Intramedullary spinal cord metastases from breast cancer: Detection with 18F-FDG PET/CT

A 35-year-old woman, already treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy for a ductal carcinoma of the left breast, underwent an 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) scan for an increase of the serum markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cancer antigen 15.3 (CA15.3). The scan showed multiple FDG-avid lesions in the liver and bone. The images also detected two areas of uptake in the dorsal and lumbar spinal cord, which were suspicious for metastases; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed these lesions. © the authors; licensee ecancermedicalscience

Atypical primary pulmonary meningioma: A report of a case suspected of being a lung metastasis

Primary extracranial and extraspinal meningiomas are very rare tumours, and primary pulmonary ones are even more uncommon. They present as a solitary pulmonary nodule, and most of them are benign, except for three cases. We describe a primitive atypical pulmonary meningioma first suspected of being a metastasis in a patient during follow-up ten years after therapy for breast cancer. © the authors; licensee ecancermedicalscience

68Ga- DOTA0-Tyr3octreotide (DOTATOC) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT in five cases of ectopic adrenocorticotropin-secreting tumours

No abstract availabl

Ipilimumab-induced immunomediated adverse events: possible pitfalls in (18)F-FDG PET/CT interpretation

A 42-year-old woman underwent resection of a high-risk melanoma of the right thigh. Adjuvant treatment with ipilimumab was then started within a phase III randomised, double-blind clinical trial. F-FDG PET/CT scan showed intense uptake in mediastinal hilar lymph nodes, bilaterally, and in rectus abdominis muscle. Biopsy at the abdominal wall revealed a chronic granulomatous inflammation. After oral steroid treatment, all the areas of abnormal tracer uptake disappeared. Ipilimumab can induce inflammatory immunomediated reactions that should be taken into account to avoid misinterpretation

Lymphopenia in patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection is caused by margination of lymphocytes in large bowel: an [18F]FDG PET/CT study

Background To investigate the cause of lymphopenia in patients with newly diagnosed COVID-19, we measured [18F]FDG uptake in several tissues, including the ileum, right colon, and caecum at diagnosis and after recovery and correlated these measurements with haematological parameters. Methods We studied, by [18F]FDG PET/CT, 18 newly diagnosed patients with COVID-19. Regions of interest were drawn over major organs and in the terminal ileum, caecum, and right colon, where the bowel wall was evaluable. Five patients were re-examined after recovery, and three of them also performed a white blood cell scan with 99mTc-HMPAO-WBC on both occasions. Complete blood count was performed on both occasions, and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were measured at diagnosis. Data were analysed by a statistician. Results Patients had moderate severity COVID-19 syndrome. Basal [18F]FDG PET/CT showed focal lung uptake corresponding to hyperdense areas at CT. We also found high spleen, ileal, caecal, and colonic activity as compared to 18 control subjects. At recovery, hypermetabolic tissues tended to normalize, but activity in the caecum remained higher than in controls. Regression analyses showed an inverse correlation between CD4 + lymphocytes and [18F]FDG uptake in the caecum and colon and a direct correlation between CD8 + lymphocytes and [18F]FDG uptake in lungs and bone marrow. WBC scans showed the presence of leukocytes in the caecum and colon that disappeared at recovery. Conclusions These findings indicate that lymphopenia in COVID-19 patients is associated with large bowel inflammation supporting the hypothesis that CD4 + lymphocytes migrate to peripheral lymphoid tissues in the bowel

Autonomous functioning thyroid nodules and 131I in diagnosis and therapy after 50 years of experience: What is still open to debate?

