Protection of ovarian function by two distinct methods of ovarian shielding for young female patients who receive total body irradiation.

To prevent ovarian dysfunction due to total body irradiation, we started ovarian shielding at our center (Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University (SMC-JMU)) with a long source axis distance, which is different from the original method used at the University of Tokyo Hospital (UTH). We retrospectively analyzed the outcome of eight patients with a median age of 20.5 years from SMC-JMU and compared the results with the published data for eight patients with a median age of 22 years from UTH. The recovery of ovarian function was observed in five and six patients, respectively. The cumulative incidence of ovarian recovery, while treating relapse and death without ovarian recovery as competing risks, was 68.8 % at 2 years after transplantation in the total population, and there was no statistically significant difference between the two institutions (p = 0.85). Age and the history of previous chemotherapy did not affect the incidence of ovarian recovery. Two patients from each center had a relapse of leukemia. Overall, among the 11 patients who have survived without relapse, only one has not achieved ovarian recovery. In conclusion, ovarian shielding with both methods strongly protected ovarian function. However, we should continue to monitor the relapse rate among patients who undergo this procedure.

Co-registered positron emission tomography/computed tomography and gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid magnetic resonance imaging features of multiple angiosarcoma of the liver.

Hepatic angiosarcoma is a very rare disease, accounting for only 2% of primary liver malignancy. An 82-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of jaundice and weight loss. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed diffuse and multiple space-occupying lesions. On gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced MRI, the tumor was not enhanced intensely in the arterial phase following contrast injection, and was then gradually enhanced homogeneously. In the delayed phase and hepatobiliary phase, the tumor was completely washed out. Whole-body (18) F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)/CT fusion scanning confirmed metabolic activity with maximum uptake value of 3.64 in the lesions. A liver biopsy showed spindle-shaped tumor cells proliferating along sinusoids, with elongated and hyperchromatic nuclei. Immunohistochemical studies showed tumor cells positive for von Willebrand factor and CD34. These findings were consistent with angiosarcoma of the liver. This case report is the first description of co-registered FDG-PET/CT images and Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI of primary hepatic angiosarcoma.

A Case of Inflammatory Pseudotumor of the Liver Mimicking Hepatocellular Carcinoma on EOB-MRI and PET.

A 71-year-old man was referred to us for investigation of a liver mass and adenomyomatosis of gallbladder. Findings on ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine-enhanced MRI (EOB-MRI) led to a presumptive diagnosis of a 1.5 cm hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the right posterior lobe of the liver. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation of the tumor were attempted. After 2 months, CT scan and EOB-MRI showed that the tumor had enlarged to 3 cm. Positron emission tomography (PET) confirmed abnormal metabolic activity with a high standardized uptake value of 7.3 in the lesion. These findings could indicate malignancy such as well-differentiated HCC or cholangiocarcinoma or a benign lesion such as hepatic abscess. Histopathological examination of a liver biopsy revealed a granuloma with many inflammatory cells, leading to a diagnosis of inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver. We report a rare case of hepatic inflammatory pseudotumor with enhancement on EOB-MRI and increased uptake on PET, mimicking HCC.

A hepatic sclerosed hemangioma with significant morphological change over a period of 10 years: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Liver cavernous hemangioma is the most common noncystic hepatic lesion, and a hemangioma that undergoes degeneration and fibrous replacement is called a hepatic sclerosed hemangioma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 63-year-old Japanese man was admitted for detailed investigation of a liver tumor. Tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen, alpha-fetoprotein, and CA19-9 levels in the peripheral blood were not elevated at any time. Plain computed tomography showed an approximately 1.5 cm low density mass in the periphery of segment 8, which was marginally enhanced on contrast-enhanced dynamic computed tomography. On magnetic resonance imaging, the tumor was hypointense on T1-weighted image and hyperintense on T2-weighted image. The tumor was suspected to be an atypical hemangioma, metastatic, hepatocellular carcinoma, or cholangiocellular carcinoma. Segmental hepatectomy was performed. Histological examination of the resected tumor specimen revealed a sclerosed hemangioma with marked hyalinization and sparse stromal fibrosis. Immunochemically, the tumor cells were positive for CD34 and alpha smooth muscle actin. Electron microscopically, the residual hemangioma consisted of numerous caveolae and vesicles in endothelial cells in irregular shapes and sizes. Immunostaining for caveolin-1 showed decreased or no caveolin-1 reactivity in the hyalinized lesions of the sclerosed hemangioma, but abundant caveolin-1 reactivity in the residual cavernous hemangioma. Of interest, computed tomography images of the tumor obtained 10 years earlier at our hospital depicted a 3 cm typical cavernous hemangioma. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic sclerosed hemangioma is a rare condition. Comparison of radiological findings of the lesion over a period of 10 years was valuable in providing insight for the evolutional process from liver cavernous hemangioma to hepatic sclerosed hemangioma.