Decoding tumor stage by peritumoral and intratumoral radiomics in resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the potential application of radiomics in predicting Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage in patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS: This retrospective study included 122 consecutive patients (mean age, 57 years; 27 women). Corresponding tumor of interest was identified on axial arterial-phase CT images with manual annotation. Radiomics features were extracted from intra- and peritumoral regions. Features were pruned to train LASSO regression model with 93 patients to construct a radiomics signature, whose performance was validated in a test set of 29 patients. Prognostic value of radiomics-predicted TNM stage was estimated by survival analysis in the entire cohort. RESULTS: The radiomics signature incorporating one intratumoral and four peritumoral features was significantly associated with TNM stage. This signature discriminated tumor stage with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.823 in the training set, with similar performance in the test set (AUC 0.813). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was significantly different between different radiomics-predicted TNM stage groups (Low-risk vs high-risk, log-rank P = 0.004). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that radiomics-predicted TNM stage was an independent preoperative factor for RFS. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed radiomics signature combing intratumoral and peritumoral features was predictive of TNM stage and associated with prognostication in ESCC.

Multimodal Imaging Features and Prognosis of Metaplastic Breast Carcinoma.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is an infrequent malignancy with an unfavorable prognosis, and there is a paucity of research on the multimodal imaging features of MBC. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the multimodal imaging features, clinicopathological characteristics, and prognosis of MBC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 36 patients with histologically confirmed MBC from 2012 to 2021 were included in the study. We analyzed the pre-treatment multimodal imaging features, including mammography, ultrasonography (US), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as clinicopathology and prognosis of MBC. Follow-up data included local recurrence, distant metastasis, and overall survival (OS) rate. RESULTS: MBC patients had a median age of 51 years at diagnosis. The most common histologic subtype was squamous cell carcinoma, with 86.1% of MBC being histological grade 3 and triple negative. The most common mammographic findings were irregular shape, non-calcification, and high density. The predominant US findings included irregular shape, parallel orientation, posterior acoustic enhancement, and hypoecho. On MRI, most masses exhibited irregular shape, spiculate margin, heterogeneous enhancement, Type II time intensity curve, and diffusion restriction on diffusion weighted images determined by apparent diffusion coefficient. According to breast imaging reporting and data system, mammography suggested malignancy in 50% of cases, US indicated a moderate to high suspicion of malignancy in 77.8% of cases, MRI revealed malignancy in all cases. At a median follow-up time of 48 months (range, 8-122 months) for 35 MBC patients, the local recurrence, distant metastasis, and OS rates were 11.4%, 28.6%, and 67.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The benign features of MBC on mammography and US may cause misinterpretation. However, the inclusion of malignant features observed on MRI can improve diagnostic accuracy.

Development and validation of a computed tomography-based immune ecosystem diversity index as an imaging biomarker in non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To date, there are no data on the noninvasive surrogate of intratumoural immune status that could be prognostic of survival outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aimed to develop and validate the immune ecosystem diversity index (iEDI), an imaging biomarker, to indicate the intratumoural immune status in NSCLC. We further investigated the clinical relevance of the biomarker for survival prediction. METHODS: In this retrospective study, two independent NSCLC cohorts (Resec1, n = 149; Resec2, n = 97) were included to develop and validate the iEDI to classify the intratumoural immune status. Paraffin-embedded resected specimens in Resec1 and Resec2 were stained by immunohistochemistry, and the density percentiles of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells to all cells were quantified to estimate intratumoural immune status. Then, EDI features were extracted using preoperative computed tomography to develop an imaging biomarker, called iEDI, to determine the immune status. The prognostic value of iEDI was investigated on NSCLC patients receiving surgical resection (Resec1; Resec2; internal cohort Resec3, n = 419; external cohort Resec4, n = 96; and TCIA cohort Resec5, n = 55). RESULTS: iEDI successfully classified immune status in Resec1 (AUC 0.771, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.759-0.783; and 0.770 through internal validation) and Resec2 (0.669, 0.647-0.691). Patients with higher iEDI-score had longer overall survival (OS) in Resec3 (unadjusted hazard ratio 0.335, 95%CI 0.206-0.546, p < 0.001), Resec4 (0.199, 0.040-1.000, p < 0.001), and TCIA (0.303, 0.098-0.944, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: iEDI is a non-invasive surrogate of intratumoural immune status and prognostic of OS for NSCLC patients receiving surgical resection. KEY POINTS: • Decoding tumour immune microenvironment enables advanced biomarkers identification. • Immune ecosystem diversity index characterises intratumoural immune status noninvasively. • Immune ecosystem diversity index is prognostic for NSCLC patients.