PURPOSE OF THE REPORT: Autonomous functioning thyroid nodules (AFTN), defined as "hot nodules" at thyroid scan, are often cured by radioiodine treatment. The aim of our study was to investigate the long-term outcome in patients treated with an I calculated dose, to identify a possible "size-tailored" dose, and to simplify follow-up procedures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis was carried out on 1402 cases, covering a period of 50 years, of AFTN treated with an I calculated dose. Our study focused on nodular size and mean administered dose. Concordance between thyroid scan and serum TSH levels at 3-6 months from treatment was considered. RESULTS: A single I dose was effective for the vast majority of patients (93%). The outcome was influenced by nodular size. On the basis of the Italian dose limit for outpatient treatment, our population was divided into subgroups according to administered doses (more or less than 16 mCi) and nodular dimensions: no differences in outcome were observed for each class of nodule size. A dose ≤10 mCi was effective on the smaller nodules (50.1% of our population). The agreement between TSH and scan after treatment was 90.3% at 3 months and 94.5% at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: I therapy with a calculated dose is an effective treatment of AFTN. If a fixed dose is chosen, 16 mCi is often resolutive and for nodules 5 cm are eligible for surgery. TSH is the only parameter required to evaluate the outcome. © 2013 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Radioiodine uptake in non-lactating mammary glands: Evidence for a causative role of hyperprolactinemia

Context: Radioiodine uptake is rarely observed in normal non-lactating breast tissue. Investigation of the in vivo regulation of iodide uptake in breast tissue may be useful for the induction of radioiodine uptake in breast cancer tissue for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Case reports: We report the cases of two post-menopausal women who underwent radioiodine therapy for papillary thyroid carcinoma and in whom breast uptake of radioiodine on post-therapy whole body scan (WBS) was observed. Methods and results: In both patients, elevated serum prolactin levels ( 123 ng/mL in patient 1 and 48 ng/mL in patient 2) were documented at the time when radioiodine uptake in the breast was observed. The hyperprolactinemia was due to prolonged treatment with the antidopaminergic neuroleptic risperidone in Case 1, and chronic renal failure in Case 2. When prolactin levels were normalized ( by withdrawal of risperidone in Case 1 and with cabergoline in Case 2), breast tissue uptake was no longer evident on WBS. Conclusion: These cases provide the first documented correlation between serum levels of endogenous prolactin and radioiodine uptake by involuted breast tissue in humans

Long-term results of PRRT in advanced bronchopulmonary carcinoid

Purpose: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours (NET) has been explored for almost two decades, but there are still few trials that have exclusively investigated well-differentiated and moderately differentiated NET arising from the respiratory tree. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the outcome in patients affected by bronchopulmonary carcinoid (BPC) following PRRT. Methods: We retrospectively analysed 114 patients with advanced stage BPC consecutively treated with PRRT at the European Institute of Oncology, Milan, from 1997 to 2012 and followed until October 2014. The objective responses, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were rated, and three different PRRT protocols (90Y-DOTATOC vs. 177Lu-DOTATATE vs. 90Y-DOTATOC + 177Lu-DOTATATE) were compared with regard to their efficacy and tolerability. Results: The median OS (evaluated in 94 of the 114 patients) was 58.8 months. The median PFS was 28.0 months. The 177Lu-DOTATATE protocol resulted in the highest 5-year OS (61.4 %). Morphological responses (partial responses + minor responses) were obtained in 26.5 % of the cohort and were associated with longer OS and PFS. The 90Y-DOTATOC + 177Lu-DOTATATE protocol provided the highest response rate (38.1 %). Adverse events were mild in the majority of patients. However, haematological toxicity negatively affected survival. No severe (grade 3/4) serum creatinine increase was observed. Patients treated with 90Y-DOTATOC alone more frequently showed a mild/moderate decrease in renal function. In patients treated with chemotherapy before PRRT had a shorter OS and PFS, and a higher risk of developing nephrotoxicity. Conclusion: In a large cohort of patients with advanced BPC treated in a â\u80\u9creal-worldâ\u80\u9d scenario and followed up for a median of 45.1 months (range 2 â\u80\u93 191 months), PRRT proved to be promising in prolonging survival and delaying disease progression. Despite the potential selection biases, considering the risk-benefit ratio, 177Lu-DOTATATE monotherapy seems the best option for PRRT. Our results indicate that the use of PRRT in earlier stages of the disease could provide a more favorable outcome

