Metastasis Detection Using True and Artificial T1-Weighted Postcontrast Images in Brain MRI.

Objectives: Small lesions are the limiting factor for reducing gadolinium-based contrast agents in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity and precision in metastasis detection on true contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1w) images and artificial images synthesized by a deep learning method using low-dose images.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective, multicenter study (5 centers, 12 scanners), 917 participants underwent brain MRI between October 2021 and March 2023 including T1w low-dose (0.

Cine-MRI and T1TSE Sequence for Mediastinal Mass.

Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) is the standard radiologic examination for evaluating the extent of mediastinal tumors. If tumor infiltration into the large central thoracic vessels, the pericardium, or the myocardium is suspected, cine magnetic resonance imaging (cine-MRI) can provide additional valuable information. We conducted a retrospective study of patients with mediastinal tumors who were staged with CT, cine-MRI, and a T1-weighted turbo spin echo (T1TSE) prior to surgical resection.

Delta-radiomics features of ADC maps as early predictors of treatment response in lung cancer.

Objective: Investigate the feasibility of detecting early treatment-induced tumor tissue changes in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma using diffusion-weighted MRI-derived radiomics features.

Methods: This prospective observational study included 144 patients receiving either tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI, n = 64) or platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC, n = 80) for the treatment of pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Patients underwent diffusion-weighted MRI the day prior to therapy (baseline, all patients), as well as either + 1 (PBC) or + 7 and + 14 (TKI) days after treatment initiation.

Midregional Proatrial Natriuretic Peptide (MRproANP) is associated with vertebral fractures and low bone density in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Background: Patients with COPD are often affected by loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporotic fractures. Natriuretic peptides (NP) are known as cardiac markers, but have also been linked to fragility-associated fractures in the elderly. As their functions include regulation of fluid and mineral balance, they also might affect bone metabolism, particularly in systemic disorders such as COPD.

[Differential diagnosis of cystic and nodular lung diseases].

Background: Cystic and nodular lung diseases encompass a broad spectrum of diseases with different etiologies and clinicoradiological presentations. Their differentiation is crucial for patient management but can be complex due to diseases with features of both categories and overlapping radiological patterns.

Objective: This study aims to describe the imaging features of cystic and nodular lung diseases in high-resolution computed tomography (CT) in detail-primarily based on their etiology-in order to allow a more accurate differential diagnosis of these diseases.

Diagnostic Potential of Supplemental Static and Dynamic Ga-FAPI-46 PET for Primary F-FDG-Negative Pulmonary Lesions.

PET using Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein (FAP) inhibitors (FAPIs) holds high potential for diagnostic imaging of various malignancies, including lung cancer (LC). However, F-FDG PET is still the clinical gold standard for LC imaging. Several subtypes of LC, especially lepidic LC, are frequently F-FDG PET-negative, which markedly hampers the assessment of single pulmonary lesions suggestive of LC.

Capturing COPD heterogeneity: anomaly detection and parametric response mapping comparison for phenotyping on chest computed tomography.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) poses a substantial global health burden, demanding advanced diagnostic tools for early detection and accurate phenotyping. In this line, this study seeks to enhance COPD characterization on chest computed tomography (CT) by comparing the spatial and quantitative relationships between traditional parametric response mapping (PRM) and a novel self-supervised anomaly detection approach, and to unveil potential additional insights into the dynamic transitional stages of COPD.

Methods: Non-contrast inspiratory and expiratory CT of 1,310 never-smoker and GOLD 0 individuals and COPD patients (GOLD 1-4) from the COPDGene dataset were retrospectively evaluated.

Respiratory involvement in connective tissue diseases.

Pulmonary involvement is doubtless one the most fatal organ manifestations of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) and involves the parenchyma, the vessels, the respiratory system itself, but also the muscles and the pleura. Close and regular screening assessments, identification of risk factors, clinical signs associated with the existence of lung disease should alarm the involved physicians treating these patients. The accurate classification is essential, as different treatment options are nowadays available.

Prognostic value of tumor markers ProGRP, NSE and CYFRA 21-1 in patients with small cell lung cancer and chemotherapy-induced remission.

Background: Despite successful response to first line therapy, patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) often suffer from early relapses and disease progression.

Objective: To investigate the relevance of serum tumor markers for estimation of prognosis at several time points during the course of disease.