Computed tomography manifestations in super early stage 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: The recent outbreak of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, PR China, was caused by a novel beta coronavirus, the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). PURPOSE: To summarize chest computed tomography (CT) manifestations of the early stage of COVID-19 infection and provide a piece of reliable imaging evidence for initial screening and diagnosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From 10 January 2020 to 10 February 2020, we continuously observed chest CT imaging of 14 patients with clinically suspected new coronavirus infection in the two weeks after onset of symptoms. Ground-glass opacity (GGO), consolidation, reticular pattern, and ground-glass mimic nodules in each patient's chest CT image were recorded. RESULTS: We enrolled 14 patients, of which nine patients had the infection confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Five patients were highly suspected of infection. All cases had epidemiological evidence. GGO was a dominant imaging manifestation in the initial days of infection. GGO performance accounts for 40% in 1- 2 days, 90% in 3- 6 days, and 85% in 7- 10 days. With disease progression, consolidation appeared on follow-up CT. Consolidation performance accounts for 0% in 1- 2 days, 40% in 3- 6 days, and 71% in 7- 10 days. The lesions are mostly near the pleura. The number of lesions and the extent of the lesions increased as the disease progressed. CONCLUSION: Patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia have characteristic CT features in the initial stage of infection, which can be used as an essential supplement for nucleic acid examination.

Influence of tube voltage, tube current and newer iterative reconstruction algorithms in CT perfusion imaging in rabbit liver VX2 tumors.

PURPOSE: We aimed to explore the influence of tube voltage, current and iterative reconstruction (IR) in computed tomography perfusion imaging (CTPI) and to compare CTPI parameters with microvessel density (MVD). METHODS: Hepatic CTPI with three CTPI protocols (protocol A, tube voltage/current 80 kV/40 mAs; protocol B, tube voltage/current 80 kV/80 mAs; protocol C: tube voltage/current 100 kV/80 mAs) were performed in 25 rabbit liver VX2 tumor models, and filtered back projection (FBP) and IR were used for reconstruction of raw data. Hepatic arterial perfusion (HAP), hepatic portal perfusion (HPP), total perfusion (TP), hepatic arterial perfusion index (HPI), blood flow (BF) and blood volume (BV) of VX2 tumor and normal hepatic parenchyma were measured. Image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were quantified and radiation dose was recorded. MVD was counted using CD34 stain and compared with CTPI parameters. RESULTS: The highest radiation dose was found in protocol C, followed by protocols B and A. IR lowered image noise and improved SNR and CNR in all three protocols. There was no statistical difference between HAP, HPP, TP, HPI, BF and BV of VX2 tumor and normal hepatic parenchyma among the three protocols (P > 0.05) with FBP or IR reconstruction, and no statistical difference between IR and FBP reconstruction (P > 0.05) in either protocol. MVD had a positive linear correlation with HAP, TP, BF, with best correlation observed with HAP; MVD of VX2 tumor showed no or poor correlation with HPI and BV. CONCLUSION: CTPI parameters are not affected by tube voltage, current or reconstruction algorithm; HAP can best reflect MVD, but no correlation exists between BV and MVD.

