PSMA guided approach for bIoCHEmical relapse after prostatectomy- (PSICHE) trial (NCT05022914). Detection rate and treatment decision after 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT within a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasensitive imaging has been demonstrated to influence biochemical relapse treatment. PSICHE is a multicentric prospective study, aimed at exploring detection rate with 68Ga-PSMA-11 positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and outcomes with a predefined treatment algorithm tailored to the imaging. METHODS: Patients affected by biochemical recurrence after surgery (prostate specific antigen [PSA] > 0.2 < 1 ng/mL) underwent staging with 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT. Management followed this treatment algorithm accordingly with PSMA results: prostate bed salvage radiotherapy (SRT) if negative or positive within prostate bed, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) if pelvic nodal recurrences or oligometastatic disease, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) if nonoligometastatic disease. Chi-square test was used to evaluate the relationship between baseline features and rate of positive PSMA PET/CT. RESULTS: One hundred patients were enrolled. PSMA results were negative/positive in the prostate bed in 72 patients, pelvic nodal or extrapelvic metastatic disease were detected in 23 and 5 patients. Twenty-one patients underwent observation because of prior postoperative radiotherapy (RT)/treatment refusal. Fifty patients were treated with prostate bed SRT, 23 patients underwent SBRT to pelvic nodal disease, five patients were treated with SBRT to oligometastatic disease. One patient underwent ADT. NCCN high-risk features, stage > pT3 and ISUP score >3 reported a significantly higher rate of positive PSMA PET/CT after restaging (p = 0.01, p = 0.02, and p = 0.002). By quartiles of PSA, rate of positive PSMA PET/CT was 26.9% (>0.2; <0.29 ng/mL), 24% (>0.3; <0.37 ng/mL), 26.9% (>0.38; <0.51 ng/mL), and 34.7% (>0. 52; <0.98 ng/mL). CONCLUSIONS: PSICHE trial constitute a useful platform to collect data within a clinical framework where modern imaging and metastasis-directed therapy are integrated.

Accuracy of 99mTc-Hydroxymethylene diphosphonate scintigraphy for diagnosis of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Either 99mTechnetium diphosphonate (Tc-DPD) or pyrophosphate (Tc-PYP) scintigraphy plays a relevant role in diagnosing transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (CA), and labeled radiotracers have been extensively studied in diagnosing CA. Few studies have analyzed and validated 99mTc-Hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (Tc-HMDP). Our aim was to validate the diagnostic accuracy of Tc-HMDP total-body scintigraphy in a cohort of patients with biopsy-proven transthyretin CA. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively evaluated all patients undergoing 99mTc-HMDP total-body scintigraphy, in adjunct to a comprehensive diagnostic work-up for suspected CA. Sixty-five patients were finally diagnosed with CA, while it was excluded in 20 subjects with left ventricular hypertrophy of various etiologies. Twenty-six patients had AL-CA, 39 had TTR CA (16 TTRm, 23 TTRwt). At Tc-HMDP scintigraphy, 2 AL patients showed a Perugini score grade 1 heart uptake, while 24 showed no uptake. All TTR patients showed Tc-HMDP uptake, with three patients showing a Perugini score grade 1, 16 grade 2, and 20 grade 3, respectively. No uptake was observed in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy. A positive Tc-HMDP scintigraphy showed a 100% sensitivity and a 96% specificity for TTR CA identification. CONCLUSIONS: Tc-HMDP scintigraphy is as accurate as Tc-DPD or Tc-PYP, and may therefore de facto be considered a valuable tool for the diagnosis of TTR CA.

Interim 18-FDG-PET/CT failed to predict the outcome in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients treated at the diagnosis with rituximab-CHOP.

