Publications by authors named "Martin Auerbach"

Paraganglioma is derived from the paraganglia tissue in the neck, along the sympathetic trunk, and in the pelvis. Paraganglioma has malignant potential and can metastasize to remote organs such as the liver, lungs, and bones. Most metachronous metastases occur within several years after the initial diagnosis of paraganglioma.

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Background: Documented symptomatic progression of a paraganglioma (PGL) over many years is unusual. Our objective is to report a young man with such an occurrence.

Case Report: A 27-year-old male presented with headache, sweating, and palpitation.

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Despite the therapeutic needs of aging Holocaust survivors, no randomized controlled trial (RCT) of psychotherapy exists for this population, with very few on older adults in general. This RCT aimed to compare the efficacy of Life Review Therapy for Holocaust survivors (LRT-HS) relative to a supportive control group. Holocaust survivors with a probable diagnosis of full or subsyndromal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depressive disorder were included.

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Pheochromocytomatosis refers to pheochromocytoma tumorlets developed as a result of seeding of tumor cells around the surgical bed due to intraoperative tumor capsule rupture and tumor cell spillage. As pheochromocytomatosis is relatively rare, optimal management is not clear. We describe a 42-year-old man with progressive pheochromocytomatosis despite surgical debulking.

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Having reached the last phase of their lives, many Holocaust survivors (HS) experience an increase in vulnerability. Despite their remarkable ability to adapt, the process of aging presents them with new challenges, often leading to an increased need for therapy. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that there is little research on trauma therapy in old age.

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate F-FDG PET/CT as an early and late interim imaging biomarker in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who undergo first-line systemic therapy. This was a prospective, single-center, single-arm, open-label study (IRB12-000770). Patient receiving first-line chemotherapy were planned to undergo baseline F-FDG PET/CT, early interim F-FDG PET/CT, and late interim F-FDG PET/CT.

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A 71-year-old man underwent 18F-FDG and 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT for initial staging prior to surgery of a squamous cell carcinoma of the lower esophagus under the prospective study NCT04147494. Both scans showed increased uptake in the mid and distal esophagus without evidence of metastatic disease. A soft tissue right infrascapular mass with mild 18F-FDG and moderate 68Ga-FAPI-46 uptake was incidentally found.

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Incidental tracer uptake on DOTATATE PET is increasingly encountered in clinical practice. We describe 3 patients with suspected or known neuroendocrine tumor who were found to have diffuse and intense stomach uptake on DOTATATE PET. All patients underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and/or endoscopic ultrasound; the cause of the stomach uptake was attributed to proton-pump inhibitor use, chronic gastritis, and gastrinoma, respectively.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Holocaust has caused long-lasting mental health issues like PTSD, depression, and prolonged grief in survivors, many of whom are now elderly and lack effective age-specific therapies.
  • The study aims to assess the effectiveness of Life Review Therapy (LRT) for Holocaust survivors on PTSD symptoms and related mental health problems, using a randomized control trial with about 80 participants.
  • Previous research primarily focused on depression treatment, highlighting a gap in understanding how LRT can help older individuals deal with trauma, emphasizing the need for effective psychological interventions for this demographic.
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Incidental thyroid uptake is found in approximately 2.5% of patients who undergo FDG PET for nonthyroid malignancy; approximately a third of the FDG PET thyroid incidentalomas are malignant, including primary thyroid malignancies and metastasis. We describe a 50-year-old woman, a potential heart transplant candidate with history of breast cancer, who was found by FDG PET/CT to harbor a large thyroid mass with intense FDG uptake.

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Background: The incidence of myocardial inflammation in patients with unexplained cardiomyopathy referred for ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) is unknown.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to report fasting positron emission tomographic (PET) scan findings in consecutive patients referred with unexplained cardiomyopathy and VA.

Methods: Fluorine-18 fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (18-FDG) PET/computed tomographic (CT) scans with a >16-hour fasting protocol were prospectively ordered for patients referred for VA and unexplained cardiomyopathy (ejection fraction <55%).

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Purpose: It has been demonstrated that large numbers of tumor-specific T cells for adoptive cell transfer (ACT) can be manufactured by retroviral genetic engineering of autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes and expanding them over several weeks. In mouse models, this therapy is optimized when administered with dendritic cell (DC) vaccination. We developed a short 1-week manufacture protocol to determine the feasibility, safety, and antitumor efficacy of this double cell therapy.

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Background/introduction: Undifferentiated embryonal liver sarcoma (UELS) makes up 9% to 15% of all malignant liver tumors in children. UELS is characteristically diagnosed between the ages of 6 and 10 years and presents with abdominal pain, vomiting, and an abdominal mass. There is currently no standardized treatment for UELS except attempt at complete surgical resection.

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Positron emission tomography (PET) reporter gene imaging can be used to non-invasively monitor cell-based therapies. Therapeutic cells engineered to express a PET reporter gene (PRG) specifically accumulate a PET reporter probe (PRP) and can be detected by PET imaging. Expanding the utility of this technology requires the development of new non-immunogenic PRGs.

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Purpose: To evaluate the positive dual-modality positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) of choroidal melanoma with chromosome 3 loss and tumor size.

Methods: Thirty-seven consecutive patients with choroidal melanoma with known chromosome 3 status who underwent whole-body PET/CT imaging were retrospectively reviewed. Cytology and chromosome 3 loss were identified by fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

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Unlabelled: Successful treatment of pheochromocytoma requires accurate diagnosis and localization of tumors. Herein, we investigated the accuracy of PET using 3,4-dihydroxy-6-(18)F-fluoro-phenylalanine ((18)F-FDOPA), an amino acid transporter substrate, as an independent marker for detection of benign and malignant pheochromocytomas.

Methods: The study comprised 25 consecutive patients (9 men, 16 women) whose median age was 51 y (range, 25-68 y), with known or suspected pheochromocytoma.

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Unlabelled: High photon attenuation and scatter in obese patients affect image quality. The purpose of the current study was to optimize lutetium orthosilicate (LSO) PET image acquisition protocols in patients weighing > or =91 kg (200 lb).

Methods: Twenty-five consecutive patients (16 male and 9 female) weighing > or =91 kg (200 lb; range, 91-168 kg [200-370 lb]) were studied with LSO PET/CT.

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