Impact of International Atomic Energy Agency support to the development of nuclear cardiology in low-and-middle-income countries: Case of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region as well as worldwide. Lifestyle, nutritional habits and the upsurge of obesity have contributed to the increase in the prevalence of CVDs in the region. The role of nuclear cardiology in the management of patients with CVDs is well established. Particularly, myocardial perfusion imaging is widely used in LAC countries and has been increasingly integrated into the healthcare systems in the region for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, risk stratification and to guide patient management. In its role to support countries around the world to address their health needs through the peaceful applications of nuclear techniques, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has provided assistance to the LAC region for the establishment and strengthening of the nuclear cardiology practice. To that extent, the IAEA provides support in building capacities of multidisciplinary teams of professionals, the provision of medical equipment and the promotion of communication and exchange of knowledge among the different stakeholders. In addition, the IAEA encourages the participation of nuclear medicine centers in international multi-center research studies. In this paper, we present some of the projects through which the IAEA has supported the LAC region, including regional technical cooperation projects and coordinated research projects related to cardiology within the current multimodality approach to cardiac imaging.

Two decades of SPECT/CT - the coming of age of a technology: An updated review of literature evidence.

PURPOSE: Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) combined with computed tomography (CT) was introduced as a hybrid SPECT/CT imaging modality two decades ago. The main advantage of SPECT/CT is the increased specificity achieved through a more precise localization and characterization of functional findings. The improved diagnostic accuracy is also associated with greater diagnostic confidence and better inter-specialty communication. METHODS: This review presents a critical assessment of the relevant literature published so far on the role of SPECT/CT in a variety of clinical conditions. It also includes an update on the established evidence demonstrating both the advantages and limitations of this modality. CONCLUSIONS: For the majority of applications, SPECT/CT should be a routine imaging technique, fully integrated into the clinical decision-making process, including oncology, endocrinology, orthopaedics, paediatrics, and cardiology. Large-scale prospective studies are lacking, however, on the use of SPECT/CT in certain clinical domains such as neurology and lung disorders. The review also presents data on the complementary role of SPECT/CT with other imaging modalities and a comparative analysis, where available.

Appropriate use of noninvasive ischemia testing to guide revascularization decision making following acute ST elevation myocardial infarction in Latin American countries: Results from an expert panel meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency. / Uso adecuado de las pruebas no invasivas de isquemia para guiar la toma de decisión sobre revascularización tras un infarto agudo de miocardio con elevación del segmento ST en países iberoamericanos: Resultados de la reunión de un panel de expertos de la International Atomic Energy Agency.

Across Latin American and Caribbean countries, cardiovascular disease and especially ischemic heart disease is currently the main cause of death both in men and in women. For most Latin American and Caribbean countries, public and community health efforts aim to define care strategies which are both clinically and cost effective and promote primary and secondary prevention, resulting in improved patient outcomes. The optimal approach to deal with acute events such as ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a matter of controversy; however, there is an expanding role for assessing residual ischemic burden in STEMI patients following primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Although randomized clinical trials have established the value of staged fractional flow reserve-guided revascularization, the use of noninvasive functional imaging modalities may play a similar role at a much lower cost. For LAC, available stress imaging techniques could be applied to define residual ischemia in the non-infarct related artery and to target revascularization in a staged procedure after primary percutaneous coronary intervention The use of nuclear cardiac imaging, supported by its relatively wide availability, moderate cost, and robust quantitative capabilities, may serve to guide effective care and to reduce subsequent cardiac events in patients with coronary artery disease. This noninvasive approach may avert potential safety issues with repeat and lengthy invasive procedures, and serve as a baseline for subsequent follow-up stress testing following the index STEMI event. This consensus document was devised from an expert panel meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, highlighting available evidence with a focus on the utility of stress myocardial perfusion imaging in post-STEMI patients. The document could serve as guidance to the prudent and appropriate use of nuclear imaging for targeting therapeutic management and avoiding unnecessary invasive procedures within Latin American and Caribbean countries, where resources could be scarce.

First-line chemotherapy with liposomal doxorubicin plus cisplatin for patients with advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma: phase II trial.

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy based on platinum is the standard treatment for unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Liposomal doxorubicin (LD) consists of pegylated phospholipid vesicles that encapsulate doxorubicin-enhancing liposome deposition in the tumour. We evaluated the toxicity profile and anti-tumour activity of cisplatin plus LD in untreated patients with MPM, as well as (99m)Tc-LD distribution in MPM lesions after chemotherapy administration. METHODS: A total of 38 patients with non-resectable MPM received LD 40 mg m(-2) and cisplatin 60 mg m(-2) every 21 days. Gamma camera images of (99m)Tc-LD were acquired to evaluate LD accumulation in measurable tumour tissue. The study was registered in Clinical Trials (NCT00886028). RESULTS: In all, 72% of patients were stage III and 28% were stage IV. Eighty four percent and 16% have high and low risk acording EORTC respectively. The median time to progression was 4.6 months (95% confidence interval (95% CI: 3.4-5.9 months), and median overall survival (OS) was 19.6 months (15.2-37.2 months). Patients that responded to chemotherapy treatment had better survival than patients who did not. Functional physical scales, dysnea, cough, and chest/arm pain demonstrated improvement. The accumulation ratio of LD in tumour and soft tissues vs liver was 0.78±0.16 and 0.29±0.09, respectively. After 1 h of administration, LD uptake in tumour tissue was higher than in soft tissue (P< 0.001). CONCLUSION: The combination of LD and cisplatin results in an active therapeutic regimen for unresectable MPM, with an acceptable toxicity profile and improvement in quality of life. (99m)Tc-LD showed higher levels of tumour uptake as compared with surrounding tissues.