In Vivo Microwave Ablation of Normal Swine Lung at High-power, Short-duration Settings.

To evaluate the volume and heat-sink effects of microwave ablation (MWA) in the ablation zone of the normal swine lung. MWA at 100 W was performed for 1, 2, and 3 min in 7, 5, and 5 lung zones, respectively. We assessed the histopathology in the ablation zones and other outcome measures: namely, length of the longest long and short axes, sphericity, ellipsoid area, and ellipsoid volume. The mean long- and short-axis diameters were 22.0 and 14.1 mm in the 1-min ablation zone, 27.6 and 20.2 mm in the 2-min ablation zone; and 29.2 and 21.2 mm in the 3-min ablation zone, respectively. All measures, except sphericity, were significantly less with 1-min ablation than with either 2- or 3-min ablation. There were no significant differences between the 2- and 3-min ablation zones, but all measures except sphericity were larger with 3-min ablation. Although there were no blood vessels that resulted in a heat-sink effect within the ablation zones, the presence of bronchi nearby in 5 lung ablation zones resulted in reduced ablation size. In high-power, short-duration MWA, the lung ablation volume was affected by ablation time. Some ablations showed that a heat-sink effect by a neighboring bronchus might occur.

Development and Evaluation of a Short-time Imaging Method for the Clinical Study of the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Subtraction Method.

The apparent diffusion coefficient subtraction method (ASM) was developed as a new restricted diffusionweighted imaging technique for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The usefulness of the ASM has been established by in vitro basic research using a bio-phantom, and clinical research on the application of the ASM for the human body is needed. Herein, we developed a short-time sequence for ASM imaging of the heads of healthy volunteers (n=2), and we investigated the similarity between the obtained ASM images and diffusion kurtosis (DK) images to determine the utility of the ASM for clinical uses. This study appears to be the first to report ASM images of the human head. We observed that the short-time sequence for the ASM imaging of the head can be scanned in approx. 3 min at 1.5T MRI. The noise reduction effect of median filter processing was confirmed on the ASM images scanned by this sequence. The obtained ASM images showed a weak correlation with the DK images, indicating that the ASM images are restricted diffusion-weighted images. The new shorttime imaging sequence could thus be used in clinical studies applying the ASM.

Evaluation of Fast Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging Using New Software Designed for Widespread Clinical Use.

Clinical research using restricted diffusion-weighted imaging, especially diffusion kurtosis (DK) imaging, has been progressing, with reports on its effectiveness in the diagnostic imaging of cerebral infarctions, neurodegenerative diseases, and tumors, among others. However, the application of DK imaging in daily clinical practice has not spread because of the long imaging time required and the use of specific software for image creation. Herein, with the aim of promoting clinical research using DK imaging at any medical facility, we evaluated fast DK imaging using a new software program. We developed a new macro program that produces DK images using general-purpose, inexpensive software (Microsoft Excel and ImageJ), and we evaluated fast DK imaging using bio-phantoms and a healthy volunteer in clinical trials. The DK images created by the new software with diffusion-weighted images captured with short-time imaging sequences were similar to the original DK images captured with long-time imaging sequences. The DK images using three b-values, which can reduce the imaging time by 43%, were equivalent to the DK images using five b-values. The DK imaging technique developed herein might allow any medical facility to increase its daily clinical use of DK imaging and easily conduct clinical research.

Prognostic Significance of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Locally Advanced Non-small-cell Lung Cancer Treated with Trimodality Therapy.

