Effectiveness of infliximab in refractory FDG PET-positive sarcoidosis.
Eur Respir J
; 46(1): 175-85, 2015 Jul.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25929955
ABSTRACT
Inconclusive evidence for the efficacy of infliximab in sarcoidosis hinders the global use of this potentially beneficial drug. To study infliximab efficacy in a clinical setting, we performed a prospective open-label trial in patients refractory to conventional treatment. Patients (n=56) received eight infusions of 5â
mg·kg(-1) infliximab. Pulmonary function, disease activity measured by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) by positron emission tomography (PET) and quality of life were part of the clinical work-up. Infliximab levels were measured before every infusion. After 26â
weeks of infliximab treatment, mean improvement in forced vital capacity (FVC) was 6.6% predicted (p=0.0007), whereas in the 6â
months before start of treatment, lung function decreased. Maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax) of pulmonary parenchyma on (18)F-FDG PET decreased by 3.93 (p<0.0001). High SUVmax of pulmonary parenchyma at baseline predicted FVC improvement (R=0.62, p=0.0004). An overall beneficial response was seen in 79% of patients and a partial response was seen in 17% of patients. No correlation between infliximab trough level (mean 18.0â
µg·mL(-1)) and initial response was found. In conclusion, infliximab causes significant improvement in FVC in refractory (18)F-FDG PET positive sarcoidosis. Especially in pulmonary disease, high (18)F-FDG PET SUVmax values at treatment initiation predict clinically relevant lung function improvement. These results suggest that inclusion of (18)F-FDG PET is useful in therapeutic decision-making in complex sarcoidosis.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Sarcoidose Pulmonar
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Infliximab
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Anti-Inflamatórios
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2015
Tipo de documento:
Article