Role of interim-PET (I-PET) in diffuse large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is controversial. To determine predictive value of I-PET on progression-free survival (PFS), we enrolled 88 first-line DLBCL patients treated with 6-8 R-CHOP courses regardless of I-PET. PET/CT were performed at diagnosis, after 2 to 4 courses and at the end of therapy with central reviewing according to visual dichotomous criteria. Results are as follows: I-PET, 72% negative, 28% positive; final-PET (F-PET), 88% negative, 12% positive; clinical complete response 90%. Concordance between clinical response and F-PET negativity was 97% because of 2 false positive. With a median follow-up of 26.2 months, 2-year overall survival and PFS were 91% and 77%, respectively. Two-year PFS for I-PET and F-PET negative versus positive were as follows: I-PET 85% versus 72% (P = .0475); F-PET 83% versus 64% (P < .001). Because of a small number of events, 2 independent bivariate Cox models were tested for PFS. In model 1, F-PET contradicted I-PET (hazard ratio [HR] = 5.03, P = .015 vs 1.27, P = 691); in model 2, F-PET (HR = 4.54) and International propnostic Index score (HR = 5.36, P = .001) remained independent prognostic factors. In conclusion, positive I-PET is not predictive of a worse outcome in DLBCL; larger prospective studies and harmonization of I-PET reading criteria are needed.

A systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of PSMA PET/CT in the initial staging of prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography using Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA PET/CT) is notable for its superior sensitivity and specificity in detecting recurrent PCa and is under investigation for its potential in pre-treatment staging. Despite its established efficacy in nodal and metastasis staging in trial setting, its role in primary staging awaits fuller validation due to limited evidence on oncologic outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to appraise the diagnostic accuracy of PSMA PET/CT compared to CI for comprehensive PCa staging. METHODS: Medline, Scopus and Web of science databases were searched till March 2023. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to identify eligible studies. Primary outcomes were specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of PSMA PET/CT for local, nodal and metastatic staging in PCa patients. Due to the unavailability of data, a meta-analysis was feasible only for detection of seminal vesicles invasion (SVI) and LNI. RESULTS: A total of 49 studies, comprising 3876 patients, were included. Of these, 6 investigated accuracy of PSMA PET/CT in detection of SVI. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 42.29% (95%CI: 29.85-55.78%), 87.59% (95%CI: 77.10%-93.67%), 93.39% (95%CI: 74.95%-98.52%) and 86.60% (95%CI: 58.83%-96.69%), respectively. Heterogeneity analysis revealed significant variability for PPV and NPV. 18 studies investigated PSMA PET/CT accuracy in detection of LNI. Aggregate sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 43.63% (95%CI: 34.19-53.56%), 85.55% (95%CI: 75.95%-91.74%), 67.47% (95%CI: 52.42%-79.6%) and 83.61% (95%CI: 79.19%-87.24%). No significant heterogeneity was found between studies. CONCLUSIONS: The present systematic review and meta-analysis highlights PSMA PET-CT effectiveness in detecting SVI and its good accuracy in LNI compared to CI. Nonetheless, it also reveals a lack of high-quality research on its performance in clinical T staging, extraprostatic extension and distant metastasis evaluation, emphasizing the need for further rigorous studies.

Diverse Imaging Methods May Influence Long-Term Oncologic Outcomes in Oligorecurrent Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with Metastasis-Directed Therapy (the PRECISE-MDT Study).

Metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) has been tested in clinical trials as a treatment option for oligorecurrent prostate cancer (PCa). However, there is an ongoing debate regarding the impact of using different imaging techniques interchangeably for defining lesions and guiding MDT within clinical trials. Methods: We retrospectively identified oligorecurrent PCa patients who had 5 or fewer nodal, bone, or visceral metastases detected by choline or prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT and who underwent MDT stereotactic body radiotherapy with or without systemic therapy in 8 tertiary-level cancer centers. Imaging-guided MDT was assessed as progression-free survival (PFS), time to systemic treatment change due to polymetastatic conversion (PFS2), and overall survival predictor. Propensity score matching was performed to account for clinical differences between groups. Results: Of 402 patients, 232 (57.7%) and 170 (42.3%) underwent MDT guided by [18F]fluorocholine and PSMA PET/CT, respectively. After propensity score matching, patients treated with PSMA PET/CT-guided MDT demonstrated longer PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.49 [95% CI, 0.36-0.67]; P < 0.0001), PFS2 (HR, 0.42 [95% CI, 0.28-0.63]; P < 0.0001), and overall survival (HR, 0.39 [95% CI, 0.15-0.99]; P < 0.05) than those treated with choline PET/CT-guided MDT. Additionally, we matched patients who underwent [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 versus [18F]F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT, observing longer PFS and PFS2 in the former subgroup (PFS: HR, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.26-1.00]; P < 0.05; PFS2: HR, 0.24 [95% CI, 0.09-0.60]; P < 0.05). Conclusion: Diverse imaging methods may influence outcomes in oligorecurrent PCa patients undergoing MDT. However, prospective, head-to-head studies, ideally incorporating a randomized design, are necessary to provide definitive evidence and facilitate the practical application of these findings.

Added prognostic value of molecular imaging parameters over proliferation index in typical lung carcinoid: an [18F]FDG PET/CT and SSTR imaging study.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate the prognostic meaning of volumetric and semi-quantitative parameters measured using [18F]FDG PET/CT and somatostatin receptor (SSTR) imaging in patients with typical lung carcinoid (TC), and their relationship with proliferative index (Ki67). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 67 patients (38-94 years old, mean: 69.7) with diagnosis of TC who underwent [18F]FDG PET/CT and/or SSTR scintigraphy/SPECT with [111In]DTPA-Octreotide plus contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) at staging evaluation. All patients had Ki67 measured and a follow-up (FU) of at least 1 year. SSTR density (SSTRd) was calculated as the percentage difference of tumor/non-tumor ratio at 4 and 24 h post-injection. At PET/CT, metabolic activity was measured using SUVmax and SUVratio; volumetric parameters included MTV and TLG of the primary tumor, measured using the threshold SUV41%. ROC analysis, discriminant analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves (KM) were performed. RESULTS: 11 patients died during FU. Disease stage (localized versus advanced), SUVratio, SUVmax, Ki67, MTV and TLG were significantly higher in non-survivors than in survivors. ROC curves resulted statistically significant for Ki67, SUVratio, SUVmax, MTV and TLG. On multivariate analysis, stage of disease and TLG were significant independent predictors of overall survival (OS). In KM curves, the combination of disease stage and TLG identified four groups with significantly different outcomes (p < 0.005). Metabolic activity (SUVmax and SUVratio) was confirmed as significant independent prognostic factor for OS also in patients with advanced disease, with the best AUC using SUVmax. In patients with advanced and localized disease, SSTRd proved to be the best imaging prognostic factor for progression and for disease-free survival (DFS), respectively. In localized disease, SSTRd 31.5% identified two subgroups of patients with significant different DFS distribution and in advanced disease, a high cutoff value (58.5%) was a significant predictor of adverse prognosis. CONCLUSION: Volumetric and semi-quantitative parameters measured using [18F]FDG PET/CT and SSTR imaging combined with Ki67 may provide a reference for prognosis evaluation of patients with TC, to better stratify risk groups with the goal of developing individualized therapeutic strategies.

Early biochemical outcomes following PSMA guided approach for bIoCHEmical relapse after prostatectomy-PSICHE trial (NCT05022914): preliminary results.

PSICHE (NCT05022914) is a prospective trial to test a [68Ga]Ga- PSMA-11 PET/CT imaging tailored strategy. All evaluable patients had biochemical relapse after surgery and underwent centralized [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT imaging. The treatment was performed according pre-defined criteria. Observation and re-staging at further PSA progression were proposed to patients with negative PSMA and previous postoperative RT. Prostate bed SRT was proposed to all patients with a negative staging or positive imaging within prostate bed. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to all sites of disease was used for all patients with pelvic nodal recurrence (nodal disease < 2 cm under aortic bifurcation) or oligometastatic disease. At 3 months after treatment, 54.7% of patients had a complete biochemical response Only 2 patients experienced G2 Genitourinary toxicity. No G2 Gastrointestinal toxicity was recorded. A PSMA targeted treatment strategy led to encouraging results and was well tolerated.

