Phase II study of etoposide (VP-16) in patients with thyroid cancer with no prior chemotherapy: an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Study (E1385)

This study of etoposide in thyroid cancer was designed to determine the activity and toxicity of etoposide in a variety of inoperable, thyroid hormone insensitive, and radio-iodine resistant primary cancers of the thyroid. The patients were required to have an ECOG performance status of at least 3 and no previous exposure to chemotherapy. The etoposide was given at a dose of 140 mg/m² daily for 3 days and every 3 weeks until progression. The study was closed after 18 months because of poor accrual. There were no responses seen among the 10 patients accrued. The toxicity was primarily hematologic. There was no evidence of activity of etoposide in thyroid carcinoma, although this study lacked significant power because of the poor accrual.     

Kr-81m ventilation imaging: clinical utility in suspected pulmonary embolism

The results of Kr-81m/Tc-99m ventilation-perfusion (VP) lung scintigraphy were correlated with the results of pulmonary angiography for 74 patients suspected of having pulmonary embolism (PE). Among patients having a diagnostic scan, the sensitivity and specificity of scintigraphy were 91% and 94%, respectively. Also, 157 consecutive cases of Kr-81m/Tc-99m VP lung scintigraphy were reviewed, and the frequency of an indeterminate scan was found to be 22%. A similar frequency was found for VP scintigraphy with xenon-133. Of eight patients who had indeterminate scans due to the presence of a single VP mismatch, four were demonstrated to have PE by angiography. Kr-81m is an excellent agent for VP scanning in cases of suspected PE, offering accuracy in diagnosis as well as favorable physical properties.     

Ocular MR imaging and spectroscopy: an ex vivo study

Six eyes, freshly enucleated because of choroidal melanoma, were imaged on a 1.4-T superconducting magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system, and relaxation times were calculated for various parts of the eye. Unfixed fresh tissue samples were obtained for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMRS) on a variable-field (0.19-1.4 T) resistive unit. Detailed ocular anatomy was demonstrated. The NMRS relaxation times correlated with the MR imaging intensity patterns. The sensitivity of MR imaging to states of hydration provides an excellent window for appreciation of ocular anatomy.     

Association of achalasia and pulmonary Mycobacterium fortuitum infection

A case of achalasia complicated by Mycobacterium fortuitum pulmonary infection and empyema is reported. This association has been documented in the medical literature. Possible mechanisms explaining this association are discussed.