Prognostic role and characteristics of the indeterminate response in differentiated thyroid cancer: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: The management of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is actually based on a dynamic risk stratification based on classes of response to the therapy. Indeterminate response (IR) includes a heterogeneous group of patients with different characteristics, particularly different Tg and AbTg levels and/or imaging findings. The aim of systematic review (SR) is to evaluate the prognosis, diagnostic findings and other characteristics of patients in the IR class. METHODS: A wide literature search in the Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science databases was performed to find published articles on patients with DTC and IR after treatment. The quality assessment of studies was carried out using QUADAS-2 evaluation. RESULTS: Eight articles were included in the systematic review. Six studies evaluated the prognosis and the prognostic factor in patients with IR, one study evaluated the role of 2-[18F]FDG PET-CT in the management of patients with IR and biochemical incomplete response and one study the risk factors for IR. CONCLUSION: Patients with DTC and IR to therapy have a probability of disease relapse < 15%. Tg value could be a predictor of disease progression. The role of 2-[18F]FDG PET-CT needs to be further investigated.

Development of a pediatric differentiated thyroid carcinoma registry within the EuRRECa project: rationale and protocol.

Background: Although differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is the most frequent endocrine pediatric cancer, it is rare in childhood and adolescence. While tumor persistence and recurrence are not uncommon, mortality remains extremely low. Complications of treatment are however reported in up to 48% of the survivors. Due to the rarity of the disease, current treatment guidelines are predominantly based on the results of small observational retrospective studies and extrapolations from results in adult patients. In order to develop more personalized treatment and follow-up strategies (aiming to reduce complication rates), there is an unmet need for uniform international prospective data collection and clinical trials. Methods and analysis: The European pediatric thyroid carcinoma registry aims to collect clinical data for all patients ≤18 years of age with a confirmed diagnosis of DTC who have been diagnosed, assessed, or treated at a participating site. This registry will be a component of the wider European Registries for Rare Endocrine Conditions project which has close links to Endo-ERN, the European Reference Network for Rare Endocrine Conditions. A multidisciplinary expert working group was formed to develop a minimal dataset comprising information regarding demographic data, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome. We constructed an umbrella-type registry, with a detailed basic dataset. In the future, this may provide the opportunity for research teams to integrate clinical research questions. Ethics and dissemination: Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants and/or their parents/guardians. Summaries and descriptive analyses of the registry will be disseminated via conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications.

Evaluation of mental foramen and inferior alveolar nerve canal and its relationship to adjacent anatomical landmarks using cone-beam computer tomography.

The objective of the research was to evaluate the location, size, variability, and morphologic features of mental foramen (MF) and the inferior alveolar nerve canal (IAN) on cone-beam CT. We evaluated the morphologic findings of mental foramen (MF) and inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) canal of 88 mandibular hemiarches of 65 Caucasian subjects (35 males, 30 females; age range 25-75 years) using cone beam CT. The most common horizontal position of MF was type 3 (53.4%), followed by type 4 (39.8%), type 1 (2.3%), type 2 (2.3%), and type 5 (2.3%). Regarding the vertical position, in 71.6% of cases (63/88) we found type 3 position, followed by type 2 (22.7%) and type 1 (5.7%). MF presented as oval in 51.1% and round in 42%, with double oval and triple foramens having been observed in 5.7% and 1.1% respectively. In 36.9% of cases, we found an anterior loop of the IAN. The mean depth of MF was 6.12±1.65mm; width and height were 3.7±0.83mm and 3.14±0.78mm. Width and height of the IAN distal to MF were 2.27±0.53mm and 2.74±0.51mm, while those of the incisive nerve canal mesial to MF were 1.37±0.44mm and 1.54±0.58mm, respectively. An increase in the width of MF was correlated to oval shape (r=0.45; P < 0.01), and there was a low but significant correlation (r=0.23; P < 0.05) between the round shape of MF and the size of the IAN. MF shape appears to be correlated to MF width and size of the IAN. The individual anatomical variability of this structure is a factor that must be considered when dealing with mandibular surgery.

18F-FDG PET or PET/CT role in plasmacytoma: A systematic review. / Papel de la 18F-FDG PET o PET/TC en el plasmocitoma: una revisión sistemática.

BACKGROUND: The metabolic behavior of plasmacytoma at 18F-FDG PET/CT is not yet clear. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review was to analyze published data about the role of 18F-FDG PET or PET/CT in patients affected by plasmacytoma. METHODS: Acomprehensive computer literature search of the Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library databases was conducted including articles up to July 2019 to find relevant published papers about the performance of 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT in plasmacytoma. RESULTS: The comprehensive computer literature search revealed 371 articles. On reviewing the titles and abstracts, 363 articles were excluded because the reported data were not within the field of interest of this review. Eight articles were selected and retrieved in full-text version. From the analyses of the selected studies, the following main findings have been founded: 1) plasmacytoma generally is a 18F-FDG-avid tumor and PET/CT had good diagnostic performance with high sensitivity; 2) 18F-FDG PET/CT influenced patient management in most cases avoiding useless therapies and choosing the best therapeutic approach; 3) prognostic value of PET/CT qualitative and semiquantitative parameters is only suggested with controversial reports. CONCLUSION: Despite several limitations affect this analysis, especially related to the low number of articles and patients studied, plasmacytoma looks to be an 18F-FDG-avid tumor in most of the cases; 18F-FDG PET or PET/CT had good diagnostic performance and had a significant clinical impact in change of therapeutic approach. Moreover, a possible prognostic role of PET/CT features is described.

