UNASSIGNED: A non-invasive, simple, and convenient method to evaluate the presence of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations is important for initial treatment decisions in lung adenocarcinoma.
UNASSIGNED: We retrospectively reviewed 297 untreated primary lung adenocarcinoma patients with exact EGFR status. Based on their EGFR status, the patients were divided into a mutant-type group (138 patients) and wild-type group (159 patients). General patient characteristics and possible factors reflecting the status of EGFR were also evaluated.
UNASSIGNED: Of the 297 lung adenocarcinoma patients analyzed for EGFR status who underwent positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) between January 2013 and December 2017, mutations in the EGFR gene were detected in 138 patients (46.5%). EGFR mutations were more frequently associated with women, never smokers, and low 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-glucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT maximal standard uptake value of the primary tumor (pSUVmax). Multivariate analysis indicated that women [odds ratio (OR) =2.853; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.451-5.611; P=0.002], never smokers (OR =2.414; 95% CI: 1.217-4.789; P=0.012), tumor size <3.5 cm (OR, 2.170; 95% CI: 1.205-3.908; P=0.010), and pSUVmax <8.2 (OR =1.904; 95% CI: 1.098-3.302; P=0.022) were effective predictors of EGFR mutation. In addition, the area under the curve (AUC) of pSUVmax and tumor size was 0.623 and 0.600, respectively. Combined with clinical characteristics, including sex and smoking status, the AUC of the 4 predictors was 0.770.
UNASSIGNED: These indicators could be helpful for enhancing predictive accuracy of EGFR mutations in lung adenocarcinoma patients, especially in those for whom EGFR detection is unavailable.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the geometrical differences in and metabolic parameters of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (18F-FDG PET-CT) and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) performed before and during radiotherapy (RT) for patients with esophageal cancer based on the three-dimensional CT (3DCT) medium and explore whether the high signal area derived from DW-MRI can be used as a tool for an individualized definition of the volume in need of dose escalation for esophageal squamous cancer.
METHODS: Thirty-two patients with esophageal squamous cancer sequentially underwent repeated 3DCT, 18F-FDG PET-CT, and enhanced MRI before the initiation of RT and after the 15th fraction. All images were fused with 3DCT images through deformable registration. The gross tumor volume (GTV) was delineated based on PET Edge on the first and second PET-CT images and defined as GTVPETpre and GTVPETdur, respectively. GTVDWIpre and GTVDWIdur were delineated on the first and second DWI and corresponding T2-weighted MRI (T2W-MRI)-fused images. The maximum, mean, and peak standardized uptake values (SUVs; SUVmax, SUVmean, and SUVpeak, respectively); metabolic tumor volume (MTV); and total lesion glycolysis(TLG) and its relative changes were calculated automatically on PET. Similarly, the minimum and mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC; ADCmin and ADCmean) and its relative changes were measured manually using ADC maps.
RESULTS: The volume of GTVCT exhibited a significant positive correlation with that of GTVPET and GTVDWI (both p < 0.001). Significant differences were observed in both ADCs and 18F-FDG PET metabolic parameters before and during RT (both p < 0.001). No significant correlation was observed between SUVs and ADCs before and during RT (p = 0.072-0.944) and between ∆ADCs and ∆SUVs (p = 0.238-0.854). The conformity index and degree of inclusion of GTVPETpre to GTVDWIpre were significantly higher than those of GTVPETdur to GTVDWIdur (both p < 0.001). The maximum diameter shrinkage rate (∆LDDWI) (24%) and the tumor volume shrinkage rate (VRRDWI) (60%) based on DW-MRI during RT were significantly greater than the corresponding PET-based ∆LDPET (14%) and VRRPET (41%) rates (p = 0.017 and 0.000, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: Based on the medium of CT images, there are significant differences in spatial position, biometabolic characteristics, and the tumor shrinkage rate for GTVs derived from 18F-FDG PET-CT and DW-MRI before and during RT for esophageal squamous cancer. Further studies are needed to determine if DW-MRI will be used as tool for an individualized definition of the volume in need of dose escalation.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease generally of old age manifested as degeneration of articular cartilage. With no definitive treatment available, ongoing research aims at early detection and use specific noninvasive imaging markers to monitor therapeutic efficacy of disease modifying osteoarthritic drug (DMOAD) to reverse or/and arrest the disease process. Articular cartilage degradation and loss, as well as bone remodelling, are typical biomarkers of OA. As a result, an ideal imaging technique for early detection of OA is required, which must be sensitive to both soft tissue and bone health. PET/MRI is emerging as an imaging tool which can be used to study the underlying pathogenesis of OA as it enables us to assess molecular activity with PET markers while also linking them to qualitative and quantitative MRI indices of OA. In this regard recent work was exploring the role of 18F-Na Fluoride which is a marker of bone remodelling together with MRI in early detection of OA on simultaneous PET/MRI. In this article we intend to present different patterns of OA (mild to severe stages of OA) that we had observed on 18F-Sodium Fluoride (18F-NaF) PET/MRI.

Imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of women with uterine cervical and endometrial cancers. Quantitative imaging, through MRI, PET/CT, and hybrid PET/MRI, allows for characterization of primary tumors beyond anatomic and qualitative descriptors. MRI diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) yields an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), which can be applied in both the pre-and post-treatment assessment of uterine tumors. PET/CT assesses metabolic activity, and measurement of tumor standardized uptake value (SUV) is a useful metric in the staging of uterine malignancies. Hybrid PET/MRI is an emerging modality that combines the soft tissue contrast of MRI with the molecular imaging capability of PET. This review provides an overview of these quantitative imaging modalities, and their current and potential roles in the assessment of uterine cervical and cancer.

The Hopkins criteria were introduced for nodal response evaluation after therapy in head and neck cancer, but its superiority over quantification is not yet confirmed.
SUVbody weight thresholds and lesion-to-background ratios were explored in a prospective multicenter study of standardized FDG-PET/CT 12 weeks after CRT in newly diagnosed locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LAHNSCC) patients (ECLYPS). Reference standard was histology, negative FDG-PET/CT at 12 months after treatment or ≥ 2 years of negative follow-up. Area under the receiver operator characteristics curves (AUROC) were estimated and obtained thresholds were validated in an independent cohort of HNSCC patients (n = 127).
In ECLYPS, 124 patients were available for quantification. With a median follow-up of 20.4 months, 23 (18.5%) nodal neck recurrences were observed. A SUV70 threshold of 2.2 (AUROC = 0.89; sensitivity = 79.7%; specificity = 80.8%) was identified as optimal metric to identify nodal recurrence within 1 year after therapy. For lesion-to-background ratios, an SUV50/SUVliver threshold of 0.96 (AUROC = 0.89; sensitivity = 79.7%; specificity = 82.8%) had the best performance. Compared with Hopkins criteria (AUROC = 0.81), SUV70 and SUV50/SUVliver provided a borderline significant (p = 0.040 and p = 0.094, respectively) improvement. Validation of thresholds yielded similar AUROC values (SUV70 = 0.93, SUV50/SUVliver = 0.95), and were comparable to the Hopkins score (AUROC = 0.91; not statistically significant).
FDG quantification detects nodal relapse in LAHNSCC patients. When using EARL standardized PET acquisitions and reconstruction, absolute SUV metrics (SUV70 threshold 2.2) prove robust, yet ratios (SUV50/SUVliver, threshold 0.96) may be more useful in routine clinical care. In this setting, the diagnostic value of quantification is comparable to the Hopkins criteria.
US National Library for Medicine, NCT01179360. Registered 11 August 2010, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01179360.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG PET-CT) combined with transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) in diagnosing atypical relapsing polychondritis (RP).
METHODS: Data from two patients with atypical RP, which had been diagnosed in our hospital using FDG PET-CT combined with TBNA, were retrospectively analyzed. A review of the relevant literature was also performed.
