Radiological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma that achieved complete response after chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads for liver transplantation planning

ABSTRACT Objective To describe the radiological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions that achieved a complete response following drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) preceding liver transplantation. Methods This single-center case-control study enrolled patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant DEB-TACE therapy, were followed up with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography, and were successively evaluated according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. The HCCs were divided into two groups based on their diameter (Group A: ≤3cm; Group B: 3cm). Viability was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method according to tumor size categories. The relationship between tumor variables was analyzed using bivariate Cox regression. Results Three-hundred and twenty-eight patients with 667 hepatocellular carcinomas who underwent their first DEB-TACE session were enrolled. A total of 105 hepatocellular carcinomas in 59 patients exhibited complete response after the initial DEB-TACE session and were divided into Group A (92 HCCs) and Group B (13 HCCs). The diameter in Group A decreased significantly compared to the pre-procedure size until the second assessment (p<0.001), with no subsequent reduction in diameter, despite maintaining a complete response. In Group B, the reduction in diameter remained significant compared with the initial value until the sixth imaging evaluation (p=0.014). The average reduction was 45.1% for Group B and a maximum of 14.9% in Group A. Conclusion HCCs >3cm exhibited a greater reduction in size and a longer time to recurrence. HCCs ≤3cm had a shorter relapse time. The recurrence rates were similar. These findings may aid in planning for liver transplantation.

Eficacia de la tomografía en el seguimiento del cáncer de pulmón tratado con inmunoterapia cubana

RESUMEN Introducción: el cáncer de pulmón representa en el mundo la primera causa de muerte oncológica. La tomografía computarizada es el medio diagnóstico más utilizado para clasificar esta enfermedad por estadios. Objetivo: determinar la eficacia de la tomografía computarizada en la evaluación de la pseudoprogresión de la enfermedad en pacientes con cáncer de pulmón de células no pequeñas, tratados con inmunoterapia cubana. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio de evaluación, longitudinal, retrospectivo, analítico, en pacientes con cáncer de pulmón de células no pequeñas en estadio avanzado, tratados con inmunoterapia activa cubana, después de la primera línea de tratamiento con quimioterapia o quimiorradioterapia, entre el 1 de enero de 2013 y el 31 de diciembre de 2017. El universo lo constituyeron 91 pacientes tratados con Racotumomab y CIMAvax-EGF. Los datos se obtuvieron de las historias clínicas individuales, se incorporaron en una base de datos en Excel y se analizaron estadísticamente con el paquete SPSS 23. Resultados: del total de pacientes, 28 recibieron la vacuna Racotumomab y 63 la CIMAvax-EGF: pseudoprogresó el 12,5 % de los tratados con Racotumomab y el 28 % de los que lo fueron con CIMAvax-EGF. Se observó que la mayor supervivencia fue en los pseudoprogresores. Conclusiones: es eficaz el estudio tomográfico en la evaluación de respuesta de la pseudoprogresión de la enfermedad en pacientes con cáncer de pulmón de células no pequeñas, tratados con inmunoterapia cubana.

ABSTRACT Introduction: lung cancer represents the first cause of oncological death in the world. Computed tomography is the most used diagnostic mean to classify the disease by stages. Objective: to determine the efficacy of computed tomography in the evaluation of the disease pseudo-progression in patients with non-small cells lung cancer, treated with Cuban immunotherapy. Materials and methods: a longitudinal, retrospective, analytical study was conducted in patients with non-small cells lung cancer in advanced stage, treated with Cuban active immunotherapy after the first line of treatment with chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy, between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017. The universe were 91 patients treated with Racotumomab and CIMAvax-EGF. Data were collected from personal clinical records, incorporated in an Excel database and statistically analyzed with the SPSS 23 package. Results: 28 patients from the total received the Racotumomab vaccine and 63 received the CIMAvax-ECG vaccine. 12.5 % of those treated with Racotumomab and 28 % of those treated with CIMAvax-ECG pseudo progressed. The greatest survival was found in pseudo progressors. Conclusions: the computed tomographic studio is efficacious in evaluating the response of the disease pseudo progression in patients with non-small cells lung cancer, treated with Cuban immunotherapy.

