[Pulmonary manifestations induced by osimertinib]. / Toxicité pulmonaire induite par l'osimertinib.

INTRODUCTION: The third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) osimertinib is recommended as a first-line treatment in advanced non-small cell lung cancer harboring an activating mutation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR). Adverse pulmonary events related to osimertinib exposure have been reported, primarily in Japanese patients. They rarely occur in the Caucasian population. OBSERVATION: Herein we report two clinical cases of osimertinib-induced lung toxicities in patients diagnosed with advanced lung adenocarcinoma harboring an EGFR mutation. In the first case, interstitial pneumonia was asymptomatic and evolved favorably after osimertinib discontinuation. The second patient presented a more extensive form of lung injuries and despite systemic corticosteroid therapy, the evolution was fatal. CONCLUSION: Osimertinib-related lung toxicities remain exceptional. While most forms are mild, consideration of TKI treatment discontinuation may be necessitated. Introduction of another TKI or rechallenge with osimertinib might be considered along with corticosteroid therapy if necessary. Diffuse alveolar damage is a pejorative prognostic factor.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis diagnosed concomitantly with diffuse squamous cell lung cancer on surgical lung biopsy: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a disease with a poor prognosis and has been associated with increased lung cancer incidence. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a Caucasian 75-year-old woman, a former smoker, hospitalized for breathlessness with a chest computed tomography scan showing an interstitial lung disease. A surgical lung biopsy was performed, confirming a pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia but also numerous disseminated foci of well-differentiated focally invasive squamous cell carcinoma without hypermetabolic lung nodule, mass, or enlarged lymph node visualized on chest computed tomography or positron emission tomography scan. Nintedanib was started for its antifibrotic and antitumor properties, without any other antineoplastic treatment. Three years after initiation of nintedanib, clinical, functional, and computed tomography scan evaluations were stable, and there was no evidence for evolution of the squamous cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Data are scarce regarding the benefit of nintedanib in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis-associated lung cancer, and it is unclear whether nintedanib could have a preventive role in lung carcinogenesis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. This experience could help the scientific community in case of similar incidental findings.

[Ambulatory management of bilateral secondary spontaneous pneumothorax in palliative care]. / Prise en charge palliative ambulatoire d'un pneumothorax spontané secondaire bilatéral.

INTRODUCTION: Secondary spontaneous pneumothoraces account for 35% of all pneumothoraces after the age of 50. Their management is still debated and can be challenging due to the underlying respiratory condition. In our observation, the use of small-bore chest tubes allowed prolonged ambulatory care in a palliative setting. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 54-year-old woman suffering from a leiomyosarcoma with multiple pulmonary metastases who had repeated episodes of pneumothorax, one of which was bilateral. Treatment involved the bilateral insertion of 8.5F pigtail catheters connected to Heimlich valves that allowed management as an outpatient. Recurrences were treated similarly, in association with oncological management, providing great additional benefits for patient comfort in this palliative context. CONCLUSION: Altogether, this case report confirms the applicability of outpatient management for drained spontaneous secondary pneumothoraces, even bilateral, especially in a palliative-care setting.

Artificial intelligence solution to classify pulmonary nodules on CT.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to create an algorithm to detect and classify pulmonary nodules in two categories based on their volume greater than 100 mm3 or not, using machine learning and deep learning techniques. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The dataset used to train the model was provided by the organization team of the SFR (French Radiological Society) Data Challenge 2019. An asynchronous and parallel 3-stages pipeline was developed to process all the data (a data "pre-processing" stage; a "nodule detection" stage; a "classifier" stage). Lung segmentation was achieved using 3D U-NET algorithm; nodule detection was done using 3D Retina-UNET and classifier stage with a support vector machine algorithm on selected features. Performances were assessed using area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC). RESULTS: The pipeline showed good performance for pathological nodule detection and patient diagnosis. With the preparation dataset, an AUROC of 0.9058 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.8746-0.9362) was obtained, 87% yielding accuracy (95% CI: 84.83%-91.03%) for the "nodule detection" stage, corresponding to 86% specificity (95% CI: 82%-92%) and 89% sensitivity (95% CI: 84.83%-91.03%). CONCLUSION: A fully functional pipeline using 3D U-NET, 3D Retina-UNET and classifier stage with a support vector machine algorithm was developed, resulting in high capabilities for pulmonary nodule classification.

