ISHL10 Abstract P079

Is FDG-PET the most sensitive tool to diagnose bleomycin induced pneumonitis in Hodgkin’s lymphoma?

Bleomycin is an antineoplastic agent which may cause fatal pulmonary toxicities where early diagnosis of bleomycin induced pneumonitis (BIP) is crucial. In clinical practice, formal pulmonary function testing with inclusion of carbon monoxide diffusion capacity, is quite unpredictable at isolating patients at risk for major bleomycin toxicity. In small numbered case series, FDG PET/CT scan have shown to be helpful to reveal the inflammation secondary to the BIP, but FDG is not known to be specific to diagnose this fatal side effect. We analyzed FDG-PET/CT scans of 77 Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) patients retrospectively to evaluate BIP. Thirteen patients have augmented abnormal FDG activity at their lungs after the exclusion of lymphoma involvement of the lung or pleura, radiation pneumonitis, infection, or cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Median age of the study population was 41 years and the average bleomycin dose was 134 mg. The FDG activities on the lungs were predominantly diffuse, bilateral, and mostly localized at the lower lobes and subpleural places. Interim PET revealed BIP in 8 of these 13 patients. Six of the 13 patients (46%) were asymptomatic during PET imaging. One of the patients without any clinical symptoms related to BIP continued to take bleomycin despite findings of FDG-PET, and ultimately lost secondary to bleomycin toxicity. The rest of the patients that bleomycin was omitted from the treatment regime and methylprednisolone was administered as routine approach demonstrated a favorable clinical course. Clinical and radiologic findings of BIP have been completely resolved. This study results suggest that routine interim or end of treatment PET/CT scan could have an additional benefit in clinic by alarming the diagnosis of asymptomatic BIP patients.

Authors

  • E. Öztürk
  • O. Falay
  • Y. Bölükbaşı
  • T. Gümüş
  • S. Örnek
  • M. Özbalak
  • O. Demirkol
  • B. Ferhanoğlu