Serologically biochemical evaluation for patients with locally advanced/metastatic radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer treated by apatinib / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To analyze the relationship between serologically biochemical response and the disease progression trend and prognosis evaluated by traditional structural imaging in patients with radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RAIR-DTC) treated by apatinib.Methods:A retrospective study was performed on apatinib-treated (phase Ⅱ) patients ( n=19; 9 males, 10 females; age 46.0 (41.0, 57.5) years) with locally advanced/metastatic RAIR-DTC in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from March 2016 to June 2022. The relationships between serum thyroglobulin (Tg) and response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) 1.1 structural imaging efficacy evaluation and disease progression trend were analyzed. The relationships between change of Tg after dose adjustment and the change of maximum diameter of target lesions in structure imaging were also discussed. Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to analyze the data. Results:During the median 49.41 months follow-up, the baseline Tg was 363.20(13.08, 2 490.50) μg/L. The Tg time-to-response was 0.47(0.47, 0.98) months, which was 1.80 (1.30, 1.90) months for RECIST 1.1. After 2, 4 and 8 weeks of initial treatment, the median Tg of the whole cohort decreased by 38.68%, 64.70% and 78.94%, respectively. After 8 weeks, the reducing degree of maximum diameter of target lesions was 33.48%. According to the best response, patients were divided into two groups: partial response (PR) group ( n=15) and stable disease (SD) group ( n=4). The median decreasing degree of Tg in PR group and that in SD group were 87.00% and 28.79%, and the reducing degree of maximum diameter of target lesions in corresponding groups were 45.00% and 21.22%. According to the final efficacy evaluation, patients were further divided into two groups: progressive disease (PD) group ( n=13) and non-PD (including PR and SD) group ( n=5). The median increasing degree of Tg in PD group was higher than that in non-PD group (381.55% vs 175.43%; U=10.00, P=0.037). The increasing degree of Tg and that of the maximum diameter of target lesions were 167.31% and 2.14% after the 1st adjustment, which were 231.06% and 9.73% after the 2nd adjustment. The differences of changes in Tg and maximum diameter of target lesions before and after the 1st dose adjustment were statistically significant ( z values: -3.06 and -2.23, P values: 0.002 and 0.026). Conclusion:During the apatinib treatment of RAIR-DTC, Tg can reflect the therapeutic effect of apatinib earlier than traditional imaging (RECIST 1.1), indicating the disease progression trend more sensitively.

Active surveillance and response evaluation strategy after neoadjuvant therapy for esophageal cancer / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

A considerable proportion of esophageal carcinoma patients could achieve pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant therapy, for whom accurate response evaluation and active surveillance rather than surgery-aiming to avoid the complications, mortality and reduced quality of life after surgery-has become a research hotspot. To detect residual disease and predict pCR accurately by appropriate method(s) is the key of active surveillance strategy. In this article, we elaborated the active surveillance strategy of esophageal cancer and characteristics of different evaluation methods in terms of radiology, pathology and combined detection.

Radiomics in Antineoplastic Agents Development: Application and Challenge in Response Evaluation / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

The recent spring up of the antineoplastic agents and the prolonged survival bring both challenge and chance to radiological practice. Radiological methods including CT, MRI and PET play an increasingly important role in evaluating the efficacy of these antineoplastic drugs. However, different antineoplastic agents potentially induce different radiological signs, making it a challenge for radiological response evaluation, which depends mainly on one-sided morphological response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) in the status quo of clinical practice. This brings opportunities for the development of radiomics, which is promising to serve as a surrogate for response evaluations of anti-tumor treatments. In this article, we introduce the basic concepts of radiomics, review the state-of-art radiomics researches with highlights of radiomics application in predictions of molecular biomarkers, treatment response, and prognosis. We also provide in-depth analyses on major obstacles and future direction of this new technique in clinical investigations on new antineoplastic agents.