Early interim 18F-FDG PET in Hodgkin's lymphoma: evaluation on 304 patients.

PURPOSE: The use of early (interim) PET restaging during first-line therapy of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) in clinical practice has considerably increased because of its ability to provide early recognition of treatment failure allowing patients to be transferred to more intensive treatment regimens. METHODS: Between June 1997 and June 2009, 304 patients with newly diagnosed HL (147 early stage and 157 advanced stage) were treated with the ABVD regimen at two Italian institutions. Patients underwent PET staging and restaging at baseline, after two cycles of therapy and at the end of the treatment. RESULTS: Of the 304 patients, 53 showed a positive interim PET scan and of these only 13 (24.5%) achieved continuous complete remission (CCR), whereas 251 patients showed a negative PET scan and of these 231 (92%) achieved CCR. Comparison between interim PET-positive and interim PET-negative patients indicated a significant association between PET findings and 9-year progression-free survival and 9-year overall survival, with a median follow-up of 31 months. Among the early-stage patients, 19 had a positive interim PET scan and only 4 (21%) achieved CCR; among the 128 patients with a negative interim PET scan, 122 (97.6%) achieved CCR. Among the advanced-stage patients, 34 showed a persistently positive PET scan with only 9 (26.4%) achieving CCR, whereas 123 showed a negative interim PET scan with 109 (88.6%) achieving CCR. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate the role of an early PET scan as a significant step forward in the management of patients with early-stage or advanced-stage HL.

A patient with MEN1-associated hyperparathyroidism, responsive to cinacalcet.

BACKGROUND: A 30-year-old woman with suspected multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) was referred to our center in 2001 with primary hyperparathyroidism caused by a multiglandular parathyroid adenoma. The patient also had hyperprolactinemia caused by an anterior pituitary macroadenoma. The patient underwent a parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation of parathyroid fragments into the nondominant forearm, resulting in resolution of the primary hyperparathyroidism. MEN1 was confirmed by analysis of the MEN1 gene, which revealed a 1555insG frameshift mutation. In 2006 serum calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels were again found to be high. INVESTIGATIONS: After parathyroidectomy in 2001, the patient underwent regular measurements of PTH levels from both forearms, of serum calcium, prolactin and phosphate levels, and of urinary calcium and phosphate levels. When serum calcium and PTH levels were found to be elevated in 2006, circulating PTH levels were similar in both forearms. Ultrasound scan and technetium-99m-labeled hexakis-2-methoxyisobutylisonitrile ((99m)Tc MIBI) scintigraphy evidenced a metabolically active parathyroid nodule in the neck. DIAGNOSIS: Local recurrence of a parathyroid adenoma associated with MEN1. MANAGEMENT: Because the patient refused a further operation, we decided to initiate pharmacological treatment with cinacalcet. After 1 month of therapy, serum calcium and PTH levels returned to normal. The patient has now been closely monitored for 1 year. During this time calcium and PTH levels remained normal, morphologically the parathyroid nodular lesion remained unchanged and cinacalcet was well tolerated without the occurrence of adverse events. Cinacalcet could represent an important pharmacological intervention in MEN1-associated primary hyperparathyroidism before surgery and in postsurgical recurrences.

Lung uptake during 99mTc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate scintigraphy in patient with TTR cardiac amyloidosis: An underestimated phenomenon.

