Hai-Jeon Yoon

Prognostic implication of retrocrural lymph node involvement revealed by 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with uterine cervical cancer

ObjectivesLymph node involvement in cervical cancer is an indication of poor prognosis and the risk tends to increase according to the level of lymph node involvement. However, the specific prognostic significance of retrocrural lymph node involvement has not been well characterized because of its small size and deep location. The aim of this study was to assess its prognostic value. Patients and methodsA total of 217 patients with newly diagnosed International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IA2–IVA cervical cancer were retrospectively enrolled. All the patients had undergone pretreatment 18F-fluorodeoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT. Of these patients 145 were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy, and in this group we assessed the relationship of retrocrural lymph node involvement with the risk of disease progression. ResultsRetrocrural lymph node involvement was seen in 7.4% of patients (16/217). All of them had para-aortic lymph node involvement and 56% of the 16 patients (9/16) had concomitant supraclavicular lymph node involvement. In the patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy it was found that the higher the level of 18F-FDG-positive lymph nodes detected in them, the worse the progression-free survival experienced by them (none vs. pelvic, pelvic vs. para-aortic, para-aortic vs. retrocrural; P<0.05); however, there was no difference in progression outcome between retrocrural and supraclavicular areas (P=NS). On multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, the highest level of 18F-FDG PET/CT-positive lymph nodes in the para-aortic [hazard ratio (HR) 6.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.18–16.81], retrocrural (HR 17.05, 95% CI 5.34–54.44), and supraclavicular areas (HR 19.56, 95% CI 7.15–53.54) was a significant prognostic factor. ConclusionThe highest level of lymph node involvement in para-aortic, retrocrural, supraclavicular areas was a significant prognostic factor for progression in uterine cervical cancer patients who were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Retrocrural lymph node involvement shows a similar outcome with supraclavicular involvement, but leads to a worse outcome in terms of progression compared with para-aortic lymph node involvement.

18F-FEDAC as a Targeting Agent for Activated Macrophages in DBA/1 Mice with Collagen-Induced Arthritis: Comparison with 18F-FDG

Activated macrophages have been known to play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 18F-FEDAC (N-benzyl-N-methyl-2-[7,8-dihydro-7-(2-18F-fluoroethyl)-8-oxo-2-phenyl-9H-purin-9-yl]acetamide) is a radiolabeled ligand for the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO), which is abundant in activated macrophages. We evaluated the feasibility of using 18F-FEDAC in a murine RA model. Methods: RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages were activated by lipopolysaccharide. TSPO expression levels in activated and inactivated macrophages were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. The cellular uptake and specific binding of 18F-FEDAC were measured using a γ-counter. For the in vivo study, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was developed in DBA/1 mice, and the clinical score for arthritis was measured regularly. 18F-FEDAC and 18F-FDG PET images were acquired on days 23 and 37 after the first immunization. Histologic examinations were performed to evaluate macrophages and TSPO expression. Results: We found increased TSPO messenger RNA and protein expression in activated macrophages. Uptake of 18F-FEDAC in activated macrophages was higher than that in nonactivated cells and was successfully blocked by the competitor, PK11195. In CIA mice, joint swelling was apparent on day 26 after the first immunization, and the condition worsened by day 37. 18F-FEDAC uptake by arthritic joints increased early on (day 23), whereas 18F-FDG uptake did not. However, 18F-FDG uptake by arthritic joints markedly increased at later stages (day 37) to a higher level than 18F-FEDAC uptake. The 18F-FEDAC uptake correlated weakly with summed severity score (P = 0.019, r = 0.313), whereas the 18F-FDG uptake correlated strongly with summed severity score (P < 0.001, r = 0.897). Histologic sections of arthritic joints demonstrated an influx of macrophages compared with that in normal joints. Conclusion: 18F-FEDAC enabled the visualization of active inflammation sites in arthritic joints in a CIA model by targeting TSPO expression in activated macrophages. The results suggest the potential usefulness of 18F-FEDAC imaging in the early phase of RA.

Percentage change of primary tumor on 18F-FDG PET/CT as a prognostic factor for invasive ductal breast cancer with axillary lymph node metastasis: Comparison with MRI.

