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Background and Aim Prior knowledge of axillary node status can spare a lot of patients with early breast cancer morbidity due to an unnecessary axillary dissection. Our study compared various metabolic and pathological features that can predict the sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) status in patients with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) negative axilla. Patients and Methods All consecutive patients with early breast cancers (< 5 cm) with PET/CT negative axilla who underwent breast surgery and SLNB from November 2016 to February 2020 were included. Various primary tumor (PT) pathological variables and metabolic variables on PET/CT such as maximum standardized uptake value (PT-SUV max ), metabolic tumor volume (PT-MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (PT-TLG) were compared using univariate and multivariate analyses for prediction of SLNB status. Results Overall 70 patients, all female, with mean age 55.6 years (range: 33-77) and mean tumor size 2.2 cm (range: 0.7-4.5), were included. SLNB was positive in 20% of patients ( n = 14) with nonsentinel nodes positive in 4% ( n = 3) patients. Comparing SLNB positive and negative groups, univariate analysis showed significant association of SLNB with low tumor grade, positive lymphovascular invasion (LVI), positive estrogen receptor (ER) status with lower mean K i -67 index (34.41 vs. 52.02%; p = 0.02), PT-SUV max (5.40 vs. 8.68; p = 0.036), PT-MTV (4.71 cc vs. 7.46 cc; p = 0.05), and PT-TLG (15.12 g/mL.cc vs. 37.10 g/mL.cc; p = 0.006). On multivariate analysis, only LVI status was a significant independent predictor of SLNB status (odds ratio = 6.23; 95% confidence interval: 1.15-33.6; p = 0.033). Conclusion SLNB is positive in approximately 20% of early breast cancers with PET/CT negative axilla and SLNB status appears to be independent of PT size. SLNB+ PTs were more likely to be LVI+ and ER + ve, with lower grade/K i -67/metabolic activity (SUV max /MTV/TLG) compared with SLNB-ve tumors. Logistic regression analysis revealed LVI status as the only significant independent predictor of sentinel lymph node status.
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Recent studies using Ga-68-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitors (FAPI) PET have shown strong association between focal uptake of FAPI in myocardium and presence of coronary artery disease. We present an interesting case of a 76-year-old female with breast cancer with incidental uptake on FAPI PET in apex and septal wall of left ventricle myocardium correlating with findings of ischemia on dobutamine stress myocardial perfusion imaging and anatomical stenosis on coronary angiography.
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Cardiovocal syndrome or Ortner's syndrome is hoarseness voice due to left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy secondary to nerve compression caused by enlarged cardiovascular structures in the mediastinum. We present here an interesting positron-emission tomography/computed tomography image of a patient suspected to have Takayasu's aortoarteritis and presenting with hoarseness of voice.
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Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related kidney disease is a relatively rare clinical entity and usually occurs as an extra-pancreatic manifestation of IgG4-related autoimmune pancreatitis. We describe here the imaging findings of a patient who presented with recurrent multiorgan IgG4-related disease, involving bilateral kidneys/ureters, proximal small bowel, and multiple abdominal and extra-abdominal lymph nodes.
