Effect of blood glucose level on standardized uptake value (SUV) in F-18- FDG PET-scan : a systematic review and meta-analysis of 20,807 individual SUV measurements

Objectives To evaluate the effect of pre-scan blood glucose levels (BGL) on standardized uptake value (SUV) in F-18-FDG-PET scan. Methods A literature review was performed in the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane library databases. Multivariate regression analysis was performed on individual datum to investigate the correlation of BGL with SUVmax and SUVmean adjusting for sex, age, body mass index (BMI), diabetes mellitus diagnosis, F-18-FDG injected dose, and time interval. The ANOVA test was done to evaluate differences in SUVmax or SUVmean among five different BGL groups (200 mg/dl). Results Individual data for a total of 20,807 SUVmax and SUVmean measurements from 29 studies with 8380 patients was included in the analysis. Increased BGL is significantly correlated with decreased SUVmax and SUVmean in brain (p <0.001, p <0.001,) and muscle (p <0.001, p <0.001) and increased SUVmax and SUVmean in liver (p = 0.001, p = 0004) and blood pool (p=0.008, p200 mg/dl had significantly lower SUVmax. Conclusion If BGL is lower than 200mg/dl no interventions are needed for lowering BGL, unless the liver is the organ of interest. Future studies are needed to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET scan in diagnosis of malignant lesions in hyperglycemia.Peer reviewe

Radioimmunotherapy as the first line of treatment in non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is the most common hematologic malignancy. The estimated deaths and new cases of NHL in the USA in 2018 have reached 19,910 and 74,680, respectively, with 5-year survival rate of 71%. Therapeutic interventions for NHL consist of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy. Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a potential alternative treatment for NHL that is currently used in different lines of treatment. Studies show that nuclear medicine physicians and radiation oncologists are not yet certain about the proper line for administration of RIT. Herein, we have reviewed the efficiency and toxicity of RIT as the first line of treatment, and discussed potential novel indications, and strategies such as modifying induction therapy and using rituximab maintenance to optimize the efficiency of RIT as the first line of treatment. Our review indicates that it is more logical to postpone conventional therapies to the second or third lines of treatment instead of RIT

Radioimmunotherapy in non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Prediction and assessment of response

International audienceNon-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is one of the most common malignancies and a major cause of morbidityand mortality. Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a novel modality for treating NHL which offers the combineduse of monoclonal antibodies for specific targeting of malignant cells and radiation for killing these cells.Despite the promising results favoring RIT in several clinical studies in different target populations andNHL types, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for RIT agents is restricted to a limited numberof indications and agents, maybe because of several ambiguities that still exist in the field. One of theseambiguities are the lack of evidence-based prognostic factors that determine what patient populationwould benefit most from RIT, which is essential to know in order to optimize the efficacy and safetyof treatment with RIT. As well as selecting the best patient population for RIT, it is important to assessthe response to RIT in order to provide further treatment strategies or avoid unnecessary therapies anddiagnostic procedures. In this review we have explored the details of how to predict the efficiency of RIT

Value of Burr‐Hole Surgery as an Adjunct to Encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis in Treatment of Adult Moyamoya Disease: A Case Series

Background Using a single indirect revascularization technique in adult patients with moyamoya disease has been associated with inconsistent outcomes. Herein, we aimed to describe treatment outcomes following combined encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis plus burr‐hole surgery (BHS) in adult moyamoya disease. Methods Encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis combined with 1 anterior and 1 posterior burr hole per hemisphere was performed in 16 adults with moyamoya disease who presented to our center between 2013 and 2019. Patients were followed with clinical reassessments and cerebral angiograms to evaluate for neovascularization. Results Combined encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis and BHS procedures were performed on 24 hemispheres in 16 patients. Follow‐up ranged from 9 to 57 months, during which no new ischemic or hemorrhagic events, perioperative or long‐term complications, or deterioration of symptoms was observed. Follow‐up angiography showed evidence of additional neovascularization provided by the burr holes in 18 of the 24 hemispheres. Of 9 hemispheres with poor revascularization response to encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis, 5 achieved neovascularization at the burr‐hole sites. Older age, smoking, and cerebral infarction or hemorrhage on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging tended to correlate with absence of neovascularization following BHS. Conclusions BHS is a simple and safe procedure that can be done simultaneously with other indirect or direct revascularization procedures. It can provide additional neovascularization even in patients unresponsive to encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis (EDAS) and can be tailored to improve the blood flow in any vascular territory that may not be properly covered by standard revascularization procedures. We find value in adding BHS as an adjunct to other indirect or direct revascularization techniques such as encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis for treatment of adult moyamoya disease

Cigarette Smoking as a Risk Factor for Hematoma Expansion in Primary Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Analysis From a Randomized Clinical Trial

Background Cigarette smoking is a well‐known risk factor for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. We evaluated the impact of smoking status on hematoma expansion and clinical outcome in patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods and Results This is a post hoc exploratory analysis of the ATACH (Antihypertensive Treatment at Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage)‐2 trial. Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage were randomized into intensive blood pressure lowering (systolic blood pressure, <139 mm Hg) versus standard blood pressure lowering (systolic blood pressure, 140–179 mm Hg) in this study. We compared the demographic characteristics; hematoma size, location, and expansion rate; and clinical outcome based on subjects' smoking status. Of a total of 914 patients in the trial with known smoking status, 439 (48%) patients were ever smokers (264 current smokers and 175 former smokers). Current and former smokers were younger and more likely to be men. Baseline Glasgow Coma Scale score and initial hematoma size did not vary based on smoking status. Ever smokers had higher rates of thalamic hemorrhage (42% versus 34%) and intraventricular hemorrhage (29% versus 23%); this rate was highest among former smokers versus current smokers (49% versus 35%, respectively). Ever smokers had a higher rate of hematoma expansion in 24 hours (adjusted relative risk [RR] [95% CI], 1.46 [1.08–1.96]) compared with nonsmokers on multivariate analysis. There was no significant difference in the rate of death and disability at 90 days between the 2 groups (adjusted RR [95% CI], 1.18 [0.998–1.40]). Conclusions Our analysis demonstrates cigarette smoking as an independent predictor for hematoma expansion. There was no significant difference in death and disability based on smoking status