BACKGROUND: Full body scintigraphy using bone tracers plays an important role in defining the type of amyloidosis and in diagnosing the heart involvement (cardiac amyloidosis, CA). No study has been conducted to explore lung retention (LR) in CA and its correlation to heart retention (HR).We evaluated LR in patients undergoing 99mTc-HMDP scintigraphy during evaluation for suspected CA. METHODS AND RESULTS: We enrolled 93 suspected CA patients. Patients underwent a complete diagnostic work up. After diagnostic process 82 patients resulted affected by certain CA (20 AL and 62 TTR), while 11 subjects showed left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) not caused by CA. 99mTc-HMDP cardiac uptake was evaluated using the Perugini visual score while the modified Janssen score was used for LR estimation (grade 0 no uptake, grade 1 less than ribs, grade 2 more than ribs). RESULTS: 99mTc-HMDP LR was observed in 1/20 AL patient (5%), while 36/62 (58%) TTR patients showed LR with 29 grade 1 (47%) and 7 grade 2 (11%). No LR was observed in patients with LVH and no CA. LR was not evident in patients without HR, present in 1/3 (33%) of the patients with Perugini 1 HR and 11/24 (46%) and 26/36 (72%) of the patients showing respectively a Perugini 2 and a Perugini 3. CONCLUSION: 99mTc-HMDP scintigraphy shows LR in about 60% of TTR subjects, related to the grade of HR. In AL amyloidosis LR is less frequent than in TTR amyloidosis suggesting an aetiological tropism that seems comparable to the already known TTR related cardiac tropism.

Thoracoscopic localization techniques for patients with solitary pulmonary nodule: hookwire versus radio-guided surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the best intrathoracoscopic localization technique between hookwire and radio-guided surgery, in patients with pulmonary nodule. METHODS: From January 2000 to January 2005 we enrolled in this study 50 patients with a solitary pulmonary nodule, prospective randomized in two groups, well matched for diameter and depth of the pulmonary lesion. In 25 patients we performed the hookwire technique (Group A), whereas in the other 25 patients radio-guided localization was adopted (Group B). In both groups the localization technique was compared with finger palpation. In Group A, 9 lesions were in the left and 16 in the right lung; in Group B, 14 nodules were in the left lung and 11 in the right one. In both groups, the distance of the nodule from the pleural surface with lung inflated was 2.5 cm (1.5-2.5 cm in 12 patients, and >2.5 cm for the remaining 13). The mean size of the nodules in both groups was 1.1, range 0.6-1.9 (1 cm n=7 patients). RESULTS: All patients underwent thoracoscopic wedge resection, and 23 patients with a primary pulmonary lesion underwent thoracotomy for lobectomy and radical mediastinal lymphadenectomy. In Group A the hookwire technique localized the nodule in 21 of 25 patients (84%) whereas finger palpation localized it in 7 of 25 patients (28%). In Group B, radio-guided surgery localized the nodule in 24 of 25 patients (96%) whereas finger palpation localized it in 6 of 25 (24%). In Group A we registered 6 cases of pneumothorax compared to 1 case observed in the radio-guided group. Postoperative hospital stay required an average of 4 days in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience radio-guided surgery has therefore been proven efficacious in the diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodule and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery allows the removal of pulmonary nodules without complications. Hookwire was also shown to be efficacious but demonstrated complications linked primarily to external technical factors.