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BACKGROUND: Gallium-68-prostate-specific membrane antigen (68Ga-PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has recently been shown to be very high accuracy in biopsy-naïve prostate cancer (PCa) detection and can potentially improve the low specificity noted with diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI), especially in instances of prostate inflammation. We aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of DW-MRI and PSMA PET/CT using apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and maximum standardized uptake (SUVmax) values in the diagnosis of PCa. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study comparing and analyzing the diagnostic accuracy of prebiopsy DW-MRI and 68Ga-PSMA PET/CTs done in patients with suspected PCa (raised prostate specific antigen [PSA] and/or positive digital rectal examination) from January 2019 to December 2020. The standard of reference was transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsies. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients were included in the study, mean age: 70 years (range 49-84), mean PSA: 23.2 ng/ml (range 2.97-45.6). Biopsy was positive for PCa in 56% (n = 38) and negative in 43% (n = 29). Of the benign results, benign hyperplasia was noted in 75% (n = 22) and prostatitis in 25% (n = 7). Of the PCa, 55% (n = 21) of were high International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade (4-5) and 45% (n = 17) low/intermediate ISUP grade (1-3). Overall the sensitivity/specificity/Accuracy for prediction of PCa of MRI using prostate imaging and reporting data system version 2 criteria and PSMA PET/CT using PCa molecular imaging standardized evaluation criteria was 92.1%/65.5%/80.5% and 76.3%/96.5%/85.1% respectively. Mean apparent diffusion co-efficient (mean ADC) value of benign lesions and PCa was 1.135 × 10-3 mm2/s and 0.723 × 10-3 mm2/s, respectively (P = 0.00001). Mean SUVmax and ADC of benign and PCa lesions was 4.01 and 16.4 (P = 0.000246). Mean SUVmax/ADC ratio of benign and malignant lesions was 3.8 × 103 versus 25.21 × 103 (P < 0.000026). Inverse correlation was noted between ADC and SUVmax values (R = -0.609), inverse correlation noted between ADC and Gleason's score (R = -0.198), and positive correlation of SUVmax and SUVmax/ADC with Gleason's score (R = 0.438 and R = 0.448). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a SUVmax cutoff 6.03 (sensitivity/specificity - 76%/90%, area under the curve (AUC) - 0.935, Youden index (YI) - 0.66), ADC cutoff of 0.817 × 10-3 mm2/s (sensitivity/specificity - 79%/86%, AUC - 0.890, YI - 0.65), and SUVmax/ADC ratio cutoff of 7.43 × 103 (sensitivity/specificity - 87%/98%, AUC - 0.966, YI - 0.85) for PCa diagnosis. CONCLUSION: For diagnosis of biopsy-naïve PCas, the combination of diffusion-weighted MRI and PSMA PET/CT (i.e., SUVmax/ADC ratio) shows better diagnostic accuracy than either used alone and the combination of PET and MRI is especially useful when distinguishing cancer from prostatitis.
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Leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) antibody encephalitis is an emerging autoimmune disorder with antibodies to the voltage-gated potassium channel complex. Here, we report clinico-imaging findings of a 77-year-old female presenting with acute-onset seizures, normal magnetic resonance imaging and with abnormal fluordeoxygluose positron-emission tomography-computed tomography and positive anti-LGI1 antibodies on immunofluroscence assay.
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In the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, achieving complete pathological response (CPR) in explanted liver specimens following any locoregional treatments is associated with reduced recurrence rates and better posttransplant survival compared to the incomplete response. Here, we present the imaging findings of a patient who achieved CPR in the explanted liver following Y-90 SIR-Spheres® therapy.
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AIM: Our aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of staging positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in early breast cancers (EBCs) and to assess its impact on disease management. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed preoperative PET/CT scans of patients from January 2015 to December 2018 with Stage I/II, clinically T1-T2 N0-N1 breast cancers. The diagnostic performance of PET/CT for nodal (N) and distant metastases (M), its correlation with patient/tumor-specific factors, and its impact on disease management were analyzed using histopathology/clinical follow-up as standards of reference. RESULTS: Of 158 patients evaluated, 14% of patients were Stage I (T1N0), 60% were Stage IIA (T1N1, T2N0), and 26% were Stage IIB (T2N1). Sensitivity, specificity, and the diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT for axillary staging were 76%, 97%, and 84% and for distant metastasis evaluation were 100%, 98%, and 99%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT for axillary staging was lower for low-grade, T1 tumors, postmenopausal group, and luminal A pathological subtype (77%, 84%, 81%, and 73%, respectively) compared to high-grade, T2 tumors, premenopausal group, and nonluminal A subtype (88%, 88%, 94%, and 87%, respectively). Distant metastases were detected on PET/CT in overall 16% (n = 25) of the patients (9% in Stage IIA and 27% in Stage IIB). PET/CT also incidentally identified clinically occult internal mammary nodes in 5% (n = 8) and organ-confined synchronous second malignancies in 5% (n = 8) of the patients. CONCLUSION: Preoperative PET/CT should be considered in all EBCs> 2 cm as it upstages the disease and alters management in about 24% of these patients. Given its high specificity for axillary staging PET/CT, patients with PET-positive axilla can be subjected to axillary dissection and those with PET-negative axilla to sentinel lymph node biopsy. The yield and diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT is less for low-grade tumors <2 cm and with luminal A subtype.
