MRI-guided Real-time Online Gated Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Liver Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Liver tumors are commonly encountered in oncology. The study aimed to assess the impact of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) (MRgSBRT) on disease-related outcomes and the toxicity profile. METHODS: Patients who received MRgSBRT from 2019 to 2021 for primary and metastatic liver tumors were included in this analysis. The protocol for treatment simulation included Gadoxetate disodium injection followed by a single-dimensional post-exhale MRI (0.35-T MRI linear accelerator) and computed tomography simulation. The patient demographics and treatment-related outcomes were assessed. The time-to-event curves were analyzed for freedom from local progression (FFLP) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: A total of 35 patients were eligible for analysis with a median age of 70 years (range 25 to 95). The median follow-up was 19.4 months (range 1 to 37 mo). The one-year OS was 77.7%, with an estimated 3 years of 47.9%. Patients with the locally controlled disease had a better median OS of 27.8 months (95% CI [23.8-31.6]) compared with 13.5 months (95% CI [5.6-21.3], P =0.007) in patients with local disease progression. The 1-year FFLP was 95.6%, and 3-year estimated FFLP was 87.1%. Patients who received a radiation dose of biologically equivalent dose≥100 Gy had FFLP of 30.9 months (95% CI [28.7-33.1]) compared with 13.3 months (95% CI [5.3-21.3], P =0.004) in patients who received <100 Gy biologically equivalent dose. CONCLUSION: MRI-guided SBRT provides optimal local control, associated with improved OS in a heavily morbid, pretreated older cohort of patients with reasonable safety profiles.

Clinical Features and Body Composition in Men with Hormone-Sensitive Metastatic Prostate Cancer: A Pilot Study Examining Differences by Race.

Black men treated with frontline therapies for metastatic prostate cancer (MPC) show better clinical outcomes than non-Black men receiving similar treatments. Variations in body composition may contribute to these findings. However, preliminary data are required to support this concept. We conducted a retrospective cohort study for all men with MPC evaluated at our center over a 4-year period, collecting demographic and clinical data (N = 74). Of these, 55 men had diagnostic computed tomography images to quantify adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, specifically sarcopenia and myosteatosis. Nineteen men had repeat imaging to explore changes over time. Frequencies, medians, interquartile ranges, and time to event analyses (hazard ratios (HR); confidence interval (CI)) are presented, stratified by race. Overall, 49% (n = 27) of men had sarcopenia, 49% (n = 27) had myosteatosis, and 29% (n = 16) had sarcopenia and myosteatosis simultaneously. No significant relationship between body mass index (Log-rank p=0.86; HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.45-2.49) or sarcopenia (Log-rankp=0.92; HR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.46-2.19) and overall survival was observed. However, the presence of myosteatosis at diagnosis was associated with decreased overall survival (Log-rank p=0.09; HR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.05-5.23), with more pronounced (statistically nonsignificant) negative associations for Black (HR: 4.39, 95% CI: 0.92-21.1, p=0.06) versus non-Black men (HR: 1.89, 95% CI: 0.79-4.54, p=0.16). Over the median 12.5 months between imaging, the median decline in skeletal muscle was 4% for all men. Black men displayed a greater propensity to gain more adipose tissue than non-Black men, specifically subcutaneous (p=0.01). Because of the potential for Type II errors in this pilot, future studies should seek to further evaluate the implications of body composition on outcomes. This will require larger, adequately powered investigations with diverse patient representation.

Systemic Therapy in Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Multiple new tyrosine kinase inhibitors, immunotherapies and anti-angiogenic therapies are now available for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this article, we reviewed the evidence supporting these new therapies. RECENT FINDINGS: The combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab has become a new standard of care for initial systemic therapy in eligible patients, replacing sorafenib in the first line for many patients. Lenvatinib, a multikinase inhibitor, is also a new first line treatment option for patients who are not eligible for immunotherapy. Several additional options for second line treatment were also reviewed in detail in this paper. New systemic therapies for advanced HCC have prolonged overall survival. However, these new therapies are primarily approved for patients with Child-Pugh A classification with few options for patients with Child-Pugh B disease. Further work is needed to expand options for patients with more advanced liver disease and to optimize the sequencing of these new therapies.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: is it a graft-threatening complication?