Multiple effects of somatostatin analogs verified in three cases of metastasized neuroendocrine tumors of the gastroenteropancreatic system.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: In neuroendocrine tumors of the gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) system, radiolabeled analogs of somatostatin (SST) are useful to the surgeon in different phases of treatment: preoperatively, to identify the lesion with somato-statin receptor scintigraphy (SRS), intraoperatively for localization using a hand-held gamma probe, and postoperatively acting directly to eliminate any residual tumor cells. Additional features of these analogs that are of value in treating such GEP tumors include their antiproliferative potential, which is in the process of being verified, and, above all, their anti-secretory action, so effective in symptom control. In this study the authors, based on their own experience, evaluate the effectiveness of SST analogs in treating GEP endocrine tumors. METHODS: Three patients with malignant GEP apudomas were studied. In case 1, an insulinoma, the patient underwent four surgical procedures for ablation of the pancreatic tumor and of hepatic and lymph node metastases in addition to local radiofrequency treatment and radiometabolic therapy. Case 2 was a carcinoid tumor of the small intestine with hepatic metastases, managed by ileal resection, local radiofrequency treatment and receptor-mediated radionuclide therapy. In case 3, a non-functioning pancreatic carcinoma with liver and lymph node metastases, the patient underwent four surgical procedures, hepatic chemoembolization, antiproliferative treatment using octreotide (OCT) and metabolic radionuclide therapy. RESULTS: In all three cases SRS proved highly sensitive in the early detection of even the smallest recurrences. There was uncertainty, however, regarding the effectiveness of therapy with radiolabeled SST analogs. Hepatic metastases from the carcinoid were completely unresponsive, but in the case of the insulinoma, the hepatic metastases showed necrosis following treatment, while lymph node metastases were unaffected. In the case of the non-functioning carcinoma, there was a correlation between treatment and a marked improvement in the patient's clinical condition, although the appearance of the lesions themselves remained unchanged. The antiproliferative effect of OCT in this case was nil. CONCLUSIONS: SRS proved highly accurate in detecting recurrences during follow-up. The merits of radiometabolic therapy, on the other hand, were unclear, a finding reported elsewhere in the literature, and in the only case treated by prolonged OCT treatment, no antiproliferative action was observed. The diagnostic usefulness of SRS was thus confirmed and it appears likely that radiolabeled analogs used intraoperatively for tumor localization will prove equally of value. The effectiveness of receptor-mediated radionuclide therapy is still in the process of being verified. Based on the expectation of analogs with an universal affinity for SST receptors (sst), it is reasonable to look forward to a significant increase in the efficacy of this type of therapy.

Radioguided surgery of primary hyperparathyroidism using the low-dose 99mTc-sestamibi protocol: multiinstitutional experience from the Italian Study Group on Radioguided Surgery and Immunoscintigraphy (GISCRIS).

UNLABELLED: This study evaluated the accuracy of (99m)Tc-sestamibi scintigraphy and neck ultrasonography in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and the role of intraoperative hand-held gamma-probes in minimally invasive radioguided surgery (MIRS) of patients with a high likelihood of a solitary parathyroid adenoma (PA). The study was undertaken under the aegis of the Italian Study Group on Radioguided Surgery and Immunoscintigraphy (GISCRIS). METHODS: Clinical records were reviewed for 384 consecutive PHPT patients undergoing radioguided surgery using a low dose of (99m)Tc-sestamibi. Selection of patients for MIRS instead of traditional bilateral neck exploration was based on preoperative imaging indicating a solitary PA. (99m)Tc-Sestamibi (37-110 MBq, or 1-3 mCi) was injected in the operating theater 10-30 min before the start of the intervention. Either 11-mm collimated (309 patients) or 14-mm collimated (75 patients) gamma-probes were used. Intraoperative quick parathyroid hormone (IQPTH) assay was used on 308 patients (80.2%). RESULTS: MIRS was successfully performed on 268 (96.8%) of 277 patients. Conversion to bilateral neck exploration was necessary in 9 patients (3.3%) because of either persistently high IQPTH levels after removal of the preoperatively visualized PA (4 patients), intraoperative frozen-section diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma (2 patients), or hard-to-remove PA (3 patients). MIRS, which was performed under locoregional anesthesia in 72 patients, required a mean operating time of 37 min and a mean hospital stay of 1.2 d. MIRS was successfully performed also on 32 (78.0%) of 41 patients who had previously undergone thyroid or parathyroid surgery. No major surgical complications were observed in the MIRS group, and there were only 24 cases (11%) of transient postoperative hypocalcemia. The probe was of little help in patients with concomitant (99m)Tc-sestamibi-avid thyroid nodules and not helpful at all in patients with negative scan findings preoperatively. IQPTH measurement helped to disclose some cases of multigland parathyroid disease. CONCLUSION: (99m)Tc-Sestamibi scintigraphy, especially if combined with neck ultrasonography, is highly accurate in selecting PHPT candidates for MIRS. The low-dose (99m)Tc-sestamibi protocol (which entails a low-to-negligible radiation exposure to the surgical team) is safe and effective for MIRS. MIRS plays a limited role in patients with concomitant (99m)Tc-sestamibi-avid thyroid nodules and should be discouraged in patients with negative (99m)Tc-sestamibi finding preoperatively. IQPTH can be recommended during MIRS to facilitate intraoperative identification of previously undiagnosed multigland parathyroid disease.

