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Introduction: In the literature, data on the effect of renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics of anticancer drugs are scarce. Here, we report a 68-year-old metastatic osteosarcoma patient with impaired renal function due to prior chemotherapy, who was treated on compassionate use basis with 400 mg/m cetuximab. Material and methods: Pharmacokinetic parameters after the first dose, including dose-normalised AUC from time zero to day 7, clearance, elimination half-life ( t), were estimated using trapezoidal non-compartmental methods and compared to pharmacokinetic data from a study population with normal kidney function. Results: The results showed that the pharmacokinetics of cetuximab in this patient with renal failure was similar to that with adequate renal function. Conclusion: This study suggests that cetuximab can be safely used in cancer patients with renal impairment without dose adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) has been described as an efficient method to differentiate good and poor responders to chemotherapy in osteosarcoma patients. A DW-MRI performed earlier during treatment could be helpful in monitoring chemotherapy. Objective: To assess the accuracy of DW-MRI in evaluating response to chemotherapy in the treatment of osteosarcoma, more specifically at mid-course of treatment. Materials and methods: This study was carried out on a prospective series of adolescents treated for long-bone osteosarcoma. MR examinations were performed at diagnosis (MRI-1), at mid-course of chemotherapy (MRI-2), and immediately before surgery (MRI-3). A DW sequence was performed using diffusion gradients of b0 and b900. The apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC1, ADC2, ADC3, respectively), their differentials (ADC2 − ADC1 and ADC3 − ADC1), and their variation (ADC2 − ADC1/ADC1 and ADC3 − ADC1/ADC1) were calculated for each of these three time points. Results: Fifteen patients were included. Patients with no increase in ADC showed a poor response to chemotherapy on their histology results. At mid-course, the three calculated values were significantly different between good and poor responders. ADC2 − ADC1 enabled us to detect, with 100% specificity, four out of seven of the poor responders. There was no significant difference in the values at MRI-3 between the two groups. Conclusion: DW-MRI performed both at baseline and mid-course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is an efficient method to predict further histological response of osteosarcoma. This method could be used as an early prognostic factor to monitor preoperative chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectif: Étudier la capacité de l’IRM fœtale de détecter une malrotation intestinale. Matériel et Méthodes: Étude rétrospective sur 5 ans de notre base de données d’IRM fœtales non cérébrales. Résultats: Quatre cent une IRM fœtales furent analysées. Dans 34 cas (8,5%), le jéjunum proximal était considéré en position anormale, càd ailleurs que dans le flanc gauche sous l’estomac sur les séquences pondérées en T2. Dans 22 cas (65%), le jéjunum était situé dans l’hémi-thorax gauche dans le cadre d’une hernie diaphragmatique gauche (groupe A). Dans 7 cas (20%) il était en position extra-abdominale dans le cadre d’un laparoschisis (group B). Dans 5 cas (15%) il était anormalement situé dans l’abdomen, en position médiane ou dans le flanc droit, avec un estomac en position normale (group C). Tous les cas des groupes A et B ont été confirmées en période post-natale ou à l’autopsie. Dans 4 cas du groupe C (syndrome de Prune-Belly, poche colonique, atrésie digestive, cardiopathie) la malrotation n’était pas suspectée en échographie et était confirmée après la naissance. Dans le dernier cas, l’intestin était refoulé à droite par une duplication digestive géante, et le TOGD post-natal était normal. Conclusion: Grâce à son excellente résolution en contraste en pondération T2, l’IRM fœtale identifie avec précision une position anormale du jéjunum, en dehors de toute suspicion échographique, avec une excellente corrélation postnatale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]