Accuracy of CT and MRI to assess resection margins in primary malignant bone tumours having histology as the reference standard.

AIM: To evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) in assessing the resection margins of primary malignant bone tumours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Resected primary malignant bone tumour specimens removed from 46 patients (27 male; mean age: 48±22 years) were imaged using MRI (fat-saturated proton density-weighted and three-dimensional fat-suppressed T1-weighted gradient-recalled-echo) and CT immediately after surgery. A radiologist and an orthopaedist evaluated bone and soft-tissue margins of the specimens on both examinations. Histological evaluation was performed by a senior orthopaedic oncology pathologist. Margins were classified as R0 (safe margins), R1 (residuals between 0 and 1 mm), and R2 (macroscopic residuals). Cohen's k, chi-square, and McNemar's statistics were used. RESULTS: Having histology as the reference standard, reproducibility of the radiologist ranged from moderate (k=0.544) to substantial (k=0.741) for bone and soft-tissue margins on CT, respectively, while that of the orthopaedist ranged from fair (k=0.316) to moderate (k=0.548). When comparing R2 and R0+R1 scores, reproducibility of readers' evaluation of bone margins increased ranging from substantial (k=0.655) to perfect (k=1.000). Inter-reader agreement ranged from fair (k=0.308) to substantial (k=0.633). Accuracy of the radiologist and orthopaedist ranged from 76% to 83% and from 68% to 72%, respectively. When comparing R2 and R0+R1 scores, the accuracy of both readers ranged from 83% to 100%. There was no association between local recurrence and margin scores of histology, MRI, and CT (p≥0.058). CONCLUSIONS: MRI and CT may be useful for extemporaneous analysis of resection margins of primary malignant bone tumours, although wide accuracy variability between the different imaging methods was observed.

Role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in restaging and follow-up of patients with uterine sarcomas. / 18F-FDG PET/TC en reestadificación y seguimiento de pacientes con sarcomas uterinos.

PURPOSE: Uterine sarcomas are rare tumors with poor prognosis due to the high recurrence rates. The current role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the post-therapy surveillance is not established yet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-one women with uterine sarcoma underwent 73 18F-FDG PET/CT for restaging in suspected recurrence or during follow-up in asymptomatic patients. Histopathology results and/or clinical/imaging follow-up for at least 12 months were considered the reference standard. The diagnostic accuracy and clinical impact of 18F-FDG PET/CT was calculated. RESULTS: Thirty-three 18F-FDG PET/CT were positive, while the remaining 40 studies were negative. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy of 18F-FDG PET/CT were 88%, 98%, 97%, 91% and 93%, respectively. Considering patients with clinical or radiological suspicion of recurrence (n=47) and those during follow-up (n=26), sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of 18F-FDG PET/CT were 89%, 100%, 100%, 86% and 94%, and 80%, 95%, 80%, 95% and 92%, respectively. 18F-FDG PET/CT had a positive clinical impact in 9/73 (12%) studies and changed the clinical management in 8/41 (20%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: 18F-FDG PET/CT seems to be an accurate method for detection and localization of local and distant recurrence in patients with uterine sarcoma with good sensitivity and specificity and significant impact on clinical decision making.

Clinical and prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in recurrent endometrial carcinoma. / Valor clínico y pronóstico de la PET/TC con 18F-FDG en el cáncer de endometrio recurrente.

PURPOSE: Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is a cancer with a good overall prognosis, except in cases of recurrent or advanced EC. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance, the prognostic value and the impact on therapeutic management of 18F-FDG PET/CT in suspected recurrent EC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 157 patients with histologically proven EC and restaging 18F-FDG PET/CT for suspected recurrence. The PET images were analyzed visually and semi-quantitatively by measuring SUVmax, MTV and TLG. A combination of clinical/imaging follow-up and/or histopathology was taken as reference standard. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were computed using Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS: Seventy-nine patients had positive 18F-FDG PET/CT showing the presence of at least one hypermetabolic lesion consistent with recurrence, while the remaining 78 were negative. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of 18F-FDG PET/CT were 96%, 99%, 99%, 96%, 97%, respectively, and were higher compared to conventional imaging: 97%, 62%, 72%, 96%, 80%. After a mean follow-up of 39months, relapse/progression occurred in 58 patients and death in 37 with an average time of 22.1 and 27.6months, respectively. A positive 18F-FDG PET/CT and advanced FIGO stage were significantly associated with shorter PFS and OS. PET/CT results had a significant impact on therapeutic approach in 33 patients: avoiding unnecessary therapies in 28 and modifying therapy in 5. CONCLUSIONS: 18F-FDG PET/CT has a very good diagnostic performance in patients with suspected recurrent EC and has an important prognostic value in assessing PFS and OS. Moreover, PET/CT allowed for a change in treatment decision in about 20% of cases.