Methods: In a prospective, single-center study, serial assessments of progastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), cytokeratin-19 fragments (CYFRA 21-1) and carcino-embryogenic antigen (CEA) were performed during and after chemotherapy in 232 SCLC patients, and correlated with therapy response and overall survival (OS).

CYFRA 21-1, CA 125 and CEA provide additional prognostic value in NSCLC patients with stable disease at first CT scan.

Background: Serum tumor markers (STM) may complement imaging and provide additional clinical information for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Objective: To determine whether STMs can predict outcomes in patients with stable disease (SD) after initial treatment.

Methods: This single-center, prospective, observational trial enrolled 395 patients with stage III/IV treatment-naïve NSCLC; of which 263 patients were included in this analysis.

Multicenter Standardization of Phase-Resolved Functional Lung MRI in Patients With Suspected Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Detection of pulmonary perfusion defects is the recommended approach for diagnosing chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). This is currently achieved in a clinical setting using scintigraphy. Phase-resolved functional lung (PREFUL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an alternative technique for evaluating regional ventilation and perfusion without the use of ionizing radiation or contrast media.

Potential of ChatGPT and GPT-4 for Data Mining of Free-Text CT Reports on Lung Cancer.

Background The latest large language models (LLMs) solve unseen problems via user-defined text prompts without the need for retraining, offering potentially more efficient information extraction from free-text medical records than manual annotation. Purpose To compare the performance of the LLMs ChatGPT and GPT-4 in data mining and labeling oncologic phenotypes from free-text CT reports on lung cancer by using user-defined prompts. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included patients who underwent lung cancer follow-up CT between September 2021 and March 2023.

Analysis of rare fusions in NSCLC: Genomic architecture and clinical implications.

Objectives: Molecular diagnosis for targeted therapies has been improved significantly in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in recent years. Here we report on the prevalence of rare fusions in NSCLC and dissect their genomic architecture and potential clinical implications.

Materials And Methods: Overall, n = 5554 NSCLC patients underwent next-generation sequencing (NGS) for combined detection of oncogenic mutations and fusions either at primary diagnosis (n = 5246) or after therapy resistance (n = 308).

GOLD stage-specific phenotyping of emphysema and airway disease using quantitative computed tomography.

Background: In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) abnormal lung function is related to emphysema and airway obstruction, but their relative contribution in each GOLD-stage is not fully understood. In this study, we used quantitative computed tomography (QCT) parameters for phenotyping of emphysema and airway abnormalities, and to investigate the relative contribution of QCT emphysema and airway parameters to airflow limitation specifically in each GOLD stage.

Methods: Non-contrast computed tomography (CT) of 492 patients with COPD former GOLD 0 COPD and COPD stages GOLD 1-4 were evaluated using fully automated software for quantitative CT.

Pembrolizumab Alone or With Chemotherapy for 70+ Year-Old Lung Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: First-line pembrolizumab alone, as approved for PD-L1 ≥50%, or with chemotherapy was analyzed in older non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, for whom evidence is scarce.

Materials And Methods: A total of 156 consecutive ≥70 year-old patients treated between January 2016 and May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Tumor progression was verified through radiologic review, while toxicity was captured from records.

Spatial profiling of the microenvironment reveals low intratumoral heterogeneity and STK11-associated immune evasion in therapy-naïve lung adenocarcinomas.

Objective: Intratumoral heterogeneity was found to be a significant factor causing resistance to lung cancer therapies, including immune checkpoint blockade. Lesser is known about spatial heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and its association with genetic properties of the tumor, which is of particular interest in the therapy-naïve setting.

Materials And Methods: We performed multi-region sampling (2-4 samples per tumor; total of 55 samples) from a cohort of 19 untreated stage IA-IIIB lung adenocarcinomas (n = 11 KRAS mutant, n = 1 ERBB2 mutant, n = 7 KRAS wildtype).

[Consensus guideline on the interdisciplinary diagnosis of interstitial lung diseases].

The evaluation of a patient with interstitial lung disease (ILD) includes assessment of clinical, radiological, and often histopathological data. As there were no specific recommendations to guide the evaluation of patients under the suspicion of an ILD within the German practice landscape, this position statement from an interdisciplinary panel of ILD experts provides guidance related to the diagnostic modalities which should be used in the evaluation of ILD. This includes clinical assessment rheumatological evaluation, radiological examinations, histopathologic sampling and the need for a final discussion in a multidisciplinary team.