Prognostic Value of Quantitative Parameters of 18F-FDG PET/CT for Patients With Angiosarcoma

Clinical value of the semi-quantitative parameters of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT in the classification of hepatic echinococcosis in the Qinghai Tibetan area of China

BACKGROUND

To investigate the value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) semi-quantitative parameters, including the lesion diameter, maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), maximum standardized uptake value corrected for lean body mass (SULmax), metabolic lesion volume (MLV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG), for classifying hepatic echinococcosis.

METHODS

In total, 20 patients with 36 hepatic echinococcosis lesions were included in the study. Overall, these lesions were categorized as hepatic cystic echinococcosis (HCE) or hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (HAE) according to the pathological results. Multiple semi-parameters including the maximum diameter, SUVmax, SULmax, MLV, and TLG were measured to classify HCE and HAE compared with the pathological results. The receiver operator characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) of each quantitative parameter were calculated. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare data between the two groups.

RESULTS

In total, 12 cystic lesions and 24 alveolar lesions were identified after surgery. There were significant differences in SUV max, SUL max, MLV, and TLG between the HAE and HCE groups (Z =  - 4.70, - 4.77, - 3.36, and - 4.23, respectively, all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the maximum lesion diameter between the two groups (Z =  - 0.77, P > 0.05). The best cutoffs of SUV max, SUL max, MLV, and TLG for the differential diagnosis of HAE and HCE were 2.09, 2.67, 27.12, and 18.79, respectively. The AUCs of the four parameters were 0.99, 0.99, 0.85, and 0.94, respectively. The sensitivities were 91.7%, 87.5%, 66.7%, and 85.6%, respectively, and the specificities were 90.1%, 91.7%, 83.3%, and 90.9%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

18F-FDG PET/CT semi-quantitative parameters had significant clinical value in the diagnosis and pathological classification of hepatic echinococcosis and evaluation of clinical treatment.

Exploring Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Predictive Models, Radiomic, and Pathological Markers in Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review

Breast cancer retains its position as the most prevalent form of malignancy among females on a global scale. The careful selection of appropriate treatment for each patient holds paramount importance in effectively managing breast cancer. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) plays a pivotal role in the comprehensive treatment of this disease. Administering chemotherapy before surgery, NACT becomes a powerful tool in reducing tumor size, potentially enabling fewer invasive surgical procedures and even rendering initially inoperable tumors amenable to surgery. However, a significant challenge lies in the varying responses exhibited by different patients towards NACT. To address this challenge, researchers have focused on developing prediction models that can identify those who would benefit from NACT and those who would not. Such models have the potential to reduce treatment costs and contribute to a more efficient and accurate management of breast cancer. Therefore, this review has two objectives: first, to identify the most effective radiomic markers correlated with NACT response, and second, to explore whether integrating radiomic markers extracted from radiological images with pathological markers can enhance the predictive accuracy of NACT response. This review will delve into addressing these research questions and also shed light on the emerging research direction of leveraging artificial intelligence techniques for predicting NACT response, thereby shaping the future landscape of breast cancer treatment.

Cosmetic Filler and PET Positivity: The Risk of a False Positive

OBJECTIVE

To discuss a case of hyaluronic acid filler displaying as PET avid resulting in a false positive for local recurrence and review of the literature of how filler presents on PET.

STUDY DESIGN

Case report and literature review.

METHODS

Retrospective case review of a patient with angiosarcoma with PET-MRI positivity after hyaluronic acid filler injection. Review of the literature was performed.

RESULTS

A 49-year-old female with low grade angiosarcoma of the right cheek pT1N0M0 was treated with wide local excision and staged reconstruction with cervicofacial advancement flap with subsequent adjuvant radiation therapy. Surveillance PET/MRI scans were conducted every 3 months. After one year without recurrence, HA injectable filler was offered to correct resultant right facial soft tissue defect. The patient proceeded with HA filler and was counseled on the risk of local increased SUV on imaging. Her PET/MRI 3 months later revealed postsurgical changes in the right premaxillary soft tissues with associated low-grade hypermetabolism with max SUV 1.8, which elevated from prior max SUV 0.9. Contralateral left maxillary soft tissues revealed max SUV 0.8. Biopsy was initially favored for concern of local recurrence until the potential for filler to be associated with elevated SUV was discussed. Further evaluation with MRI showed diffusely increased T2 signal with some trace enhancement in the region of PET activity, confirming that findings were consistent with HA filler augmentation per the neuroradiologist team.

