0000000000397391
AUTHOR
Antonino Mulè
Whole-body MRI in patients with lymphoma: collateral findings.
To assess the incidence of collateral findings detected on whole-body magnetic resonance (WB-MRI) scans performed on patients with lymphoma. 114 patients (65 male; median age 45.2 years, range 15–86) with histologically confirmed lymphoma (47 Hodgkin, 67 Non-Hodgkin) underwent WB-MRI. The collateral findings were classified into three classes, according to their clinical significance, as follows: not or low significant (class 1), moderately or potentially significant (class 2), and significant (class 3). A Chi-square (χ 2) test was performed to assess the statistical significance of differences in the incidence of collateral findings based on age (≤50 and >50 years old), gender and histolog…
Whole body magnetic resonance in indolent lymphomas under watchful waiting: The time is now.
The indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas (i-NHLs) are characterised by ‘indolent’ clinical behaviour with slow growth and prolonged natural history. The watchful waiting (WW) strategy is a frequently employed treatment option in these patients. This implies a strict monitoring by imaging examinations, including 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) and CT. A major concern is radiation exposure due to regularly monitoring by conventional imaging procedures. Several studies have demonstrated the reliability of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) for lymphoma staging. WB-MRI could be useful for active surveillance in i-NHLs providing the …
Deoxycoformycin (pentostatin) in the treatment of splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) with or without villous lymphocytes.
: Background: Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is an infrequent B-cell neoplasm that pursues an indolent course. Signs and symptoms, mostly related to hypersplenism, are successfully managed by splenectomy. However, the therapy of patients who are not fit for a surgical procedure or who relapse after splenectomy, is still an unsettled issue. Patients and methods: We report a phase-II study on 16 patients with SMZL, three therapy naive and 13 pretreated, all showing systemic symptoms or progressive worsening of peripheral cytopenia, who were treated with pentostatin at a dose of 4 mg/m2 every other week for 6–10 wk. In relapsed patients, the median interval between diagnosis and treatme…
Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation and Alemtuzumab Therapy.
Abstract Reactivation of hepatitis B virus infection in subjects receiving cytotoxic treatment for haematological malignancies occurs in 21–53% of chronic HBsAg carriers and in an unknown number of HBsAg negative subjects harbouring occult HBV infection. Immunotherapy with alemtuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against CD52 on lymphoid cells, produces deep immunosuppression. We describe two subjects with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and occult HBV infection who developed a virological and biochemical flare of hepatitis B following immunotherapy with alemtuzumab. One of them developed a full blown hepatitis with seroreversion from anti-HBs to HBsAg after four weeks of alemtuzumab. Lam…
Osteonecrosis detected by whole body magnetic resonance in patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma treated by BEACOPP
Objectives: The purpose of our retrospective review of prospectively acquired Whole Body Magnetic Resonance (WB-MRI) scans was to assess the incidence of osteonecrosis in patients who received different chemotherapies. Methods: We evaluated the WB-MRI scans performed on 42 patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma treated by three chemotherapy regimens (6ABVD, 2ABVD + 4BEACOPP, 2ABVD + 8BEACOPP), excluding patients with the main risk factors for osteonecrosis. Results: Six out of seven patients (86 %) who received eight BEACOPP and one out of five patients (20 %) treated by four BEACOPP presented osteonecrosis, with a statistically significant difference of frequency between the two groups of patients…
Comparison between whole-body MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging and PET/CT in staging newly diagnosed FDG-avid lymphomas.
Abstract Objectives To compare whole body-MRI (WB-MRI) with diffusion-weighted imaging and FDG-PET/CT in staging newly diagnosed FDG-avid lymphomas. Methods 68 patients (37 males, 31 females; median age 42 years; range 15–86 years) with histologically confirmed lymphoma (37 Classical Hodgkin, 16 Diffuse large B-cell, 10 Follicular, 5 Mantle cell) underwent both MRI and FDG-PET/CT before treatment. Ann Arbor stages obtained with WB-MRI and FDG-PET/CT were compared using Cohen’s k statistics. Moreover WB-MRI and FDG-PET/CT stages were compared with the pathological stages obtained after the diagnostic iter using also bone marrow and available biopsies if clinically indicated. Results The agre…
Whole-body magnetic resonance for staging and response assessment of lymphoma in a pregnant woman treated with antenatal chemotherapy
A 32-year-old pregnant female presented with bilateral supraclavicular swelling, diffuse itching and right shoulder pain. After lymph nodal biopsy, a diagnosis of nodular sclerosis Hodgkin's lymphoma was obtained. A multidisciplinary team decided to start chemotherapy before the delivery, and whole-body MRI was used to stage the disease and evaluate the response after antenatal chemotherapy. This case shows that whole-body MRI is an attractive procedure that avoids radiation exposure and contrast administration, and enables staging and follow-up of a pregnant patient without risk to the fetus.
Pre-Emptive Treatment with Cidofovir for Cytomegalovirus Antigenemia in Autologous Bone Marrow Recipient and CLL Patients on Therapy with Alemtuzumab.
Abstract Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients who have undergone severe immunosuppressive therapy. Ganciclovir continues to be the first choice for pre-emptive therapy, but it needs multiple intravenous daily administration for three weeks and may cause myelosuppression. Cidofovir is a non myelotoxic nucleotide analogue effective against CMV; its favourable pharmacokinetic profile allows a once-a-week dosing. We reviewed a database on 110 consecutive Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT) and that of 15 Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) patients treated with alemtuzumab. All patients were virologically monitored by quantification of pp65 antige…
A xanthogranulomatous process resembling residual disease on endof- treatment 18f-FDG-PET/CT and Whole Body Magnetic Resonance performed on a primary breast lymphoma treated by ibrutinib plus rituximab-chop
We report the case of a woman, affected by breast diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma, who developed a xanthogranulomatous process wrongly interpreted as residual disease on 18F-FDG-PET/CTand Whole Body Magnetic Resonance after treatment with ibrutinib plus standard immunochemotherapy. Newer drugs, such as immunomodulatory agents and checkpoint inhibitors, have demonstrated high effectiveness on lymphoma, but are associated with unclear imaging features such as tumor flare or pseudo-progression, related to inflammatory reactions. Wide imaging techniques availability improves diagnostic possibilities. However, the awareness of the adopted treatment strategy and its possible implications on imaging…