Chest CT in COVID-19 pneumonia: A review of current knowledge.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the essential role of chest computed tomography (CT) examination in patient triage in the emergency departments, allowing them to be referred to "COVID" or "non-COVID" wards. Initial chest CT examination must be performed without intravenous administration of iodinated contrast material, but contrast material administration is required when pulmonary embolism is suspected, which seems to be frequent in severe forms of the disease. Typical CT features consist of bilateral ground-glass opacities with peripheral, posterior and basal predominance. Lung disease extent on CT correlates with clinical severity. Artificial intelligence could assist radiologists for diagnosis and prognosis evaluation.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Significance of the usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) CT-scan patterns defined in new international guidelines.

INTRODUCTION: The new 2018 international guidelines for diagnosing usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP)/idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) by CT scan split the old pattern possible UIP (2011 IPF guidelines) into two new patterns: probable UIP and indeterminate for UIP. However, the proportions and prognoses of these new CT-scan patterns are not clear. METHODS: We used a monocentric retrospective cohort of 322 patients suspected of having IPF (University Hospital of Rennes; Competence Center for Rare Lung Diseases; 1 January 2012-31 December 2017). All patients initially diagnosed by CT scan as possible UIP were included. The chest CT-scans were then reclassified according to the new 2018 international guidelines by 3 observers. These data were then subjected to survival analysis with multivariate Cox regression using a composite endpoint of death, lung transplantation, a decline of≥10% in forced vital capacity (FVC), or hospitalization. RESULTS: Of the 89 possible UIP patients included, 74 (83%) were reclassified as probable UIP and 15 (17%) as indeterminate for UIP. Probable UIP patients were more likely to meet the composite endpoint (56/74 [75.7%] vs. 5/15 [33%] patients; HR [IC 95%] =3.12 [1.24; 7.83], P=0.015). Multivariate analysis indicated that the probable UIP pattern was associated with significantly increased risk of reaching the composite endpoint (HR [95% CI]=2.85[1.00; 8.10], P=0.049). CONCLUSION: The majority of possible UIP diagnoses corresponded to probable UIP, which was associated with a significantly worse prognosis than indeterminate for UIP. This distinction between these two CT patterns emphasizes the relevance of the new international guidelines for the diagnosis of IPF.

Three artificial intelligence data challenges based on CT and MRI.

PURPOSE: The second edition of the artificial intelligence (AI) data challenge was organized by the French Society of Radiology with the aim to: (i), work on relevant public health issues; (ii), build large, multicentre, high quality databases; and (iii), include three-dimensional (3D) information and prognostic questions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant clinical questions were proposed by French subspecialty colleges of radiology. Their feasibility was assessed by experts in the field of AI. A dedicated platform was set up for inclusion centers to safely upload their anonymized examinations in compliance with general data protection regulation. The quality of the database was checked by experts weekly with annotations performed by radiologists. Multidisciplinary teams competed between September 11th and October 13th 2019. RESULTS: Three questions were selected using different imaging and evaluation modalities, including: pulmonary nodule detection and classification from 3D computed tomography (CT), prediction of expanded disability status scale in multiple sclerosis using 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and segmentation of muscular surface for sarcopenia estimation from two-dimensional CT. A total of 4347 examinations were gathered of which only 6% were excluded. Three independent databases from 24 individual centers were created. A total of 143 participants were split into 20 multidisciplinary teams. CONCLUSION: Three data challenges with over 1200 general data protection regulation compliant CT or MRI examinations each were organized. Future challenges should be made with more complex situations combining histopathological or genetic information to resemble real life situations faced by radiologists in routine practice.

Patient-specific and real-time model of numerical simulation of the hemodynamics of type B aortic dissections.

INTRODUCTION: Regular monitoring of uncomplicated type B aortic dissection is essential because 25-30% will progress to aneurysmal form. The predictive factors of this evolution are not clearly defined, but they seem to be correlated with hemodynamic data. HYPOTHESIS: Our goal is to create a patient-specific and real-time model of numerical simulation of the hemodynamics of uncomplicated type B aortic dissections in order to predict the evolution of these pathologies for earlier treatment. METHOD: This model consists in a coupling 0D (hydraulic-electric analogy) - 3D (CT angiography segmentation) of the aortic arch with optimization by comparison to the 2D Phase Contrast MRI data and using Reduced Order Models to drastically reduce computing times. We tested our model on a healthy and a dissected patient. Then we realized different systolic blood pressure scenarios for each case, which we compared. RESULTS: In the dissected patient, the blood pressure at the false lumen wall was less important than the true lumen. Furthermore, the aortic wall shear stress and the velocity fields in aorta increase at the entry and re-entry tears between the two lumens. The simulation of different blood pressures scenarios shows a decrease in all these three parameters related to the decrease of the systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION: Our model provides reliable patient-specific and real-time 3D rendering. It has also allowed us to realize different flow variation scenarios to simulate different clinical conditions and to compare them. However, the model still needs improvement in view of a daily clinical application.