The evaluation of coronary artery-to-pulmonary artery fistula in adulthood on 256-slice CT coronary angiography: Comparison with coronary catheter angiography and transthoracic echocardiography.

OBJECTIVE: To review the imaging features of coronary artery-to-pulmonary artery fistula (CPAF) on CT coronary angiography (CTCA) and evaluate its diagnostic performance compared with coronary catheter angiography (CCA) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed with a diagnosis of CPAF from among 19855 consecutive CCTA performed with 256-slice MDCT scanner for suspected coronary artery disease. CT images were evaluated for - origin, number, size and course (tubular/worm-like dilation/significant aneurysm formation/wall attachment sign) of fistula vessels, drainage site, drainage site imaging features (pierced sign, isodensity sign, smoke sign, jet sign), and main pulmonary artery (MPA) enlargement. 25 patients of CPAF also underwent CCA and 47 patients underwent TTE. RESULTS: There were 72 patients with CPAF (0.36%) in our study, of which 44 were men and 28 were women, with mean age of 55.8 ±â€¯13.2 years (range 22-85 years). CPAF originated from conus artery, left anterior descending artery (LAD), combined conus artery and LAD in 55, 67, 50 cases, respectively. Tubular dilation, worm-like dilation and aneurysm was seen in 14, 58 and 35 cases, respectively. Wall attachment sign was noted in 69 cases. All the cases demonstrated only a single drainage site, with left lateral wall, left anterolateral, anterior, right lateral and right anterolateral walls of MPA in 44, 21, 5, 1 and 1 cases, respectively. The mean diameter of the fistula drainage site was 2.6 ±â€¯1.3 mm. Pierced sign, jet sign, smoke sign, isodensity sign was seen in 72, 46, 41 and 24 cases, respectively. MPA enlargement was seen in 20 patients. CCA showed CPAF in only 20 cases among 25 patients; while TTE showed CPAF in only 9 patients among 47 patients. CONCLUSION: CTCA is competent in detecting and characterizing CPAF with an excellent diagnostic performance as the first imaging modality of choice, which is valuable for giving a distinct and intuitive explanation to patients and physicians and making an objective and exact assessment for further management.

Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer in China (2017 Edition).

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (about 85-90% of primary liver cancer) is particularly prevalent in China because of the high prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection. HCC is the fourth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of tumor-related deaths in China. It poses a significant threat to the life and health of Chinese people. SUMMARY: This guideline presents official recommendations of the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China on the surveillance, diagnosis, staging, and treatment of HCC occurring in China. The guideline was written by more than 50 experts in the field of HCC in China (including liver surgeons, medical oncologists, hepatologists, interventional radiologists, and diagnostic radiologists) on the basis of recent evidence and expert opinions, balance of benefits and harms, cost-benefit strategies, and other clinical considerations. KEY MESSAGES: The guideline presents the Chinese staging system, and recommendations regarding patients with HCC in China to ensure optimum patient outcomes.

Analysis of petrous apex meningocele associated with meningioma: is there any relation with chronic intracranial hypertension?

PURPOSE: Petrous apex meningocele (PAM) is an uncommon cystic lesion involving the petrous apex. The underlying cause of PAM may be related to chronic elevated intracranial pressure. The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between PAM and meningioma and between PAM and other intracranial hypertension findings. METHODS: Two hundred seventy-eight consecutive patients with meningiomas were retrospectively studied. Fifty age- and gender-matched controls were also enrolled in this study. The incidence of PAM, empty sella, tortuosity of the optic nerve, and hydrops of optic nerve sheath was evaluated. The maximum width, area, volume of each PAM, or Meckel's cave and volume of meningioma were measured in controls and patients, separately. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-nine (57.19%) patients were detected with coexistent PAMs. One hundred twenty-five patients had bilateral PAMs, 34 had unilateral lesions, and the remaining 119 did not have PAM. Two subjects (4/50) had unilateral PAMs in normal controls. The maximum width, area, volume of PAM, or Meckel's cave were significantly larger in the patients with bilateral PAM group than those in the unilateral PAM group, in the group without PAM, and those in control group (p = 0.000). The volume of meningioma was positively correlated with the PAM volume (r = 0.48). There was a positive correlation for the incidence between PAM and (1) empty sella (r = 0.901) and (2) tortuosity of the optic nerves and hydrops of the optic sheath (r = 0.825). CONCLUSION: Coexistence of PAMs with meningiomas is not rare in incidence, and it suggests a potential role for chronically elevated intracranial pressure and disturbance of CSF circulation in their pathophysiology.

