Natural language processing pipeline to extract prostate cancer-related information from clinical notes.

OBJECTIVES: To develop an automated pipeline for extracting prostate cancer-related information from clinical notes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 23,225 patients who underwent prostate MRI between 2017 and 2022. Cancer risk factors (family history of cancer and digital rectal exam findings), pre-MRI prostate pathology, and treatment history of prostate cancer were extracted from free-text clinical notes in English as binary or multi-class classification tasks. Any sentence containing pre-defined keywords was extracted from clinical notes within one year before the MRI. After manually creating sentence-level datasets with ground truth, Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT)-based sentence-level models were fine-tuned using the extracted sentence as input and the category as output. The patient-level output was determined by compilation of multiple sentence-level outputs using tree-based models. Sentence-level classification performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) on 15% of the sentence-level dataset (sentence-level test set). The patient-level classification performance was evaluated on the patient-level test set created by radiologists by reviewing the clinical notes of 603 patients. Accuracy and sensitivity were compared between the pipeline and radiologists. RESULTS: Sentence-level AUCs were ≥ 0.94. The pipeline showed higher patient-level sensitivity for extracting cancer risk factors (e.g., family history of prostate cancer, 96.5% vs. 77.9%, p < 0.001), but lower accuracy in classifying pre-MRI prostate pathology (92.5% vs. 95.9%, p = 0.002) and treatment history of prostate cancer (95.5% vs. 97.7%, p = 0.03) than radiologists, respectively. CONCLUSION: The proposed pipeline showed promising performance, especially for extracting cancer risk factors from patient's clinical notes. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The natural language processing pipeline showed a higher sensitivity for extracting prostate cancer risk factors than radiologists and may help efficiently gather relevant text information when interpreting prostate MRI. KEY POINTS: When interpreting prostate MRI, it is necessary to extract prostate cancer-related information from clinical notes. This pipeline extracted the presence of prostate cancer risk factors with higher sensitivity than radiologists. Natural language processing may help radiologists efficiently gather relevant prostate cancer-related text information.

MRI-guided Cryoablation of Prostate Cancer Lymph Node Metastasis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of MRI-guided cryoablation of prostate cancer metastatic lymph nodes(LN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-two patients with prostate cancer who underwent MRI guided lymph node (LN) ablation from September 2013 to June 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Of these, 6 patients were excluded because adequate ablation margins (3-5mm) could not be achieved secondary to adjacent structures. The remaining 46 patients (mean age, 70±7 years) underwent 55 MRI-guided cryoablation procedures of metastatic LN (25 in pelvic side wall, 20 within pelvic region and 10 in the abdomen) with procedural intent of complete ablation. Locoregional tumor control (i.e. technical success in the target LN) was evaluated on initial follow-up PET scans at mean of 4±2 months. Pre- and post-ablation prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels were recorded. Imaging follow-up continued until a median of 27.5 months (3-108 months). RESULTS: Ninety-five percent (52/55) of treated LN demonstrated no considerable activity on PET scans at initial follow-up at 4±2 months. PSA decreased to undetectable level of <0.1ng/mL after cryoablation in 14/46 patients (30.4%) with corresponding lack of activity in 13/46 (28.2%) patients on continued PET imaging follow-up. Only 6/55 (10.9%) patients had transient adverse events which all resolved with no long term sequalae. CONCLUSIONS: MRI-guided percutaneous cryoablation of metastatic LN is a safe and technically effective technique for treating metastatic prostate cancer in LN.

Update on Percutaneous Ablation for Sarcoma.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To provide an update on the current state of percutaneous thermal ablation in the treatment of sarcoma. RECENT FINDINGS: Data continue to accrue in support of ablation for local control and palliation of specific sarcoma subtypes such as extra-abdominal desmoid fibromatosis and for broader indications such as the treatment of oligometastatic disease. The synergistic possibilities of various combination therapies such as cryoablation and immunotherapy represent intriguing areas of active investigation. Histotripsy is an emerging non-invasive, non-thermal ablative modality that may further expand the therapeutic arsenal for sarcoma treatment. Percutaneous thermal ablation is a valuable tool in the multidisciplinary management of sarcoma, offering a minimally invasive adjunct to surgery and radiation therapy. Although there remains a paucity of high-level evidence specific to sarcomas, ablation techniques are demonstrably safe and effective for achieving local tumor control and providing pain relief in select patients and are of particular benefit in those with metastatic disease or requiring palliative care.

Deep convolutional-neural-network-based metal artifact reduction for CT-guided interventional oncology procedures (MARIO).

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) is routinely used to guide cryoablation procedures. Notably, CT-guidance provides 3D localization of cryoprobes and can be used to delineate frozen tissue during ablation. However, metal-induced artifacts from ablation probes can make accurate probe placement challenging and degrade the ice ball conspicuity, which in combination could lead to undertreatment of potentially curable lesions. PURPOSE: In this work, we propose an image-based neural network (CNN) model for metal artifact reduction for CT-guided interventional procedures. METHODS: An image domain metal artifact simulation framework was developed and validated for deep-learning-based metal artifact reduction for interventional oncology (MARIO). CT scans were acquired for 19 different cryoablation probe configurations. The probe configurations varied in the number of probes and the relative orientations. A combination of intensity thresholding and masking based on maximum intensity projections (MIPs) was used to segment both the probes only and probes + artifact in each phantom image. Each of the probe and probe + artifact images were then inserted into 19 unique patient exams, in the image domain, to simulate metal artifact appearance for CT-guided interventional oncology procedures. The resulting 361 pairs of simulated image volumes were partitioned into disjoint training and test datasets of 304 and 57 volumes, respectively. From the training partition, 116 600 image patches with a shape of 128 × 128 × 5 pixels were randomly extracted to be used for training data. The input images consisted of a superposition of the patient and probe + artifact images. The target images consisted of a superposition of the patient and probe only images. This dataset was used to optimize a U-Net type model. The trained model was then applied to 50 independent, previously unseen CT images obtained during renal cryoablations. Three board-certified radiologists with experience in CT-guided ablations performed a blinded review of the MARIO images. A total of 100 images (50 original, 50 MARIO processed) were assessed across different aspects of image quality on a 4-point likert-type item. Statistical analyses were performed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired samples. RESULTS: Reader scores were significantly higher for MARIO processed images compared to the original images across all metrics (all p < 0.001). The average scores of the overall image quality, iceball conspicuity, overall metal artifact, needle tip visualization, target region confidence, and worst metal artifact, needle tip visualization, iceball conspicuity, and target region confidence improved by 34.91%, 36.29%, 39.94%, 34.17%, 35.13%, and 45.70%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method of image-based metal artifact simulation can be used to train a MARIO algorithm to effectively reduce probe-related metal artifacts in CT-guided cryoablation procedures.

Cancer Detection Rate and Abnormal Interpretation Rate of Prostate MRI Performed for Clinical Suspicion of Prostate Cancer.

PURPOSE: To report cancer detection rate (CDR) and abnormal interpretation rate (AIR) in prostate MRI performed for clinical suspicion of prostate cancer (PCa). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective single-institution, three-center study included patients who underwent MRI for clinical suspicion of PCa between 2017 and 2021. Patients with known PCa were excluded. Patient-level Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) score was extracted from the radiology report. AIR was defined as number of abnormal MRI (PI-RADS score 3-5) / total number of MRIs. CDR was defined as number of clinically significant PCa (csPCa: Gleason score ≥7) detected at abnormal MRI / total number of MRI. AIR, CDR, and CDR adjusted for pathology confirmation rate were calculated for each of three centers and pre-MRI biopsy status (biopsy-naive and previous negative biopsy). RESULTS: A total of 9,686 examinations (8,643 unique patients) were included. AIR, CDR, and CDR adjusted for pathology confirmation rate were 45.4%, 23.8%, and 27.6% for center I; 47.2%, 20.0%, and 22.8% for center II; and 42.3%, 27.2%, and 30.1% for center III, respectively. Pathology confirmation rate ranged from 81.6% to 88.0% across three centers. AIR and CDR for biopsy-naive patients were 45.5% to 52.6% and 24.2% to 33.5% across three centers, respectively, and those for previous negative biopsy were 27.2% to 39.8% and 11.7% to 14.2% across three centers, respectively. CONCLUSION: We reported CDR and AIR in prostate MRI for clinical suspicion of PCa. CDR needs to be adjusted for pathology confirmation rate and pre-MRI biopsy status for interfacility comparison.

