Impact of gender on patients hospitalized for SARS-COV-2 infection: A prospective observational study.

Biological sex could affect the natural history of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. We enrolled all COVID-19 patients admitted to two COVID-19 hospitals in Milan in a prospective observational study. The primary outcome was death during the study period and the secondary outcome was critical disease at hospital admission. The association(s) between clinically relevant, noncollinear variables, and the primary outcome was assessed with uni- and multivariable Logistic regression models. A total of 520 patients were hospitalized of whom 349 (67%) were males with a median age 61 (interquartile range: 50-72). A higher proportion of males presented critically ill when compared to females (30.1% vs. 18.7%, p < .046). Death occurred in 86 (24.6%) males and 27 (15.8%) females (p = .024). In multivariable analysis age (per 10 years more) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.83 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.42-2.35], p < .0001), obesity (AOR: 2.17 [95% CI: 1.10-4.31], p = .026), critical disease at hospital admission (AOR 6.34 [95% CI: 3.50-11.48], p < .0001) were independently associated to higher odds of death whereas gender was not. In conclusion, a higher proportion of males presented critically ill at hospital admission. Age, critical disease at hospital admission, obesity, anemia, D-dimer, estimated glomerular filtration rate, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase predicted death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Assessment of metabolic response to radioimmunotherapy with 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

PURPOSE: To prospectively compare the assessment of metabolic response to yttrium 90 ((90)Y)-ibritumomab tiuxetan radioimmunotherapy (RIT) by using fluorine 18 ((18)F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) combined positron emission tomographic-computed tomographic (PET/CT) imaging at 2 and 6 months to determine the most appropriate time to detect therapeutic response in refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients treated with RIT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ethical committee of the university approved the protocol and all patients signed informed consent. Twenty-three consecutive patients (10 women, 13 men; mean age, 51.8 years +/-7.3 [standard deviation]) treated by using RIT for relapsed or refractory follicular NHL were enrolled. For all patients, (18)F FDG PET/CT scanning was performed at baseline and at 2 and 6 months after RIT. Response was assessed by using the International Workshop Criteria (IWC) and revised criteria (IWC + PET) as well as the criteria of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer. One-way analysis of variance for repeated measures, receiver operator curve analysis, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: PET/CT performed at 2 months revealed complete (n = 12) or partial (n = 4) metabolic response in 16 of 23 patients with complete or partial clinical response. These findings were all confirmed at 6-month scanning. PET/CT indicated refractory or persistent disease at 2 and 6 months in the remaining seven patients. Better overall survival was observed for patients with a reduction in the maximum standard uptake value of 49% or higher (both at 2 and 6 months after RIT) when compared with those with a decrease of less than 49% (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Early assessment of response to RIT by using PET/CT might be useful in the identification of patients needing additional therapeutic strategies.

Dual-time-point 18F-FDG PET/CT versus dynamic breast MRI of suspicious breast lesions.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to compare dual-time-point (18)F-FDG PET/CT, performed with the patient in the prone position, and contrast-enhanced MRI in patients with suspected breast malignancy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty-four patients with 55 breast lesions underwent two PET/CT scans (dual-time-point imaging) in the prone position and breast MRI. Sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy were calculated. In addition, the average percentage of change in standard uptake values (Delta%SUV(max)) between time point 1 and time point 2 was calculated for PET/CT. A final histopathologic diagnosis was available for all patients. RESULTS: MRI showed an overall accuracy of 95%, with sensitivity and specificity of 98% and 80%. Conversely, dual-time-point PET/CT showed an accuracy of 84% for lesions with an SUV(max) > or = 2.5 or with a positive Delta%SUV(max), with sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 100% versus 69% accuracy, 62% sensitivity (both, p < 0.001), and 100% specificity (p not significant) for single-time-point PET/CT. On PET/CT, malignant lesions showed an increase in FDG between time points 1 and 2, with a Delta%SUV(max) of 11 +/- 24. Benign lesions showed either no change or a decrease in SUV(max) between time points 1 and 2, with a Delta%SUV(max) of -21 +/- 7. CONCLUSION: A dual time point improves PET/CT accuracy in patients with a suspected breast malignancy over single-time-point PET/CT. On PET/CT, FDG is increasingly taken up over time in breast tumors; conversely, benign lesions show a decrease in FDG uptake over time. These changes in SUV might represent a reliable parameter that can be used to differentiate benign from malignant lesions of the breast on PET/CT examination.

PET/CT colonography in patients with colorectal polyps: a feasibility study.

PURPOSE: To examine: (1) the feasibility of PET/CT colonography (PET/CTc) in patients with colorectal polyps; (2) the impact of metabolic information on CTc interpretation and, conversely, the impact of morphological information on PET characterisation of focal colorectal uptake. METHODS: Ten patients with colorectal polyps underwent PET/CTc, followed within 3 h by therapeutic conventional colonoscopy (CC). A radiologist and a nuclear medicine physician analysed the PET/CTc images. The agreement of morphological and metabolic information in the colon and rectum was evaluated. The sensitivity and specificity of PET, CT and PET/CT were calculated for colorectal polyps. RESULTS: Seventeen polypoid lesions were identified at CC: six< or =5 mm, six between 6 and 9 mm, and five > or =10 mm (four hyperplastic polyps, 11 tubular adenomas, one adenocarcinoma and one submucosal lipoma). A total of 20 scans (supine and prone) were performed in the ten patients: the agreement of morphological and metabolic information was excellent in 17 scans, good in two and moderate in one. PET/CTc showed a sensitivity of 91% for lesions > or =6 mm and a specificity of 100%. The metabolic information did not disclose any further polyps missed on CTc. The morphological information permitted correct classification of all eight instances of focal radiotracer uptake. CONCLUSION: PET/CTc is a feasible study. Adding a colonographic protocol to PET/CT images seems to allow correct characterisation of all cases of colorectal focal radiotracer uptake. The metabolic information does not seem to increase the accuracy of CTc.