[Hypersensitivity pneumonitis presenting as acute respiratory distress syndrome]. / Pneumopathie d'hypersensibilité révélée par un syndrome de détresse respiratoire aiguë.

INTRODUCTION: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) are typically subacute in their presentation and the diagnosis may be difficult. METHOD: We report a case of a hypersensitivity pneumonitis in a 27-years-old woman, caused by exposure to mould in an insalubrious mobile home. The initial presentation was with acute respiratory distress syndrome complicating RSV pneumonia, treated with ribavirin and corticosteroids in winter 2013-2014. The diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis was based on clinical and radiological relapse occurring during winter 2014-2015 with confirmed exposure to antigen with fungal sampling at home, respiratory deterioration with antigen rechallenge and a compatible chest CT-scan. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis should be considered in similar cases. Treatment is based mainly on removing exposure to the causative antigen.

[Spontaneous lung volume reduction following pneumonia in a patient with emphysema]. / Normalisation ventilatoire après réduction de volume pulmonaire naturelle consécutive à une infection pulmonaire.

INTRODUCTION: Lung volume reduction can be effective in appropriately selected patients with severe emphysema and is associated with reduced breathlessness and improved survival. Spontaneous resolution of emphysematous bullae can also sometimes occur. CASE REPORT: We report a case of severe smoking-related emphysema in a 60-year-old patient, who presented in October 2013 with a right upper lobe acute community-acquired pneumonia on the background of previously undocumented emphysema. The patient improved following treatment with co-amoxiclav and serial radiology showed progressive cicatricial retraction. Nine months later there had been a major functional improvement characterized by a complete normalization of the patient's ventilatory parameters, specifically a 45% improvement in FEV1. In the literature, the average FEV1 improvement obtained by surgical or endoscopic lung volume reduction techniques does not exceed 28%. CONCLUSION: Rarely, emphysematous bullae resolve following infections. Further studies of the mechanisms involved in these natural regressions may be of interest in the development of new therapeutics.

[Lung metastases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma: Watch for the second train!] / Adénocarcinome pancréatique métastatique aux poumons : un train peut en cacher un autre !

Pulmonary metastases due to a pancreatic cancer are difficult to diagnose and demonstrate a wide range of radiological patterns. We report the case of a 37-year-old female patient, without past medical history, with multicystic lung disease in a context of chronic abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss. After several months of diagnostic delay, pathological examination of surgical lung biopsies led to the diagnosis of secondary deposits of pancreatic cancer. The clinical and radiogical situation deteriorated quickly with the development of alveolar consolidation and Aspergillus superinfection was then diagnosed. This case illustrates the value of an early decision to undertake surgical lung biopsy in the work-up of multicystic lung disease when cancer is suspected. In addition, in the specific context of cancer, faced with clinical and/or radiological deterioration, it is essential to look for infection, particularly aspergillosis.

Radiology residents' skill level in chest x-ray reading.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the mean skill level of radiology residents in chest X-ray (CXR) reading, with regard to cognitive mechanisms involved in this task and to investigate for potential factors influencing residents' skill. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-one residents were evaluated through a test set including CXR expected to mobilize detection skills (n=10), CXR expected to mobilize interpretation skills (n=10) and normal CXR (n=4). For each radiograph, residents were asked to answer three questions: Does this radiograph show normal or abnormal findings? Does it require complementary computed tomography study? What is your diagnosis? Residents' answers were evaluated against an experts' consensus and analyzed according to year of residency, attendance at CXR training course during residency and the average number of CXR read per week. RESULTS: Residents' mean success rate was 90.4%, 76.6% and 52.7% for the three questions, respectively. Year of residency was associated with better diagnostic performances in the detection CXR category (P=0.025), while attendance at CXR training course was associated with better performances in the interpretation CXR category (P=0.031). There was no influence of the number of CXR read per week. CONCLUSION: These results may suggest promoting systematic CXR theoretical training course in the curriculum of radiology residents.