To predict the radiosensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma using intravoxel incoherent motion MRI at 3.0 T.

PURPOSE: To investigate intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) MRI for evaluating the sensitivity of radiotherapy on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). RESULTS: The reproducibility between intra-observer and inter-observer was relatively good. D (0.72×10-3 mm2/s±0.14 vs. 0.54×10-3 mm2/s±0.23; P < 0.001) and D* (157.92×10-3 mm2/s±15.21 vs. 120.36×10-3 mm2/s±10.22; P < 0.0001) were significantly higher in effective group than poor-effective group, whereas the difference of f (18.79%±2.51 vs. 16.47%±1.51) and ADC (1.21×10-3 mm2/s±0.11 vs. 1.33×10-3 mm2/s±0.23) could not reach statistical significant between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IVIM may be potentially useful in assessing the radiosensitivity of NPC. The higher D value combining with higher D* value might indicate the more radiosensitive of NPC, and increased D* might reflect increased blood vessel generation and parenchymal perfusion in NPC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty consecutive patients (20 female, range, 27-83 years, mean age, 52 years) newly diagnosed NPC in the stage of T3 or T4 were enrolled. Forty-two of them were divided into effective group clinically after a standard radiotherapy according to the RECIST criteria. IVIM with 13 b-values (range, 0-800 s/mm2) and general MRI were performed at 3.0T MR scanner before and after radiotherapy. The parameters of IVIM including perfusion fraction (f), perfusion-related diffusion (D*), pure molecular diffusion (D) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were calculated. Two radiologists major in MRI diagnose analyzed all images independently and placed regions of interest (ROIs). Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate intra-observer and inter-observer agreement. And Mann-Whitney test was used to assess the differences between the two groups.

Machine Learning Algorithms for Risk Prediction of Severe Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease in Children.

The identification of indicators for severe HFMD is critical for early prevention and control of the disease. With this goal in mind, 185 severe and 345 mild HFMD cases were assessed. Patient demographics, clinical features, MRI findings, and laboratory test results were collected. Gradient boosting tree (GBT) was then used to determine the relative importance (RI) and interaction effects of the variables. Results indicated that elevated white blood cell (WBC) count > 15 × 109/L (RI: 49.47, p < 0.001) was the top predictor of severe HFMD, followed by spinal cord involvement (RI: 26.62, p < 0.001), spinal nerve roots involvement (RI: 10.34, p < 0.001), hyperglycemia (RI: 3.40, p < 0.001), and brain or spinal meninges involvement (RI: 2.45, p = 0.003). Interactions between elevated WBC count and hyperglycemia (H statistic: 0.231, 95% CI: 0-0.262, p = 0.031), between spinal cord involvement and duration of fever ≥3 days (H statistic: 0.291, 95% CI: 0.035-0.326, p = 0.035), and between brainstem involvement and body temperature (H statistic: 0.313, 95% CI: 0-0.273, p = 0.017) were observed. Therefore, GBT is capable to identify the predictors for severe HFMD and their interaction effects, outperforming conventional regression methods.

Differentiation and diagnosis of benign and malignant testicular lesions using 18F-FDG PET/CT.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differential diagnostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxy glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) for benign and malignant testicular lesions. METHODS: The PET/CT scans of 53 patients with testicular lesions confirmed by biopsy or surgical pathology were retrospectively analyzed. There were 32 cases of malignant tumors and 21 cases of benign lesions. Differences in the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) measurements and the SUVmax lesion/background ratios between benign and malignant lesions were analyzed. The diagnostic value of this PET/CT modality for the differential diagnosis of benign versus malignant testicular lesions was calculated. RESULTS: The differences in the SUVmax measurements and the SUVmax lesion/background ratios between benign and malignant lesions were statistically significant (SUVmax: Z=-4.295, p=0.000; SUVmax lesion/background ratio: Z=-5.219, p=0.000); specifically, both of these indicators were higher in malignant lesions compared to benign lesions. An SUVmax of 3.75 was the optimal cutoff value to differentiate between benign and malignant testicular lesions. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of this PET/CT modality in the differential diagnosis of benign versus malignant testicular lesions were 90.6%, 80.9%, 86.8%, 87.9%, and 85.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: 18F-FDG PET/CT can accurately identify benign and malignant testicular lesions.

Neuro-Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: Finding in 412 Patients and Prognostic Features.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to describe the neuroimaging findings in hand, foot, and mouth disease and determine those who may provide prognosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging scans in 412 severe hand, foot, and mouth disease between 2009 and 2014 were retrospectively evaluated. The patients who had the neurological signs were followed for 6 months to 1 year. According to the good or poor prognosis, 2 groups were categorized. The incidence of lesions in different sites between the 2 groups was compared, and multivariate analysis was used to look for risk factors. RESULTS: The major sites of involvement for all patients with percentages were the medulla oblongata (16.1%), spinal anterior nerve roots (12.4%), thoracic segments (11.1%), brain or spinal meninges (8.3%), and so on. There were 347 patients (84.2%) with good prognosis and 65 (15.8%) with poor prognosis in the follow-up. There was a significantly higher rate of lesions involving the cerebral white substance, thalamus, medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, and spinal cord in the group with poor prognosis. Multivariate analysis showed 2 independent risk factors associated with poor prognosis: lesions located in the medulla oblongata (P < 0.015) and spinal cord (P < 0.001) on magnetic resonance imaging; the latter was the most significant prognostic factor (odds ratio, 29.11; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We found that the distribution patterns for all patients mainly involved the medulla oblongata, spinal anterior nerve roots, thoracic segments, and brain or spinal meninges. Our findings suggested that patients with lesions located in the medulla oblongata and spinal cord may be closely monitored for early intervention and meticulous management. For children with the symptom of nervous system, they are strongly recommended for magnetic resonance examination.

Magnetic resonance imaging for characterizing myocardial diseases.

The National Institute of Health defined cardiomyopathy as diseases of the heart muscle. These myocardial diseases have different etiology, structure and treatment. This review highlights the key imaging features of different myocardial diseases. It provides information on myocardial structure/orientation, perfusion, function and viability in diseases related to cardiomyopathy. The standard cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences can reveal insight on left ventricular (LV) mass, volumes and regional contractile function in all types of cardiomyopathy diseases. Contrast enhanced MRI sequences allow visualization of different infarct patterns and sizes. Enhancement of myocardial inflammation and infarct (location, transmurality and pattern) on contrast enhanced MRI have been used to highlight the key differences in myocardial diseases, predict recovery of function and healing. The common feature in many forms of cardiomyopathy is the presence of diffuse-fibrosis. Currently, imaging sequences generating the most interest in cardiomyopathy include myocardial strain analysis, tissue mapping (T1, T2, T2*) and extracellular volume (ECV) estimation techniques. MRI sequences have the potential to decode the etiology by showing various patterns of infarct and diffuse fibrosis in myocarditis, amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy due to aortic stenosis, restrictive cardiomyopathy, arrythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia and hypertension. Integrated PET/MRI system may add in the future more information for the diagnosis and progression of cardiomyopathy diseases. With the promise of high spatial/temporal resolution and 3D coverage, MRI will be an indispensible tool in diagnosis and monitoring the benefits of new therapies designed to treat myocardial diseases.

