From Despair to Hope: First Arabic Experience of 177Lu-PSMA and 161Tb-PSMA Therapy for Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

The objective of this retrospective study is to assess the effectiveness and safety of two beta-emitting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioligands, [177Lu]Lu and [161Tb]Tb, in heavily treated patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). A total of 148 cycles of beta-emitting PSMA radioligand therapy were given to 53 patients at a specialized cancer care center in Amman, Jordan. This treatment was offered following the exhaustion of all prior treatment modalities. Approximately half of the cases (n = 26) demonstrated an initial partial response to PSMA radioligand therapy. Moreover, roughly one-fourth of the patients (n = 13) exhibited a sustained satisfactory biochemical response, which qualified them to receive a total of six PSMA radioligand therapy cycles and maintain continued follow-up for additional treatment cycles. This was reflected by an adequate prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline and a concomitant partial response evident on [68Ga]Ga-PSMA positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging. A minority of patients (n= 18; 34%) experienced side effects. Generally, these were low-grade and self-limiting toxicities. This study endorses previous research evidence about PSMA radioligand therapy's safety and efficacy. It also provides the first clinical insight from patients of Arab ethnicity. This should facilitate and promote further evidence, both regionally and internationally.

Survival Trends in Pediatric Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: A Middle Eastern Perspective.

Pediatric Differentiated Thyroid Cancer (pedDTC) is a rare pediatric malignancy with an increasing incidence over time. To date, there is a paucity of literature specifically addressing pedDTC within the context of Middle Eastern ethnicity. This retrospective study aimed to assess the risk-stratifying factors for overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) in pediatric DTC patients from Iraq and Jordan. The medical records of 81 patients from two tertiary cancer institutes were retrieved. Kaplan-Meier analysis was employed to investigate OS and EFS, and the Cox proportional hazards model was employed to estimate hazard ratios. All patients underwent surgery and radioactive iodine therapy, with a median age of 14 and an interquartile range of 12-15. Lymph node involvement was observed in 55% of cases, while distant metastases were present in 13.5%. After a median follow-up period of 68 months, the 10-year survival rate was determined to be 94%, while the 10-year EFS rate was 58%. EFS was negatively impacted by cervical lymph node metastases and early age of diagnosis (p ≤ 0.01, each). Therefore, pediatrics with initial cervical lymph node metastases and those diagnosed before puberty tend to experience poorer EFS, which may justify the need for more aggressive management plans.

Cerebral and Muscular Metastases From Prostate Adenocarcinoma Initially Depicted by 177 Lu-PSMA SPECT/CT.

ABSTRACT: Cerebral and muscular metastases from prostatic adenocarcinoma occur rarely. Patients who develop such metastatic pattern exhibit noticeable symptoms. Herein, we present a 68-year-old man diagnosed with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. The patient received multiple 177 Lu-PSMA cycles. After the last cycle, a posttreatment SPECT/CT suggested disease progression with uncommon metastatic pattern in the right temporal brain lobe and muscles. 68 Ga-PSMA PET/CT and brain MRI confirmed these findings. Surprisingly, the patient remained asymptomatic up until the conclusion of the follow-up, which lasted for 3 months. This case emphasizes the importance of posttreatment scintigraphic imaging when other biomarkers are inconclusive.

Long-Term Survival Analysis and Prognostic Factors of Arabic Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: A 20-Year Observational Study at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) Involving 528 Patients.

DTC accounts for the majority of endocrine tumors. While the incidence of thyroid cancer has been increasing globally over the past few decades, papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) generally shows an excellent prognosis, except in cases with aggressive clinicopathological features. This study aimed to assess the 5- and 10-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of 528 Arabic patients diagnosed with primary DTC from 1998 to 2021. Additionally, the study aimed to analyze the impact of various factors on both OS and PFS. An univariable survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan-Meier curves. The 5- and 10-year OS for patients with DTC have exceeded 95%. Additionally, PFS showed very good rates (ranging between 96.5 and 85% at 5 and 10 years, respectively). Age, male gender, risk of recurrence, and distant metastasis were identified as the main negative prognostic factors for both OS and PFS, while RAI treatment was found to be a significant factor in improving OS. Moreover, adherence to the King Hussein Cancer Center's (KHCC) CPG demonstrated significant improvement in PFS. These findings highlight common prognostic factors and favorable outcomes in Arabic patients with DTC treated at a tertiary cancer center using standard of care approaches.

68Ga-DOTATOC Embolus Manifestation and Spontaneous Resolution by PET/CT.

68Ga-labeled somatostatin receptor analogs physiologic distribution patterns have become recognizable among nuclear medicine physicians because of the increasing routine clinical use of this modality in the work-up of neuroendocrine tumors. Some pitfalls during 68Ga-labeled somatostatin receptor PET/CT have recently been reported as causes of misdiagnoses. Iatrogenic microembolism as a cause of 18F-FDG embolus is well-established; however, 68Ga-DOTATOC embolus is not well documented in the literature. In the current case, the presence and the spontaneous resolution of the 68Ga-labeled somatostatin receptor analogs embolus during sequential PET/CT are nicely demonstrated. Awareness of this incidental finding would avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary investigations.