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), a prothrombotic complication of heparin therapy, can lead to serious thromboembolic events and cause significant morbidity and mortality. We aim to study the prevalence of HIT in the transplant population at our institute. This is a retrospective, single-center study which looked into the transplant database over a 25-year period. In patients with clinical suspicion of HIT, the 4T score was used, and laboratory tests such as ELISA HIT antibody and functional serotonin release assay, along with clinical manifestation of thromboembolic events were reviewed. Medical records of 2800 patients who underwent transplantation from January 1985 to December 2010 were reviewed. HIT antibody assay was performed in 262 patients from this group in which HIT was suspected. Of these, only 48 patients were HIT antibody positive along with moderate to high 4T score. The mean 4T score was 6.75 ± 1.4. Thrombotic complications were seen in 11 patients, with the highest in cardiac transplant recipients. Direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI) therapy was used in only eight patients who had thrombotic event. No other complications or mortality was reported in any of the HIT antibody-positive transplant patients. To our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind that has shown very low incidence of HIT in the transplant population except for in cardiac transplant recipients.

Combined hamartoma of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium in a child with branchial cleft cysts.

An otherwise healthy 15-month-old boy presented with benign branchial cleft cysts and combined hamartoma of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium. This association was previously only reported in a patient with branchio-oculo-facial syndrome. Although uncommon, this could represent multifocal sites of fetus craniofacial malformation.

Clinical survey of 3680 iris tumors based on patient age at presentation.

OBJECTIVE: To report the spectrum of iris lesions based on patient age at presentation. DESIGN: Retrospective, nonrandomized, single-center case series. PARTICIPANTS: We included 3680 iris tumors in 3451 patients. METHODS: Chart review. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnostic category based on age. RESULTS: The mean age at presentation was 48 years and there were 449 (12%) tumors in children (≤20 years), 788 (21%) in young adults (21-40 years), 1308 (36%) in mid adults (41-60 years), and 1135 (31%) in senior adults (>60 years). Of 3680 tumors, the diagnostic category was cystic (n = 768; 21%) or solid (n = 2912; 79%). The cystic tumors originated from iris pigment epithelium (IPE; n = 672; 18%) or iris stroma (n = 96; 3%). The solid tumors included melanocytic (n = 2510; 68%) and nonmelanocytic (n = 402; 11%). The melanocytic tumors comprised nevus (n = 1503; 60%), melanocytoma (n = 68; 3%), melanoma (n = 645; 26%), and melanocytosis (n = 64; 3%). Of 2510 melanocytic tumors, the first and second most common diagnoses by age (children, young adult, mid adult, senior adult) were nevus (53%, 57%, 63%, and 63%, respectively) and melanoma (17%, 27%, 26%, and 27%, respectively). The nonmelanocytic tumors included categories of choristomatous (n = 4; <1%), vascular (n = 57; 2%), fibrous (n = 2; <1%), neural (n = 3; <1%), myogenic (n = 2;, <1%), epithelial (n = 35; 1%), xanthomatous (n = 8; <1%), metastasis (n = 67; 2%), lymphoid (n = 12; <1%), leukemic (n = 2; <1%), secondary (n = 12; <1%), and nonneoplastic simulators (n = 198; 5%). The median age (in years) at diagnosis included cystic (39), melanocytic (52), choristomatous (0.7), vascular (56), fibrous (53), neural (8), myogenic (42), epithelial (63), xanthomatous (1.9), metastasis (60), lymphoid (57), leukemic (25.5), secondary (59), and nonneoplastic simulators (49). Overall, the 3 most common specific diagnoses (children, young adult, mid adult, senior adult) were nevus (25%, 36%, 47%, and 47%, respectively), IPE cyst (28%, 30%, 15%, and 14%, respectively), and melanoma (8%, 16%, 20%, and 19%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In an ocular oncology practice, the spectrum of iris tumors includes cystic (21%) and solid (79%) tumors. The solid tumors were melanocytic (68%) or nonmelanocytic (11%). At all ages, the most common specific diagnoses were nevus (42%), IPE cyst (19%), and melanoma (17%).