Preparation methods prior to PET/CT scanning that decrease uptake of 18F-FDG by myocardium, brown adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle.

BACKGROUND: The hypermetabolic environment of the myocardium, brown adipose tissue (BAT), and muscle will have an effect on the diagnostic accuracy of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT). A low carbohydrate, high fat, and protein-permitted diet before PET/CT scanning can reduce the degree of 18F-FDG uptake by the myocardium, brown adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of a low carbohydrate, high fat and protein-permitted diet on 18F-FDG uptake by myocardium, BAT, and muscle during PET/CT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 126 patients who adhered to two meals before PET/CT scanning (that were prepared using a low carbohydrate, high fat, and protein-permitted diet), i.e. the diet group, were compared with 126 patients who fasted for at least 12 h prior to scanning (i.e. the fasting group). The degree of 18F-FDG uptake within the myocardium, BAT, and muscle were stratified into four grades (range, 0-3) with 0 for negligible uptake, and 3 for intense uptake. Correlations between the diet and fasting groups with respect to degree of 18F-FDG uptake within the myocardium, BAT, and muscle were analyzed. RESULTS: The degree of 18F-FDG uptake within the myocardium, BAT, and muscle in the diet group was significantly lower compared with the 18F-FDG uptake within myocardium, BAT, and muscle in the fasting group (P < 0.001, P = 0.001, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A low carbohydrate/high fat diet before 18F-FDG injection can suppress uptake of 18F-FDG within the myocardium, BAT, and skeletal muscle.

Discussion of 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging characteristics and diagnostic values of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.

The aim of this study was to discuss 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging characteristics and diagnostic values of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). The PET/CT features of 24 cases of pathologically confirmed AITL were analyzed. The individual and total diagnostic values of 13 sites using computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET)/CT were calculated. The maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) of lesions with lymph node infiltration and extranodal organ infiltration were 5.4-25.1 (median, 9.7) and 1.5-12.5 (median, 5.5), respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of AITL using CT were 78.3%, 100%, and 87.8%, respectively; using PET/CT, these values were 98.9%, 100%, and 99.4%, respectively. One patient undergoing PET/CT staging was upstaged from stage II to III, and two patients were upstaged from stage III to IV. PET/CT is very valuable in the diagnosis and staging of AITL.

Optimal illusion and invisibility of multilayered anisotropic cylinders and spheres.

In this paper, full-wave electromagnetic scattering theory is employed to investigate illusion and invisibility of inhomogeneous anisotropic cylinders and spheres. With the use of a shell designed according to Mie series theory for multiple piecewise anisotropic layers, radar cross section (RCS) of the coated inhomogeneous anisotropic object can be dramatically reduced or disguised as another object in the long-wavelength limit. With the suitable adjustment of the anisotropy parameters of the shell, optimal illusion and invisibility characteristics of the coated inhomogeneous anisotropic object can be achieved. Details of theoretical analysis and numerical examples are presented to validate the proposed methodology.

Development and Validation of a Radiomics Nomogram for Preoperative Prediction of Lymph Node Metastasis in Colorectal Cancer.

