Haemato-radiology: the role of the radiologist at MDT.

Haemato-radiology represents a relatively newly emerging, vast, and complex area of diagnostic imaging. Its complexity arises from the multimodality nature of patient assessment, the multisystem presentation of haematological malignancies and their complications, and the volume of imaging required for diagnosis and follow-up of the fifth most common malignancy type in the United Kingdom. Decisive and accurate assessment of disease by radiologists is at the heart of the haemato-oncology multidisciplinary team (MDT) and therefore essential for providing optimal patient care.

Radiomics for Renal Cell Carcinoma: Predicting Outcomes from Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapies-A Narrative Review.

T-cell immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapies have become standard-of-care treatments for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). There is a need to develop robust biomarkers that predict patient outcomes to targeted therapies to personalise treatment. In recent years, quantitative analysis of imaging features, termed radiomics, has been used to extract tumour features.

Interobserver agreement of the visual Herder scale for the assessment of solitary pulmonary nodules on 18F Fluorodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography.

Background: British Thoracic Society guidelines recommend 18F Fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET/computed tomography (CT) for solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) follow-up in high-risk individuals or if the CT Brock score is >10%. Nodule tracer uptake is assessed visually in comparison to the surrounding lung tissue and mediastinal blood pool (Herder score). This score is used to calculate the risk of malignancy and guide patient management.

Imaging and Tissue Biomarkers of Choline Metabolism in Diffuse Adult Glioma: 18F-Fluoromethylcholine PET/CT, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, and Choline Kinase α.

The cellular and molecular basis of choline uptake on PET imaging and MRS-visible choline-containing compounds is not well understood. Choline kinase alpha (ChoKα) is an enzyme that phosphorylates choline, an essential step in membrane synthesis. We investigate choline metabolism through 18F-fluoromethylcholine (18F-FMC) PET, MRS, and tissue ChoKα in human glioma.

Reliability of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging data in primary brain tumours: a comparison of Tofts and shutter speed models.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the robustness of pharmacokinetic modelling of DCE-MRI brain tumour data and to ascertain reliable perfusion parameters through a model selection process and a stability test.

Methods: DCE-MRI data of 14 patients with primary brain tumours were analysed using the Tofts model (TM), the extended Tofts model (ETM), the shutter speed model (SSM) and the extended shutter speed model (ESSM). A no-effect model (NEM) was implemented to assess overfitting of data by the other models.

Osteoporosis Circumscripta on 68Ga-DOTATATE PET CT.

Incidental findings on PET CT studies are common. The distribution of Ga-DOTATATE is dependent on cell surface expression of somatostatin receptors, which may be pathologic or physiologic. Osteoporosis circumscripta is the early lytic phase of Paget disease associated with well-defined osteopenia, most commonly seen within the skull on imaging.

The Racoon Eye Sign in the Investigation of Dementia Using 18F-Florbetaben.

Differentiating Alzheimer disease (AD) from other forms of cognitive impairment and from normal aging can be challenging. As a consequence, the diagnosis of AD can be delayed, often occurring too late for meaningful intervention. The role of β-amyloid plaques in the pathogenesis of AD provides a target for highly sensitive and specific image quantification of amyloid plaque burden using β-amyloid PET (F-florbetaben).

Hyperthermia treatment of tumors by mesenchymal stem cell-delivered superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

Magnetic hyperthermia - a potential cancer treatment in which superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are made to resonantly respond to an alternating magnetic field (AMF) and thereby produce heat - is of significant current interest. We have previously shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be labeled with SPIONs with no effect on cell proliferation or survival and that within an hour of systemic administration, they migrate to and integrate into tumors in vivo. Here, we report on some longer term (up to 3 weeks) post-integration characteristics of magnetically labeled human MSCs in an immunocompromized mouse model.

Coupled cellular therapy and magnetic targeting for airway regeneration.

Airway diseases including COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), cystic fibrosis and lung cancer are leading causes of worldwide morbidity and mortality, with annual healthcare costs of billions of pounds. True regeneration of damaged airways offers the possibility of restoring lung function and protecting against airway transformation. Recently, advances in tissue engineering have allowed the development of cadaveric and biosynthetic airway grafts.

Systemic but not topical TRAIL-expressing mesenchymal stem cells reduce tumour growth in malignant mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare but devastating cancer of the pleural lining with no effective treatment. The tumour is often diffusely spread throughout the chest cavity, making surgical resection difficult, while systemic chemotherapy offers limited benefit. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) home to and incorporate into tumour stroma, making them good candidates to deliver anticancer therapies.

Primed infusion with delayed equilibrium of Gd.DTPA for enhanced imaging of small pulmonary metastases.

Objectives: To use primed infusions of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent Gd.DTPA (Magnevist), to achieve an equilibrium between blood and tissue (eqMRI). This may increase tumor Gd concentrations as a novel cancer imaging methodology for the enhancement of small tumor nodules within the low signal-to-noise background of the lung.

Incorporation of paramagnetic, fluorescent and PET/SPECT contrast agents into liposomes for multimodal imaging.

A series of metal-chelating lipid conjugates has been designed and synthesized. Each member of the series bears a 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) macrocycle attached to the lipid head group, using short n-ethylene glycol (n-EG) spacers of varying length. Liposomes incorporating these lipids, chelated to Gd(3+), (64)Cu(2+), or (111)In(3+), and also incorporating fluorescent lipids, have been prepared, and their application in optical, magnetic resonance (MR) and single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) imaging of cellular uptake and distribution investigated in vitro and in vivo.

Case report of idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis in a child with recurrent chest infections.

Idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis (IPH) is a rare condition that usually presents as a triad of haemoptysis, iron deficiency anaemia and pulmonary infiltrates. We report a case of IPH diagnosed in a 7 year old boy who had recurrent hospital admissions with severe chest infections and haemoptysis from his first few months of life. He was found to have microcytic hypochromic anaemia, diffuse infiltrate shadowing on his chest X-ray (CXR) and ground-glass opacification on his computed tomogram (CT).