PURPOSE: Current evidence suggests that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a prognostic factor in several types of cancer. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic impact of clinicopathological factors, including postoperative NLR, in patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) who underwent surgery after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with or without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: The medical records of LA-NSCLC patients treated with trimodality therapy at our institution between June 1999 and May 2019 were reviewed. The association between several clinicopathological factors and overall survival (OS) was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 168 patients were included in this study. Regarding the prognosis, the 5-year OS rate was 68.1%, and the 2-year recurrence-free survival rate was 66.1% in the entire population. In multivariate analysis, we identified that high postoperative NLR, not pretreatment or preoperative NLR, was one of the independent factors for unfavorable OS (NLR high vs NLR low; hazard ratio = 2.45, 95% confidence interval: 1.53-3.94, p < 0.001). In addition, among patients with high postoperative NLR, patients who received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy showed significantly better 5-year OS compared with those who did not (p = 0.016). On the other hand, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy had no impact on the prognosis in patients with low NLR (p = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that high postoperative NLR was not only an independent unfavorable prognostic factor in patients with LA-NSCLC who were treated with trimodality therapy, but also a promising indicator for postoperative treatment in this population.

Sarcopenia is related to poor prognosis in patients after trimodality therapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The association between sarcopenia and prognosis in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing trimodality therapy, consisting of preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy and surgery, has not been reported. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association of sarcopenia and fat mass with prognosis after trimodality therapy. METHODS: To assess sarcopenia, the psoas muscle mass was measured. Using computed tomography data, including third lumbar vertebra level images, psoas muscle mass and visceral and subcutaneous fat mass were measured. Additionally, body mass indices, and visceral/subcutaneous fat ratio, obtained by dividing the visceral fat index by the subcutaneous fat index, were calculated. We investigated the relationship between these parameters and overall survival. RESULTS: Ninety-nine eligible patients were included. In the univariate analysis, age, clinical stage, tumor location, psoas muscle index, and visceral/subcutaneous fat ratio were significant prognostic factors for overall survival (P = 0.008, P = 0.04, P = 0.04, P = 0.02, and P = 0.02, respectively). In the multivariate analysis, age and psoas muscle index were significant prognostic factors for overall survival (P = 0.01 and P = 0.03, respectively). The 5-year overall survival rates for the high and low psoas muscle index groups were 79.6% [95% confidence interval (CI), 67.1-94.5%] and 66.2% (95% CI, 54.1-81.1%), respectively; whereas, the 10-year overall survival rates were 61.9% (95% CI, 42.0-91.4%) and 25.3% (95% CI, 8.6-74.2%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia was related to poor overall survival in patients with locally advanced NSCLC undergoing trimodality therapy. Assessment of body composition prior to treatment may provide important information for formulating rational therapeutic strategies.

Oncologic outcomes and safety of percutaneous cryoablation for biopsy-proven renal cell carcinoma up to 4 cm in diameter: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous cryoablation is widely used for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. We prospectively evaluated the oncologic outcomes and safety of percutaneous cryoablation for the treatment of tumors ≤ 4 cm in diameter. METHODS: We included patients aged ≥ 20 years, who had histologically proven renal cell carcinoma, tumor diameter ≤ 4 cm, a performance status of ≤ 1, acceptable laboratory parameters, were inoperable or refused to undergo surgery, and had signed a written informed consent. The primary endpoint was the cause-specific survival rate. The secondary endpoints were overall and progression-free survival, and adverse event frequency and grade. All procedures were percutaneously performed under computed tomography fluoroscopy guidance. RESULTS: From October 2013 to October 2015, 33 patients (mean age: 68 ± 14 years; sex: six women, 27 men) were enrolled. The mean tumor diameter was 2.1 ± 0.6 (range 1.0-3.4) cm. The median follow-up period was 60.1 (range 18.4-76.6) months. One patient died of non-renal cell carcinoma-related disease 46 months after percutaneous cryoablation. The cause-specific and overall survival rates were 100% and 96.8% at 3 years, and 100% and 96.8% at 5 years, respectively. There was no local tumor progression or distant metastasis. The incidence of severe urological (urinary fistula and perinephric infection) and non-urological adverse events (increased creatine kinase and skin ulceration) was 6% each. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous cryoablation for renal cell carcinoma ≤ 4 cm in diameter achieved good tumor control with a low complication frequency.

Clinical Outcome of Palliative Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy with Cisplatin/Docetaxel for Stage III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Palliative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is often administered to patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigated the clinical outcomes of patients receiving palliative CCRT for NSCLC. Data of patients with NSCLC who underwent palliative CCRT (n=16), preoperative CCRT plus surgery (n=97), or definitive CCRT (n=48) were evaluated. In all groups, the concurrent chemotherapy regimens consisted of cisplatin and docetaxel. Rates of local control (LC), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and prognosis were compared. The 2-year rates of LC, DMFS, PFS, and OS in 16 patients who underwent palliative CCRT were 44.4%, 12.5%, 12.5%, and 18.8%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that palliative CCRT was associated with poor LC (p<0.001), DMFS (p<0.001), PFS (p<0.001), and OS (p<0.001) outcomes in patients who completed CCRT as a preoperative treatment and poor LC (p=0.01), DMFS (p=0.003), PFS (p=0.04), and OS (p=0.004) outcomes in patients who were considered for definitive CCRT. Although there were some long-term survivors, the clinical outcomes of palliative CCRT were significantly inferior to those of the ideal treatments. Therefore, careful determination of the appropriate treatment indications and further studies are warranted.

Needle Tract Ablation in Liver Tissue Using a Cryoprobe Combined with an Electrosurgical Device: Influence of ex vivo and in vivo Animal Models.

To assess the feasibility of needle tract ablation in liver tissue in ex vivo and in vivo animal models using a cryo-probe and electrosurgical device. The experimental device is made by inserting a cryoprobe through an intro-ducer sheath for insulation, with 2-cm of probe tip projecting out. A beagle liver was punctured by the device, and electric current was applied at 30-W with the electrosurgical knife touching the non-insulated device base. The discolored area of cut surface along the device was evaluated in 5 application-time groups (5 , 10 , 15 , 20, or 25 seconds). An ex vivo experiment was performed to determine an ablation algorithm with an appropriate application time by comparison with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) results. Thereafter, an in vivo experiment was performed to verify the algorithm's feasibility. In the ex vivo model, the cut surface demonstrated different amounts of discolored area according to the application time. The total discolored area in the 20-seconds group was similar to that by RFA. In the in vivo model, the liver did not bleed, the total discolored area was similar to that ex vivo, and coagulation necrosis was confirmed by photomicrograph. Needle tract ablation can be per-formed using the experimental device and electrosurgical device.

Volumetric PET Parameters Predict Prognosis after Definitive Chemoradiotherapy with Cisplatin/Docetaxel for Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether volumetric positron emission tomography (PET) parameters are prognostic predictors in stage III non-small cell lung cancer patients receiving definitive concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (CCRT) with cisplatin/docetaxel. Cases involving definitive CCRT were reviewed retrospectively, and the maximum standardized uptake value, metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were calculated. The relationships between these PET parameters and prognosis were analyzed. MTV and TLG were significant predictors of distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) (p = 0.0003 and 0.0005, respectively) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.001 and 0.0007, respectively). The three-year DMFS rates in patients with low and high MTV were 13.3% and 64.6%, respectively, and the corresponding values in those with low and high TLG were 13.3% and 65.2%, respectively. The three-year PFS rates in patients with low and high MTV were 13.3% and 57.8%, respectively, and the corresponding values in patients with low and high TLG were 13.3% and 57.8%, respectively. However, MTV and TLG were not predictors of local control or overall sur-vival. We demonstrated that volumetric PET parameters were predictors of patients receiving definitive CCRT. Our findings contradict the findings of previous reports and warrant further research to validate them.

Local Control of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Cervix Treated with CT-based Three-dimensional Image-Guided Brachytherapy with or without Central Shielding.