Cancer Detection Rate and Abnormal Interpretation Rate of Prostate MRI in Patients With Low-Grade Cancer.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of cancer detection rate (CDR) and abnormal interpretation rate (AIR) in prostate MRI for patients with low-grade prostate cancer (PCa). METHODS: This three-center retrospective study included patients who underwent prostate MRI from 2017 to 2021 with known low-grade PCa (Gleason score 6) without prior treatment. Patient-level highest Prostate Imaging Reporting & Data System (PI-RADS®) score and pathologic diagnosis within 1 year after MRI were used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of prostate MRI in detecting clinically significant PCa (csPCa; Gleason score ≥ 7). The metrics AIR, CDR, and CDR adjusted for pathologic confirmation rate were calculated. Radiologist-level AIR-CDR plots were shown. Simulation AIR-CDR lines were created to assess the effects of different diagnostic performances of prostate MRI and the prevalence of csPCa. RESULTS: A total of 3,207 examinations were interpreted by 33 radiologists. Overall AIR, CDR, and CDR adjusted for pathologic confirmation rate at PI-RADS 3 to 5 (PI-RADS 4 and 5) were 51.7% (36.5%), 22.1% (18.8%), and 30.7% (24.6%), respectively. Radiologist-level AIR and CDR at PI-RADS 3 to 5 (PI-RADS 4 and 5) were in the 36.8% to 75.6% (21.9%-57.5%) range and the 16.3%-28.7% (10.9%-26.5%) range, respectively. In the simulation, changing parameters of diagnostic performance or csPCa prevalence shifted the AIR-CDR line. CONCLUSIONS: The authors propose CDR and AIR as performance metrics in prostate MRI and report reference performance values in patients with known low-grade PCa. There was variability in radiologist-level AIR and CDR. Combined use of AIR and CDR could provide meaningful feedback for radiologists to improve their performance by showing relative performance to other radiologists.

Case series: The use of spermatic cord block in maximising patient comfort during ultrasound-guided percutaneous core-needle biopsy of the testicle.

Introduction/Purpose: Percutaneous core-needle biopsy of the testicle has been shown to be a safe and effective method of obtaining tissue for histological analysis and can be considered in specific clinical scenarios. While the use of spermatic cord block has been shown to be effective in pain relief in the emergent setting and as an anaesthetic option for inguinal surgery, its use in percutaneous core-needle biopsy has not been well described. Through this case series, we present our experience and technique of ultrasound-guided percutaneous core-needle biopsy using spermatic cord block in the setting of indeterminant testicular masses. Methods: Our departmental biopsy database was reviewed to identify patients who underwent percutaneous core-needle biopsy of the testicle from March 2010 to July 2022 and who also received spermatic cord block during the procedure. Results: Three patients were identified who met the search criteria. All three patients presented for the evaluation of indeterminant testicular mass and had a known non-testicular primary cancer diagnosis at the time of biopsy. All three biopsies were performed using a combination of spermatic cord block, moderate sedation, and local anaesthetic. Biopsies were obtained using an 18-gauge spring-loaded device with 4-5 core samples obtained during each procedure. All biopsies were well tolerated without significant pain or post-procedure complications. Discussion: Ultrasound-guided percutaneous core-needle testicular biopsy using spermatic cord block is a safe and effective option in sampling indeterminate testicular masses while maintaining patient comfort. Conclusion: The inclusion of a spermatic cord block in combination with local anaesthetic and moderate sedation has become standard practice in our institution, as we believe this maximises patient comfort and safety resulting in a better patient experience.

