Computer-assisted mammographic imaging

Computer-assisted mammography imaging comprises computer-based analysis of digitized images resulting in prompts aiding mammographic interpretation and computerized stereotactic localization devices which improve location accuracy. The commercial prompting systems available are designed to draw attention to mammographic abnormalities detected by algorithms based on symptomatic practise in North America. High sensitivity rates are important commercially but result in increased false prompt rates, which are known to distract radiologists. A national shortage of breast radiologists in the UK necessitates evaluation of such systems in a population breast screening programme to determine effectiveness in increasing cancer detection and feasibility of implementation

Magnetic resonance imaging-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation for benign prostatic hyperplasia: 12-month clinical outcomes of a phase I study

Objectives To investigate the safety and feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) for the treatment of benign prostatic obstruction (BPO). Patients and methods An investigator-initiated, prospective, registered (NCT03350529), phase I study enrolled men with lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia in need of surgical intervention. Patients were followed for 12 months after TULSA. Uroflowmetry, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, and a comprehensive set of functional questionnaires including the Expanded Prostate cancer Index Composite-26, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function were obtained at baseline and every 3 months afterwards. MRI was obtained at baseline, and at 3 and 12 months after TULSA. Medication use before and after TULSA were recorded. Adverse events (AEs) were reported using the Clavien-Dindo classification. Results A total of 10 men underwent TULSA with no severe AEs encountered. The baseline median (interquartile range [IQR]) age and prostate volume were 68 (63-72) years and 53 (45-66) mL, respectively. At baseline, six patients were moderately symptomatic and four patients severely symptomatic. Nine patients at baseline were on BPO medication. The median (IQR) improvement in the IPSS was 82%, from 17.5 (15.3-23.0) at baseline to 4.0 (2.3-6.3) at 12 months. Similarly, the median maximum urinary flow rate improved by 101%, from a median (IQR) of 12.4 (8.8-17.6) mL/s at baseline to 21.8 (17.6-26.5) mL/s at 12 months. Improvements were already seen at 3 months. The median prostate volume and PSA reduction at 12 months were 33% and 48%, respectively. There were no changes in continence, sexual, erectile or bowel functions. At 12 months, five out of six men with normal ejaculatory function before TULSA reported normal antegrade ejaculations. All patients taking BPO medication before TULSA discontinued medication after TULSA. Conclusion TULSA appears to be a safe and effective treatment for BPO, with promising 12-month follow-up outcomes. Further studies with larger cohorts are needed to confirm the observed results

Comparison of reprojected bone SPECT/CT and planar bone scintigraphy for the detection of bone metastases in breast and prostate cancer

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare reprojected bone SPECT/CT (RBS) against planar bone scintigraphy (BS) in the detection of bone metastases in breast and prostate cancer patients.Methods: Twenty-six breast and 105 prostate cancer patients with high risk for bone metastases underwent 99mTc-HMDP BS and whole-body SPECT/CT, 1.5-T whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI and 18F-NaF or 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT within two prospective clinical trials (NCT01339780 and NCT03537391). Consensus reading of all imaging modalities and follow-up data were used to define the reference standard diagnosis. The SPECT/CT data were reprojected into anterior and posterior views to produce RBS images. Both BS and RBS images were independently double read by two pairs of experienced nuclear medicine physicians. The findings were validated against the reference standard diagnosis and compared between BS and RBS on the patient, region and lesion levels.Results: All metastatic patients detected by BS were also detected by RBS. In addition, three metastatic patients were missed by BS but detected by RBS. The average patient-level sensitivity of two readers for metastases was 75% for BS and 87% for RBS, and the corresponding specificity was 79% for BS and 39% for RBS. The average region-level sensitivity of two readers was 64% for BS and 69% for RBS, and the corresponding specificity was 96% for BS and 87% for RBS.Conclusion: Whole-body bone SPECT/CT can be reprojected into more familiar anterior and posterior planar images with excellent sensitivity for bone metastases, making additional acquisition of planar BS unnecessary.</p

