiling and individualized treatment may improve outcomes.

Set in a district general hospital, this case series explores two individuals who developed a rare multisystemic syndrome:; polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy and skin abnormalities (POEMS). Diagnostic journey, trajectory of disease and outcomes are compared. Both patients presented to healthcare numerous times and saw multiple specialists for symptoms resulting predominantly from volume overload and neuropathy, prior to being admitted with atypical ischaemic stroke. During their admission, diagnosis was made after atypical intracranial arterial stenoses, sensory neuropathy not in keeping with their stroke, plasmacytoma detection and confirmatory raised vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels. POEMS is highly treatment responsive, survival rate improving with earlier diagnosis. Both patients were transferred to specialist centres for chemotherapy. Unfortunately, patient outcomes significantly differ, one having favourable recovery, while the other experiencing treatment-resistance disease requiring local repatriation for withdrawal of care. We identify challenges faced by both patients and the medical team, and discuss the importance of the general physician within the world of specialist medicine, in order to provide holistic, comprehensive patient care.

ObjectiveTo propose the optimal diagnostic criteria for polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome using appropriate statistical methods and disease controls.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included 104 consecutive patients with suspected POEMS syndrome, among whom a gold standard group of 60 patients with definitive POEMS syndrome diagnosis were followed for at least 12 months to strictly exclude other disorders mimicking POEMS syndrome and to confirm response to POEMS syndrome-specific treatment. Thirty patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy controls) and 30 with multiple myeloma or immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (monoclonal plasma cell proliferation controls) were also included. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine optimal combination of clinical and laboratory abnormalities, characteristic of POEMS syndrome.ResultsThe diagnostic criteria were statistically defined as the presence of the three major criteria (polyneuropathy (typically demyelinating), monoclonal plasma cell proliferative disorder and elevated vascular endothelial growth factor) and at least two of the four minor criteria (oedema/effusion, skin changes, organomegaly and sclerotic bone lesions), based on best performance by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. The sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 100%, respectively; the diagnostic accuracy of the proposed criteria was equivalent to somewhat complicated previous criteria.ConclusionsThe statistically defined, simple diagnostic criteria for POEMS syndrome could accelerate early diagnosis and treatment, thereby contribute to better outcome in patients with this serious disease. Prospective larger studies are required to confirm the validity.

Chronic diarrhea, by definition, is the passage of loose/liquid stools, with increased frequency (more than three times/day), or an output of over 200 g/day, lasting for a duration of four or more weeks. The clinical approach to identify the cause of chronic diarrhea generally depends on the local socioeconomic status. In high-income countries, systemic causes such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease, malabsorption syndromes (lactose intolerance/coeliac disease) are primarily considered. In mid- to low-income countries, infective causes like chronic bacterial, mycobacterial, fungal infections, HIV, bowel cancer are considered before systemic causes/malabsorption syndromes. Amyloidosis, more accurately, reactive amyloidosis is one of the rarer causes of chronic/persistent diarrhea. Inflammatory colitis secondary to POEMS syndrome (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes) as a cause for chronic diarrhea has been reported only in a handful of cases and is often missed. We present such a case of chronic diarrhea in a middle-aged man, who was eventually diagnosed to have POEMS syndrome.

POEMS syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic disease associated with monoclonal plasma cells; however, the pathogenic importance of plasma cells remains unclear. We performed comprehensive genetic analyses of plasma cells in 20 patients with POEMS syndrome. Whole exome sequencing was performed in 11 cases and found a total of 308 somatic mutations in 285 genes. Targeted sequencing was performed in all 20 cases and identified 20 mutations in 7 recurrently mutated genes, namely KLHL6, LTB, EHD1, EML4, HEPHL1, HIPK1, and PCDH10. None of the driver gene mutations frequently found in multiple myeloma (MM) such as NRAS, KRAS, BRAF, and TP53 was detected. Copy number analysis showed chromosomal abnormalities shared with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), suggesting a partial overlap in the early development of MGUS and POEMS syndrome. RNA sequencing revealed a transcription profile specific to POEMS syndrome when compared with normal plasma cells, MGUS and MM. Unexpectedly, disease-specific VEGFA expression was not increased in POEMS syndrome. Our study illustrates that the genetic and transcriptional profiles of plasma cells in POEMS syndrome are distinct from MM and MGUS, indicating unique function of clonal plasma cells in its pathogenesis.

Daratumumab-based induction therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) as a treatment of newly diagnosed POEMS syndrome (Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, Monoclonal plasma cell disorder, Skin changes) have been rarely studied. Here, we present a young patient with newly diagnosed POEMS syndrome harboring a 17p deletion in a solitary plasmacytoma of the bone, who was treated with systemic therapy comprising daratumumab combined with lenalidomide dexamethasone, local radiotherapy, and ASCT. To date, he has achieved 18 months of continuous complete remission with respect to hematological parameters and vascular endothelial growth factor levels (HRCR and VCR), with an overall neuropathy limitations scale score of 3 for both upper limbs and 2 for both lower limbs, thereby enabling independent walking. These data suggest that using daratumumab as a front-line treatment might lead to deeper remission and better quality of life for young patients with POEMS.

Background POEMS syndrome with polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein, and skin changes is an uncommon plasma cell paraneoplastic syndrome involving multiple system. It is relatively rare in clinical practice, and renal involvement is a usual yet easily overlooked symptom. Case presentation We successfully treated a patient with M protein-negative POEMS syndrome with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) findings and thrombotic microangiopathic changes by comparing the level of Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the serum and the changes in polyserositis before and after the patient’s treatment. Conclusion POEMS syndrome clinically involves multiple systems and has complex symptoms. Because of the diversity of the disease manifestations, identification of atypical POEMS syndrome and timely intervention are important for patient survival and prognosis.