Interim PET After Two ABVD Cycles in Early-Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma: Outcomes Following the Continuation of Chemotherapy Plus Radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: This multicenter retrospective study was designed to evaluate the prognostic role of interim fluorodeoxyglucose-labeled positron emission tomography (i-FDG-PET) in a cohort of patients affected with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treated initially with adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (ABVD) chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy, and to assess the role of chemotherapy continuation plus radiation therapy for i-FDG-PET-positive patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Data from 257 patients were retrieved from 4 hematology and radiation oncology departments. Inclusion criteria were stage I to IIAB HL, "intention-to-treat" AVBD plus radiation therapy, and FDG-PET at diagnosis and after the first 2 ABVD cycles. All i-FDG-PET scans underwent blinded local review by using the Deauville 5-point scoring system; patients were stratified as negative or positive using 2 Deauville score cutoff values, ≥3 or ≥4. RESULTS: Median follow-up time was 56 months (range: 9-163 months); 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) for the whole cohort were 97.5% and 98.3%, respectively. Five-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 95.6%. After i-FDG-PET revision, 43 of 257 patients (16.7%) had a positive i-FDG-PET (Deauville scores: 3-5). Five-year PFS rates for i-FDG-PET-negative and i-FDG-PET-positive patients were 98.1% and 83.7%, respectively, if using a Deauville score cutoff of 3, and 97.7% and 78.6%, respectively, if using a cutoff of 4 (P=.0001). Five-year OS for i-FDG-PET-negative and i-FDG-PET-positive patients was 98.5% and 93.0%, respectively, if using a cutoff of 3, and 98.6% and 89.3%, respectively, if using a cutoff of 4 (P=.029 and P=.002). At univariate regression analysis, i-FDG-PET positivity was associated with worse OS and PFS. At multivariate analysis, performed only for PFS, i-FDG-PET positivity confirmed its negative impact (P=.002). CONCLUSIONS: i-FDG-PET is prognostic for PFS and OS in early-stage HL patients treated with combined modality therapy; the continuation of chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy is able to obtain durable, complete remission in most i-FDG-PET-positive patients.

PET scan evaluation of thymic mass after autologous peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation in an adult with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

We report the case of a 31-year-old man with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma successfully treated with chemotherapy who showed mediastinal widening 5 months after autologous stem-cell transplantation. CT scan and PET evaluations were consistent with the diagnosis of benign thymic hyperplasia. Because of the rapid and aggressive course of this type of lymphoma, and the progressive widening of the mass at CT scan, we performed a mediastinal biopsy that confirmed these findings, showing normal thymic tissue. This is the first case of benign thymic hyperplasia defined with FDG-PET and confirmed by histologic evaluation.

