Prognostic value of PET parameters in patients with pleomorphic lung cancer: Results from a single institution.

OBJECTIVES: Pleomorphic lung carcinoma (PLC) is a rare histotype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) characterized by aggressive clinical course, poor response to therapy and poor prognosis. Therefore, aim of our study is to analyze with 18F-FDG PET/CT a subset of patients affected by PLC to evaluate their metabolic characteristics in terms of SUVmax, MTV and TLG, in order to correlate them with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 49 consecutive patients with histologically defined PLC occurred to our Institution between 2003 and 2014. All patients underwent F18-FDG PET-CT before surgery and primary tumor was automatically segmented using an isocontour threshold method. SUV threshold for tumor segmentation was defined as the 41 % of lesion SUVmax. Total volume of the segmented VOI (MTV, centimeters cubed) and average SUV (SUVavg, grams per milliliter) in the segmented VOI were measured. RESULTS: In our population men were significantly more affected than women (42:7). According to Youden criteria, SUVmax, MTV41 and TLG41 best cut-off values to predict 2-year mortality were, 18.95, 27.89 and 290.45, respectively, with TLG41 showing best specificity (85 %) and positive predictive value (82.4 %). As concerning 2-year recurrence, SUVmax, MTV41 and TLG41 best cut-off values were 10.08, 27.89 and 134.85, with SUVmax showing best sensitivity (96.7 %) and negative predictive value (85.7 %). ROC curves confirmed that SUVmax, MTV41 and TLG41 were equally accurate to predict 2-year mortality and 2-year recurrence in our population. CONCLUSION: Metabolic biomarkers such as SUVmax, MTV and TLG can be used as a prognostic index for disease progression, recurrence and death in patients with PLC, independently from other clinical/pathological prognostic elements.

Will 68Ga PSMA-radioligands be the only choice for nuclear medicine in prostate cancer in the near future? A clinical update. / ¿Constituirán en el futuro los radioligandos de 68Ga-PSMA la única elección de la Medicina Nuclear para el cáncer de próstata? Actualización clínica.

Prostate Cancer (PCa) represents the most common malignant tumor in men but according to the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines, a mass screening for PCa diagnosis should not be performed due to over-diagnosis and over-treatment related problems. An early clinical diagnosis is possible, mainly based on digital rectal examination and Prostatic Specific Agent (PSA) testing. However, the only mandatory test to define the presence of PCa is ultrasound guided-biopsy, obtained on multiple samples, which has also a high prognostic value. In this context, diagnostic imaging plays an important role as confirmed by EAU that in a 2016 update of their guidelines on PCa stated the importance of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with 11C- or 18F-choline combined with computed tomography (CT) to identify local relapse, lymph node involvement and metastatic spread at all stages. Consequently, in 2017, the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) together with the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) published new guidelines for 68Ga-Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) PET/CT to help physicians in the recommendation, execution and interpretation of PET/CT scans in patients with PCa. Thus, the aim of this 'evidence paper' is to define the current diagnostic algorithm in PCa in order to increase the general level of confidence in approaching such a crucial topic.

Induction of natural killer cell activity and perforin and granzyme B gene expression following continuous culture of short pulse with interleukin-12 in young and old mice.

Anticancer immunotherapy with cytokines is often limited by the occurrence of severe toxicity, particularly in older age groups, which are characterized by a reduced tolerance to antineoplastic therapies. We, and others, have recently demonstrated the efficacy of pulsing procedures with IL-2 as a new therapeutic strategy to induce antitumor cytotoxic cells. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effect of IL-12 on NK cell activity in young and old mice and to investigate the possibility of inducing NK cytotoxicity and perforin and granzyme B gene expression through a brief exposure of spleen lymphocytes from young and old mice to IL-12. Pulsed lymphocytes were compared with non-pulsed cells cultured continuously in IL-12. IL-12 was able to boost both endogenous and IL-2-induced NK cell activity in young and old mice; the levels of cytotoxicity were lower in old than in young animals although the relative increase of IL-12 plus IL-2 versus IL-2 alone was greater for old mice. Comparable levels of NK cell activity were obtained in pulsed (5 min-1 hour) and non-pulsed lymphocytes from both young and old mice after one or three days of culture. The efficacy of the pulsing procedure was evident in both endogenous and IL-2-induced NK cytotoxicity. The mRNA encoding perforin and granzyme B were markedly and similarly enhanced in both IL-12-pulsed and non-pulsed lymphocytes in comparison with control cells. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of IL-12 pulsing in inducing antitumor cytotoxic cells, suggesting the possibility of using IL-12 pulsing, alone or in combination with IL-2, in the immunotherapy of both young and old subjects.

Hepatitis B antigen inhibitor in human faeces and intestinal mucosa.

Hepatitis B antigen (HB Ag) positive sera became negative after in-vivo incubation with homogenates of human faeces or intestinal mucosa. This was found to occur in all sera tested by various methods. These findings suggest the existence in the human intestine of a substance able to inactivate the HB Ag and that it is not an antibody or of the nature of interferon. The presence of an inhibitor could explain why B-type hepatitis is seldom if ever faecally transmitted and also the low oral infectiousness of the B virus.