Value of Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors response in predicting the prognosis of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma patients after transarterial chemoembolization / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) response with the prognosis of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after transarterial embolization (TACE). MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 190 patients with unresectable HCC who were consecutively admitted to Department of Liver Disease and Digestive Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, and treated with TACE from January 2010 to December 2014. The mRECIST criteria were used to evaluate imaging response after TACE; the patients with complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) were enrolled as response group(n=89), and those with progressive disease (PD) or stable disease (SD) were enrolled as non-response group(n=101). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate median survival time, and the log-rank test was used for comparison between groups; the Cox regression model was used to identify the influencing factors for prognosis. ResultsAccording to the mRECIST criteria, 39 patients (20.5%) achieved CR, 50 (26.3%) achieved PR, 67 (35.3%) had SD, and 34 (17.9%) had PD. The objective response rate based on mRECIST was 46.8% for the whole population. The response group had a significantly longer survival time than the non-response group, and the median survival time was 29.9 (95% confidence interval ［CI］: 25.0-34.8) months for the response group and 7.5 (95% CI: 5.7-9.3) months for the non-response group (P＜0.001). The multivariate analysis showed that mRECIST response (hazard ratio ［HR］=2.02, P＜0.001), hepatitis B (HR=4.03, P＜0.001), and portal invasion (HR=2.12, P=0.008) were independent risk factors for survival. ConclusionThe mRECIST response has a certain value in predicting the prognosis of patients with unresectable HCC after TACE.

Evaluation of spirometry as a parameter of response to chemotherapy in advanced lung cancer patients: A pilot study

Context: Spirometry is an important tool to monitor treatment response in diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. However, there is lack of evidence to support its application to evaluate response to chemotherapy in advanced lung cancer. It might be a useful adjunct to the imaging-based response evaluation which lacks functional assessment of lungs. Aims: The study was conducted to evaluate the change in spirometry in lung cancer patients after chemotherapy and to find its correlation with change in physical tumor size. Subjects and Methods: Sixty-two advanced lung cancer patients who were eligible for palliative chemotherapy were enrolled. Baseline tumor size evaluation using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor (RECIST)-based scoring system, and spirometry was done. Four cycles of double agent (platinum doublets) chemotherapy were administered, after which treatment response was evaluated. Repeat spirometry was analyzed and correlated with changes in physical tumor size. Results: Twenty-five patients showed a response (all partial response) to four cycles of chemotherapy. Small cell carcinoma showed a better response rate than non-small cell carcinoma (78% vs. 39%). There was statistically significant improvement in forced expiratory volume in 1 (FEV1) (P = 0.01) and forced vital capacity (P = 0.03) in responders as compared to nonresponders. Change in FEV1 showed a statistically significant correlation with the change in tumor size (RECIST score) (r = –0.34; P = 0.04). Conclusions: Improvement in spirometry correlates with the tumor response as judged using RECIST criteria after chemotherapy. Further studies with bigger sample size are required to consolidate the results

A single center study on the relationship between the depth of remission and the efficacy of first-line TKI drugs / 中国医师杂志

Objective@#The aim of the study was to investigate association of response depth and prognosis in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)patients treated with first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).@*Methods@#The clinicopathological data and prognosis information of patients with locally advanced or metastatic (ⅢB or Ⅳ) lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR classical (19del or 21L858R) mutation who were treated in our hospital from 2015 to 2016 were collected. The tumor remission depth [stable disease (SD), partial response (PR), complete response (CR)] was measured by recist 1.1 standard. The survival curve was drawn by Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test was performed.@*Results@#During the study period, 204 advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients with 19del or 21L858R mutation were treated with TKI drugs of the first generation. Among them, 24 patients were lost or unable to evaluate the efficacy, 20 patients were evaluated as progression disease (PD), 62 patients as SD, 98 patients as CR or PR. Disease control rate (DCR) and objective remission rate (ORR) were 88.9% and 54.4%, respectively. The median progression free survival time (PFS) was 12.6 months (95% CI: 10.9-14.4 months) and 13.1 months (95% CI: 11.6-14.7) for patients assessed as SD (group A) and CR or PR (group B), respectively, with no significant difference (P=0.27). Subgroup analysis showed that the median overall survival of patients with EGFR 19del and 21L858R mutations was 12.5 months (95% CI: 9.9-15.4) and 12.7 months (95% CI: 9.4-16.1), respectively, with no significant difference (P=0.66); Similar result was also observed in Group B with a median PFS of 13.9 months (95% CI: 12.3-15.5 months) and 12.3 months (95% CI: 9.5-15.1 months) in patients who had EGFR 19del or 21L858R mutations (P=0.41).@*Conclusions@#Response depth was not a positive predictor for prognosis in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with first-line TKIs.