CONCLUSIONS

Fillers, including hyaluronic acid, are associated with elevated SUV on PET-CT. Otolaryngologists should be aware of these features to improve patient counseling, avoid unnecessary procedures, and reduce patient anxiety. Laryngoscope, 133:2951-2953, 2023.

FDG PET/CT in a Case of Primary Angiosarcoma of the Kidney

ABSTRACT

Primary angiosarcoma of the kidney is a rare aggressive malignancy. We describe MRI and FDG PET/CT findings in a case of primary renal angiosarcoma with hepatic, pulmonary, and bony metastases. The large primary tumor showed extensive necrosis and increased FDG uptake in the nonnecrotic components. Multiple metastatic lesions in the liver, lung, and bones were detected by FDG PET/CT. Most of the hepatic metastases seen on MRI were missed on FDG PET/CT due to low FDG avidity.

Different prognostic outcomes in two cases of FDG-PET/CT-Positive and -negative cardiac angiosarcoma

Cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor with a poor prognosis, characterized by the high uptake of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). This case report presents two cases of cardiac angiosarcoma with a marked difference in FDG uptake and prognosis.Case Summary:Case 1: A 40-year-old male presented with syncope. Ultrasound echocardiography demonstrated a cardiac tumor with a high uptake of ¹⁸F-FDG (maximum standardized uptake value=9.2). The patient underwent heart catheterization and tumor biopsy. The pathological result was high-grade angiosarcoma, and the MIB-1(Ki-67) proliferation index was approximately 20%. Systemic chemotherapy was administered; however, the patient died 2 years and 5 months after disease onset.Case 2: A 65-year-old female had a right atrial tumor incidentally diagnosed during routine ultrasound echocardiography. The tumor exhibited a low uptake of ¹⁸F-FDG (maximum standardized uptake value=1.8). Open heart surgery was performed, and the tumor was completely resected. Histological analysis revealed low-grade angiosarcoma, and the MIB-1(Ki-67) proliferation index was less than 5%. The patient was followed-up and had not relapsed 2 years after surgery.Conclusion: ¹⁸F-FDG uptake may reflect pathological tumor grade and prognosis in cardiac angiosarcoma.

Inclusion of Metabolic Tumor Volume in Prognostic Models of Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Increases the Prognostic Value

Sarcomas are rare and have a high mortality rate. Further prognostic classification, with readily available parameters, is warranted, and several studies have examined circulating biomarkers and PET parameters separately. This single-site, retrospective study aimed to examine the prognostic values of several scoring systems in combination with PET parameters. We included 148 patients with sarcoma, who were treated and scanned at Aarhus University Hospital from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2019. The Akaike information criterion and Harrell's concordance index were used to evaluate whether the PET parameters added prognostic information to existing prognostic models using circulating biomarkers. Of the PET parameters, metabolic tumor volume (MTV) performed best, and when combined with the existing prognostic models, the prognostic value improved in all models. Backward stepwise selection was used to create a new model, SBSpib, which included albumin, lymphocytes, and one PET parameter, MTV. It has scores ranging from zero to three and increasing hazard ratios; HR = 4.83 (1.02-22.75) for group one, HR = 7.40 (1.6-33.42) for group two, and HR = 17.32 (3.45-86.93) for group three. Consequently, implementing PET parameters in prognostic models improved the prognostic value. SBSpib is a new prognostic model that includes both circulating biomarkers and PET parameters; however, validation in another sarcoma cohort is warranted.