RESULTS: Consistent with the previously reported 20 cases of RP that had been diagnosed using FDG PET-CT, the two patients in the present study showed the involvement of multiple organs, including the nose, throat, trachea, bronchi, costicartilage and joint cartilages, and increased FDG uptake was found in these areas. The mean value of SUVmax was 5.14. PET-CT revealed that 86.4% of the patients with RP had airway involvement. TBNA technique was used for biopsy of the hypermetabolic lesions, and pathologic examinations confirmed the diagnosis of RP. The time to diagnosis in these two patients and the 20 cases reported previously was about 6.9 months, significantly shorter than the average diagnosis time (20 months).
CONCLUSIONS: FDG PET-CT has several advantages for diagnosing RP, especially atypical RP. TBNA is a minimally invasive and safe technique for obtaining airway cartilage. Combining PET-CT with TBNA may play an important role in shortening the time to diagnosis in patients with RP involvement of airway.

OBJECTIVE: Borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) are more common in young women of reproductive age, and exhibit a better prognosis than malignant ovarian tumors (MOTs). Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) were compared in their ability to differentiate BOTs from stage I MOTs.
METHODS: Among 173 patients who had preoperative FDG PET/CT due to ovarian neoplasms between November 2006 and March 2009, there were 13 patients with BOTs or stage I MOTs. For differential diagnosis of the two tumors, cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) level, the longest diameter of tumors, metabolic indices including maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), and volumetric indices including metabolic tumor volume (MTV) were compared, respectively.
RESULTS: The BOT group (n = 7) was comprised of five mucinous and two serous tumors, and the MOT group (n = 6) was comprised of three endometrioid, two clear cell and one mucinous tumors. Among the comparisons between two groups, SUVmax of the BOT group was significantly lower than that of the MOT group (2.9 ± 1.5 vs. 6.6 ± 2.9, p = 0.0223); otherwise, no significant difference was found in age, CA-125, diameter, or MTV. By receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, SUVmax of 3.7 was the best cutoff value to differentiate BOTs from stage I MOTs, with a sensitivity of 83.3 % and specificity of 85.7, and the area under curve of 0.893 (p = 0.0001, 95 % CI: 0.601∼0.993).
CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that SUVmax could distinguish BOTs from stage I MOTs, with a high sensitivity and specificity. Metabolic indices determined by FDG PET/CT were more suitable than volumetric indices for differential diagnosis of the two tumors.

BACKGROUND: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly being used for assessing the treatment succes in oncology, but the real clinical value needs to evaluated by comparison with other, already established, metabolic imaging techniques.
OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the clinical potential of diffusion-weighted MRI with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping for gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) response to targeted therapy compared with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT).
METHODS: Eight patients (mean age, 56 ± 11 years) known to have metastatic GIST underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI (T1Gd, DWI [b = 50,300,600], ADC mapping) simultaneously, before and after change in targeted therapy. MR and PET/CT examinations were first analyzed blindly. Second, PET/CT images were co-registered with T1Gd-MR images for lesion detection. Only 18F-FDG avid lesions were considered. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and the corresponding minimum ADCmin were measured for the six largest lesions per patient, if any, on baseline and follow-up examinations. The relationship between changes in SUVmax and ADCmin was analyzed (Spearman\'s correlation).
RESULTS: Twenty-four metastases (12 hepatic, 12 extra-hepatic) were compared on PET/CT and MR images. SUVmax decreased from 7.7 ± 8.1 g/mL to 5.5 ± 5.4 g/mL (P = 0.20), while ADCmin increased from 1.2 ± 0.3 × 10(-3)mm(2)/s to 1.5 ± 0.3 × 10(-3)mm(2)/s (P = 0.0002). There was a significant association between changes in SUVmax and ADCmin (rho = - 0.62, P = 0.0014), but not between changes in lesions size (P = 0.40).
