Longitudinal analysis of T2 relaxation time variations following radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Aim of this paper is to evaluate short and long-term changes in T2 relaxation times after radiotherapy in patients with low and intermediate risk localized prostate cancer. A total of 24 patients were selected for this retrospective study. Each participant underwent 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging on seven separate occasions: initially after the implantation of gold fiducials, the required step for Cyberknife therapy guidance, followed by MRI scans two weeks post-therapy and monthly thereafter. As part of each MRI scan, the prostate region was manually delineated, and the T2 relaxation times were calculated for quantitative analysis. The T2 relaxation times between individual follow-ups were analyzed using Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance that revealed a significant difference across all measurements (F (6, 120) = 0.611, p << 0.001). A Bonferroni post hoc test revealed significant differences in median T2 values between the baseline and subsequent measurements, particularly between pre-therapy (M0) and two weeks post-therapy (M1), as well as during the monthly interval checks (M2 - M6). Some cases showed a delayed decrease in relaxation times, indicating the prolonged effects of therapy. The changes in T2 values during the course of radiotherapy can help in monitoring radiotherapy response in unconfirmed patients, quantifying the scarring process, and recognizing the therapy failure.

Unnecessary orchiectomy due to atypical sarcoidosis manifesting as a unilateral scrotal mass: a case report and literature review.

Sarcoidosis is a disease characterised primarily by lung tissue involvement. Extrapulmonary involvement, particularly in the genitourinary tract, is extremely rare, particularly when it comes to primary disease detection in this location. The gold standard in establishing a definitive diagnosis of sarcoidosis is a combination of the clinical picture, the results of imaging methods, and histopathological examination from the biopsy taken (thus ruling out other causes of granulomatous inflammation). However, it is common for the biopsy to be infeasible or for the patient to refuse such an examination, resulting in the neglect of this critical verification. We introduce the case of a young 29-year-old man of Czech nationality who had been complaining for some time about non-specific pain above the pubic bone and in the lower abdomen, which was combined with a painless enlargement of the right half of the scrotum. Due to suspected malignancy, it was, after considering clinical, imaging, and laboratory findings, decided to perform a radical orchiectomy as a treatment option. The histological examination revealed that it was not cancer, but rather a rare genitourinary form of extrapulmonary sarcoidosis. In this case, radical resection had been, therefore, unnecessary. We also present a review of the literature on published extrapulmonary, genitourinary, and testicular sarcoidosis cases. All the above demonstrates the importance of considering a possible atypical sarcoidosis manifestation and histological confirmation before pursuing radical solutions.

Microbiota Diversity in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Gut and Mouth Cavity Microbiota Diversity in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Lung malignancies have a substantial impact on cancer incidence and mortality worldwide. Even though many factors involved in the development of the disease are known, many questions remain unanswered. Previous studies suggest that the intestinal microbiota may have a role in developing malignant diseases. According to some findings, the microbiota has proven to be a key modulator of carcinogenic processes and the immune response against cancer cells, potentially influencing the effectiveness of immunotherapy. In our study, we characterized culturable microorganisms associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that can be recovered from rectal swabs and mouthwash. In addition, we also explored differences in the culturable microbiota with two main types of NSCLC - adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). With 141 patients included in the study (86 ADC and 55 SCC cases), a significant difference was observed between the two types in seven bacterial species (Collinsella, Corynebacterium, Klebsiella, Lactobacillus, Neisseria, Rothia, and Streptococcus), including the site of origin. The relationship between microbial dysbiosis and lung cancer is poorly understood; future research could shed light on the links between gut microbiota and lung cancer development.

A unique case of AH-dominant type nodular pulmonary amyloidosis presenting as a spontaneous pneumothorax: a case report and review of the literature.

Amyloidosis is a rare metabolic disorder primarily brought on by misfolding of an autologous protein, which causes its local or systemic deposition in an aberrant fibrillar form. It is quite rare for pulmonary tissue to be impacted by amyloidosis; of the three forms it can take when involving pulmonary tissue, nodular pulmonary amyloidosis is the most uncommon. Nodular pulmonary amyloidosis rarely induces clinical symptoms, and most often, it is discovered accidentally during an autopsy or via imaging techniques. Only one case of nodular pulmonary amyloidosis, which manifested as a spontaneous pneumothorax, was found in the literature. In terms of more precise subtyping, nodular amyloidosis is typically AL or mixed AL/AH type. No publications on AH-dominant type of nodular amyloidosis were found in the literature. We present a case of an 81 years-old male with nodular pulmonary AH-dominant type amyloidosis who presented with spontaneous pneumothorax. For a deeper understanding of the subject, this study also provides a review of the literature on cases with nodular pulmonary amyloidosis in relation to precise amyloid fibril subtyping. Since it is often a difficult process, accurate amyloid type identification is rarely accomplished. However, this information is very helpful for identifying the underlying disease process (if any) and outlining the subsequent diagnostic and treatment steps. Even so, it is crucial to be aware of this unit and make sure it is taken into consideration when making a differential diagnosis of pulmonary lesions.

Potential predictors of immunotherapy in small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) having the worst prognosis. SCLC is diagnosed late in the disease's progression, limiting treatment options. The most common treatment for SCLC is chemotherapy. As the disease progresses, immunotherapy, most commonly checkpoint inhibitor medication, becomes more important. Efforts should be made in the development of immunotherapy to map specific biomarkers, which play a role in properly assigning a type of immunotherapy to the right cohort of patients, where the benefits outweigh any risks or adverse effects. The objective of this review was to provide a thorough assessment of current knowledge about the nature of the tumor process and treatment options for small cell lung cancer, with a focus on predictive biomarkers. According to the information obtained, the greatest potential, which has already been directly demonstrated in some studies, has characteristics such as tumor microenvironment composition, tumor mutation burden, and molecular subtyping of SCLC. Several other aspects appear to be promising, but more research, particularly prospective studies on a larger number of probands, is required. However, it is clear that this field of study will continue to expand, as developing a reliable method to predict immunotherapy response is a very appealing goal of current medicine and research in the field of targeted cancer therapy.

Distinguishing Invasive from Chronic Pulmonary Infections: Host Pentraxin 3 and Fungal Siderophores in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluids.

The multiple forms of pulmonary aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus species are the most common respiratory mycoses. Although invasive, the analysis of diagnostic biomarkers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) is a clinical standard for diagnosing these conditions. The BALF samples from 22 patients with proven or probable aspergillosis were assayed for human pentraxin 3 (Ptx3), fungal ferricrocin (Fc), and triacetylfusarinine C (TafC) in a retrospective study. The infected group included patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and chronic aspergillosis (CPA). The BALF data were compared to a control cohort of 67 patients with invasive pulmonary mucormycosis (IPM), non-Aspergillus colonization, or bacterial infections. The median Ptx3 concentrations in patients with and without aspergillosis were 4545.5 and 242.0 pg/mL, respectively (95% CI, p < 0.05). The optimum Ptx3 cutoff for IPA was 2545 pg/mL, giving a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 100, 98, 95, and 100%, respectively. The median Ptx3 concentration for IPM was high at 4326 pg/mL. Pentraxin 3 assay alone can distinguish IPA from CPA and invasive fungal disease from colonization. Combining Ptx3 and TafC assays enabled the diagnostic discrimination of IPM and IPA, giving a specificity and PPV of 100%.