Computed tomography radiomic features hold prognostic utility for canine lung tumors: An analytical study.

Quantitative analysis of computed tomography (CT) radiomic features is an indirect measure of tumor heterogeneity, which has been associated with prognosis in human lung carcinoma. Canine lung tumors share similar features to human lung tumors and serve as a model in which to investigate the utility of radiomic features in differentiating tumor type and prognostication. The purpose of this study was to correlate first-order radiomic features from canine pulmonary tumors to histopathologic characteristics and outcome. Disease-free survival, overall survival time and tumor-specific survival were calculated as days from the date of CT scan. Sixty-seven tumors from 65 dogs were evaluated. Fifty-six tumors were classified as primary pulmonary adenocarcinomas and 11 were non-adenocarcinomas. All dogs were treated with surgical resection; 14 dogs received adjuvant chemotherapy. Second opinion histopathology in 63 tumors confirmed the histologic diagnosis in all dogs and further characterized 53 adenocarcinomas. The median overall survival time was longer (p = 0.004) for adenocarcinomas (339d) compared to non-adenocarcinomas (55d). There was wide variation in first-order radiomic statistics across tumors. Mean Hounsfield units (HU) ratio (p = 0.042) and median mean HU ratio (p = 0.042) were higher in adenocarcinomas than in non-adenocarcinomas. For dogs with adenocarcinoma, completeness of excision was associated with overall survival (p<0.001) while higher mitotic index (p = 0.007) and histologic score (p = 0.037) were associated with shorter disease-free survival. CT-derived tumor variables prognostic for outcome included volume, maximum axial diameter, and four radiomic features: integral total, integral total mean ratio, total HU, and max mean HU ratio. Tumor volume was also significantly associated with tumor invasion (p = 0.044). Further study of radiomic features in canine lung tumors is warranted as a method to non-invasively interrogate CT images for potential predictive and prognostic utility.

Positron Emission Tomography-Based Assessment of Metabolic Tumor Volume Predicts Survival after Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) is curative for 60% of patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (R/R HL). A more precise assessment of the depth of remission before AHCT may help to identify patients likely to benefit from AHCT. We aimed to determine whether positron emission tomography (PET)-based quantitative parameters of total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), and maximal standardized uptake volume (SUVmax) measured before AHCT predict progression-free survival (PFS) after transplant. Pretransplant PET/computed tomography images of 96 consecutive patients with R/R HL were analyzed. Median TMTV, TLG, and SUVmax were 7.97 cm3 (range, 1.3 to 102.1), 23.7 (range, 4.0 to 813.1), and 5.23 (range, 2.7 to 23.2). Two-year PFS in patients with high TMTV (TMTVhigh; more than median; n = 17) was only 12% (95% CI, 1% to 38%) compared with 53% (95% CI, 28% to 73%; P = .05) in patients with TMTVlow (lower or equal to median; n = 17) and 63% (95% CI, 50% to 74%) in 61 patients with no metabolically active tumor (TMTV0; P > .01). In concordance, high TLG (>19) and SUVmax (>4.9) predicted inferior 2-year PFS. In multivariate analysis patients with TMTVhigh had a 3.5-fold higher risk of treatment failure compared with TMTV0/TMTVlow (HR, 3.49; 95% CI, 1.75 to 6.93; P < .01). Deauville (D)-scores of 4 to 5 before AHCT predicted worse PFS compared with D-scores of 1 to 3 (HR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.92 to 7.28; P < .01). Yet, TMTV and D-scores were disconcordant in 12 subjects; 9 patients in the D4 group with TMTVlow had 2-year PFS of 44% (95% CI, 14% to 72%), which was 2-fold higher than predicted by D4 score. In conclusion, in patients with R/R HL and PET-positive residual disease, TMTVhigh can identify very poor AHCT responders. Patients with TMTVlow, TLG, and SUVmax before AHCT have similar outcomes to those without metabolically active disease.

Crossing invisible boundaries: the effectiveness of the Langebaan Lagoon marine protected area as a harvest refuge for a migratory fish species in South Africa.

The application of no-take areas in fisheries remains controversial. Critics argue that many targeted species are too mobile to benefit from area protection and that no-take areas are only appropriate for resident species. The degree of protection does not depend on the size of the no-take area but rather on the time fish reside inside its boundaries during key life-history events (i.e., spawning) and during periods of peak fishing activity. We evaluated the potential of a small no-take marine protected area (MPA) inside a coastal embayment as a harvest refuge for a mobile, possibly migratory, long-lived fish species. We used acoustic telemetry to track movements of 30 transmitter-tagged white stumpnose (Rhabdosargus globiceps) across and on both sides of the boundary of a small (34 km(2)) no-take area over a full year. Being landlocked on 3 sides, the location of the MPA inside the lagoon made it practical to detect all boundary crossings and to calculate the time individual fish used the MPA. We detected frequent movements across the boundary, with strong seasonal and individual variations. There were significant differences in MPA use patterns between fish from different release areas. The time spent in the MPA by individual fish during summer (mean 50%; max 98%) was out of proportion with the size of that area (4% of total habitat). Summer coincided with peak recreational fishing activity and with the spawning season of this species. The small MPA provided a refuge for a part of the spawning stock of white stumpnose. Our findings suggest that if strategically placed, a small no-take area can be effective in protecting mobile species and that models of spillover from no-take areas should account for seasonal and individual variation in area use and the spatiotemporal distribution of fish and fishers.