A single center study on the relationship between the depth of remission and the efficacy of first-line TKI drugs / 中国医师杂志

Objective The aim of the study was to investigate association of response depth and prognosis in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)patients treated with first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).Methods The clinicopathological data and prognosis information of patients with locally advanced or metastatic (Ⅲ B or Ⅳ) lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR classical (19del or 21L858R) mutation who were treated in our hospital from 2015 to 2016 were collected.The tumor remission depth [stable disease (SD),partial response (PR),complete response (CR)] was measured by recist 1.1 standard.The survival curve was drawn by Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test was performed.Results During the study period,204 advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients with 19del or 21L858R mutation were treated with TKI drugs of the first generation.Among them,24 patients were lost or unable to evaluate the efficacy,20 patients were evaluated as progression disease (PD),62 patients as SD,98 patients as CR or PR.Disease control rate (DCR) and objective remission rate (ORR) were 88.9％ and 54.4％,respectively.The median progression free survival time (PFS) was 12.6 months (95％ CI:10.9-14.4 months) and 13.1 months (95％ CI:11.6-14.7) for patients assessed as SD (group A) and CR or PR (group B),respectively,with no significant difference (P =0.27).Subgroup analysis showed that the median overall survival of patients with EGFR 19del and 21L858R mutations was 12.5 months (95％ CI:9.9-15.4) and 12.7 months (95％ CI:9.4-16.1),respectively,with no significant difference (P =0.66);Similar result was also observed in Group B with a median PFS of 13.9 months (95％ CI:12.3-15.5 months) and 12.3 months (95％ CI:9.5-15.1 months) in patients who had EGFR 19del or 21L858R mutations (P =0.41).Conclusions Response depth was not a positive predictor for prognosis in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with first-line TKIs.

Clinical Value of Cerebrospinal Fluid ctDNA in Patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Meningeal Metastasis / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#The mortality rate of lung cancer meningeal metastasis is extremely high. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has been confirmed to be contain the genomic alterations present in tumors and has been used to monitor tumor progression and response to treatments. Due to the presence of blood-brain barrier and other factors, peripheral blood ctDNA cannot reflect the information of brain lesions for patients with meningeal metastases. However, cerebrospinal fluid ctDNA as a test sample can better reflect the genetic status of intracranial tumors and guide clinical targeted treatment of intracranial lesions. This study explored the feasibility of cerebrospinal fluid ctNDA for evaluating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) meningeal metastasis and the potential clinical value of cerebrospinal fluid ctDNA detection in NSCLC meningeal metastasis.@*METHODS@#A total of 21 patients with NSCLC meningeal metastasis were included. Tumor genomic variation was performed on the cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral blood samples of patients by second-generation gene sequencing technology. The situation was examined, and pathological evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid cytology and head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhanced examination were performed.@*RESULTS@#ctDNA was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of 21 patients. The sensitivity of cerebrospinal fluid ctDNA detection was superior to cytology in the diagnosis of meningeal metastasis (P<0.001). The detection rate and gene mutation abundance of cerebrospinal fluid were higher than plasma (P<0.001). Cerebro-spinal fluid had a unique genetic profile. In 6 patients with dynamic detection, changes of ctDNA allele fraction occurred at the same time or earlier than clinical disease changes, which could timely monitor drug resistance mechanism and relapse trend.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The detection rate of ctDNA in cerebrospinal fluid is higher than that in cytology and imaging. The detection of ctDNA in cerebrospinal fluid can reveal the specific mutation map of meningeal metastasis lesions. The dynamic monitoring of ctDNA in cerebrospinal fluid has hint significance for clinical response of lung cancer patients.