PURPOSE: To develop and validate a radiomics nomogram for preoperative prediction of lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The prediction model was developed in a primary cohort that consisted of 326 patients with clinicopathologically confirmed CRC, and data was gathered from January 2007 to April 2010. Radiomic features were extracted from portal venous-phase computed tomography (CT) of CRC. Lasso regression model was used for data dimension reduction, feature selection, and radiomics signature building. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to develop the predicting model, we incorporated the radiomics signature, CT-reported LN status, and independent clinicopathologic risk factors, and this was presented with a radiomics nomogram. The performance of the nomogram was assessed with respect to its calibration, discrimination, and clinical usefulness. Internal validation was assessed. An independent validation cohort contained 200 consecutive patients from May 2010 to December 2011. RESULTS: The radiomics signature, which consisted of 24 selected features, was significantly associated with LN status (P < .001 for both primary and validation cohorts). Predictors contained in the individualized prediction nomogram included the radiomics signature, CT-reported LN status, and carcinoembryonic antigen level. Addition of histologic grade to the nomogram failed to show incremental prognostic value. The model showed good discrimination, with a C-index of 0.736 (C-index, 0.759 and 0.766 through internal validation), and good calibration. Application of the nomogram in the validation cohort still gave good discrimination (C-index, 0.778 [95% CI, 0.769 to 0.787]) and good calibration. Decision curve analysis demonstrated that the radiomics nomogram was clinically useful. CONCLUSION: This study presents a radiomics nomogram that incorporates the radiomics signature, CT-reported LN status, and clinical risk factors, which can be conveniently used to facilitate the preoperative individualized prediction of LN metastasis in patients with CRC.

[Value of mamography, CT and DCE-MRI in detecting axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of mammography, computed tomography (CT), and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) for axillary lymph node staging in breast cancer patients. METHODS: From February, 2014 to October, 2015, 109 women with breast cancer received examinations with preoperative mamography, CT, and DCE-MRI. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the 3 modalities were evaluated using histopathologic assessments as the gold standard. RESULTS: In total, 39.4% (43/109) of the patients had axillary lymph node metastasis. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of mamography for determining lymph node metastasis were 14.0%, 84.8%, 56.9%, 37.5% and 60.0%, respectively; those of CT were 93.0%, 57.6%, 71.6%,58.8% and 92.7%, and those of DCE-MRI were 95.3%, 65.2%, 77.1%, 64.1% and 95.6%, respectively. Compared with the histopathologic result, the Kappa coefficients of mamography, CT, and DCE-MRI were -0.13, 0.459 and 0.558, respectively. The specificity of mamography was significantly higher (P<0.05), but its sensitivity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were significantly lower than those of CT and DCE-MRI (P<0.05). Compared with CT, DCE-MRI had significantly higher sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for diagnosis of lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: DCE-MRI has a greater diagnostic power than CT and mammography, and CT has a greater diagnostic power than mammography for axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients. Mamography alone should be used cautiously for the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis.

Using intravoxel incoherent motion MR imaging to study the renal pathophysiological process of contrast-induced acute kidney injury in rats: Comparison with conventional DWI and arterial spin labelling.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the potential of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) to assess the renal pathophysiological process in contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI). METHODS: Twenty-seven rats were induced with CIAKI model, six rats were imaged longitudinally at 24 h prior to and 30 min, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after administration; three rats were randomly chosen from the rest for serum creatinine and histological studies. D, f, D* and ADC were calculated from IVIM, and renal blood flow (RBF) was obtained from arterial spin labelling (ASL). RESULTS: A progressive reduction in D and ADC was observed in cortex (CO) by 3.07 and 8.62 % at 30 min, and by 25.77 and 28.16 % at 48 h, respectively. A similar change in outer medulla (OM) and inner medulla (IM) was observed at a later time point (12-72 h). D values were strongly correlated with ADC (r = 0.885). As perfusion measurement, a significant decrease was shown for f in 12-48 h and an increase in 72-96 h. A slightly different trend was found for D*, which was decreased by 26.02, 21.78 and 10.19 % in CO, OM and IM, respectively, at 30 min. f and D* were strongly correlated with RBF in the cortex (r = 0.768, r = 0.67), but not in the medulla. CONCLUSIONS: IVIM is an effective imaging tool for monitoring progress in renal pathophysiology undergoing CIAKI. KEY POINTS: • IVIM analysis permits separate quantification of diffusion and perfusion. • IVIM can provide useful biomarkers ifor changes in renal pathophysiology. • IVIM can be useful for monitoring progress in renal pathophysiology undergoing CIAKI.