Rational use of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma:A systematic review

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) is increasingly used in patients with advanced melanoma. Immune checkpoint inhibitors and BRAF/MEK-targeted therapy have transformed the therapeutic landscape of metastatic melanoma. Consequently, a need for markers predicting (early) response to treatment and for monitoring treatment (toxicity) has arisen. This systematic review appraises the current literature evidence for rational use of 18F-FDG PET/CT scans in staging, clinical decision-making, treatment monitoring and follow-up in advanced melanoma. 18F-FDG PET/CT has high overall accuracy for detection of distant metastases and is, combined with cerebral MRI, the preferred imaging strategy for staging metastatic melanoma. In contrast, strong evidence supporting the standard use of 18F-FDG PET/CT for predicting and monitoring therapy response and toxicity is currently lacking. Essential for determining the position of 18F-FDG PET/CT during treatment course in advanced melanoma are well-designed studies with standardized scanning protocols, incorporation of clinical parameters and comparison with contrast-enhanced CT alone

Gene therapy in the Netherlands

- Extensive research is ongoing worldwide on the clinical utility of gene therapy, particularly for the treatment of cancer and genetic disorders. - Two gene therapy products have already been approved recently in China. - Clinical experience with gene therapy has also been accumulating in the Netherlands: over 200 Dutch patients have now been treated in clinical trials. - Published results indicate that gene therapy is generally safe. - Gene therapy appears to be effective for some genetic disorders, such as severe combined immune deficiency and haemophilia B. - The efficacy of gene therapy, particularly in the treatment of cancer, appears to be limited up till now.</p

Corrigendum to “Authors’ reply—Does the RAPIDO trial suggest a benefit of post-operative chemotherapy after preoperative chemoradiation in rectal cancer? No, it does not”: [ESMO Open 8 (2023) 101645]

The authors regret that in the original publication reference 1 was given in correctly. The correct reference is as follows: 1. J. Socha, W. Michalski, K. Bujko, Does the RAPIDO trial suggest a benefit of post-operative chemotherapy after preoperative chemoradiation in rectal cancer? No, it does not., ESMO Open, Volume 8, Issue 5, 2023, 101644, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esmoop.2023.101644The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.</p

Gene therapy in the Netherlands

- Extensive research is ongoing worldwide on the clinical utility of gene therapy, particularly for the treatment of cancer and genetic disorders. - Two gene therapy products have already been approved recently in China. - Clinical experience with gene therapy has also been accumulating in the Netherlands: over 200 Dutch patients have now been treated in clinical trials. - Published results indicate that gene therapy is generally safe. - Gene therapy appears to be effective for some genetic disorders, such as severe combined immune deficiency and haemophilia B. - The efficacy of gene therapy, particularly in the treatment of cancer, appears to be limited up till now.</p

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated polymyalgia rheumatica versus primary polymyalgia rheumatica:Comparison of disease characteristics and treatment requirement

Objectives: To compare clinical characteristics, imaging findings and treatment requirements of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated polymyalgia rheumatica (ICI-PMR) and primary PMR.Methods: This single centre, retrospective cohort study compared ICI-PMR in patients with cancer (n = 15) to patients with primary PMR (n = 37). A comparison was made between clinical symptoms, laboratory markers, ultrasonography, 18F-FDG-PET/CT findings and treatment requirements related to PMR.Results: Patients with ICI-PMR less frequently fulfilled the EULAR/ACR classification criteria for PMR (66.7%) than patients with primary PMR (97.3%). Morning stiffness, weight loss and elevation of the ESR were less frequently seen in patients with ICI-PMR. No differences were observed regarding the presence of inflammatory lesions on ultrasound of the shoulders and hips between the two groups. The Leuven and the Leuven/Groningen 18F-FDG-PET/CT scores were significantly lower in the ICI-PMR group. Finally, the ICI-PMR group could be managed with lower glucocorticoid doses than the primary PMR group, while this treatment could be discontinued more quickly.Conclusion: Our findings indicate that ICI-PMR may have a milder course with less intense inflammation than primary PMR. ICI-PMR can be managed with a relatively low glucocorticoid dose. Our study underscores that ICI-PMR should be regarded as a PMR-like syndrome