Daiki Ueno

Early assessment by FDG-PET/CT of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors is predictive of disease course

BackgroundWe reported previously that 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/ computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) had potential for evaluating early response to treatment by tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This time we investigated the relation of the early assessment by FDG PET/CT to long-term prognosis with an expanded number of patients and period of observation.MethodsPatients for whom TKI treatment for advanced RCC was planned were enrolled. FDG PET/CT was performed before TKI treatment and after one month of TKI treatment. The relations of the FDGPET/CT assessment to progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were investigated.ResultsThirty-five patients were enrolled (sunitinib 19 cases, sorafenib 16 cases). The patients with RCC showing high SUVmax in pretreatment FDG PET/CT demonstrated short PFS (P =0.024, hazard ratio 1.137, 95% CI 1.017-1.271) and short OS (P =0.004, hazard ratio 1.210 95% CI 1.062-1.379). Thirty patients (sunitinib 16 cases, sorafenib 14 cases) were evaluated again after 1 month. The PFS of the patients whose SUVmax decreased<20% was shorter than that of the patients whose SUVmax decreased<20% (P = 0.027, hazard ratio 3.043, 95% CI 1.134-8.167). The PFS of patients whose tumor diameter sum increased was shorter than that of the patient with tumors whose diameter sum did not (P =0.006, hazard ratio 4.555, 95% CI 1.543-13.448).The patients were classified into three response groups: good responder (diameter sum did not increase, and SUVmax decreased ≥ 20%), intermediate responder (diameter sum did not increase, and SUVmax decreased<20%), and poor responder (diameter sum increased, or one or more new lesions appeared). The median PFS of good, intermediate, and poor responders were 458 ± 146 days, 131 ± 9 days, and 88 ± 26 days (good vs. intermediate P = 0.0366, intermediate vs. poor P = 0.0097, log-rank test). Additionally the mean OSs were 999 ± 70 days, 469 ± 34 days, and 374 ± 125 days, respectively (good vs. intermediate P = 0.0385, intermediate vs. poor P = 0.0305, log-rank test).ConclusionsThe evaluation of RCC response to TKI by tumor size and FDG uptake using FDG PET/CT after 1 month can predict PFS and OS.

Validation of a patient-specific simulator for laparoscopic renal surgery.

To describe and to validate a novel patient‐specific virtual‐reality based simulator for laparoscopic surgery.

One-month assessment of renal cell carcinoma treated by everolimus using FDG PET/CT predicts progression-free and overall survival

PurposeWe evaluated 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) results as outcome predictors for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treated by everolimus (EVL), an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 30 patients who were treated with EVL for metastatic RCC between May 2010 and March 2015, by evaluating their FDG PET/CT result before and 1 month after starting EVL treatment. We examined the relationships between each patient’s maximum standardized uptake value (max SUVmax) assessed by FDG PET/CT on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).ResultsMedian PFS for all 30 patients was 3.77 months (range 0.72–24.56 months) and median OS after EVL treatment of all 30 patients was 11.67 months (range 1.0–62.98 months). Enrolled patients were divided into two groups by max SUVmax prior to EVL (median = 7.6) and at 1 month after EVL treatment (median = 5.7). PFS were significantly shorter in higher max SUVmax prior to EVL (<7.6, PFS 7.8 vs 3.5 months, log-rank P = 0.017) and at 1 month after EVL (<5.7, PFS 10.6 vs 2.7 months, log-rank P = 0.002) than lower max SUVmax. OS were also significantly shorter in higher max SUVmax prior to EVL (<7.6, OS 18.1 vs 7.5 months, log-rank P = 0.010) and at 1 month after EVL (<5.7, OS 17.2 vs 7.5 months, log-rank P = 0.009) than lower max SUVmax. Multivariate Cox hazard regression analysis indicated that max SUVmax at 1 month after EVL is an independent predictor of both PFS and OS in patients treated with EVL although univariate regression analysis showed max SUVmax before EVL is a possible predictor.ConclusionsMax SUVmax assessed by FDG PET/CT prior to EVL and at 1 month after EVL treatment can accurately predict PFS and can guide decisions on whether to continue or change treatments for patients with EVL-treated RCC who suffer from adverse events.