Decreased prostate MRI cancer detection rate due to moderate to severe susceptibility artifacts from hip prosthesis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of susceptibility artifacts from hip prosthesis on cancer detection rate (CDR) in prostate MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This three-center retrospective study included prostate MRI studies for patients without known prostate cancer between 2017 and 2021. Exams with hip prosthesis were searched on MRI reports. The degree of susceptibility artifact on diffusion-weighted images was retrospectively categorized into mild, moderate, and severe (> 66%, 33-66%, and < 33% of the prostate volume are evaluable) by blind reviewers. CDR was defined as the number of exams with Gleason score ≥7 detected by MRI (PI-RADS ≥3) divided by the total number of exams. For each artifact grade, control exams without hip prosthesis were matched (1:6 match), and CDR was compared. The degree of CDR reduction was evaluated with ratio, and influential factors were evaluated by expanding the equation. RESULTS: Hip arthroplasty was present in 548 (4.8%) of the 11,319 MRI exams. CDR of the cases and matched control exams for each artifact grade were as follows: mild (n = 238), 0.27 vs 0.25, CDR ratio = 1.09 [95% CI: 0.87-1.37]; moderate (n = 143), 0.18 vs 0.27, CDR ratio = 0.67 [95% CI: 0.46-0.96]; severe (n = 167), 0.22 vs 0.28, CDR ratio = 0.80 [95% CI: 0.59-1.08]. When moderate and severe artifact grades were combined, CDR ratio was 0.74 [95% CI: 0.58-0.93]. CDR reduction was mostly attributed to the increased frequency of PI-RADS 1-2. CONCLUSION: With moderate to severe susceptibility artifacts from hip prosthesis, CDR was decreased to 74% compared to the matched control. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Moderate to severe susceptibility artifacts from hip prosthesis may cause a non-negligible CDR reduction in prostate MRI. Expanding indications for systematic prostate biopsy may be considered when PI-RADS 1-2 was assigned. KEY POINTS: • We proposed cancer detection rate as a diagnostic performance metric in prostate MRI. • With moderate to severe susceptibility artifacts secondary to hip arthroplasty, cancer detection rate decreased to 74% compared to the matched control. • Expanding indications for systematic prostate biopsy may be considered when PI-RADS 1-2 is assigned.

Safety and accuracy of aortic and periaortic CT-guided percutaneous core needle biopsy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the safety and accuracy of aortic and periaortic computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous core needle biopsy performed at a single center over 12 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of cases performed between February 2010 and August 2022 in which the biopsied region was in direct contact with the aorta or great vessels including the pericardium and common iliac arteries. Clinical notes were reviewed for any early or delayed complications following the procedure, which if present were graded using the National Institute of Health's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 5.0. Pathology results were compared to subsequent outside biopsy results or follow-up surgical pathology, if available, as well as subsequent clinical decision making and/or clinical course, to determine concordance. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, and accuracy (indicative of diagnostic yield) were calculated. RESULTS: 32 core needle biopsies were reviewed from 30 patients (average lesion longest diameter 3.1 cm, range 0.5-10.9 cm; average needle proximity to the vessel endothelium or deep side of the pericardium 1.0 cm, range 0.3-1.8 cm). Complications occurred in 46.9% of cases (15/32), 93.3% (14/15) of which were minor and included small amounts of bleeding or pain. One patient developed a small nonemergent pneumothorax. Of biopsies obtained, 96.9% provided adequate tissue for diagnosis (31/32). When evaluating concordance between pathological and final diagnosis, sensitivity was 94.7% and specificity was 83.3%; positive and negative predictive value were 90.0% and 90.9%, respectively. Accuracy (diagnostic yield) of biopsy was 90.3%. CONCLUSION: CT-guided percutaneous aortic and periaortic core needle biopsies are safe and efficacious procedures with high diagnostic yield.