Primary pulmonary epithelioid angiosarcoma with thyroid tumor history: A case report and literature review

Primary pulmonary epithelioid angiosarcoma is a rare tumor type without any specific clinical and imaging features. Therefore, it is associated with high rates of misdiagnosis. The present study reports the case of a 54-year-old female patient who was admitted after complaining of cough, expectoration and bloody sputum for >5 months in May 2021. The patient reported a previous history of papillary thyroid carcinoma in 2003 and had undergone treatment through surgery, postoperative chemotherapy and iodine131 therapy. Chest computed tomography (CT) was performed in May 2021, which indicated that the disease had progressed rapidly since February 2021. CT-guided lung biopsy and immunohistochemical staining of the tumor indicated positivity for CD31, CD34 and E26 transformation-specific-related gene markers. The tumor was negative for thyroid cancer-associated antibodies; thus, a diagnosis of primary pulmonary epithelioid angiosarcoma was made. The patient died 3 months after the diagnosis. Primary pulmonary epithelioid angiosarcoma is a rare tumor type with high recurrence and metastasis rates. This tumor has no specific clinical symptoms and signs and is thus easily misdiagnosed. Biopsy is essential for diagnosis of the disease, particularly if patients have a tumor history.

Imaging patterns in non-traumatic spleen lesions in adults-a review

The spleen is a complex organ involved in multiple physiological processes in the human body. Elective splenectomy is an uncommon operation, and the precise characterization of the lesion should be achieved to determine the risks and benefits of this operation accurately. Given the significant role of the spleen in homeostasis and the potential risks of the surgery itself and following sequelae such as infection susceptibility, accurate recognition, and classification of splenic lesions is required before surgery. This review provides an overview of malignant (e.g., lymphoma, angiosarcoma) and benign (e.g., cysts, hemangioma, hamartoma) splenic lesions that may warrant an elective splenectomy. Images from a cohort of adult patients undergoing isolated splenectomy for non-traumatic indications in a single center are provided. This review highlights the considerable overlap in imaging patterns between splenic lesions, splenic lesions masquerading as lesions in other organs, increased detection of asymptomatic splenic incidentalomas due to improvements in imaging modalities. This review also provides clinical correlations for each lesion, providing additional information to help clinicians differentiate between lesions and accurately identify diseases amenable to surgical management.

Prognostic usefulness of clinical features and pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters in patients with angiosarcoma

BACKGROUND

To investigate the prognostic value of clinical features and metabolic parameters in pretreatment 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) scans of patients with angiosarcoma, a rare neoplasm that has not been well characterized.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, 19 patients with a histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of angiosarcoma who had undergone pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT scans were enrolled. We recorded the age at presentation, sex, underlying diseases, sites of primary tumors, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, time from onset to diagnosis, laboratory examinations, sites and sizes of primary tumors, treatment modalities, histologic features and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), average SUV (SUVavg), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of primary tumors and the whole body. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses for overall survival were performed according to the metabolic parameters and other clinical variables.

RESULTS

Patients ranged in age from 27 to 79 years (median: 59 years) with different angiosarcoma types covering all tumor grades and subtypes. Seven (7/19) patients had anemia of varying degrees of severity. Lymph node metastases (n=10) and/or distant metastases (n=11) of angiosarcoma were common. Bone or bone marrow (10/19) and lung (8/19) were the most common distant metastatic organs. Patients with bone metastases, low hemoglobin levels and high ferritin levels had significantly poorer overall survival than those with non-bone metastases, normal hemoglobin levels and normal ferritin levels by the log-rank test, with P values of 0.027, 0.030 and 0.015, respectively. Patients with multiple organ metastases had significantly poorer overall survival than those with single organ metastasis (log-rank P=0.008). In multivariate survival analysis, only whole-body metabolic tumor volume using SUVmax cut-off value of 2.5 (wMTV2.5) was a significant independent prognostic factor. For wMTV2.5, 870.3 cm3 was the best cut-off point to discriminate between a good and poor prognosis (log-rank P=0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The systemic 18F-FDG PET/CT with high sensitivity and specificity has significant advantages in the evaluation of angiosarcoma, particularly in detecting occult metastases. Bone metastases on 18F-FDG PET/CT, low hemoglobin levels and high ferritin levels were all associated with a poorer prognosis. MTV2.5 of the whole body is a significant independent metabolic prognostic factor for overall survival in patients with angiosarcoma.

Malignant Vascular Tumors of the Head and Neck-Which Type of Therapy Works Best?

