Whole-Body 18F-FDG PET/CT Is Superior to CT as First-Line Diagnostic Imaging in Patients Referred with Serious Nonspecific Symptoms or Signs of Cancer: A Randomized Prospective Study of 200 Patients.

A fast-track pathway has been established in Denmark to investigate patients with serious nonspecific symptoms and signs of cancer (NSSC), who are not eligible to enter an organ-specific cancer program. The prevalence of cancer in this cohort is approximately 20%. The optimal screening strategy in patients with NSSC remains unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate whether 18F-FDG PET/CT was superior to CT as an initial imaging modality in patients with NSSC. In a randomized prospective trial, the imaging modalities were compared with regard to diagnostic performance. Methods: Two hundred patients were randomized 1:1 to whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT or CT of the thorax and abdomen as the imaging modality. A tentative diagnosis was established after first-line imaging. The final referral diagnosis was adjudicated by the physician, when sufficient data were available. Results: One hundred ninety-seven patients were available for analysis because 3 patients withdrew consent before scanning. Thirty-nine (20%) patients were diagnosed with cancer, 10 (5%) with an infection, 15 (8%) with an autoimmune disease, and 76 (39%) with other diseases. In the remaining 57 patients (28%), no specific disease was found. 18F-FDG PET/CT had a higher specificity (96% vs. 85%; P = 0.028) and a higher accuracy (94% vs. 82%; P = 0.017) than CT. However, there were no statistically significant differences in sensitivity (83% vs. 70%) or negative predictive values (96% vs. 92%). No difference in days to final referral diagnosis according to randomization group could be shown (7.2 vs. 7.6 d). However, for the subgroups in which the imaging modality showed a suggestion of malignancy, there was a significant delay to final diagnosis in the CT group compared with the 18F-FDG PET/CT group (11.6 vs. 5.7 d; P = 0.02). Conclusion: Compared with CT, we found a higher diagnostic specificity and accuracy of 18F-FDG PET/CT for detecting cancer in patients with NSSC. 18F-FDG PET/CT should therefore be considered as first-line imaging in this group of patients.

Effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy in individuals who for economic reasons were switched from a once-daily single-tablet regimen to a triple-tablet regimen.

BACKGROUND: To assess the impact on virological outcomes of a switch from branded single-tablet regimen (STR) including tenofovir, efavirenz, and emtricitabine (STR-TEE) to generic triple-tablet regimen (TTR), including tenofovir, efavirenz, and lamivudine (TTR-TEL), which was implemented on April 1, 2011 to obtain economic savings. METHODS AND FINDINGS: From the Capital Region of Denmark (covering two-thirds of the Danish HIV patients), we included combination antiretroviral therapy (cART)-naive patients who administered STR-TEE from April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011 (n = 111) or TTR-TEL from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012 (n = 56) and cART-experienced HIV patients who were on STR-TEE from April 1, 2010 (n = 356) or were switched from STR-TEE to TTR-TEL after April 1, 2011 (n = 512). We estimated the fraction with detectable HIV-RNA, development of the 184V/I resistance mutations, and time to switch of cART. Approximately 96.2% of cART-experienced patients on STR-TEE were shifted to TTR-TEL after April 1, 2011. For the naive STR-TEE and TTR-TEL patients, the fractions with detectable HIV-RNA at week 48 were 7.0% and 8.3% and for the cART experienced 4.0% and 4.4%, respectively. The 184V/I resistance mutation was detected in 1 cART-experienced patient on TTR-TEL with virological failure. The risk of switch to a new cART regimen was slightly increased in the cART-experienced population (difference in 1-year risk: 1.5%; 95% confidence interval: -2.4% to 5.4%). CONCLUSIONS: In settings comparable with the Danish health care system, the estimated economic savings from a switch from STR-TEE to TTR-TEL can be realized with negligible short-term risk of adverse outcomes.

Latent tuberculosis in HIV positive, diagnosed by the M. tuberculosis specific interferon-gamma test.

BACKGROUND: Although tuberculosis (TB) is a minor problem in Denmark, severe and complicated cases occur in HIV positive. Since the new M. tuberculosis specific test for latent TB, the QuantiFERON-TB In-Tube test (QFT-IT) became available the patients in our clinic have been screened for the presence of latent TB using the QFT-IT test. We here report the results from the first patients screened. METHODS: On a routine basis the QFT-IT test was performed and the results from 590 HIV positive individuals consecutively tested are presented here. CD4 cell count and TB risk-factors were recorded from patient files. MAIN FINDINGS: 27/590(4.6%) of the individuals were QFT-IT test positive, indicating the presence of latent TB infection. Among QFT-IT positive patients, 78% had risk factors such as long-term residency in a TB high endemic area (OR:5.7), known TB exposure (OR:4.9) or previous TB disease (OR:4.9). The prevalence of latent TB in these groups were 13%, 16% and 19% respectively. There was a strong correlation between low CD4 T-cell count and a low mitogen response (P < 0.001;Spearman) and more patients with low CD4 cell count had indeterminate results. CONCLUSION: We found an overall prevalence of latent TB infection of 4.6% among the HIV positive individuals and a much higher prevalence of latent infection among those with a history of exposure (16%) and long term residency in a high endemic country (13%). The QFT-IT test may indeed be a useful test for HIV positive individuals, but in severely immunocompromised, the test may be impaired by T-cell anergy.

Syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 coinfection: influence on CD4 T-cell count, HIV-1 viral load, and treatment response.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and syphilis coinfection on HIV-ribonucleic acid (RNA) viral load, CD4 cell count, and the response in rapid plasmin reagin (RPR) to treatment of the syphilis infection. STUDY DESIGN: Cases of syphilis diagnosed during 1 year in HIV-infected patients in Copenhagen were included. HIV-RNA, CD4 cell counts, and RPR-serology were measured before, during, and after syphilis. RESULTS: Forty-one patients were included. CD4 cell count decreased significantly during infection in patients with primary and secondary stages of syphilis (mean 106 cells/mm, P = 0.03). Treatment of syphilis was associated with an increase in the CD4 cell count and a decrease in HIV-RNA in the overall group (mean 66 cells/mm and -0.261 RNA log10 copies/ml, P = 0.02 and 0.04). The serological response rates for 15 patients treated with penicillin and 25 treated with doxycycline were the same. CONCLUSION: Syphilis was associated with a decrease in CD4 cell counts and an increase in HIV-RNA levels that both improved after treatment of syphilis.

A randomized trial comparing initial HAART regimens of nelfinavir/nevirapine and ritonavir/saquinavir in combination with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: A triple-class HAART regimen may be associated with a better virological effect than conventional regimens, but may also lead to toxicity and more profound resistance. METHODS: Randomized, controlled, open-label trial of 233 protease inhibitor- and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-naive HIV-infected patients allocated to a regimen of nelfinavir and nevirapine (1250/200 mg twice daily; n = 118) or ritonavir and saquinavir (400/400 mg twice daily; n = 115), both in combination with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The primary end-point was HIV RNA < or = 20 copies/ml after 48 weeks (missing value = failure). Patients remained under follow-up also in case of switch from the randomized therapy. RESULTS: At baseline, the median CD4 cell counts were 126 (range: 0-942) (nelfinavir/nevirapine) and 150 (0-642) (ritonavir/saquinavir) cells/mm3, and HIV RNA measurements 5.0 copies/ml (1.3-6.4) in both groups. A total of 102 (86%) and 101 (88%) were antiretroviral-naive. 44% discontinued randomized therapy; P = 0.13. Of these, 80 and 73% switched therapy due to adverse events; P = 0.99. At week 48, 69 and 56%, respectively, had a HIV RNA < or = 20 copies/ml; P = 0.037. CONCLUSION: A regimen of nelfinavir/nevirapine had a favourable virological effect and tolerability over a 48-week period compared with ritonavir/saquinavir, when administered in combination with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. However, more extensive follow-up is required to determine the long-term consequences of triple class HAART regimens, including the development of broad drug resistance.

Prevalence of drug resistance mutations and non-B subtypes in newly diagnosed HIV-1 patients in Denmark.

The aim of this study was to monitor the prevalence of drug resistance mutations in newly diagnosed HIV-1 positive individuals in Denmark. In addition we assessed the prevalence of non-B subtypes based on phylogenetic analysis of the pol gene. Plasma samples from 104 newly diagnosed HIV-1 positive patients were obtained in the year 2000. The entire protease gene and 320 amino acids of the reverse transcriptase gene were genotyped. Sequences were obtained from 97 patients. No subjects displayed primary resistance mutations in the protease gene, whereas all carried 1 or more secondary mutations. Resistance mutations in the RT-gene associated with NRTI-resistance were found in 1 patient, who was infected with zidovudine resistant HIV-1 harbouring the M41L mutation in combination with T215S and L210S. The T215S mutation has been showed to be associated with reversion of zidovudine resistance. The T215S mutation was found in 1 additional patient. The subtype distribution was subtype B 59%, C 18%, A 8%, CRF02_AG 5%, CRF01_AE 4%, D 3% and G 2%. We found 2 patients (2%) with mutations associated with resistance in the RT-gene and none in the protease gene indicating a low prevalence of resistant HIV-1 in Denmark in the year 2000.