Different uptake of 123I-MIBG in the two main liver lobes: A persistant unsolved mistery. / Diferente captación de 123I-MIBG en los 2 lóbulos hepáticos principales: un misterio persistente sin resolver.

PURPOSE: After radiopharmaceutical injection, a heightened 123I-MIBG concentration is frequently observed in the left hepatic lobe compared to the right one, but the reason of this finding remains unknown. Our aim was to retrospectively analyze the different 123I-MIBG uptake pattern between the two hepatic lobes and correlate our results with some epidemiological/clinical features. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety-four 123I-MIBG scintigraphies from 71 patients were selected. Regions of interest were drawn in the right and left lobes using transverse tomographic sections and left to right activity ratios (L/R ratio) were calculated at 6 and 24h after radiotracer administration. RESULTS: Twenty-seven examinations were positive for hypermetabolic lesions while the remaining 67 were negative. In all cases mean early and delayed L/R ratios were greater than 1.00; average early L/R ratio was 1.37 and delayed L/R ratio 1.52. The delayed L/R ratio was significantly higher than the early one. There was no difference in the L/R ratios with regard to age, gender, primary disease and result of scintigraphy. CONCLUSIONS: 123I-MIBG uptake was higher in left hepatic lobe compared to right and this ratio did not correlate with any epidemiological or clinical feature. The reason of this metabolic is not yet explained and some biomolecular hypotheses could be tested in 3D dynamic in vitro models.

Renal endometriosis mimicking complicated cysts of kidney: report of two cases.

Endometriosis is a common gynecologic disorder characterized by ectopic endometrial tissue growth outside the uterine cavity. Although usually occurring in pelvic organs, endometrial lesions may involve urinary tract. Renal endometriosis is extremely rare and it has only occasionally been reported in the past. We report two cases of patients with renal cystic lesions, incidentally found at imaging techniques during oncologic follow-up for gastric sarcoma and melanoma, initially misinterpreted as complicated haemorrhagic cysts and then histologically characterized as renal localizations of extragenital endometriosis.

Caecal leiomyoma detected by whole-body MRI in a patient with Hodgkin lymphoma: first case report.

INTRODUCTION: Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is one of the most curable malignant diseases. Modern treatments, like the combined radiochemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, have increased the number of malignant disease survivors. However, HL survivors are at risk of long-term effects, including the development of solid tumors. Secondary neoplasms are a major cause of late morbidity and mortality following treatment for HL. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a male patient, treated for HL by chemotherapy, who developed a large leiomyoma of the cecum one year after the treatment. A whole-body Magnetic Resonance (WBMRI) scan performed during the follow-up allowed the detection of this incidental caecal mass that was absent in a Computed Tomography (CT) scan performed immediately after the treatment. After a CT-guided biopsy, the lesion was surgically removed and the diagnosis of caecal leiomyoma was obtained. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this is the first case report, according to the scientific literature, of caecal leiomyoma developing after chemotherapy in a HL survivor. Leiomyoma is a rare benign tumor that usually appears as a solitary small mass with a nodular growth and a benign course. CONCLUSION: This case shows that WB-MRI allows detecting relevant incidental findings during the oncologic follow-up, avoiding both radiation exposure and contrast agent administration. Furthermore, leiomyoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis between the caecal masses with high growth rate.

18F-FDG PET/CT follow-up of follicular dendritic cell sarcoma.

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) is a rare lymphoid neoplasm which occurs mainly in lymph nodes, especially cervical and mediastinal; it can be difficult to diagnose and often is misdiagnosed. Its pathogenesis is still not clear, like its evolution. We report a case of 60-year-old woman with FDCS of left lateral cervical node followed for almost 10 years, after a left selective neck dissection, who underwent five 18F-FDG PET/CT. This technique has proven to be an useful method for the management of this patient, mainly for the follow up, detection of relapse and therapy response evaluation.

Successful endovascular treatment of a 13 cm abdominal aortic aneurysm. Case report.

There is increasing evidence in the literature that endovascular aneurysm repair is the first-line approach for most of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Furthermore aortouniiliac stent graft placement is, in high risk patients or during emergency setting, a safe procedure over the mid- and long-term period and compares well with the results of bifurcated stent grafts. We present a case of a 66 -year-old gentleman, with pneumothorax after therapeutic thoracentesis and a giant AAA, successfully treated with an aortomonoiliac stent grafting and femoro-femoral crossover bypass.