18F-FDG PET/CT findings of paratesticular alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) originates from primitive mesenchymal cells and is the most common soft tissue tumor in childhood. 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) has been reported to be valuable in RMS staging and risk stratification. Paratesticular RMS is a relatively uncommon form of RMS, most of which are of the embryonal histologic type. Paratesticular alveolar RMS is associated with aggressive behavior, high metastatic potential, and poor outcomes. To the best of our knowledge, 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging findings of paratesticular alveolar RMS have never been described. Here, we report on a 16-year-old boy's rare paratesticular alveolar RMS with multiple metastases and its findings on 18F-FDG PET/CT. This case also demonstrates the potential value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in RMS staging and treatment decisions, and may aid in the differential diagnosis.

Uncovering the Secrets of Prostate Cancer's Radiotherapy Resistance: Advances in Mechanism Research.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a critical global public health issue with its incidence on the rise. Radiation therapy holds a primary role in PCa treatment; however, radiation resistance has become increasingly challenging as we uncover more about PCa's pathogenesis. Our review aims to investigate the multifaceted mechanisms underlying radiation therapy resistance in PCa. Specifically, we will examine how various factors, such as cell cycle regulation, DNA damage repair, hypoxic conditions, oxidative stress, testosterone levels, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and tumor stem cells, contribute to radiation therapy resistance. By exploring these mechanisms, we hope to offer new insights and directions towards overcoming the challenges of radiation therapy resistance in PCa. This can also provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application of novel ultra-high-dose-rate (FLASH) radiotherapy in the era of PCa.

The value on SUV-derived parameters assessed on 18F-FDG PET/CT for predicting mediastinal lymph node metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: To explore valuable predictors for mediastinal lymph node metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, we analyzed the potential roles of standardized uptake value (SUV)-derived parameters from preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT combined with clinical characteristics. METHODS: Data from 224 NSCLC patients who underwent preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT scans in our hospital were collected. Then, a series of clinical parameters including SUV-derived features [SUVmax of mediastinal lymph node and primary-tumor SUVmax, SUVpeak, SUVmean, metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG)] were evaluated. The best possible cutoff points for all measuring parameters were calculated using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Predictive analyses were performed using a Logistic regression model to determine the predictive factors for mediastinal lymph node metastasis in NSCLC and lung adenocarcinoma patients. After multivariate model construction, data of another 100 NSCLC patients were recorded. Then, 224 patients and 100 patients were enrolled to validate the predictive model by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: The mediastinal lymph node metastasis rates in 224 patients for model construction and 100 patients for model validation were 24.1% (54/224) and 25% (25/100), respectively. It was found that SUVmax of mediastinal lymph node ≥ 2.49, primary-tumor SUVmax ≥ 4.11, primary-tumor SUVpeak ≥ 2.92, primary-tumor SUVmean ≥ 2.39, primary-tumor MTV ≥ 30.88 cm3, and primary-tumor TLG ≥ 83.53 were more prone to mediastinal lymph node metastasis through univariate logistic regression analyses. The multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the SUVmax of mediastinal lymph nodes (≥ 2.49: OR 7.215, 95% CI 3.326-15.649), primary-tumor SUVpeak (≥ 2.92: OR 5.717, 95% CI 2.094-15.605), CEA (≥ 3.94 ng/ml: OR 2.467, 95% CI 1.182-5.149), and SCC (< 1.15 ng/ml: OR 4.795, 95% CI 2.019-11.388) were independent predictive factors for lymph node metastasis in the mediastinum. It was found that SUVmax of the mediastinal lymph node (≥ 2.49: OR 8.067, 95% CI 3.193-20.383), primary-tumor SUVpeak (≥ 2.92: OR 9.219, 95% CI 3.096-27.452), and CA19-9 (≥ 16.6 U/ml: OR 3.750, 95% CI 1.485-9.470) were significant predictive factors for mediastinal lymph node metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma patients. The AUCs for the predictive value of the NSCLC multivariate model through internal and external validation were 0.833 (95% CI 0.769- 0.896) and 0.811 (95% CI 0.712-0.911), respectively. CONCLUSION: High SUV-derived parameters (SUVmax of mediastinal lymph node and primary-tumor SUVmax, SUVpeak, SUVmean, MTV and TLG) might provide varying degrees of predictive value for mediastinal lymph node metastasis in NSCLC patients. In particular, the SUVmax of mediastinal lymph nodes and primary-tumor SUVpeak could be independently and significantly associated with mediastinal lymph node metastasis in NSCLC and lung adenocarcinoma patients. Internal and external validation confirmed that the pretherapeutic SUVmax of the mediastinal lymph node and primary-tumor SUVpeak combined with serum CEA and SCC can effectively predict mediastinal lymph node metastasis of NSCLC patients.

Alcohol Warning Label Awareness and Attention: A Multi-method Study.

AIMS: Evaluation of alcohol warning labels requires careful consideration ensuring that research captures more than awareness given that labels may not be prominent enough to attract attention. This study investigates attention of current in market alcohol warning labels and examines whether attention can be enhanced through theoretically informed design. Attention scores obtained through self-report methods are compared to objective measures (eye-tracking). METHODS: A multi-method experimental design was used delivering four conditions, namely control, colour, size and colour and size. The first study (n = 559) involved a self-report survey to measure attention. The second study (n = 87) utilized eye-tracking to measure fixation count and duration and time to first fixation. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was utilized. RESULTS: Eye-tracking identified that 60% of participants looked at the current in market alcohol warning label while 81% looked at the optimized design (larger and red). In line with observed attention self-reported attention increased for the optimized design. CONCLUSIONS: The current study casts doubt on dominant practices (largely self-report), which have been used to evaluate alcohol warning labels. Awareness cannot be used to assess warning label effectiveness in isolation in cases where attention does not occur 100% of the time. Mixed methods permit objective data collection methodologies to be triangulated with surveys to assess warning label effectiveness. SHORT SUMMARY: Attention should be incorporated as a measure in warning label effectiveness evaluations. Colour and size changes to the existing Australian warning labels aided by theoretically informed design increased attention.