Abstract We evaluated the prognostic value of quantitative parameters using dual time point (DTP) 18F-FDG PET/CT (PET/CT) in invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC) with metastatic axillary lymph nodes (ALN) as compared with dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) and diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI. Seventy patients with IDC and metastatic ALN were retrospectively registered. Static PET parameters including maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of primary tumor, SUVmax of ALN (SUVALN), and percentage changes (&Dgr;%) in those parameters were measured with DTP PET/CT. From DCE MRI, peak enhancement value, total tumor angio volume, and proportions of kinetic curve types on delayed-phases were investigated. The average apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCavg) was estimated on DWI. To demonstrate the prognostic value of quantitative imaging parameters for recurrence-free survival (RFS), univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using those parameters and clinicohistologic variables. All static PET parameters, %&Dgr;SUVmax, %&Dgr;MTV, and %&Dgr;SUVALN on DTP PET/CT and ADCavg on DWI were significantly predictive for disease recurrence. Of clinicohistologic variables, pathologic tumor (pT) diameter, pathologic ALN stage, tumor grade, and hormonal status also were significantly prognostic. After multivariate analysis, %&Dgr;SUVmax > 25.05 (P = .043), ADCavg ⩽ 1016.55 (P = .020), pT diameter > 3 cm (P = .001), and ER negative status (P = .002) were independent prognostic factors for poor outcome. Only %&Dgr;SUVmax of the primary tumor on PET/CT together with ADCavg, pT diameter, and ER status was an independent prognostic factor for predicting relapse in IDC with metastatic ALN. Percentage change of primary tumor on preoperative PET/CT may be a valuable imaging marker for selecting IDC patients that require adjunct treatment to prevent relapse.

Glucose metabolism of visceral adipose tissue measured by 18f-fdg Pet/ct is related to the presence of colonic adenoma

Abstract This study investigated the relationships between the area and metabolic activity of adipose tissue and the presence of colorectal adenoma (CRA). Our institutional review board approved the study and waived informed consent. A total of 212 subjects who underwent fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and colonoscopy for routine health check-ups were enrolled. The volumetric parameters of areas of visceral (VATav), subcutaneous (SATav), and total adipose tissue (TATav) and calculated visceral-to-subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio (VSR) and visceral-to-total adipose tissue ratio (VAR) were considered. Metabolic parameters of standardized uptake value (SUV) of visceral (vcSUVmax, vcSUVmean), subcutaneous (scSUVmax, scSUVmean), and calculated visceral-to-subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio (VSRmax, VSRmean) were considered. Anthropometric data of height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), body fat mass (BFM), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), and diverse laboratory data were also considered as variables. Sixty-six subjects were placed in the CRA group and 146 subjects in the non-CRA group. The presence of CRA was significantly correlated with older age (P  =  .001), male sex (P  =  .041), higher BMI (P  =  .004), higher WC (P  =  .001), higher BFM (P  =  .024), higher VATav (P < .001), higher TATav (P  =  .004), higher VSR (P < .001), higher VAR (P < .001), lower vcSUVmax (P  =  .002), lower vcSUVmean (P < .001), and lower VSRmean (P  =  .002). On multiple regression analysis, vcSUVmax and vcSUVmean were independently associated with the presence of CRA (P  =  .009 and P  =  .045). Lower glucose metabolism of visceral adipose tissue was related to the presence of CRA. Our findings identify the value of visceral metabolic dysfunction as a potential surrogate marker of elevated risk for CRA.

Prognostic Value of 68Ga-NOTA-RGD PET/CT for Predicting Disease-Free Survival for Patients With Breast Cancer Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Surgery: A Comparison Study With Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI.

Purpose We performed pretreatment angiogenesis imaging (68Ga-NOTA-arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid [RGD] PET/CT) to compare its prognostic value to dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI in breast cancer patients. Methods Forty-four female patients with stage II or III breast cancer (aged 47.3 ± 8.1 years) were prospectively enrolled and underwent 68Ga-NOTA-RGD PET/CT and DCE-MRI imaging. All patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and underwent surgery. With pretreatment 68Ga-NOTA-RGD PET/CT, SUVmax of the tumor in the torso (-T) and regional (-R) images were measured. With pretreatment DCE-MRI, the largest diameter of the tumor and maximum enhancement index (EImax; EImax = [highest signal / baseline signal] − 1) of the tumor were assessed. Results Ten patients (22.7%) were found to have breast cancer recurrence after 17.9 ± 11.2 months. The SUVmax-R (P = 0.017, cutoff >2.79) of 68Ga-NOTA-RGD PET/CT, the largest diameter of tumor (P = 0.017, cutoff >6.3 cm), and the EImax (P = 0.008, cutoff >5.38) of DCE-MRI showed significant results by univariate analysis. The 3-year disease-free survival of SUVmax-R was 91.7% versus 59.1% by Kaplan-Meier analysis (hazard ratio, 5.379). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that SUVmax-R with tumor diameter or EImax were the significant parameters. In addition, the combined parameters of SUVmax-R and EImax revealed better predictive value for prediction of breast cancer recurrence (75.0%) than each parameter of SUVmax-R (64.2%) and EImax (68.7%). Conclusions Increased angiogenic activity of regional 68Ga-NOTA-RGD PET/CT (SUVmax-R) can be an early prognostic marker for the prediction of breast cancer recurrence.

