3-T magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (3 T-MR-HIFU) for the treatment of pain from bone metastases of solid tumors

Conversion in a Resectable Tumor after Denosumab Neoadjuvant in a Large Dorsal Giant Cells Tumor: A Case Report and a Literature Review

Giant cell tumors of bone are a rare entity, usually occurring in young patients and characteristically arising in the long bones. The spinal location is rare and usually presents with pain and/or neurological symptoms. The treatment of choice is surgery. Treatment with Denosumab, a bisphosphonate inhibitor of RANK-L, which is highly expressed in these tumors, has shown extensive activity in unresectable patients or those undergoing incomplete surgery. Preoperative treatment with this drug is gaining increasing interest, as its high potency in tumor reduction in this subtype of neoplasm has allowed resectability in selected patients. We present the case of a young patient with a large spinal tumor who, after neoadjuvant Denosumab, underwent complete en bloc surgery with clean margins and a great pathological response.

Managing spindle cell sarcoma with surgery and high-intensity focused ultrasound: A case report

BACKGROUND

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas, also known as spindle cell sarcomas, are a relatively uncommon subtype of soft tissue sarcomas in clinical practice.

CASE SUMMARY

We present a case report of a 69-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with undifferentiated spindle cell soft tissue sarcoma on her left thigh. Surgical excision was initially performed, but the patient experienced a local recurrence following multiple surgeries and radioactive particle implantations. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) was subsequently administered, resulting in complete ablation of the sarcoma without any significant complications other than bone damage at the treated site. However, approximately four months later, the patient experienced a broken lesion at the original location. After further diagnostic workup, the patient underwent additional surgery and is currently stable with a good quality of life.

CONCLUSION

HIFU has shown positive outcomes in achieving local control of limb spindle cell sarcoma, making it an effective non-invasive treatment option.

Current therapies and future prospective for locally aggressive mesenchymal tumors

Locally aggressive mesenchymal tumors comprise a heterogeneous group of soft tissue and bone tumors with intermediate histology, incompletely understood biology, and highly variable natural history. Despite having a limited to absent ability to metastasize and excellent survival prognosis, locally aggressive mesenchymal tumors can be symptomatic, require prolonged and repeat treatments including surgery and chemotherapy, and can severely impact patients' quality of life. The management of locally aggressive tumors has evolved over the years with a focus on minimizing morbid treatments. Extensive oncologic surgeries and radiation are pillars of care for high grade sarcomas, however, play a more limited role in management of locally aggressive mesenchymal tumors, due to propensity for local recurrence despite resection, and the risk of transformation to a higher-grade entity following radiation. Patients should ideally be evaluated in specialized sarcoma centers that can coordinate complex multimodal decision-making, taking into consideration the individual patient's clinical presentation and history, as well as any available prognostic factors into customizing therapy. In this review, we aim to discuss the biology, clinical management, and future treatment frontiers for three representative locally aggressive mesenchymal tumors: desmoid-type fibromatosis (DF), tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TSGCT) and giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB). These entities challenge clinicians with their unpredictable behavior and responses to treatment, and still lack a well-defined standard of care despite recent progress with newly approved or promising experimental drugs.

MR-guided ultrasound-stimulated microbubble therapy enhances radiation-induced tumor response

High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) systems have been approved for therapeutic ultrasound delivery to cause tissue ablation or induced hyperthermia. Microbubble agents have also been used in combination with sonication exposures. These require temperature feedback and monitoring to prevent unstable cavitation and prevent excess tissue heating. Previous work has utilized lower power and pressure to oscillate microbubbles and transfer energy to endothelial cells in the absence of thermally induced damage that can radiosensitize tumors. This work investigated whether reduced acoustic power and pressure on a commercial available MR-integrated HIFU system could result in enhanced radiation-induced tumor response after exposure to ultrasound-stimulated microbubbles (USMB) therapy. A commercially available MR-integrated HIFU system was used with a hyperthermia system calibration provided by the manufacturer. The ultrasound transducer was calibrated to reach a peak negative pressure of - 750 kPa. Thirty male New Zealand white rabbits bearing human derived PC3 tumors were grouped to receive no treatment, 14 min of USMB, 8 Gy of radiation in a separate irradiation cabinet, or combined treatments. In vivo temperature changes were collected using MR thermometry at the tumor center and far-field muscle region. Tissues specimens were collected 24 h post radiation therapy. Tumor cell death was measured and compared to untreated controls through hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical analysis. The desired peak negative pressure of - 750 kPa used for previous USMB occurred at approximately an input power of 5 W. Temperature changes were limited to under 4 °C in ten of twelve rabbits monitored. The median temperature in the far-field muscle region of the leg was 2.50 °C for groups receiving USMB alone or in combination with radiation. Finally, statistically significant tumor cell death was demonstrated using immunohistochemical analysis in the combined therapy group compared to untreated controls. A commercial MR-guided therapy HIFU system was able to effectively treat PC3 tumors in a rabbit model using USMB therapy in combination with radiation exposures. Future work could find the use of reduced power and pressure levels in a commercial MR-guided therapy system to mechanically stimulate microbubbles and damage endothelial cells without requiring high thermal doses to elicit an antitumor response.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound for Treatment of Bone Malignancies-20 Years of History