Percutaneous MR Imaging-Guided Laser Ablation for the Treatment of Symptomatic Cervicofacial Vascular Malformations.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided laser ablation for the treatment of symptomatic soft tissue vascular malformations (VMs) in the face and neck. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An institutional review board-approved retrospective review was undertaken of all consecutive patients who underwent MR imaging-guided and monitored laser ablation for treatment of symptomatic, cervicofacial soft tissue VM. Preablation and postablation MR imaging findings were independently reviewed. Preablation and postablation VM sizes were documented. Preablation T2 signal characteristics and enhancement patterns as well as postablation change in both signal and enhancement were semiquantitatively assessed. Changes in VM size were compared using a paired t test. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (women, 9; age, 14.5-69.5 years) with 13 VMs were treated for moderate-to-severe pain (n = 4), swelling/mass effect (n = 8), or predominantly cosmesis (n = 1) with 22 total ablation sessions. The baseline maximum VM diameter was 5.7 cm ± 4.2. At baseline, all VMs (100%) demonstrated variable T2-weighted signal hyperintensity and enhancement. For painful VM, the baseline pain score was 8 ± 1. Clinical follow-up was available for 10 patients. Of patients with available follow-up, 3 (100%) treated for moderate-to-severe pain and 7 (100%) treated for swelling/mass effect reported subjective complete or partial symptomatic relief. The patient treated predominantly for cosmetic reasons was lost to follow-up. Two patients (15.4%) experienced minor adverse events by the Society of Interventional Radiology standards. There were no major adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: MR imaging-guided and monitored percutaneous laser ablation is safe and effective for the treatment of symptomatic, cervicofacial VMs.

Impact of measurement method on interobserver variability of apparent diffusion coefficient of lesions in prostate MRI.

PURPOSE: To compare the inter-observer variability of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of prostate lesions measured by 2D-region of interest (ROI) with and without specific measurement instruction. METHODS: Forty lesions in 40 patients who underwent prostate MR followed by targeted prostate biopsy were evaluated. A multi-reader study (10 readers) was performed to assess the agreement of ADC values between 2D-ROI without specific instruction and 2D-ROI with specific instruction to place a 9-pixel size 2D-ROI covering the lowest ADC area. The computer script generated multiple overlapping 9-pixel 2D-ROIs within a 3D-ROI encompassing the entire lesion placed by a single reader. The lowest mean ADC values from each 2D-small-ROI were used as reference values. Inter-observer agreement was assessed using the Bland-Altman plot. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was assessed between ADC values measured by 10 readers and the computer-calculated reference values. RESULTS: Ten lesions were benign, 6 were Gleason score 6 prostate carcinoma (PCa), and 24 were clinically significant PCa. The mean±SD ADC reference value by 9-pixel-ROI was 733 ± 186 (10-6 mm2/s). The 95% limits of agreement of ADC values among readers were better with specific instruction (±112) than those without (±205). ICC between reader-measured ADC values and computer-calculated reference values ranged from 0.736-0.949 with specific instruction and 0.349-0.919 without specific instruction. CONCLUSION: Interobserver agreement of ADC values can be improved by indicating a measurement method (use of a specific ROI size covering the lowest ADC area).

Percutaneous MR Imaging-Guided Laser Ablation and Cryoablation for the Treatment of Pediatric and Adult Symptomatic Peripheral Soft Tissue Vascular Anomalies.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided laser ablation and cryoablation for the treatment of symptomatic soft tissue vascular anomalies (VAs) of the trunk and extremities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An institutional review board-approved retrospective review was undertaken of all pediatric and adult patients who underwent MR imaging-guided and monitored laser ablation and/or cryoablation for the treatment of symptomatic peripheral soft tissue VA. Preablation and postablation MR imaging was independently reviewed. Pain scores on the visual analog scale (0 to 10) and self-reported subjective symptomatic improvement were assessed. Change in VA size and pain scores were compared using a paired t test. RESULTS: Thirty patients (24 females; age, 10-75 years) with 34 VAs were treated for moderate to severe pain (n = 27) or swelling/mass effect (n = 3) with 60 total ablation sessions. The baseline maximum VA diameter was 9.5 cm ± 8.6. At baseline, all VAs (100%) demonstrated variable T2-weighted signal hyperintensity and enhancement. The baseline pain score was 6.4 ± 1.6. Clinical follow-up was available for 23 patients. At a mean follow-up time of 12.2 months ± 10.1, 19 of 20 (95%) patients treated for pain and 2 of 3 (67%) patients treated for swelling/mass effect reported partial or complete symptomatic relief. There was a significant decrease in the postablation pain scores (-5.7 ± 1.0, P < .001) and maximum VA size (-2.3 cm ± 2.7, P = .004), with >50% reduction in VA T2 signal (59%) and enhancement (73%). Nine of 30 (30%) patients experienced minor complications. CONCLUSIONS: MR imaging-guided and monitored percutaneous laser ablation and cryoablation appear to be safe and effective for the treatment of symptomatic peripheral soft tissue VAs.

