PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - VLENTERIE, MYRELLA
AU  - OYEN, WIM JG
AU  - STEEGHS, NEELTJE
AU  - DESAR, INGRID M.E.
AU  - VERHEIJEN, REMY B.
AU  - KOENEN, ANNE MIEK
AU  - GROOTJANS, WILLEM
AU  - DE GEUS-OEI, LIOE-FEE
AU  - VAN ERP, NIELKA P.
AU  - VAN DER GRAAF, WINETTE TA
TI  - Early Metabolic Response as a Predictor of Treatment Outcome in Patients With Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcomas
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.13243
DP  - 2019 Mar 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 1309--1316
VI  - 39
IP  - 3
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/39/3/1309.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/39/3/1309.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2019 Mar 01; 39
AB  - Background/Aim: Pazopanib is approved for advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients. The aim of the study was to examine the usefulness of (18F)-Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/ computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) imaging for early evaluation of the response of STS patients to pazopanib, as well as the association between pazopanib pharmacokinetics and early metabolic response. Patients and Methods: Twenty STS patients underwent FDG-PET scans at baseline, two- and eight-weeks following treatment with pazopanib. The FDG-PET scans were evaluated by quantitative PERCIST analysis and visually by an independent nuclear medicine physician and related to RECIST1.1 outcome at eight weeks. Results: After eight weeks of therapy, 14 out of 20 patients had discontinued pazopanib due to tumor progression identified radiologically (‘non-responders’ n=12) or toxicity (n=2). Quantitative FDG-PET scoring at two weeks, according to PERCIST guidelines, identified 25% (3 of 12) of the patients radiologically as non-responders versus 42% (5 of 12) identified by visual response analysis. Conclusion: In this heterogeneous STS patients' cohort, early FDG-PET/CT identified a substantial part of pazopanib non-responders.