An unusual case of late recurrent Hodgkin lymphoma presenting with soft tissue masses

Hodgkin lymphoma remains primarily a nodal disease. Extranodal involvement in Hodgkin lymphoma is less common than that seen in non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In particular, extranodal Hodgkin lymphoma involving soft tissues is extremely rare. We report a case of extranodal Hodgkin lymphoma involving breast and thigh tissues in a 72 year-old female. CAT scan showed a complex mass like area centered around the distal aspect of the vastus medialis. Ultrasound showed an ovoid solid and cystic mass in the right breast. This case illustrates that, while rare, Hodgkin lymphoma can manifest as soft tissue masses

An open label randomized phase II study of pasireotide with or without everolimus in castrate-resistant chemotherapy-naïve prostate cancer patients

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. New areas of research continue to examine the role of non-androgen receptor pathways in prostate cancer treatment. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway may be a target for prostate cancer therapy. Somatostatin receptor signaling inhibits intracellular PI3K/Akt signaling, making it an attractive target for combination therapy. We conducted a phase II open label clinical trial examining the use of somatostatin receptor agonist, pasireotide (SOM230) in combination with mTOR inhibitor, everolimus in metastatic castrate-resistant chemotherapy-naïve prostate cancer patients. Of the 6 patients enrolled in the study, only 1 patient had \u3e50% PSA reduction from baseline. Three patients withdrew due to grade 3 adverse events. The study was closed early due to toxicity profiles and no further development was planned for this combination treatment in prostate cancer

Translating Molecules into Imaging—The Development of New PET Tracers for Patients with Melanoma

International audienceMelanoma is a deadly disease that often exhibits relentless progression and can have both early and late metastases. Recent advances in immunotherapy and targeted therapy have dramatically increased patient survival for patients with melanoma. Similar advances in molecular targeted PET imaging can identify molecular pathways that promote disease progression and therefore offer physiological information. Thus, they can be used to assess prognosis, tumor heterogeneity, and identify instances of treatment failure. Numerous agents tested preclinically and clinically demonstrate promising results with high tumor-to-background ratios in both primary and metastatic melanoma tumors. Here, we detail the development and testing of multiple molecular targeted PET-imaging agents, including agents for general oncological imaging and those specifically for PET imaging of melanoma. Of the numerous radiopharmaceuticals evaluated for this purpose, several have made it to clinical trials and showed promising results. Ultimately, these agents may become the standard of care for melanoma imaging if they are able to demonstrate micrometastatic disease and thus provide more accurate information for staging. Furthermore, these agents provide a more accurate way to monitor response to therapy. Patients will be able to receive treatment based on tumor uptake characteristics and may be able to be treated earlier for lesions that with traditional imaging would be subclinical, overall leading to improved outcomes for patients

Advances in PET/CT Imaging for Breast Cancer

International audienceOne out of eight women will be affected by breast cancer during her lifetime. Imaging plays a key role in breast cancer detection and management, providing physicians with information about tumor location, heterogeneity, and dissemination. In this review, we describe the latest advances in PET/CT imaging of breast cancer, including novel applications of 18F-FDG PET/CT and the development and testing of new agents for primary and metastatic breast tumor imaging and therapy. Ultimately, these radiopharmaceuticals may guide personalized approaches to optimize treatment based on the patient’s specific tumor profile, and may become a new standard of care. In addition, they may enhance the assessment of treatment efficacy and lead to improved outcomes for patients with a breast cancer diagnosis

Human PDE4A8, a novel brain-expressed PDE4 cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase that has undergone rapid evolutionary change

We have isolated cDNAs encoding PDE4A8 (phosphodiesterase 4 isoform A8), a new human cAMP-specific PDE4 isoform encoded by the PDE4A gene. PDE4A8 has a novel N-terminal region of 85 amino acids that differs from those of the related ‘long’ PDE4A4, PDE4A10 and PDE4A11 isoforms. The human PDE4A8 N-terminal region has diverged substantially from the corresponding isoforms in the rat and other mammals, consistent with rapid evolutionary change in this region of the protein. When expressed in COS-7 cells, PDE4A8 localized predominantly in the cytosol, but approx. 20% of the enzyme was associated with membrane fractions. Cytosolic PDE4A8 was exquisitely sensitive to inhibition by the prototypical PDE4 inhibitor rolipram (IC<sub>50</sub> of 11±1 nM compared with 1600 nM for PDE4A4), but was less sensitive to inhibition by cilomilast (IC<sub>50</sub> of 101±7 nM compared with 61 nM for PDE4A4). PDE4A8 mRNA was found to be expressed predominantly in skeletal muscle and brain, a pattern that differs from the tissue expression of other human PDE4 isoforms and also from that of rat PDE4A8. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that PDE4A8 could be detected in discrete regions of human brain, including the cerebellum, spinal cord and cerebral cortex. The unique tissue distribution of PDE4A8, combined with the evolutionary divergence of its N-terminus, suggest that this isoform may have a specific function in regulating cAMP levels in human skeletal muscle and brain