Eccrine angiomatous hamartoma: First case in the cytology literature.

A 34-year-old male presented with a swelling on the volar surface of the third digit of his right hand. This swelling was associated with pain and erythema. Ultrasound-guided needle biopsy was performed. Cytologic and histologic preparations together confirmed the diagnosis of a rarely encountered mixed epithelial and mesenchymal proliferation, an eccrine angiomatous hamartoma. To our knowledge, this case is the first to illustrate the cytomorphologic features of this rare lesion.

Preservation of Renal Function after Major Bleeding Events due to Ultrasound-Guided Parenchymal Renal Biopsy.

The clinical outcomes of major bleeding events following ultrasound-guided native and allograft parenchymal renal biopsy were evaluated. Forty-eight bleeding complications after biopsy (Society of Interventional Radiology adverse event grade ≥ 2) from 2002 to 2018 were identified. The primary outcome assessed was renal function. The clinical outcomes and interventions performed, including blood transfusion, angiography with or without embolization, nephrostomy tube placement, surgery, nephrectomy, hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, dialysis, and survival, were noted. Renal function may be moderately diminished in the short-term periprocedural setting. None of the patients studied died or required nephrectomy or the initiation of dialysis as a result of a major bleeding complication after the renal biopsy.

Acute appendiceal diverticulitis: a case report.

Acute appendiceal diverticulitis is a difficult prospective diagnosis due to both its rarity and clinical overlap with other ileocecal diseases, such as acute appendicitis. Few preoperative radiological images of acute appendiceal diverticulitis have been presented in the literature. We report a case of acute appendiceal diverticulitis initially diagnosed with outpatient ultrasound and confirmed with contrast-enhanced computed tomography in an 85-year-old male who presented with right lower quadrant pain. Appendiceal diverticulitis is an often overlooked diagnosis, and given its association with appendiceal neoplasms and relatively high rate of perforation, it is important to consider this entity in patients with right lower quadrant pain in order to ensure that they are managed appropriately. The addition of high quality ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) images to the literature may heighten awareness of this rare condition and facilitate accurate preoperative diagnosis and management in these patients.

Percutaneous Image-Guided Core Needle Biopsy of Neuroendocrine Tumors: How Common Is Intraprocedural Carcinoid Crisis?

PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate the incidence of carcinoid crisis, other complications, and physiologic disturbances during percutaneous image-guided core needle biopsy of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) in the lung and the liver. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2010 and January 2020, 106 computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound (US)-guided core needle biopsies of lung and liver NETs were performed in 95 consecutive adult patients. The mean age was 64 ± 13 years, and 48% were female. The small bowel was the most common primary site (33%, 31/95), and 32 (34%) patients had pre-existing symptoms of carcinoid syndrome. The mean tumor size was 3.2 ± 2.6 cm, and mean number of passes was 3.4 ± 1.6. A 17/18-gauge needle was used in 91% (96/106) of the biopsies. Thirteen (12%) patients received either outpatient or prophylactic octreotide. RESULTS: No patients experienced carcinoid crisis or needed octreotide, inotropes, vasopressors, or resuscitation. A single biopsy procedure (0.9%, 1/106) was complicated by bleeding that required angiographic hepatic artery embolization. Changes in pre-biopsy- versus post-biopsy systolic blood pressure and heart rate were -1.6 mm Hg (P = .390) and 0.6 beat/min (P = .431), respectively. Tumor functional status, overall tumor burden, and the elevation of neuroendocrine markers were not associated with intraprocedural physiologic disturbances. There were 4 minor complications (0.4%, 4/106) associated with the biopsy procedure that were not attributed to hormone excretion from tumor manipulation. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous image-guided core biopsy of NETs is safe, with low complication rate and no definite carcinoid crisis in the current cohort.

Thoracic positron emission tomography: 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose and beyond.