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We report here initial staging and follow-up imaging findings of a case of primary retroperitoneal transitional cell carcinoma, one of the rarest nonurological tumors of the retroperitoneal space, to highlight the importance of 18F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in this infrequently encountered pathology.
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BACKGROUND AND AIM: Serum prostate-specific-antigen (PSA) guided systematic transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided biopsies are known to have a low predictive value in detection of primary prostate carcinomas (PCa). Our aim was to evaluate the accuracy of gallium-68 (Ga-68) prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PSMA PET/CT) for the detection of PCa with serum PSA <50 ng/ml. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospective analyzed prebiopsy Ga-68 PSMA PET/CT's of all patients with suspected PCa from October 2019 to March 2020. Several quantitative clinical and PET/CT variables were compared in benign and malignant groups and assessed for significance using an independent t-test. Diagnostic performance of PSMA PET/CT for detection of cancer was evaluated and compared with the diagnostic performance of cancer risk predicting calculator (European Randomized Study for Screening of Prostate Cancer [ERSPC3]). The standard of reference was 12-core TRUS-guided biopsies. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients were included with mean age 70 years (range 48-94 years); mean PSA 15.67 ng/ml (range 1.74-44), mean PSA density 0.32 ng/ml2 (range 0.01-0.99) and mean prostate volume 54.55 cc (range 16.5-182). 64% (n = 41/64) patients had benign histology and 36% (n = 23/64) had carcinoma. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of PSMA PET/CT for detecting PCa reported using the prostate cancer molecular imaging standardized evaluation (PROMISE) was 74%, 92%, 85%, 86%, and 86%, respectively. Mean prostate maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was significantly higher in PCa versus Benign lesions (19.56 ± 18.11 vs. 4.21 ± 1.5, P = 0.00001), in patients with PSA >20 ng/ml versus PSA <20 ng/ml (19.1 ± 20.6 vs. 6.01 ± 5.4, P-0.0052), and in patients with Gleason's score (GS) score >7 versus GS ≤7 (28.1 ± 20.3 vs. 10.2 ± 8.9, P-0.010). SUVmax cutoff value of 5.6 on PSMA PET/CT showed a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 90.9% (area under the curve 0.990, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Ga-68 PSMA PET/CT can differentiate benign and malignant lesions of the prostate with very high accuracy and when used alongside with ERSPC3 calculator and magnetic resonance imaging, could potentially reduce painful and often unnecessary prostate biopsies.
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Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4) is an immune-mediated fibro-inflammatory entity which affects multiple organs, most frequently the pancreas. Although extrapancreatic inflammations are commonly seen in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography of majority of these patients at follow-up, simultaneous involvement of the gastric/biliary tract at presentation is rare. Here, we present imaging findings of a patient who presented with obstructive jaundice and initially thought to be due to cholangiocarcinoma, but was subsequently diagnosed as an IgG4-related inflammation.
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Strongyloidiasis is an emerging tropical/subtropical parasitic infection commonly encountered in immunocompromised patients and often accompanied by life-threatening gram-negative bacteremia. We presented an interesting image of a critically ill 66-year-old lady, an asthmatic on high dose steroids, presenting with unexplained fever and vomiting where fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography and endoscopic biopsy revealed this often neglected pathogenic nematode.
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Numerous studies over past four decades have implicated a strong association of Streptoccus bovis infection with colorectal carcinomas. Strong is this association that a screening colonoscopy for identifying malignancy is considered mandatory in patients whose blood/fecal cultures show growth of this particular pathogen. Here, we report an interesting case of a 61-year-old female patient who presented with pyrexia of unknown origin for 3 weeks. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography, in addition to helping diagnose mitral valve endocarditis, also identified a clinically occult T2N0 rectal carcinoma.
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Perineural spread (PNS) in head and neck malignancies has been associated with extremely poor prognosis. Through this interesting case, we demonstrate the PNS of a mucoepidermoid carcinoma of parotid gland with simultaneous involvement of V, VI, and VII cranial nerves identified on positron emission tomography/computed tomography.
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Incidental observation of extra-striatal uptake of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 has been reported previously in multiple space-occupying lesions of the brain. We present here a SPECT/CT scan of a 60-year old female with parkinsonism, with normal presynaptic dopaminergic transporters expression and with an intense tracer uptake in a large right-sided frontoparietal meningioma.