Immunotherapy for lung cancer: new era, new thinking / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@# In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors have been continuously researched and developed, and gradually expanded in clinical practice, rapidly changing the treatment mode of lung cancer. At present, a number of immunotherapeutic drugs are also actively developed in China and gradually applied to clinical research, indicating that China has entered a new era of immunotherapy. However, with the continuous expansion of clinical research and the continuous accumulation of experimental data, it also brings us many new challenges and new thinking. This article mainly analyzes the development status and challenges of immunotherapy for lung cancer in the aspects of breakthroughs in treatment modes, special populations excluded from clinical immunotherapy trials, response evaluation, treatment-related adverse events and predictive biomarkers.

Analysis of the performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for evaluating response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective To analyze the performance of contrast-enhanced uhrasound(CEUS) in the evaluation of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for breast cancer in different periods.Methods A prospective study consisting of 46 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma who received NAC and surgery subsequently was conducted.One patient underwent CEUS before NAC,after the second cycle of NAC and before surgery.CEUS outcomes were compared with histopathologic response by Kappa test using the Miller-Payne Grading(MPG) system.The changes of CEUS quantitative parameters in different periods of NAC were compared.Results 31 patients showed a good response by histopathology while 29 patients by CEUS,which showed good consistence.Kappa value was 0.713.The peak intensity (PI) of the lesions decreased significantly after the second cycle of NAC compared with that before NAC (P＜0.05).The peak intensity (PI),wash-in slope (WIS),and area under curve(AUC) of the lesions decreased significantly before surgery compared with those before NAC (P＜0.05).Conclusion CEUS shows good consistence with histopathologic outcomes.The peak intensity (PI) is a sensitive indicator of early changes after NAC.

A comparison of the mRECIST and RECIST criteria in the efficacy assessment of systemic chemotherapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To compare the efficacy of the solid tumor evaluation criteria 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) and the revised solid tumor efficacy evaluation criteria (mRECIST) after chemotherapy in the hepatocellular carcinoma system.Methord Retrospective analysis of 34 patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent Folfox4 system chemotherapy from the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery of Dongfeng Hospital affiliated to Hubei Medical College from July 2017 to July 2018,including 24 males and 10 females.Spiral CT and/or MRI (four-phase) scans were performed 1 nonth,2 months,and every 2 months after treatment,and the effects were evaluated by RECIST 1.1 and mRECIST,respectively.The survival curve was drawn by Kaplan-Meier method,and log-rank test was used to compare survival curves.Result In 34 patients evaluated with the RECIST 1.1 criteria,0 patient showed complete remission (CR),6 patients partial remission (PR),20 patients stable disease (SD),and 8 patients progressive disease (PD).Using the mRECIST criteria,CR:0,PR:10,SD:17,and PD:7 patients.The Kappa value of the two methods was 0.271,95％ CI:0.010 ～0.535.The log-rank test showed that there was no significant difference in the survival curves of patients between PR,SD and PD in RECIST 1.1 (P ＞ 0.05).The cumulative survival rates were 40.0％,11.8％ and 0,respectively.The survival curves of patients with PR,SD and PD in mRECIST were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05),and the cumulative survival rates were 37.5％,0,and 0,respectively.Conclusion The mRECIST criteria were more suitable than the RECIST 1.1 criteria in assessing efficacy of systemic chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Treatment progress and efficacy evaluation of bone metastasis in patients with prostate cancer / 肿瘤

Bone metastasis of prostate cancer is very common in the clinical practice. The bone metastasis-associated skeletal complications such as cancer-induced bone pain, pathological bone fractures and metastatic epidural spinal cord compression seriously affect the quality of life, reduce the overall survival of patients, and increase the financial burdens at home. Therefore, only the effective systemic therapy combined with the anti-bone metastasis treatment can reduce the occurrence of these complications, and prolong the overall survival of patients. At present, there are various treatments for the prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis, but no uniform standard to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy for the patients with simple bone metastasis of prostate cancer. In order to select the best treatment more conveniently, evaluate the therapeutic effect accurately and adjust the therapeutic regimen in time, this article reviews the current treatment methods, the latest study results and the mainstream evaluation criteria for bone metastasis of prostate cancer.