Invasive ductal carcinoma arising from dense accessory breast visualized with 99mTc-MIBI breast-specific γ imaging.

Primary accessory breast cancer is extremely rare, and the diagnostic efficacy of Tc-MIBI breast-specific γ imaging (BSGI) has not been reported elsewhere. We present a case of primary carcinoma arising from dense accessory breast that was visualized with BSGI. A 43-year-old female patient with a palpable axillary mass underwent mammography, which showed dense parenchyma on both of the anatomic and accessory breasts with no abnormality. Subsequent BSGI showed no abnormal uptake in bilateral anatomic breasts, but focal abnormal uptake was noted in the accessory breast. Permanent pathologic evaluation confirmed invasive ductal carcinoma (not otherwise specified type) of the accessory breast.

Prognostic value of diffuse splenic FDG uptake on PET/CT in patients with gastric cancer

Background This study investigated the prognostic value of diffuse splenic uptake on F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in gastric cancer (GC) patients. Methods A total of 134 pathology confirmed GC patients who underwent PET/CT for staging work-ups were enrolled. The maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of primary tumor (Tmax), spleen (Smax), and spleen to liver uptake ratio (SLR) were measured. The prognostic value of PET-measured parameters in GC patients for predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed. And the relationships of the parameters with hematological and inflammatory parameters were also investigated. Results During follow-up period, 19 patients (14.1%) had disease recurrence and 12 (8.9%) died from GC. In univariate analysis, hematocrit (p<0.001 and p = 0.002), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR; p = 0.021 and p = 0.040), AJCC staging (p<0.001 and p<0.001), adjuvant chemotherapy (p<0.001 and p<0.001), Tmax (p = 0.004 and p = 0.005), and SLR (p = 0.005 and p = 0.016) were significant prognostic factors for RFS and OS, whereas platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR; p = 0.034) was a significant prognostic factor for RFS. In multivariate analysis, only SLR was an independent prognostic factor for RFS (p = 0.018, adjusted HR = 3.011, 95% CI = 1.207–7.511). SLR were significantly associated with serum hematocrit level (r = -0.256, p = 0.002), PLR (r = 0.362, p = 0.001), and Tmax (r = 0.280, p = 0.001). Conclusion Diffuse splenic uptake on FDG PET/CT was correlated with the level of hematological and inflammatory parameters and was an independent predictor for RFS in GC.

Enhanced Application of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Bladder Cancer by Adding Early Dynamic Acquisition to a Standard Delayed PET Protocol

Purpose We investigated the value of early dynamic (ED) PET for the detection and characterization of bladder cancer. Methods Fifty-two bladder cancer patients were prospectively enrolled. The study protocol was composed of ED, whole-body (WB, 60 minutes after injection), and additional delayed (AD, 120 minutes after injection) PET acquisition. Early dynamic PET was acquired for 10 minutes and reconstructed as 5 frames at 2-minute intervals. A focal radiotracer accumulation confined to the bladder wall was considered as PET positive and referred for further quantitative measurement. SUVmax on ED (1fSUVmax, 2fSUVmax, 3fSUVmax, 4fSUVmax, and 5fSUVmax for 5 frames), WB (WBSUVmax), and AD PET (ADSUVmax) were measured. PET results were correlated with bladder cancer pathology variables. Results The sensitivities of ED, WB, and AD PET for bladder cancer were 84.6%, 57.7%, and 61.2%, respectively. The sensitivity of ED PET was significantly higher than that of WB (P = 0.002) and AD PET (P = 0.008). On ED PET, 2fSUVmax was significantly correlated with muscle invasiveness, histological grade, and pathological tumor size (P = 0.018, P = 0.030, and P = 0.030). On WB and AD PET, only pathological tumor size showed significant positive correlation with WBSUVmax and ADSUVmax (P = 0.043 and P = 0.007). Conclusions Early dynamic PET can help to detect and characterize bladder cancer.

Stratified radiotracer activity in a floppy neobladder on both 18F-FDG PET/CT and 99mTc-MDP bone scan.

18F-FDG and 99mTc-MDP are excreted through the renal system. For the most part, radiotracers are uniformly distributed in the bladder; however, their distribution can exhibit unique patterns in certain situations. We present a case of stratified urine activity in a floppy neobladder on nuclear medicine imaging performed just after CT and MRI contrast studies, respectively.