CT-texture analysis of subsolid nodules for differentiating invasive from in-situ and minimally invasive lung adenocarcinoma subtypes.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of computed tomography-texture analysis (CTTA) in differentiating between in-situ and minimally-invasive from invasive adenocarcinomas in subsolid lung nodules (SSLNs). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two radiologists retrospectively reviewed 49 SSLNs in 44 patients. There were 27 men and 17 women with a mean age of 63±7 (SD) years (range: 47-78years). For each SSLN, type (pure ground-glass or part-solid) was assessed by consensus and CTTA was conducted independently by each observer using a filtration-histogram technique. Different filters were used before histogram quantification: no filtration, fine, medium and coarse, followed by histogram quantification using mean intensity, standard deviation (SD), entropy, mean positive pixels (MPP), skewness and kurtosis. RESULTS: We analyzed 13 pure ground-glass and 36 part-solid nodules corresponding to 16 adenocarcinomas in-situ (AIS), 5 minimally invasive adenocarcinomas (MIA) and 28 invasive adenocarcinomas (IVA). At uni- and multivariate analysis CTTA allowed discriminating between IVAs and AIS/MIA (P<0.05 and P=0.025, respectively) with the following histogram parameters: skewness using fine textures and kurtosis using coarse filtration for pure ground-glass nodules, and SD without filtration for part-solid nodules. CONCLUSION: CTTA has the potential to differentiate AIS and MIA from IVA among SSLNs. However, our results require further validation on a larger cohort.

[Interstitial lung disease and pancreatic cancer: Series of two cases]. / Pneumopathie infiltrante diffuse et cancer du pancréas : présentation de deux cas.

INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic cancer is often not diagnosed until at a metastatic stage at which point the prognosis is very poor. Pulmonary metastases are pleomorphic, often present at the time of diagnosis and can lead to the discovery of an asymptomatic primary disease. CASE REPORT: We describe two cases aged 60 and 74 years, where imaging identified what was thought to be an interstitial lung disease but which was actually metastasis from pancreatic cancer. In the first case, CT showed multiple excavated pulmonary nodules but the presentation with medullary compression led rapidly to pathological diagnosis on bone lesions. In the second patient, a history of rheumatoid arthritis and the lack of abdominal symptoms led to an initial search for disease related to the rheumatoid disease. Histopathology, from lung and bone biopsies, enabled a correct diagnosis to be achieved. CONCLUSION: Where atypical interstitial lung disease occurs, biopsy should be considered in order not to delay a diagnosis of cancer, especially pancreatic cancer.

[Plasmapheresis failure in the treatment of auto-immune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis]. / Échec de plasmaphérèse dans une protéinose alvéolaire pulmonaire auto-immune.

INTRODUCTION: Auto-immune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is a rare disorder characterized by the accumulation of surfactant proteins in the alveoli. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a 41-year-old smoker, presenting initially with acute respiratory failure. Whole lung lavages were effective initially but only for a few weeks. GM-CSF subcutaneous injections were not effective, and then plasmapheresis were tried. CONCLUSION: This is the fifth report of the use of this treatment in auto-immune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Plasmapheresis was not effective in our patient.

[Why screen for lung cancer in patients with arterial disease?]. / Pourquoi dépister le cancer du poumon chez les artériopathes ?

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in France. Such a prognosis is explained by late diagnosis at a metastatic stage for half of the patients. Tobacco is the main risk factor for lung cancer, as it is for peripheral arterial disease. A review of literature shows that between 2.3% and 19% of patients with arterial disease also have lung cancer. When lung cancer is detected after treatment of arterial disease, it is at an advanced stage. But it can be diagnosed at an early stage when it is searched simultaneously with arterial disease treatment. There is no recommendation for lung cancer screening specifically for patients with arterial disease. However individual screening based on an annual low-dose chest scan is proposed for smokers meeting the criteria defined by the study of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). Such screening has two disadvantages : the high number of false positives and the irradiation induced by the accumulation of examinations. The ISET method would alternatively help to identify circulating tumor cells on a simple blood test for subjects not yet at solid tumor stage, provided this method be subject to multicentric validation. Thus one could consider that the management of a patient with arterial disease meeting NLST criteria should be accompanied with screening for lung cancer by searching for tumor cells associated with low-dose scanner.

Management strategy of pulmonary nodule in 2013.

Lung nodules are commonly found on computed tomography (CT) and need a standardized approach in order to avoid misdiagnosing lung cancer and delaying surgical excision whilst simultaneously avoiding unnecessary invasive procedures if the lesions prove to be benign. Great advances have been made in the last decade in various areas affecting the management of lung nodules: the understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind carcinogenesis, a new classification of lung adenocarcinoma, new data on lung cancer screening, widespread use of multi-detector row CT and development of volumetric analysis software for nodules. Recent decision-making algorithms are based on the size, density and follow-up of the nodule. The distinction between solid nodules, sub-solid nodules and pure ground glass nodules is fundamental, and has a strong correlation with the histologic spectrum of adenocarcinoma. In the absence of criteria suggesting benign disease, the radiologist's report should offer one of the following two options: follow-up based on the recommendations if the nodule is equivocal, or multidisciplinary discussion to consider invasive management if the nodule is highly suspicious of malignancy. Recent data from this statement are reviewed and practical guidelines are offered based on international expert consensus opinion.