CONCLUSIONS: Changes in ADCmin correlated with the response of 18F-FDG avid GIST to targeted therapy. Thus, diffusion-weighted MRI may represent a radiation-free alternative for follow-up treatment for metastatic GIST patients.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma is increasingly treated with trimodality therapy. We present our experience using carboplatin/paclitaxel and radiotherapy followed by surgery.
METHODS: Consecutive patients with distal esophageal/GEJ adenocarcinoma (≥T2 or N+) treated from July 2010 to October 2011 were identified. Treatment included neoadjuvant carboplatin/paclitaxel with concurrent radiotherapy (CRT) to 50.4 Gy using an IMRT technique and then Ivor Lewis esophagogastrectomy (ILE). PET/CT was performed prior to and after CRT. Patient/treatment characteristics and tumor response were analyzed.
RESULTS: Over this timeframe, 16 patients completed trimodality therapy. All were male, median age of 60 years (45-72 years). All tumors were grade 2-3 with mean tumor length of 4.4 cm (1-9 cm). A median of 6 cycles (5-9 cycles) neoadjuvant carboplatin/paclitaxel were administered. Average time from diagnosis to CRT completion was 76 days (44-141 days) and 60 days (35-92 days) from CRT end to surgery. Neoadjuvant CRT was well tolerated with mean weight loss of 3.9 kg. All pts had R0 resections. No anastomotic leaks or perioperative mortality occurred. Mean hospital stay was 13 days (8-28 days). Pathologic complete response (pCR) was seen in 38% of patients, microscopic residual disease (isolated tumor cells or <2 mm) in 31%, and macroscopic residual disease remained in 31%. Mean SUV reduction was 41% (0-100%). Of 11 patients with ≥35% SUV decrease, 45% had pCR and 27% had microscopic residual disease. Three patients had signet ring features. Of these, 2 had no SUV reduction and all had gross residual disease, including the only patient with positive nodal disease.
CONCLUSIONS: Trimodality therapy utilizing concurrent carboplatin/paclitaxel and radiotherapy to 50.4 Gy followed by surgery was well tolerated and resulted in significant pathologic complete response or minimal residual disease. Further investigation of predictive factors for response is needed to best tailor therapy in the management of esophageal/GEJ adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of our study were to evaluate the occult nodal metastasis in clinical stage I patients by PET/CT, further investigate the potential risk factors for nodal involvement, since a successful prediction could be helpful in selection appropriate candidates for SABR or limited surgery.
METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 189 patients who diagnosed as clinical stage I NSCLC by (18)F-FDG PET/CT from January 2004 to July 2011. All patients underwent lobectomy and systematic lymph node dissection and preoperative (18)F-FDG PET/CT scanning. The prevalence of occult nodal metastasis in patients as clinical N0 was analyzed according to clinicopathological factors such as tumor location, tumor size, tumor subtype, grade of differentiation and primary tumor SUV(max). Risk factors for occult nodal metastasis were defined by univariate and multivariate analysis.
RESULTS: Occult nodal metastasis was detected in 18.0% (34/189) of the patients. SUV(max) of the primary tumor and tumor size were independent predictors of occult nodal metastasis for patients with clinical N(0)NSCLC by FDG PET/CT. Accordingly we divided our patients into three groups: group 1 (low-risk group) ∼T ≤ 3 cm and SUV(max) ≤ 4.3; group 2 (moderate-risk group) ∼T ≤ 3 cm and SUV(max) > 4.3 or SUV(max) ≤ 4.3 and T > 3 cm; group 3 (high-risk group) ∼T > 3 cm and SUV(max) > 4.3. The occult lymph node metastasis rate in groups 1, 2, 3 was 1/82 (1.2%), 19/75 (25.3%) and 14/32 (43%) respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: T(1-2N0M0) NSCLC patients by PET/CT showing larger tumor size and high SUV(max) constitute a high-risk group for occult nodal metastasis. The combined information of primary tumor SUV(max) and tumor size before treatment have potential values in the clinic. These findings would be helpful in selection of SABR or limited surgery candidates.