Ongoing technologic and therapeutic advancements in medicine are now testing the limits of conventional anatomic imaging techniques. The ability to image physiology, rather than simply anatomy, is critical in the management of multiple disease processes, especially in oncology. Nuclear medicine has assumed a leading role in detecting, diagnosing, staging and assessing treatment response of various pathologic entities, and appears well positioned to do so into the future. When combined with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) has become the sine quo non technique of evaluating most solid tumors especially in the thorax. PET/CT serves as a key imaging modality in the initial evaluation of pulmonary nodules, often obviating the need for more invasive testing. PET/CT is essential to staging and restaging in bronchogenic carcinoma and offers key physiologic information with regard to treatment response. A more recent development, PET/MRI, shows promise in several specific lung cancer applications as well. Additional recent advancements in the field have allowed PET to expand beyond imaging with 18F-flurodeoxyglucose (FDG) alone, now with the ability to specifically image certain types of cell surface receptors. In the thorax this predominantly includes 68Ga-DOTATATE which targets the somatostatin receptors abundantly expressed in neuroendocrine tumors, including bronchial carcinoid. This receptor targeted imaging technique permits targeting these tumors with therapeutic analogues such as 177Lu labeled DOTATATE. Overall, the proper utilization of PET in the thorax has the ability to directly impact and improve patient care.

Palliative treatment for malignant gastrointestinal obstruction with peritoneal carcinomatosis: enteral stenting versus surgery.

Background and study aims Management of malignant gastrointestinal obstruction (MGIO) is more challenging in the presence of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). Outcomes data to guide the management of MGIO with PC are lacking. We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes and adverse events between endoscopic and surgical palliation and identify predictors of stent success in patients with MGIO with PC. Patients and methods Consecutive inpatients with MGIO with PC between 2000 and 2018 who underwent palliative surgery or enteral stenting were included. Clinical success was defined as relief of obstructive symptoms. Results Fifty-seven patients with enteral stenting and 40 with palliative surgery were compared. The two groups did not differ in rates of technical success, 30-day mortality, or recurrence. Clinical success from a single intervention (63.2 % versus 95 %), luminal patency duration (27 days vs. 145 days), and survival length (148 days vs. 336 days) favored palliative surgery (all P  < 0.05) but the patients in the surgery group had a trend toward better Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status. The rate of adverse events (AEs) (10.5 % vs. 50 %), the severity of AEs, and length of hospital stay (4.5 days vs. 9 days) favored enteral stenting ( P  < 0.05). The need for more than one stent was associated with a higher likelihood of stent failure. Conclusions Our study suggests that enteral stenting is safer and associated with a shorter hospital stay than palliative surgery, although unlike other MGIOs, clinical success is lower in MGIO with PC. Identification of the right candidates and potential predictors of clinical success in ECOG-matched large-scale studies is needed to validate these results.

Multimodal Imaging Aids in the Diagnosis of Perineural Spread of Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The perineural spread of prostate cancer into pelvic peripheral nerves is a rare, but increasingly recognized, entity. This form of metastasis invades the lumbosacral plexus via the splanchnic nerves innervating the prostate. The prevalence of perineural spread is likely underappreciated, and further imaging-based studies are needed to elucidate its true frequency. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed using an institutional radiology database. Medical reports from patients with prostate cancer who had undergone positron emission tomography (PET) imaging were queried for terms suggestive of perineural spread. PET and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from the identified patients were blindly reviewed for peripheral nerve involvement by 2 nuclear medicine and 2 musculoskeletal radiologists. RESULTS: A total of 22 patients were identified. After review by the radiologists, 16 patients had positive findings of perineural spread found on PET and 15 had abnormalities found on MRI involving lumbosacral plexus neural elements. All patients with biopsy-proven neoplastic perineural spread (including 1 patient with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor) had positive findings on both PET and MRI. All patients with biopsy-proven inflammatory lesions had negative PET and variable MRI findings. CONCLUSIONS: The perineural spread of prostate cancer might be more common than previously thought. The use of multimodal imaging for patients suspected of having perineural spread should be a part of the treatment algorithm. Targeted fascicular biopsy might be indicated for patients with progressive neurological deficit and an unclear diagnosis.