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Tumor FDG avidity measured by TLR on FDG PET/CT is a preoperative imaging biomarker for the prediction of MVI in patients with HCC.

Positron emission mammography (PEM) has been reported to have higher sensitivity than whole-body positron emission tomography (PET)due to higher spatial resolution. However, no direct evidence exists regarding the imaging sensitivity of PEM related to lesion size. In the present study, imaging sensitivity of PEM was investigated in relation to pathologically confirmed tumor size. A total of 113 breast lesions from 101 patients were included in the analysis. The patients underwent (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PEM and whole-body PET/computed tomography (CT) before surgical resection, and images were analyzed visually and quantitatively using the tumor-to-normal-tissue uptake ratio (TNR). Tumors were classified into four groups based on size using pathologic results, and sensitivities of PEM and PET/CT were compared in the overall subjects and in each size group. In visual analysis, PEM showed significantly higher imaging sensitivity than PET/CT (95% vs. 87%; P = 0.004), which was more definite in the small-tumor groups. In quantitative analysis, the TNR of PEM was significantly higher than that of PET/CT in the small-tumor groups, whereas no difference was found in the overall group. With a cutoff TNR of 2.5, PEM showed significantly higher sensitivity than PET/CT in the overall and small-tumor groups. In conclusion, PEM had higher imaging sensitivity than PET/CT, particularly in small tumors. The results suggest that PEM may be used for diagnosis and characterization of small lesions as a supplementary imaging modality for PET/CT.

No abstract

Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) consists of a heterogeneous group of patients with a wide range of survival times, requiring further prognostic stratification to facilitate treatment allocation. We evaluated the prognostic value of F-FDG uptake on PET/CT at the time of presentation in patients with BCLC stage C HCC. A total of 291 patients with BCLC stage C HCC who underwent F-FDG PET/CT between 2009 and 2010 for staging were retrospectively enrolled from 7 university hospitals. The patients were further divided into 2 groups according to the extent of disease, as intrahepatic or extrahepatic. Tumor-to-liver SUV ratio (TLR) of the primary tumor was measured onF-FDG PET/CT. Prognostic values of TLR and other clinical variables were analyzed to predict overall survival (OS) in univariate and multivariate analyses. Differences in the OS stratified by TLR were examined by the Kaplan-Meier method. Higher TLR was associated with extrahepatic disease ( = 0.018). On multivariate analysis, Child-Pugh classification and TLR were independent prognostic factors in the intrahepatic disease group (all < 0.05), whereas TLR was the only independent prognostic factor in the extrahepatic disease group ( < 0.05). Patients with high TLR showed a significantly worse OS than those with low TLR ( < 0.05) in both groups. In patients with BCLC stage C HCC,F-FDG uptake in the primary tumor was significantly higher in patients with extrahepatic disease than in those with intrahepatic disease. In addition, F-FDG uptake on pretreatment PET/CT had an incremental prognostic value for OS in both intrahepatic and extrahepatic disease groups.

No abstract

Pretreatment TLG proved to be an independent prognostic factor for RFS in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated by definitive chemoradiotherapy.

Activated macrophages take up 18 F-FDG via glucose transporters, so this compound is useful for atherosclerosis imaging by PET. However, 18 F-FDG application is limited for imaging of the heart and brain, in which glucose uptake is high, and in patients with aberrant glucose metabolism. The aims of this study were to confirm that mannosylated human serum albumin (MSA) specifically binds to the mannose receptor (MR) on macrophages and to test the feasibility of 68 Ga-labeled NOTA-MSA for PET imaging of atherosclerotic plaques. Methods: The peritoneal macrophages of C57/B6 mice were collected, incubated with rhodamine B isothiocyanate-MSA (10 μg/mL), and evaluated by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. The same evaluations were performed after preincubation of the macrophages with anti-CD206 MR blocking antibodies. NOTA-MSA was synthesized by conjugating 2-(p-isothiocyanatobenzyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid to MSA, followed by labeling with 68 Ga. Rabbits with atherosclerotic aorta induced by a 3-mo cholesterol diet and chronic inflammation underwent consecutive PET/CT with 18 F-FDG and 68 Ga-NOTA-MSA at 2-d intervals. Results: The binding of MSA to MR and its dose-dependent reduction by preincubation with anti-CD206 MR blocking antibody were confirmed. Rhodamine B isothiocyanate and fluorescein isothiocyanate fluorescence colocalized at the atherosclerotic plaque. The 68 Ga-NOTA-MSA SUVs of the atherosclerotic aorta were significantly higher than those of the healthy arteries and inferior vena cava and were comparable to those obtained with 18 F-FDG. Conclusion: These findings suggest that MR-specific 68 Ga-NOTA-MSA is effective for detecting atherosclerosis in the aorta and is a promising radiopharmaceutical for imaging atherosclerosis because of the presence of M2 macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques.