Early metabolic 18F-FDG PET/CT response of locally advanced squamous-cell carcinoma of head and neck to induction chemotherapy: A prospective pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the clinical value of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) after the first cycle of induction chemotherapy (IC) in locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (LASCCHN). METHODS AND FINDINGS: A prospective, single-arm, single center study was performed, with patients enrolled between February 2010 and July 2013.Patients (n = 49) with stage III/IVA-B LASCCHN who underwent IC with taxanes, cisplatin, and fluorouracil were recruited. Staging procedures included loco-regional and chest imaging, endoscopic examination, and PET/CT scan. On day 14 of the first cycle, a second PET/CT scan was performed. Patients with no early increase in regional lymph node maximum 18F-FDG standard uptake value (SUV), detected using 18F-FDG PET/CT after first IC had better progression-free survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.18, 95%, confidence interval (CI) 0.056-0.585; p = 0.004) and overall survival (HR = 0.14, 95% CI 0.040-0.498; p = 0.002), and were considered responders. In this subgroup, patients who achieved a reduction of ≥ 45% maximum primary tumor SUV experienced improved progression-free (HR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.062-0.854; p = 0.028) and overall (HR = 0.11, 95% CI 0.013-0.96; p = 0.046) survival. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a potential role for early response evaluation with PET/CT examination in patients with LASCCHN undergoing IC. Increased regional lymph node maximum SUV and insufficient decrease in primary tumor uptake predict poorer outcomes.

Tuberculosis in a patient on temozolomide: a case report.

Temozolomide (TMZ) is a cytotoxic agent of the imidazotetrazine class, chemically related to dacarbazine. Its use poses higher risks of lymphopenia and opportunistic infections. Prophylaxis for Pneumocystis jiroveci must be considered up to 12 months after treatment discontinuation. The due literature (MEDLINE) makes no mention of a possible connection between the use of TMZ and tuberculosis (TB). A female patient, aged 59, featuring glioblastoma multiforme and having undergone solely a brain biopsy, was submitted to TMZ along with radiotherapy. After the first TMZ maintenance cycle, the referred patient was admitted displaying a background of a 40-day afternoon fever and productive coughing. She was thus submitted to a bronchoscopy and LBA, which resulted BAAR 1+/4+. TMZ was then suspended, and rifampicin, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide introduced. Considerations on prophylaxis with isoniazide in cancer patients are long-lived and scarce. Some subgroups are likely to benefit from the prophylactic administration of isoniazide during TMZ treatment, such as those patients under high doses of corticoids, patients with past medical history of TB, the malnourished, patients from endemic regions, and patients with highly reactive tuberculinic tests. That, nevertheless, must not restrict the administration of TMZ, but, rather, stand for a warning about its possible toxicity, and thus mitigate complications.