Substantial activity of mitoxantrone and paclitaxel in a heavily pre-treated metastatic bladder cancer patient.

A 53-year-old man with metastatic bladder cancer was treated with multiple chemotherapy regimens with clear disease progression. At presentation in our clinics, he was symptomatic with severe pain, weight loss, fatigue, pain, and lower extremity edema. Hospice care had been recommended; however, the patient wanted to continue treatment. The patient was started on a novel bladder chemotherapy regimen using a combination of mitoxantrone and paclitaxel. This regimen has been shown to be effective in platinum refractory ovarian cancer but there are no prior data in bladder cancer. The patient's bladder cancer responded dramatically from a clinical, biochemical, and radiographic perspective.

Increased uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose due to Mycobacterium avium complex in a solitary pulmonary nodule.

A 59-year-old woman with a history of both breast and lung cancer developed a new 1.5 cm solitary pulmonary nodule on computed tomography (CT) scan. The nodule had increased 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on positron emission tomography (PET) with a standard uptake value (SUV) of 3.4. A CT guided biopsy was performed, and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) was identified. PET scans have become an important part of the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of cancer. Even in individuals at considerable risk for cancer with a solitary nodule demonstrating increased FDG uptake, further diagnostic evaluation and needle biopsy might receive consideration prior to surgical intervention.