A Retrospective Analysis of the Correlation between Functional Imaging and Clinical Outcomes in Grade 3 Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs G3)

Grade 3 (G3) neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a novel category among digestive neuroendocrine neoplasms, characterized by Ki-67 >20% and a well-differentiated morphology, presenting high intra-tumor heterogeneity. We aimed to explore the role of dual-tracer PET imaging (68Gallium (Ga)-DOTATOC and 18Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)) as overall survival (OS) predictor in NET G3 patients. We performed a retrospective analysis in NET G3 patients treated at our institution between 2003 and 2021. Accordingly, 30 NET G3 patients were analyzed. 68Ga-DOTA-TOC and 18F-FDG uptake were assessed by tumor/non-tumor (T-nonT) ratio. We reported a slightly better OS for patients with ≥75% concordance between 68Ga-DOTA-TOC and 18F-FDG PET/CT (p = 0.42). Among patients with discordant functional imaging, we reported a better 5-y OS rate for patients with a prevalent 68Ga-DOTATOC vs. 18F-FDG PET/CT (p = 0.016). In positive 18F-FDG PET/CT cases, we reported a better OS for <4 vs. ≥4 T/non-T ratio (p = 0.021). Among upfront-NET G3 patients with concordant exams, 5-y OS rate was 83.3% (95% CI: 27.3–97.5). Among patients with discordant exams, 5-y OS rate was 81.3% (52.5–93.5), 100% for those with prevalent receptor expression, and 50% (11.1–80.4) for those with prevalent 18F-FDG uptake. Our findings suggest that dual-tracer PET/CT can be considered as a predictor of patient outcome, able to stratify NET G3 patients with poorer prognosis

SARS-CoV-2 Affects Thyroid and Adrenal Glands: An ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT Study

Background: Since most endocrine glands express ACE-2 receptors and can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 virus, this retrospective multicentre observational study aims to assess the metabolic activity of thyroid and adrenal glands of COVID-19 patients by 18F-FDG PET/CT. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the 18F-FDG PET/CT scans of COVID-19 patients admitted by three different centres, either in a low-intensity department or in the intensive care unit (ICU). A visual assessment and a semi-quantitative evaluation of areas of interest in thyroid and adrenal glands were performed by recording SUVmax and SUVmean. The 18F-FDG PET/CT uptake in COVID-19 patients was compared with those observed in normal age-matched controls. Results: Between March 2020 and March 2022, 33 patients from three different centres (twenty-eight patients in a low-intensity department and five patients in ICU), were studied by 18F-FDG PET/CT during active illness. Seven of them were also studied after clinical remission (3–6 months after disease onset). Thirty-six normal subjects were used as age-matched controls. In the thyroid gland, no statistically significant differences were observed between control subjects and COVID-19 patients at diagnosis. However, at the follow-up PET/CT study, we found a statistically higher SUVmax and SUVmean (p = 0.009 and p = 0.004, respectively) in the thyroid of COVID-19 patients. In adrenal glands, we observed lower SUVmax and SUVmean in COVID-19 patients at baseline compared to control subjects (p p = 0.0018 for SUVmax and p = 0.002 for SUV mean). Conclusions: In our series, we observed persistent low 18F-FDG uptake in adrenal glands of patients at diagnosis of COVID-19 and after recovery, suggesting a chronic hypofunction. By contrast, thyroid uptake was comparable to normal subjects at disease onset, but after recovery, a subgroup of patients showed an increased metabolism, thus possibly suggesting the onset of an inflammatory thyroiditis. Our results should alert clinicians to investigate the pituitary–adrenal axis and thyroid functionality at the time of infection and to monitor them after recovery