RESUMO
Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in women, with 5-year survival rates of as high as 90% for patients with early-stage breast cancer without metastasis, falling to 10% once bone metastases (BM) occur. Currently, there is no cure for breast cancer with BM. However, appropriate treatment can extend survival and improve patients' quality of life. Therefore, it is important to accurately evaluate the presence of BM in patients with breast cancer. The present meta-analysis evaluated the diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG and 18F-NaF as PET/CT tracers for breast cancer-associated BM. The present study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomographs (PET/CT) and 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) PET/CT in patients with breast cancer and BM. The PubMed and Embase databases were searched for English literature on the diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT and 18F-NaF PET/CT for breast cancer BM, and two authors independently extracted data. All included studies presented data that could be used to construct a 2×2 contingency table. The methodological quality of the selected studies was assessed using QUADAS-2, and forest plots were generated based on the sensitivity and specificity of 18F-FDG PET/CT and 18F-NaF PET/CT in the diagnosis of BM associated with breast cancer. A total of 14 articles were identified, including eight on the analysis of 18F-FDG PET/CT, five on 18F-NaF PET/CT and one on both. The studies on 18F-FDG PET/CT and 18F-NaF PET/CT included 530 and 270 patients, respectively. The pooled sensitivities were 0.88 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.76-0.94] for 18F-FDG PET/CT and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.92-1.00) for 18F-NaF PET/CT, and the pooled specificities were 0.99 (95% CI, 0.97-1.00) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.76-0.97), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve for both 18F-FDG PET/CT and 18F-NaF PET/CT was 0.99 (95% CI, 0.98-1.00). Lesion-based analysis using 18F-FDG PET/CT was performed for 909 lesions, with a sensitivity of 0.84 (95% CI, 0.67-1.00) and specificity of 1.00 (95% CI, 0.98-1.00). Compared with 18F-FDG PET/CT, 18F-NaF PET/CT showed higher sensitivity (98 vs. 88%) but lower specificity (91 vs. 99%), although the difference between methods was not statistically significant. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that 18F-NaF PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT are both accurate methods for the detection of BM in patients with breast cancer, and have comparable diagnostic accuracy.
RESUMO
Background: Post-ischemic angiogenesis is crucial for reestablishing blood flow in conditions such as peripheral artery disease (PAD). The role of insulin-like growth factor-2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) in post-transcriptional RNA metabolism and its involvement in post-ischemic angiogenesis remains unclear. Methods: Using a human GEO database and a hind-limb ischemia (HLI) mouse model, the predominant isoform IGF2BP2 in ischemic gastrocnemius tissue was identified. Adeno-associated virus with the Tie1 promoter induced IGF2BP2 overexpression in the HLI model, evaluating the expression of vascular structural proteins (CD31 and α-SMA) and blood flow recovery after HLI. In vitro experiments with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) demonstrated that lentivirus-mediated IGF2BP2 overexpression upregulates cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. GeneCards, RNAct databases, and subsequent reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) predicted IGF2BP2 interactions with fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) mRNA, and actinomycin D treatment, binding site predictions and CLIP-seq data further confirmed this interaction. Furthermore, western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and RNA immunoprecipitation followed by RT-qPCR were performed to validate IGF2BP2's interaction with FGF2 mRNA and to assess its role in stabilizing FGF2 mRNA, as well as its impact on FGF2 protein expression. Results: HLI reduced IGF2BP2 expression in the gastrocnemius tissue, which gradually increased during blood flow recovery. IGF2BP2 overexpression in HLI mice accelerated blood flow recovery and increased capillary and small artery densities. The overexpression of IGF2BP2 in HUVECs stimulated proliferation, migration, and tube formation by interacting with FGF2 mRNA to increase its stability. This interaction resulted in increased levels of FGF2 protein and secretion, ultimately promoting angiogenesis. Conclusions: IGF2BP2 contributes to blood flow restoration post-ischemia in vivo and promotes angiogenesis in HUVECs by enhancing FGF2 mRNA stability and FGF2 protein expression and secretion. These findings underscore IGF2BP2's therapeutic potential in ischemic conditions, such as PAD.
RESUMO
Hepatic perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) are rare interstitial tumors that are often misdiagnosed as hepatocellular carcinomas due to their unique vascular enhancement patterns. Herein, we present a case of a 61-year-old man who was incidentally found to have a lesion in the left medial segment of the liver during a chest computed tomography (CT) examination performed 4 days prior to his presentation for chest discomfort. Imaging revealed solid components with density similar to that of normal liver tissue and areas of low-density adipose tissue within the lesion. The solid components exhibited increased uptake of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose on positron emission tomography/CT. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated areas with unevenly high signal intensity in both T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) in-phase and T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) sequences, while T2WI in the opposite phase displayed areas with unevenly low signal intensity, indicating the presence of fatty components. Contrast-enhanced T1WI displayed a "fast in and fast out" enhancement pattern. These distinct imaging features contribute to the diagnosis of hepatic PEComas and distinguish it from hepatocellular carcinoma.