Repeatability of F-FDG uptake in metastatic bone lesions of breast cancer patients and implications for accrual to clinical trials.

Background: Standard measures of response such as Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors are ineffective for bone lesions, often making breast cancer patients that have bone-dominant metastases ineligible for clinical trials with potentially helpful therapies. In this study we prospectively evaluated the test-retest uptake variability of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (F-FDG) in a cohort of breast cancer patients with bone-dominant metastases to determine response criteria. The thresholds for 95% specificity of change versus no-change were then applied to a second cohort of breast cancer patients with bone-dominant metastases.

Repeatability of 18F-FDG uptake in metastatic bone lesions of breast cancer patients and implications for accrual to clinical trials.

Background: Standard measures of response such as Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors are ineffective for bone lesions, often making breast cancer patients with bone-dominant metastases ineligible for clinical trials with potentially helpful therapies. In this study we prospectively evaluated the test-retest uptake variability of 2-deoxy-2-[F]fluoro-D-glucose (F-FDG) in a cohort of breast cancer patients with bone-dominant metastases to determine response criteria. The thresholds for 95% specificity of change versus no-change were then applied to a second cohort of breast cancer patients with bone-dominant metastases.

Multimodal prediction of neoadjuvant treatment outcome by serial FDG PET and MRI in women with locally advanced breast cancer.

Purpose: To investigate combined MRI and F-FDG PET for assessing breast tumor metabolism/perfusion mismatch and predicting pathological response and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in women treated for breast cancer.

Methods: Patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for locally-advanced breast cancer were imaged at three timepoints (pre, mid, and post-NAC), prior to surgery. Imaging included diffusion-weighted and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE-) MRI and quantitative F-FDG PET.

Tumour volume and radiotherapy prolongation in locally advanced head and neck cancer patients treated with radical IMRT.

Aims: The relationship of tumour volume, radiotherapy treatment time and other prognostic factors affecting prognosis was evaluated.

Methods: 184 patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer were treated with radical intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and compared retrospectively.

Results: In the multivariate analysis the overall survival was dependent on gross tumour volume (GTV), clinical stage (CS), radiotherapy treatment time (RTT) and p16 status.

F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET or F-fluorothymidine (FLT) PET to assess early response to aromatase inhibitors (AI) in women with ER+ operable breast cancer in a window-of-opportunity study.

Purpose: This study evaluated the ability of F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and F-Fluorothymidine (FLT) imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) to measure early response to endocrine therapy from baseline to just prior to surgical resection in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast tumors.

Methods: In two separate studies, women with early stage ER+ breast cancer underwent either paired FDG-PET (n = 22) or FLT-PET (n = 27) scans prior to endocrine therapy and again in the pre-operative setting. Tissue samples for Ki-67 were taken for all patients both prior to treatment and at the time of surgery.

Determining priority risk groups for compensation of treatment breaks in radical radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer.

Purpose: Prolongation of radiotherapy worsens the results of treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The purpose of this study was to identify the prognostic factors most affected by the prolongation of treatment.

Methods: 184 patients with locally advanced HNSCC were treated with curative chemo-radiation using SIB-IMRT from 2008 to 2016 and the influence of radiotherapy time (RTT) in groups of patients according to prognostic factors was retrospectively evaluated.

Radiotherapy dose limit for uterus fertility sparing in curative chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer.

Aims: Curative sphincter sparing radiotherapy is a treatment option for early rectal cancer. There are many methods developed for fertility preservation in young patients treated with pelvic radiotherapy. Pregnancy rates after radiotherapy are dependent on the radiation dose to ovaries and uterus.

Regorafenib for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: An Analysis of a Registry-Based Cohort of 555 Patients.

Purpose: Regorafenib is an oral multikinase inhibitor approved for the therapy of previously treated metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC). The aim of the present study was to analyze the outcomes of treatment with regorafenib in real-world clinical practice based on data from a national registry.

Methods: The CORECT registry, the Czech non-interventional database of patients with mCRC treated with targeted agents, searched for patients with metastatic CRC treated with regorafenib.

F-Fluoroestradiol PET Imaging in a Phase II Trial of Vorinostat to Restore Endocrine Sensitivity in ER+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) may overcome endocrine resistance in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer. We tested whether F-fluoroestradiol PET imaging would elucidate the pharmacodynamics of combination HDACIs and endocrine therapy. Patients with ER+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer with prior clinical benefit from endocrine therapy but later progression on aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy were given vorinostat (400 mg daily) sequentially or simultaneously with AI.

Test-Retest Reproducibility of F-FDG PET/CT Uptake in Cancer Patients Within a Qualified and Calibrated Local Network.

Calibration and reproducibility of quantitative F-FDG PET measures are essential for adopting integral F-FDG PET/CT biomarkers and response measures in multicenter clinical trials. We implemented a multicenter qualification process using National Institute of Standards and Technology-traceable reference sources for scanners and dose calibrators, and similar patient and imaging protocols. We then assessed SUV in patient test-retest studies.

Prospective Study of Serial F-FDG PET and F-Fluoride PET to Predict Time to Skeletal-Related Events, Time to Progression, and Survival in Patients with Bone-Dominant Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Assessing therapy response of breast cancer bone metastases is challenging. In retrospective studies, serial F-FDG PET was predictive of time to skeletal-related events (tSRE) and time to progression (TTP). F-NaF PET improves bone metastasis detection compared with bone scanning.

Changes in expression of injury after irradiation of increasing volumes in rat lung.

Purpose: To improve the cure rates of thoracic malignancies by radiation dose escalation, very accurate insight is required in the dose delivery parameters that maximally spare normal lung function. Radiation-induced lung complications are classically divided into an early pneumonitic and a late fibrotic phase. This study investigated the relative dose-volume sensitivity, underlying pathologic findings, and consequentiality of early to late pathologic features.

Relation between radiation-induced whole lung functional loss and regional structural changes in partial irradiated rat lung.

Purpose: Radiation-induced pulmonary toxicity is characterized by dose, region, and time-dependent severe changes in lung morphology and function. This study sought to determine the relation between the structural and functional changes in the irradiated rat lung at three different phases after irradiation.

Materials And Methods: Six groups of animals were irradiated to 16-22 Gy to six different lung regions, each containing 50% of the total lung volume.

Radiation damage to the heart enhances early radiation-induced lung function loss.

In many thoracic cancers, the radiation dose that can safely be delivered to the target volume is limited by the tolerance dose of the surrounding lung tissue. It has been hypothesized that irradiation of the heart may be an additional risk factor for the development of early radiation-induced lung morbidity. In the current study, the dependence of lung tolerance dose on heart irradiation is determined.

Pulmonary radiation injury: identification of risk factors associated with regional hypersensitivity.

Effective radiation treatment of thoracic tumors is often limited by radiosensitivity of surrounding tissues. Several experimental studies have suggested variations in radiosensitivity of different pulmonary regions. Mice and rat studies in part contradict each other and urge for a more detailed analysis.

Transforming growth factor-beta plasma dynamics and post-irradiation lung injury in lung cancer patients.

Purpose: To investigate the relevance of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) dynamics in plasma for identification of patients at low risk for developing pneumonitis as a complication of thoracic radiotherapy (RT).

Patients And Methods: Non-small cell lung cancer patients undergoing conventional RT were included in the prospective study. Concentrations of TGF-beta were measured in the patients' plasma prior to and weekly during 6 weeks of RT.