Sentinel node biopsy procedures with an analysis of recurrence patterns and prognosis in melanoma patients: technical advantages using computer-assisted gamma probe with adjustable collimation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a computer-assisted gamma probe with adjustable collimation could aid in the detection of sentinel nodes (SNs) and to analyse the patterns of recurrence and prognosis in SN-positive and SN-negative cases. We analysed 385 SN biopsies. The SN identification rate was 87.2% using preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and blue dye, 93.9% using preoperative lymphoscintigraphy, blue dye and different probes, and 100% using preoperative lymphoscintigraphy, blue dye and a computer-assisted probe with adjustable collimation. The computer-assisted probe was particularly advantageous in cases where the melanoma was located very close to the SN and in cases of deep-seated nodes or nodes with low uptake, due to the possibility of changing the collimation during the procedure. The SN-positive rate according to the thickness of the primary melanoma was 1.7% for melanomas < or = 1 mm in thickness and 27.5% for melanomas > or = 1 mm. In 4.9% of cases we identified nodes outside the regional nodal basin. In one case we found a micrometastasis in a blue and hot interval node of the lateral abdominal wall. Analysing the node counts registered by the computer-assisted probe, we verified that the blue-positive node for tumour metastases was not the most radioactive node in the field in six out of 52 positive cases (11.5%). Distant metastases were present in 2.0% of SN-negative patients, and in 24% of SN-positive patients (P < 0.001). Highly statistically significant differences were found between SN-negative and SN-positive patients in both the 3 year disease-free survival (86.3% versus 49.2%) and the 3 year disease-specific survival (92.3% versus 77.1%) (P < 0.001).

Four-year results of low-dose CT screening and nodule management in the ITALUNG trial.

INTRODUCTION: Recruitment and nodule management are critical issues of lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). We report subjects' compliance and results of LDCT screening and management protocol in the active arm of the ITALUNG trial. METHODS: Three thousand two hundred six smokers or former smokers invited by mail were randomized to receive four annual LDCT (n = 1613) or usual care (n = 1593). Management protocol included follow-up LDCT, 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), and CT-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). RESULTS: One thousand four hundred six subjects (87%) underwent baseline LDCT, and 1263 (79%) completed four screening rounds. LDCT was positive in 30.3% of the subjects at baseline and 15.8% subsequently. Twenty-one lung tumors in 20 subjects (1.5% detection) were found at baseline, and 20 lung tumors in 18 subjects (0.5% detection) in subsequent screening rounds. Ten of 18 prevalent (55%) and 13 of 17 incident (76%) non-small-cell cancers were in stage I. Interval growth enabled diagnosis of lung cancer in 16 subjects (42%), but at least one follow-up LDCT was obtained in 741 subjects (52.7%) over the screening period. FDG-PET obtained in 6.5% of subjects had 84% sensitivity and 90% specificity for malignant lesions. FNAB obtained in 2.4% of subjects showed 90% sensitivity and 88% specificity. Positivity of both FDG-PET and FNAB invariably predicted malignancy. Surgery for benign lesions was performed on four subjects (10% of procedures) but followed protocol violations on three subjects. CONCLUSIONS: High-risk subjects recruited by mail who entered LDCT screening showed a high and stable compliance. Efficacy of screening is, however, weakened by low detection rate and specificity. Adhesion to management protocol might lessen surgery for benign lesions.

Predictive factors of [18F]-Choline PET/CT in 170 patients with increasing PSA after primary radical treatment.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential usefulness of [18F]-Choline PET/CT in the restaging of prostate cancer patients, who presented a rising PSA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 170 prostate cancer patients, previously radically treated, that were referred for restaging with [18F]-Choline PET/CT. RESULTS: A total of 129 patients (median PSA 4.29 ng/ml at relapse) showed one or more areas of high uptake on PET/CT scan, while 41 patients with a median PSA of 1.07 ng/ml at relapse showed negative PET/CT scans. No false negative was found, while 31 patients were identified as false positive. Specificity of Choline PET/CT in our series was 56.9 %, while sensibility was 100 %. At the time of restaging, a PSA value superior or equal to 1 ng/ml was found to be a statistically significant predictive factor of PET positivity, either at the univariate (p < 0.0001) and at the multivariate analysis (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, [18F]-Choline PET/CT is confirmed as a useful diagnostic tool to detect early recurrence, in patients with increasing PSA after primary treatment. However, in case of a mild increase in PSA, positive results must be validated with other techniques, as specificity and positive predictive value of [18F]-Choline PET/CT decrease with the lower values of PSA.