The purposes of this retrospective study were to analyze local control of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix treated with computed tomography (CT)-based image-guided brachytherapy (IGBT), as well as the factors affecting local control. A total of 39 patients were analyzed. The prescribed dose to the pelvis was 45-50 Gy with or without central shielding (CS). IGBT was delivered in 1-5 fractions. The total dose for high-risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV) was calculated as the biologically equivalent dose in 2-Gy fractions. The median follow-up period was 29.3 months. The 2-year overall survival and local control rates were 97% and 91%, respectively. In univariate analysis, the dose covering 90% of the HR-CTV (D90) and tumor size were found to be significant factors for local control. The cutoff values of tumor size and D90 for local control were 4.3 cm (area under the curve [AUC] 0.75) and 67.7 Gy (AUC 0.84) in the CS group and 5.3 cm (AUC 0.75) and 73.7 Gy (AUC 0.78) in the group without CS, respectively. However, though the local control of CT-based IGBT was favorable, the results suggested that the dose required for tumor control may differ depending on the presence of CS.

Investigation into the Effect of Breast Volume on Irradiation Dose Distribution in Asian Women with Breast Cancer.

Reports on irradiation dose distribution in breast cancer radiotherapy with sufficient sample size are limited in Asian patients. Elucidating dose distribution in Asian patients is particularly important as their breast volume differs compared to patients in Europe and North America. Here, we examined dose distribution in the irradiation field relative to breast volume for three irradiation methods historically used in our facility. We investigated the influence of breast volume on each irradiation method for Asian women. A total of 573 women with early-stage breast cancer were treated with breast-conserving surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy. Three methods were compared: wedge (W), field-in-field (FIF), and wedge-field-in-field (W-FIF). In patients with small breast volume, FIF decreased low- and high-dose areas within the planning target volume, and increased optimal dose area more than W. In patients with medium and large breast volumes, FIF decreased high-dose area more than W. The absolute values of correlation coefficients of breast volume to low-, optimal-, and high-dose areas and mean dose were significantly lower in FIF than in W. The correlation coefficients of V107% were 0.00 and 0.28 for FIF and W, respectively. FIF is an excellent irradiation method that is less affected by breast volume than W in Asian breast cancer patients.

Evaluation of the Imaging Process for a Novel Subtraction Method Using Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Values.

Diffusion-weighted imaging may be used to obtain the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), which aids the diagnosis of cerebral infarction and tumors. An ADC reflects elements of free diffusion. Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) has attracted attention as a restricted diffusion imaging technique. The ADC subtraction method (ASM) was developed to visualize restricted diffusion with high resolution by using two ADC maps taken with different diffusion times. We conducted the present study to provide a bridge between the reported basic ASM research and clinical research. We developed new imaging software for clinical use and evaluated its performance herein. This software performs the imaging process automatically and continuously at the pixel level, using ImageJ software. The new software uses a macro or a plugin which is compatible with various operating systems via a Java Virtual Machine. We tested the new imaging software's performance by using a Jurkat cell bio-phantom, and the statistical evaluation of the performance clarified that the ASM values of 99.98% of the pixels in the bio-phantom and physiological saline were calculated accurately (p<0.001). The new software may serve as a useful tool for future clinical applications and restricted diffusion imaging research.

Impact of Right Ventricular Dilatation in Patients with Atrial Septal Defect.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between right ventricular (RV) volume and exercise capacity in adult patients with atrial septal defect (ASD) and to determine the degree of RV dilatation for transcatheter ASD closure. BACKGROUND: RV dilatation is an indication of transcatheter ASD closure; however, few studies have reported the clinical significance of RV dilatation. METHODS: We enrolled 82 consecutive patients (mean age, 49 ± 18 years; female, 68%) who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise test before ASD closure. The relationship between RV volume and peak oxygen uptake (VO2) was evaluated. RESULTS: The mean RV end-diastolic volume index was 108 ± 27 ml/m2 (range, 46 to 180 ml/m2). The mean peak VO2 was 24 ± 7 ml/min/kg (range, 14 to 48 ml/min/kg), and the mean predicted peak VO2 was 90 ± 23%. There were significant negative relationships of RV end-diastolic volume index with peak VO2 (r = -0.28, p < 0.01) and predicted peak VO2 (r = -0.29, p < 0.01). The cutoff value of RV end-diastolic volume index <80% of predicted peak VO2 was 120 ml/m2, with the sensitivity of 49% and the specificity of 89%. CONCLUSIONS: There was a relationship between RV dilatation and exercise capacity in adult patients with ASD. RV end-diastolic volume index ≥120 ml/m2 was related to the reduction in peak VO2. This criterion of RV dilatation may be valuable for the indication of transcatheter ASD closure.

Robotic needle insertion during computed tomography fluoroscopy-guided biopsy: prospective first-in-human feasibility trial.

INTRODUCTION: This was a prospective, first-in-human trial to evaluate the feasibility and safety of insertion of biopsy introducer needles with our robot during CT fluoroscopy-guided biopsy in humans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eligible patients were adults with a lesion ≥ 10 mm in an extremity or the trunk requiring pathological diagnosis with CT fluoroscopy-guided biopsy. Patients in whom at-risk structures were located within 10 mm of the scheduled needle tract were excluded. Ten patients (4 females and 6 males; mean [range] age, 72 [52-87] years) with lesions (mean [range] maximum diameter, 28 [14-52] mm) in the kidney (n = 4), lung (n = 3), mediastinum (n = 1), adrenal gland (n = 1), and muscle (n = 1) were enrolled. The biopsy procedure involved robotic insertion of a biopsy introducer needle followed by manual acquisition of specimens using a biopsy needle. The patients were followed up for 14 days. Feasibility was defined as the distance of ≤ 10 mm between needle tip after insertion and the nearest lesion edge on the CT fluoroscopic images. The safety of robotic insertion was evaluated on the basis of machine-related troubles and adverse events according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. RESULTS: Robotic insertion of the introducer needle was feasible in all patients, enabling pathological diagnosis. There was no machine-related trouble. A total of 11 adverse events occurred in 8 patients, including 10 grade I events and 1 grade IIIa event. CONCLUSION: Insertion of biopsy introducer needles with our robot was feasible at several locations in the human body. KEY POINTS: • Insertion of biopsy introducer needles with our robot during CT fluoroscopy-guided biopsy was feasible at several locations in the human body.

Robotic CT-guided out-of-plane needle insertion: comparison of angle accuracy with manual insertion in phantom and measurement of distance accuracy in animals.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the accuracy of robotic CT-guided out-of-plane needle insertion in phantom and animal experiments. METHODS: A robotic system (Zerobot), developed at our institution, was used for needle insertion. In the phantom experiment, 12 robotic needle insertions into a phantom at various angles in the XY and YZ planes were performed, and the same insertions were manually performed freehand, as well as guided by a smartphone application (SmartPuncture). Angle errors were compared between the robotic and smartphone-guided manual insertions using Student's t test. In the animal experiment, 6 robotic out-of-plane needle insertions toward targets of 1.0 mm in diameter placed in the kidneys and hip muscles of swine were performed, each with and without adjustment of needle orientation based on reconstructed CT images during insertion. Distance accuracy was calculated as the distance between the needle tip and the target center. RESULTS: In the phantom experiment, the mean angle errors of the robotic, freehand manual, and smartphone-guided manual insertions were 0.4°, 7.0°, and 3.7° in the XY plane and 0.6°, 6.3°, and 0.6° in the YZ plane, respectively. Robotic insertions in the XY plane were significantly (p < 0.001) more accurate than smartphone-guided insertions. In the animal experiment, the overall mean distance accuracy of robotic insertions with and without adjustment of needle orientation was 2.5 mm and 5.0 mm, respectively. CONCLUSION: Robotic CT-guided out-of-plane needle insertions were more accurate than smartphone-guided manual insertions in the phantom and were also accurate in the in vivo procedure, particularly with adjustment during insertion. KEY POINTS: • Out-of-plane needle insertions performed using our robot were more accurate than smartphone-guided manual insertions in the phantom experiment and were also accurate in the in vivo procedure. • In the phantom experiment, the mean angle errors of the robotic and smartphone-guided manual out-of-plane needle insertions were 0.4° and 3.7° in the XY plane (p < 0.001) and 0.6° and 0.6° in the YZ plane (p = 0.65), respectively. • In the animal experiment, the overall mean distance accuracies of the robotic out-of-plane needle insertions with and without adjustments of needle orientation during insertion were 2.5 mm and 5.0 mm, respectively.

