Objective 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) imaging is common in head and neck cancer and often identifies incidental findings that necessitate additional patient evaluations. Our goal was to assess the frequency and nature of these incidental imaging findings on FDG-PET/CT. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary medical center. Subjects and Methods All patients with head and neck cancer who had undergone FDG-PET/CT imaging between January 2014 and June 2015 at our institution were evaluated for incidental findings. Results A total of 293 patients met criteria; more than one-third (n = 103) had at least 1 finding unrelated to their head and neck cancer, for a total of 134 incidental findings. Incidental findings within the head and neck (33.5% of all) excluding the thyroid were most common: 35% incidental findings were concerning for malignancy; of these, 25.5% were malignant with further workup. Recommendations were given by the head and neck radiologist on 72 (53.7%) findings: 74.5% of potentially malignant findings and 42.5% of benign findings had recommendations for follow-up. Significantly more patients with findings described as malignant were given recommendations for follow-up ( P = .0004). Conclusion Incidental findings on FDG-PET/CT are present in more than one-third of patients with head and neck cancer. More than one-third of incidental findings were concerning for malignancy. This study illustrates how the incidental findings discovered on FDG PET/CT frequently necessitate additional evaluations unrelated to the index head and neck cancer. The impact of these additional assessments on the cost and quality of health care warrants future evaluation.
The diagnosis of CRN is challenging, and the likelihood of successful resolution is modest. A high premium should be placed on efforts directed at prevention, such as tobacco and alcohol cessation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 1189-1194, 2017.
ObjectiveFocal intimal flaps (FIF) are a variety of defects of the aorta that result in a short, flap-like projection into the lumen, and are often encountered in asymptomatic patients undergoing computed tomography angiography (CTA) surveillance for aortic aneurysm, but the natural history and clinical significance of such lesions has not yet been studied.MethodsWe retrospectively identified patients with an asymptomatic FIF and available imaging follow-up (>1 year). FIF was defined as flap-like intimal irregularity < 4 cm in length involving the thoracic aorta (TA), abdominal aorta (AA) or common iliac arteries (CIA). FIF characteristics included length and circumferential extent as well as the presence and size (width and depth) of associated penetrating aortic ulcers (PAUs). Patient characteristics, adverse events and history of surgical repair was determined by chart review. FIFs and associated PAUs were assessed for progression by comparing baseline and follow-up CTA studies.ResultsA total of 84 FIFs were identified in 77 patients. Average age was 69.2 ± 10.1 years, and 81% were male (81%). Common co-morbidities included: hypertension (78%), hyperlipidemia (68%), smoking (60%), coronary artery disease (41%), aortic aneurysm (34%), type II diabetes mellitus (27%) and prior cardiovascular surgery (25%). FIFs were most commonly located in the abdominal aorta (n = 50, 60%). Nearly all FIFs were associated with local atherosclerotic plaque (93%). Mean follow-up interval was 3.5 ± 2.6 years (259 cumulative follow-up years). Change in FIF length and local aortic diameter over follow-up were 0.7 ± 2.3 mm and 0.8 ± 1.1 mm, respectively. Nearly half (47%) of FIFs were associated with penetrating aortic ulcers (PAU) with baseline depth of 7.3 mm (IQR: 6.1–10.2) and change in depth of 0.5 ± 1.4 mm. Only 12% of FIFs and 0% of associated PAUs demonstrated growth (≥3 mm) at follow-up. No acute pathology developed in the location of FIFs and no aortic interventions were performed specifically to treat FIFs.ConclusionFocal intimal flaps identified in asymptomatic patients with aortic disease were co-localized with atherosclerotic plaque and PAUs, and demonstrated indolent behavior, not leading to significant growth or acute aortic events, supporting a conservative management approach.
Embryonal tumor with multilayered rosettes (ETMR) is a highly aggressive CNS neoplasm that occurs almost exclusively in infants under 4 years of age and is associated with an extremely poor prognosis. A bottleneck in the development of new and curative treatments for ETMR stems from our limited understanding of the spatiotemporal biological heterogeneity within patient tumor samples and a lack of preclinical models that adequately reflect the entire biological spectrum. Novel lipid-based therapeutics that encompass ganglioside-directed immunotherapy, targeting lipid metabolism and membrane lipid therapy, have shown efficacy in the treatment of brain tumors but have yet to be evaluated in the treatment of ETMR. We carried out mass spectrometry imaging on ETMR patient samples to identify the histology-specific accumulation of lipids within the diverse cell populations of the tumor microenvironment. Our preliminary studies identified the accumulation of glycosphingolipids, cardiolipins, phosphatidylinositols, and ceramide-1-phosphates within tumor cells, including the characteristic multilayered rosettes, and within different microvascular proliferations. All data were correlated to histopathology and Ki67 proliferation index. We next evaluated the lipid profiles in the patient-derived ETMR cell line, BT183, compared to control neural stem cells (NSCs), grown as 3D tumorspheres and neurospheres, respectively. From this data we identified lipids that accumulated in our patient samples and the ETMR cell line but were significantly reduced or not detected in the control NSCs. Analysis aimed at a systems biology approach to study the ETMR microenvironment using imaging mass cytometry for multiplex IHC and spatial transcriptomics to correlate lipidomic phenotype to distinct cell populations within the microenvironment are ongoing. Preclinical model development based on these findings and drug screening of therapeutics targeting these lipidomic pathways are also ongoing.
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