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is the only non-invasive method for percutaneous thermal ablation of tissue, with treatments typically performed either under magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound guidance. Since this method allows efficient heating of bony structures, it has found not only early use in treatment of bone pain, but also in local treatment of malignant bone tumors. This review of 20 years of published studies shows that HIFU is a very efficient method for rapid pain relief, can provide local tumor control and has a very patient-friendly safety profile.

Management of Long Bones Metastatic Disease: Concepts That We All Know but Not Always Remember

Bones are the third most common site of metastatic disease. Treatment is rarely curative; rather, it seeks to control disease progression and palliate symptoms. Imaging evaluation of a patient with symptoms of metastatic bone disease should begin with plain X-rays. Further imaging consists of a combination of (PET)-CT scan and bone scintigraphy. We recommend performing a biopsy after imaging workup has been conducted. Metastatic bone disease is managed with a combination of systemic treatment, radiotherapy (RT), and surgery. External beam RT (EBRT) is used for pain control and postoperatively after fracture stabilization. Single-fraction and multiple-fractions schemes are equally effective achieving pain control. Adequate assessment of fracture risk should guide the decision to stabilize an impending fracture. Despite low specificity, plain X-rays are the first tool to determine risk of impending fractures. CT scan offers a higher positive predictive value and can add diagnostic value. Surgical management depends on the patient's characteristics, tumor type, and location of fracture/bone stock. Fixation options include plate and screw fixation, intramedullary (IM) nailing, and endoprostheses. Despite widespread use, the need for prophylactic stabilization of the entire femur should be individually analyzed in each patient due to higher complication rates of long stems.

Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of JMT103 in patients with bone metastases from solid tumors

Bone metastases are common complications of solid tumors. The outcome is poor despite major progress in cancer therapies. We describe a multicenter, open-label, phase 1, dose escalation and expansion trial of JMT103, a novel fully humanized receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)-targeting monoclonal antibody, in adults with bone metastases from solid tumors. The study assessed the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of JMT103. Patients received JMT103 at doses of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mg/kg every 4 weeks for 3 cycles. Among 59 patients enrolled, 20 and 39 patients participated in the dose-escalation and dose-expansion phases, respectively. One dose-limiting toxicity was observed at 2.0 mg/kg. The maximum tolerated dose was not determined. Treatment-related adverse events were reported in 29 (49.2%) patients, most commonly hypophosphatemia (30.5%), hypocalcemia (23.7%), and hypermagnesemia (10.2%). No treatment-related serious adverse events were reported. Two patients died due to disease progression, which were attributed to gastric cancer and lung neoplasm malignant respectively. Dose proportionality occurred between exposure levels and administered dose was within a dose range of 0.5 to 3.0 mg/kg. The suppression of urinary N-telopeptide corrected for creatinine was rapid, significant, and sustained across all doses of JMT103, with the median change from baseline ranging from –61.4% to –92.2% at day 141. JMT103 was well tolerated in patients with bone metastases from solid tumors, with a manageable safety profile. Bone antiresorptive activity shows the potential of JMT103 for treatment of bone metastases from solid tumors.

Registration No.: NCT03550508; URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/

Minimally Invasive Interventional Procedures for Metastatic Bone Disease: A Comprehensive Review

Metastases are the main type of malignancy involving bone, which is the third most frequent site of metastatic carcinoma, after lung and liver. Skeletal-related events such as intractable pain, spinal cord compression, and pathologic fractures pose a serious burden on patients’ quality of life. For this reason, mini-invasive treatments for the management of bone metastases were developed with the goal of pain relief and functional status improvement. These techniques include embolization, thermal ablation, electrochemotherapy, cementoplasty, and MRI-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound. In order to achieve durable pain palliation and disease control, mini-invasive procedures are combined with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or analgesics. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recently published literature regarding interventional radiology procedures in the treatment of cancer patients with bone metastases, focusing on the efficacy, complications, local disease control and recurrence rate.