Simple Summary

Malignant vascular tumors are extremely rare tumors with variable clinical courses, and few data on their clinical management are available. Diagnosis is difficult due to their wide morphologic appearance. The intent of the present review is to demonstrate the current knowledge and management on malignant vascular tumors of the head and neck area. The mainstay of treatment for malignant vascular tumors is surgery, but radiotherapy and chemotherapy are also parts of the treatment concept especially in angiosarcomas. Targeted therapy, antiangiogenetic drugs and immunotherapy have been studied as new treatment options.

Abstract

Malignant vascular tumors of the head and neck are rare neoplasms with variable clinical presentation, wide age distribution, and variable clinical courses. The heterogeneous presentation of angiosarcomas and epithelioid hemangioendothelioma often leads to misdiagnosis and unsuitable treatment. While risk factors for angiosarcomas are previous radiation, chronic lymphedema, and exposure to arsenic, thorium oxide, or vinyl chloride, there are only limited and retrospective data available on prognostic factors in EHE. In both angiosarcomas and EHE, surgery is the mainstay of treatment. There is limited evidence regarding the role of radiotherapy in EHE, although EHE is considered relatively radiosensitive. In angiosarcomas, adjuvant radiotherapy is recommended according to retrospective case series. A standard medical therapy for metastasized malignant vascular tumors is lacking. Chemotherapy, which is effective in angiosarcoma, is mostly ineffective in EHE. Targeted therapy, antiangiogenetic drugs and immunotherapy have been studied as new treatment options. The goal of this review is to summarize the current data regarding malignant vascular tumors along with their diagnosis and management.

Diffuse Cutaneous Angiosarcoma in the Scalp and Face Demonstrated on FDG PET/CT Imaging

ABSTRACT

Diffuse cutaneous angiosarcomas are rare. Herein, we reported FDG PET/CT findings of cutaneous angiosarcoma in a 59-year-old man. FDG PET/CT imaging was performed for staging, showing diffuse intense FDG uptake with an SUVmax of 19 in the scalp and face. Chemotherapy was recommended for this patient because surgery and radiotherapy were not appropriate due to the widespread skin involvement. Our case suggests that cutaneous angiosarcoma can present with diffuse skin involvement, and FDG PET/CT plays an important role in determining the treatment plan to avoid unnecessary surgery and radiotherapy.

Extremely low 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the brain of a patient with metastatic neuroblastoma and its recovery after chemotherapy: A case report

Commonly, physiological ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the brain can be observed in ¹⁸F-FDG positron emission tomography. Abnormal uptake of ¹⁸F-FDG in the brain suggests disorders of central nervous system. Here, we present a case of extremely low ¹⁸F-FDG uptake in the brain of a 4-year-old girl with whole-body metastatic neuroblastoma. Almost missing of physiological ¹⁸F-FDG uptake in the brain was ascribed at least partly to the metastatic neuroblastoma. The brain could regain physiological ¹⁸F-FDG uptake after chemotherapy.

A Rare Cause of Pulmonary Nodules Diagnosed as Angiosarcoma Was Misdiagnosed as Vasculitis and Wegener's Granuloma in an Elderly Man: A Case Report

Background

Angiosarcoma is a rare, highly malignant tumor prone to recurrence and metastasis. Angiosarcoma is insidious in the initial stage, and its clinical manifestation lacks specificity. The diagnosis is based on histopathology and immunohistochemistry findings.

Case presentation

A 73-year-old man was hospitalized following complaints of persistent cough 6 months and hemoptysis for 2 months. Anti-infective treatment was ineffective. A CT-guided percutaneous core needle biopsy of pulmonary lesions revealed organized pneumonia, and the removed skin of purpuric rash area on the left calf revealed vasculitis. Chest CT was used during the patient follow-up. Hormonal therapy combined with immunoglobulins did not lead to improvement, and there was rapid progression of the lung lesions. Subsequently, the patient underwent a surgery, the diseased tissue was separated and removed completely beside the left submandibular gland under local anaesthesia. The immunohistochemical staining indicated CD31 (+) and CD34 (+) confirming a diagnosis of metastatic angiosarcoma. The expression of PD-L1 was 70%, therefore, anlotinib and pembrolizumab treatments were initiated. The patient eventually died.

Conclusion

Angiosarcoma is a malignant tumor in the clinic that lacks typical and specific signs and symptoms. The diagnosis depends on immunohistochemistry, which requires repeated biopsies of multiple sites in highly suspected cases.