Early evaluate the feasibility and reproducibility of sorafenib-targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma by volume measurement approach / 中华放射学杂志

Objective Early evaluate the feasibility and reproducibility of sorafenib-targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma by RECIST1.1, mRECIST and three-dimensional volume measurement. Methods Seventy patients with pathology or typical imaging findings confirmed as hepatocellular carcinoma along with the sorafenib-targeted treatment for more than 2 months between October 2004 to April 2017 in the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were retrospectively analyzed. Patients underwent chest, abdominal and pelvic CT scans and enhanced scans before and after 2 weeks of sorafenib treatment. Two physicians used RECIST 1.1, mRECIST, and volume measurement criteria to evaluate the efficacy of treatment. According to their averaged results, the patients were divided into two groups (control group and non-control group). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the prognostic values between different response evaluation criterias for early predicting the efficacy of sorafenib-targeted therapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Kappa test was used to assess the efficacy response consistency in intra-group and inter-group. Results Based on mRECIST and RECIST 1.1 measurements, the control group included 34 cases, and the non-control group included 36 cases. Based on semi-automatic volume measurement, the control group included 38 cases, and the non-control group included 32 cases. Before the treatment with sorafenib, the RECIST 1.1 and mRECIST methods were used. There was a high degree of consistency between the two doctors (Kappa values were 0.79 and 0.71, respectively), and the semi-automatic volume measurement method was extremely consistent (Kappa value was 0.90); the consistency in intra-observer by three different methods was extremely high (Kappa values were 0.91, 0.85, 0.97, respectively). After the treatment with sorafenib, the consistency between the two radiologists using RECIST 1.1 measurement was high (Kappa value was 0.65), the consistency of mRECIST measurement was moderate (Kappa value was 0.52), and the consistency of tumor volume measurement was extremely high (Kappa The value was 0.83), the consistency in intra-observer using the above three methods was high or very high (Kappa values were 0.86, 0.74, 0.90, respectively). The RECIST 1.1 and mRECIST measurements were less sensitive in early evaluation of sorafenib-targeted treatment, and there was no significant difference between the control group and the non-control group (P=0.578 and 0.613) while the semi-automatic volumetric measurement was sensitive (P=0.004). Conclusion Semi-automated three-dimensional volume measurement which has better intra-and inter-group consistency and reproducibility can reflect the efficacy of sorafenib-targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma in early stage.

Application of Quantitative Indexes of FDG PET to Treatment Response Evaluation in Indolent Lymphoma / 대한핵의학회잡지

PURPOSE: Although ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is a standard imaging modality for response evaluation in FDG-avid lymphoma, there is a controversy using FDG PET in indolent lymphoma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of quantitative indexes on FDG PET in response evaluation of the indolent lymphoma.METHODS: Fifty-seven indolent lymphoma patients who completed chemotherapy were retrospectively enrolled. FDG PET/computed tomography (CT) scans were performed at baseline, interim, and end of treatment (EOT). Response was determined by Lugano classification, and progression-free survival (PFS) by follow-up data. Maximumstandardized uptake value (SUV(max)), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were measured in the single hottest lesion (target A) or five hottest lesions (target B). Their efficacies regarding response evaluation and PFS prediction were evaluated.RESULTS: On EOT PET, SUV(max), and MTVof both targets were well associated with visual analysis. Changes between initial and EOT PET were not significantly different between CR and non-CR groups. On interim PET, SUV(max), and %ΔSUV(max) in both targets were significantly different between CR and non-CR groups. For prediction of PFS, most tested indexes were significant on EOT and interim PET, with SUVmax being the most significant prognostic factor.CONCLUSION: Quantitative indexes of FDG PET are well associated with Lugano classification in indolent lymphoma. SUV(max) measured in the single hottest lesion can be effective in response evaluation and prognosis prediction on interim and EOT PET.

