Publications by authors named "Almir Bitencourt"

Objective: To assess the diagnostic success rate and complications of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous biopsy in pulmonary nodules < 10 mm in diameter.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center study involving the review of medical records, images, and chest CT reports related to 115 patients who underwent percutaneous CT-guided biopsy of < 10 mm pulmonary nodules between July 2015 and January 2019.

Results: Nodule diameter on the longest axis ranged from 4 mm to 9 mm, with a mean size of 7.

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Metabolic imaging in clinical practice has long relied on PET with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), a radioactive tracer. However, this conventional method presents inherent limitations such as exposure to ionizing radiation and potential diagnostic uncertainties, particularly in organs with heightened glucose uptake like the brain. This review underscores the transformative potential of traditional deuterium MR spectroscopy (MRS) when integrated with gradient techniques, culminating in an advanced metabolic imaging modality known as deuterium MRI (DMRI).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study looked at how different types of breast cancer appear on MRI scans, focusing on a specific kind called ER-low-positive breast cancer.
  • Out of 398 patients, they found that various types of breast cancer showed different MRI features, like shape and edges of the tumors.
  • Both ER-low-positive and triple-negative tumors had similar MRI findings, which could help doctors plan the best treatment for patients.
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Objective: To evaluate the indications for and results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations for breast cancer screening at a cancer center in Brazil.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective observational study, based on electronic medical records, of patients undergoing MRI for breast cancer screening at a cancer center in Brazil.

Results: We included 597 patients between 19 and 82 years of age.

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BI-RADS® is a standardization system for breast imaging reports and results created by the American College of Radiology to initially address the lack of uniformity in mammography reporting. The system consists of a lexicon of descriptors, a reporting structure with final categories and recommended management, and a structure for data collection and auditing. It is accepted worldwide by all specialties involved in the care of breast diseases.

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Objective: To evaluate the impact of preoperative body composition in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) undergoing surgical treatment.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective study of 52 patients with RCC undergoing total or partial nephrectomy. Body composition assessment was performed using the body mass index, together with computed tomography analysis at the level of the third lumbar vertebra to measure the area of visceral adipose tissue, as well as the area and density of skeletal muscle mass.

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Objective: To demonstrate that positive predictive values (PPVs) for suspicious (category 4) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings that have been stratified are equivalent to those stipulated in the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) for mammography and ultrasound.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective analysis of electronic medical records generated between January 4, 2016 and December 29, 2021 provided 365 patients in which 419 suspicious (BI-RADS category 4) findings were subcategorized as BI-RADS 4A, 4B or 4C. Malignant and nonmalignant outcomes were determined by pathologic analyses, follow-up, or both.

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Objective: To evaluate the preoperative muscle mass of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) with computed tomography (CT), comparing the results obtained through analysis of cross-sectional areas at the level of the third lumbar vertebra (L3) with those obtained through analysis of cross-sectional areas at the levels of the third cervical and fourth thoracic vertebrae (C3 and T4, respectively).

Materials And Methods: A total of 63 patients with HNC were evaluated preoperatively. Using CT, we assessed muscle mass at L3, as well as at C3 and T4.

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Objective: To evaluate the results obtained with an artificial intelligence-based software for predicting the risk of malignancy in breast masses from ultrasound images.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center study evaluating 555 breast masses submitted to percutaneous biopsy at a cancer referral center. Ultrasonographic findings were classified in accordance with the BI-RADS lexicon.

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Article Synopsis
  • Vacuum-assisted excision is a medical procedure used to remove lumps from the breast.
  • It uses bigger needles to take out more tissue, which helps doctors get more accurate results and reduce the need for more surgery later.
  • The article talks about how this procedure can save money and avoid unnecessary treatments while still making sure patients get good care.
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Article Synopsis
  • Some people who get radiation therapy may develop new tumors later on, especially near the area where they were treated.
  • Women treated with radiation on their chest before turning 30 have a higher chance of getting breast cancer compared to others.
  • It’s important for these patients to have special screening for breast cancer starting eight years after treatment or when they turn 25, and their treatment should be decided by a team of doctors to keep them safe.
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Myositis ossificans (MO) is an uncommon tumor characterized by a rapidly growing mass following a history of local trauma. Few cases of MO affecting the breast have been reported, and some were misdiagnosed as primary osteosarcoma of the breast or metaplastic breast carcinoma. The following case report presents a patient with a growing breast lump whose core biopsy result was suspicious for breast cancer.

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Breast cancer is responsible for approximately 15% of all cancer-related deaths among women worldwide, and early and accurate diagnosis increases the chances of survival. Over the last decades, several machine learning approaches have been used to improve the diagnosis of this disease, but most of them require a large set of samples for training. Syntactic approaches were barely used in this context, although it can present good results even if the training set has few samples.

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Objective: Colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed malignant neoplasm in the world and the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality. The loss of muscle mass in oncological patients is the main aspect of cancer-related malnutrition. Associations between sarcopenia and poor outcomes, such as high postoperative mortality, chemotherapy toxicity, and reduced survival, have been recently described.

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Objective: To correlate body composition measures, based on computed tomography (CT) analysis of muscle mass and adipose tissue, with disease-free survival in breast cancer patients.

Materials And Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 262 female patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer. Body composition was assessed on a pretreatment CT scan (at the L3 level).

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