Survival Outcomes of Treatment with Radiofrequency Ablation, Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy, or Sublobar Resection for Patients with Clinical Stage I Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Single-Center Evaluation.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively compare the outcomes of radiofrequency (RF) ablation, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), and sublobar resection (SLR) in patients with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at a single center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Overall, 289 patients (38 RF ablation, 58 SBRT, and 193 SLR) were included. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated, multiple propensity score was estimated using a multinomial logistic regression model, and relationships between treatments and outcomes were assessed using a Cox proportional hazard model. Hazard ratios (HRs) for death from any cause and disease progression or death from any cause were examined by a crude model, an inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) model, and an IPTW model adjusted for missing variables. RESULTS: The 5-year overall and progression-free survival rates were 58.9% and 39.9%, respectively, for RF ablation; 42.0% and 34.9%, respectively, for SBRT; and 85.5% and 75.9%, respectively, for SLR. Significantly longer survival time and lower HR were observed for SLR than other treatments. However, after statistical adjustment, these relationships were not significant except for reduced HR of disease progression or death from any cause of SLR compared to RF ablation in the IPTW model. The median hospital stays for RF ablation, SBRT, and SLR were 6.5, 6, and 16 days, respectively. Adverse events of grade 3 or higher occurred only in 11 SLR cases. CONCLUSIONS: SLR achieved the longest survival. However, after statistical adjustment, there were no significant outcome differences among RF ablation, SBRT, and SLR, except for 1 model. RF ablation or SBRT may be alternative treatments for selected patients with early-stage NSCLC.

Differentiation of Small (≤ 4 cm) Renal Masses on Multiphase Contrast-Enhanced CT by Deep Learning.

OBJECTIVE. This study evaluated the utility of a deep learning method for determining whether a small (≤ 4 cm) solid renal mass was benign or malignant on multiphase contrast-enhanced CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS. This retrospective study included 1807 image sets from 168 pathologically diagnosed small (≤ 4 cm) solid renal masses with four CT phases (unenhanced, corticomedullary, nephrogenic, and excretory) in 159 patients between 2012 and 2016. Masses were classified as malignant (n = 136) or benign (n = 32). The dataset was randomly divided into five subsets: four were used for augmentation and supervised training (48,832 images), and one was used for testing (281 images). The Inception-v3 architecture convolutional neural network (CNN) model was used. The AUC for malignancy and accuracy at optimal cutoff values of output data were evaluated in six different CNN models. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was also performed. RESULTS. Malignant and benign lesions showed no significant difference of size. The AUC value of corticomedullary phase was higher than that of other phases (corticomedullary vs excretory, p = 0.022). The highest accuracy (88%) was achieved in corticomedullary phase images. Multivariate analysis revealed that the CNN model of corticomedullary phase was a significant predictor for malignancy compared with other CNN models, age, sex, and lesion size. CONCLUSION. A deep learning method with a CNN allowed acceptable differentiation of small (≤ 4 cm) solid renal masses in dynamic CT images, especially in the corticomedullary image model.

Current Imaging Techniques for and Imaging Spectrum of Prostate Cancer Recurrence and Metastasis: A Pictorial Review.

Relapsing level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after initial curative-intent local therapy for organ-confined prostate cancer is often the first sign of recurrence. However, PSA level recurrence does not enable accurate differentiation of locally recurrent tumor from metastatic disease or a combination of both. Metastatic prostate cancer most frequently involves bones and lymph nodes, followed by other organs such as the liver, lung, pleura, adrenal gland, ureter, peritoneum, penis, testis, and meninges. Conventional imaging including CT and bone scintigraphy has long been the standard of care but has limited sensitivity in depicting early local recurrence or metastatic disease. Multiparametric MRI has been shown to be more sensitive in detecting locally recurrent tumor in the prostatectomy bed as well as in situ recurrence in a prostate gland that has been treated with radiation therapy or thermal ablation. In addition, lesions detected with multiparametric MRI may be amenable to targeted biopsy for definitive diagnosis of recurrence. PET/CT or PET/MRI using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved tracers carbon 11 choline or fluorine 18 fluciclovine has demonstrated markedly increased sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of early metastatic disease such as small-volume lymph node metastasis, as have a range of investigational gallium 68 prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioactive PET tracers. With recent advances in imaging modalities and techniques, more accurate early detection, localization, and characterization of recurrent prostate cancer have become possible. The authors present a contemporary review of the strengths and limitations of conventional and advanced imaging modalities in evaluation of patients with recurrent prostate cancer and a systematic review of the clinical and imaging features of locally recurrent and metastatic disease.©RSNA, 2020See discussion on this article by Barwick and Castellucci.

Chemoradiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer exacerbates thoracic aortic calcification determined by computed tomography.

Preoperative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) has been considered as an effective treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. However, there is concern that CRT progresses atherosclerosis in cancer survivors. This study sought to determine if preoperative CRT exacerbated thoracic aortic calcification (TAC) detected by computed tomography (CT) in patients with lung cancer. Among 473 patients who underwent surgery for lung cancer at Okayama University Hospital between 2011 and 2015, 34 patients undergoing preoperative CRT and surgery (CRT group) and 33 matched patients undergoing initial surgery (non-CRT group) were analyzed and compared. The volume of TAC between the 2nd and 12th thoracic vertebrae was quantitatively measured by CT at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Patients in the CRT group (62 ± 7 years old, 74% male) received cisplatin chemotherapy with docetaxel or vinorelbine and radiation therapy (mean 47.3 ± 4.0 Gy). The percent change in TAC volume was significantly greater in the CRT compared with the non-CRT group (58.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 41.7-75.7% vs. 27.2%, 95% CI 9.9-44.4%; p = 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified CRT as an independent factor associated with greater TAC progression (> the median value) (odds ratio 3.63, 95% CI 1.19-11.08; p = 0.02). In conclusion, preoperative CRT for lung cancer exacerbates TAC. Follow-up of such patients should thus include careful longitudinal assessment for cardiovascular disease.

A Clinical Study Evaluating an Aspiration-type Semi-Automatic Cutting Biopsy Needle (SCIRO-1702).

An aspiration-type semi-automatic cutting biopsy needle enables tissue cutting during application of negative pressure, which is expected to contribute to a larger amount of specimen. The aim of the present study was to evaluate this novel needle in a clinical setting. Patients who underwent image-guided percutaneous biopsy for lung or renal masses were enrolled. Cutting biopsy was performed with and without aspiration during each procedure. The specimens were weighed using an electronic scale. The weights were compared between specimens obtained with and without aspiration using a paired t-test. The data from 45 lung and 30 renal biopsy procedures were analyzed. In lung biopsy, the mean±standard deviation weights of specimens obtained with and without aspiration were 2.20±1.05 mg and 2.24±1.08 mg, respectively. In renal biopsy, the mean weights were 6.52±2.18 mg and 6.42±1.62 mg, respectively. The weights were not significantly different between specimens obtained with and without aspiration either in lung (p=0.799) or renal (p=0.789) biopsies. The application of negative pressure with the aspiration-type semi-automatic cutting biopsy needle did not contribute to an increase in the amount of the specimen obtained in lung and renal biopsies.