Tumor Response Evaluation after Treatment and Post-treatment Surveillance of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most prevalent malignancies and frequent causes of death worldwide. Treatment options of hepatocellular carcinoma consist of locoregional therapy, surgical resection, liver transplantation, and systemic therapy. Assessment of tumor response is required in patients receiving locoregional and systemic therapy. The Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1 is widely used tumor response evaluation criteria. However, the RECIST does not reflect the extent of tumor necrosis after some locoregional therapies and molecular targeted agents. The Modified RECIST (mRECIST), which has the concept of viable tumor, was introduced in order to overcome this problem. The mRECIST were developed on the basis of RECIST version 1.1 and only tumoral tissue showing contrast uptake in arterial phase of dynamic radiologic imaging techniques was measured to assess tumor response. Recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors have emerged as a promising therapeutic modality for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. To identify tumor response after immunotherapy, immune RECIST (iRECIST) has been proposed as consensusbased criteria. After achieving complete response after curative treatment, optimal surveillance was needed to detect recurrence. Individualized surveillance schedule should be considered, taking into consideration the risk factors of the patient and the risk associated with the treatment modalities.

Maximum diameter versus volumetric assessment for the response evaluation of vestibular schwannomas receiving stereotactic radiotherapy

PURPOSE: To explore the feasibility of maximum diameter as a response assessment method for vestibular schwannomas (VS) after stereotactic radiosurgery or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (RT), we analyzed the concordance of RT responses between maximum diameters and volumetric measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-two patients receiving curative stereotactic radiosurgery or fractionated stereotactic RT for VS were analyzed retrospectively. Twelve patients were excluded: 4 did not receive follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and 8 had initial MRI scans with a slice thickness >3 mm. The maximum diameter, tumor volume (TV), and enhanced tumor volume (ETV) were measured in each MRI study. The percent change after RT was evaluated according to the measurement methods and their concordances were calculated with the Pearson correlation. The response classifications were determined by the assessment modalities, and their agreement was analyzed with Cohen kappa statistics. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 31.0 months (range, 3.5 to 86.5 months), and 90 follow-up MRI studies were analyzed. The percent change of maximum diameter correlated strongly with TV and ETV (r(p) = 0.85, 0.63, p = 0.000, respectively). Concordance of responses between the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) using the maximum diameters and either TV or ETV were moderate (kappa = 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.32-0.85) or fair (kappa = 0.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.59), respectively. CONCLUSION: The percent changes in maximum diameter and the responses in RECIST were significantly concordant with those in the volumetric measurements. Therefore, the maximum diameters can be used for the response evaluation of VS following stereotactic RT.

Targeting cancer stem cells by using chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells: a potential and curable approach for cancer treatment

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a subpopulation of tumor cells, have self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation abilities that play an important role in cancer initiation, maintenance, and metastasis. An accumulation of evidence indicates that CSCs can cause conventional therapy failure and cancer recurrence because of their treatment resistance and self-regeneration characteristics. Therefore, approaches that specifically and efficiently eliminate CSCs to achieve a durable clinical response are urgently needed. Currently, treatments with chimeric antigen receptor-modified T (CART) cells have shown successful clinical outcomes in patients with hematologic malignancies, and their safety and feasibility in solid tumors was confirmed. In this review, we will discuss in detail the possibility that CART cells inhibit CSCs by specifically targeting their cell surface markers, which will ultimately improve the clinical response for patients with various types of cancer. A number of viewpoints were summarized to promote the application of CSC-targeted CART cells in clinical cancer treatment. This review covers the key aspects of CSC-targeted CART cells against cancers in accordance with the premise of the model, from bench to bedside and back to bench.

Evaluation criteria for tumor efficacy in the times of immunotherapy / 国际肿瘤学杂志

With the advent of the times of immunotherapy and the emergence of a variety of unconventional response patterns such as delayed response and pseudo-progressive disease,a variety of immune-related efficacy evaluation criteria such as immune-related response criteria,immune-related response evaluation criteria in solid tumor and immune response evaluation criteria in solid tumor have been proposed successively.The evaluation principles and judgment results of these criteria are distinctly different from the traditional response evaluation criteria.In particular,the newly proposed immune response evaluation criteria in solid tumor introduces two new concepts of unconfirmed progressive disease and confirmed progressive disease and provides a new response evaluation model for solid tumors,which is expected to provide solutions to some of the most urgent clinical problems under the times of cancer immunotherapy.