Long-term prognosis of breast cancer detected by mammography screening or other methods

Introduction Previous studies on breast cancer have shown that patients whose tumors are detected by mammography screening have a more favorable survival. However, little is known about the long-term prognostic impact of screen-detection. The purpose of the current study was to compare breast cancer-specific long-term survival between patients whose tumors were detected in mammography screening and those detected by other methods. Methods Breast cancer patients diagnosed within five specified geographical areas in Finland in 1991-92 were identified (n=2,936). Detailed clinical, treatment and outcome data as well as tissue samples were collected. Women with in situ carcinoma, distant metastases at the primary diagnosis and women who were not operated were excluded. Main analyses were made with exclusions of patients with other malignancy or contralateral breast cancer followed by to sensitivity analyses with different exclusion criterias. Median follow-up time was 15.4 years. Univariate and multivariate analysis of breast cancer-specific survival were performed. Results Of patients included in the main analyses (n=1,884) 22% (n=408) were screen-detected and 78% (n=1,476) were detected by other methods. Breast cancer-specific 15-year survival was 86% for patients with screen-detected cancer and 66% for patients diagnosed by other methods (p<0.0001, HR=2.91). Similar differences in survival were also observed in women at screening age (50-69 years) as well as in clinically important subgroups, such as patients with small tumors ([less than or equal to]1cm in diameter) and without nodal involvement (N0). Women with breast cancer diagnosed by screening mammography had a more favorable prognosis compared to those diagnosed outside of screening program following adjustments according to patient age, tumor size, axillary lymph node status, histological grade and hormone receptor status. Significant differences in the risk of having future contralateral breast cancer according to method of detection was not observed . Conclusions Breast cancer detection in mammography screening is an independent prognostic factor in breast cancer and is associated with a more favorable survival also in long-term follow-up.BioMed Central open acces

Age-Related Neuronal Degeneration: Complementary Roles of Nucleotide Excision Repair and Transcription-Coupled Repair in Preventing Neuropathology

Neuronal degeneration is a hallmark of many DNA repair syndromes. Yet, how DNA damage causes neuronal degeneration and whether defects in different repair systems affect the brain differently is largely unknown. Here, we performed a systematic detailed analysis of neurodegenerative changes in mouse models deficient in nucleotide excision repair (NER) and transcription-coupled repair (TCR), two partially overlapping DNA repair systems that remove helix-distorting and transcription-blocking lesions, respectively, and that are associated with the UV-sensitive syndromes xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) and Cockayne syndrome (CS). TCR–deficient Csa−/− and Csb−/− CS mice showed activated microglia cells surrounding oligodendrocytes in regions with myelinated axons throughout the nervous system. This white matter microglia activation was not observed in NER–deficient Xpa−/− and Xpc−/− XP mice, but also occurred in XpdXPCS mice carrying a point mutation (G602D) in the Xpd gene that is associated with a combined XPCS disorder and causes a partial NER and TCR defect. The white matter abnormalities in TCR–deficient mice are compatible with focal dysmyelination in CS patients. Both TCR–deficient and NER–deficient mice showed no evidence for neuronal degeneration apart from p53 activation in sporadic (Csa−/−, Csb−/−) or highly sporadic (Xpa−/−, Xpc−/−) neurons and astrocytes. To examine to what extent overlap occurs between both repair systems, we generated TCR–deficient mice with selective inactivation of NER in postnatal neurons. These mice develop dramatic age-related cumulative neuronal loss indicating DNA damage substrate overlap and synergism between TCR and NER pathways in neurons, and they uncover the occurrence of spontaneous DNA injury that may trigger neuronal degeneration. We propose that, while Csa−/− and Csb−/− TCR–deficient mice represent powerful animal models to study the mechanisms underlying myelin abnormalities in CS, neuron-specific inactivation of NER in TCR–deficient mice represents a valuable model for the role of NER in neuronal maintenance and survival