Real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma in Germany: retrospective CONVINCE study.

Purpose: CONVINCE is a retrospective medical chart review study that examined demographics, treatment patterns, and outcomes in patients who received first-line (1L) treatment for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (la/mUC) in Germany.

Methods: Eligible patients were adults with confirmed la/mUC who received any systemic 1L anticancer treatment between January 1, 2019, and September 30, 2021, outside of a clinical trial. Patients were grouped by type of 1L treatment: platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC), immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), or other treatments.

Symptom clusters associated with complementary and alternative medicine use by cancer patients: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a commonly used approach among cancer patients, with a reported prevalence of 14.8 to 73.1% depending on multiple factors.

Evaluation of autoantibodies as predictors of treatment response and immune-related adverse events during the treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors: AÂ prospective longitudinal pan-cancer study.

Background: The presence of autoantibodies in the serum of cancer patients has been associated with immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy response and immune-related adverse events (irAEs). A prospective evaluation of different autoantibodies in different cancer entities is missing.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we included a pan-cancer cohort of patients undergoing ICI treatment and measured a comprehensive panel of autoantibodies at treatment start and at the time point of first response evaluation.

Single-Center Comparison of [Cu]-DOTAGA-PSMA and [F]-PSMA PET-CT for Imaging Prostate Cancer.

Introduction: the diagnostic performance of [Cu]-DOTAGA-PSMA PET-CT imaging was compared retrospectively to [F]-PSMA PET-CT in prostate cancer patients with recurrent disease and in the primary staging of selected patients with advanced local and possible metastatic disease.

Methods: We retrospectively selected a total of 100 patients, who were consecutively examined in our department, with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy or who had progressive local and possible metastatic disease in the last 3 months prior to this investigation. All patients were examined with a dedicated PET-CT scanner (Biograph; Siemens Healthineers).

Advanced isolated light chain amyloid cardiomyopathy with negative immunofixation and normal free light chain ratio.

Amyloid light chain (AL) cardiomyopathy is the most malignant specific cardiomyopathy. According to international recommendations, it should be ruled out non-invasively using the serum free light chain (FLC) ratio and immunofixation electrophoresis in both serum and urine. Here, we report on a 69-year-old female patient with new-onset heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction.

Peptide and pseudo-peptide.

In recent years, the introduction of theranostic twins for specific diagnosis and treatment in patients with neuroendocrine tumors became a nuclear medicine success story. Cu/F labeled prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) for molecular imaging with PET-CT and peptide radioligand therapy with Lu labeled PSMA inhibitors will favorably become the next theranostic twins in nuclear medicine history. Ga/ Cu/F PSMA PET/CT detects metastatic prostate cancer with high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity.

Surgery with Radical Intent: Is There an Indication for G3 Neuroendocrine Neoplasms?

Background: While platinum-based chemotherapy represents the standard treatment for advanced grade 3 (G3) neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) according to the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society guidelines, the role of radical-intended surgery in these patients, as well as the use of adjuvant chemotherapy, are still controversial. The aim of the present work is to describe, in a retrospective series of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) G3, the overall survival (OS) rate and risk factors for death after radical surgery. Secondary aims are the description of median recurrence-free survival (RFS) and of the role of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Downgrading of a G3 Neuroendocrine Tumor to a G2 Tumor: Can First-Line Cytotoxic Chemotherapy Change the Tumor Biology?

The antiproliferative treatment options for neuroendocrine tumors (NET)/neuroendocrine carcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract critically depend on the proliferation rate, evaluated by immunohistochemical staining for Ki-67. According to their grading, tumors are treated with somatostatin analogs, mTOR inhibitors, or cytotoxic substances. This case illustrates downgrading of a primarily highly proliferative NET achieved by a variation of cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens, followed by a combination therapy using everolimus together with lanreotide.

Functional Imaging in the Follow-Up of Enteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Clinical Usefulness and Indications.

Context: Functional imaging tests (FITs) detecting somatostatin receptor expression [i.e., somatostatin receptor scintigraphy, 68Ga-DOTA positron emission tomography/computed tomography (CT)] have a pivotal role in the diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), although their indication during follow-up still needs to be clarified.

Stage IV Gastro-Entero-Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: A Risk Score to Predict Clinical Outcome.

Background: Several risk factors predict clinical outcome in gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs); however, the impact of their combination has not been investigated so far.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective analysis of stage IV GEP-NENs was performed. Multivariate analysis for progression of disease (PD) was performed by Cox proportional hazards method to obtain a risk score.

Intra-arterial thrombolysis of digital artery occlusions in a patient with polycythemia vera.

There are limited therapeutic options for the resolution of digital artery occlusions. Intra-arterial thrombolysis with anticoagulative and thrombolytic drugs successfully restored the blood flow in the affected digital arteries.

Real-time sonoelastography of salivary glands for diagnosis and functional assessment of primary Sjögren's syndrome.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of real-time sonoelastography (RTS) of salivary glands for the diagnosis and assessment of glandular damage in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). After institutional review board approval, 45 pSS patients, 24 sicca patients and 11 healthy controls were investigated prospectively. Questionnaires were completed and Saxon and Schirmer tests and routine blood tests carried out in all patients.

The value of FDG-PET in the diagnosis of thromboangiitis obliterans--a case series.

Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) is an inflammatory vascular disease affecting dominantly the vessels of the extremities and is etiologically strongly associated with tobacco consumption. Different imaging techniques are generally used to exclude potential differential diagnoses. We investigated the value of (18) F-flourodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ([(18) F]FDG-PET) in the diagnosis of TAO.

Improvement of Cerebral Hypoperfusion with Levothyroxine Therapy in Hashimoto's Encephalopathy Demonstrated by (99m)Tc-HMPAO-SPECT.

Background: Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is a rare immune-mediated encephalopathy associated with autoimmune Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Objectives And Methods: We report on a patient with HE and significant clinical improvement correlating with an increase in cerebral blood flow demonstrated by hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). HMPAO-SPECT was performed with 740 MBq of technetium-99m-HMPAO.

Additional lesions detected in therapeutic scans with 177Lu-DOTATATE reflect higher affinity of 177Lu-DOTATATE for somatostatin receptors.

Objective: Peptide receptor-targeted radionuclide therapy (PRRT) of somatostatin receptor (SR)-expressing neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) has become an established therapeutic option in patients with advanced NETs. The aim of this study was to compare the lesion detection rate of (99m)Tc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC, a newly developed tracer for NET imaging, with (177)Lu-DOTATATE used for PRRT.

Methods: 8 patients (4 women, 4 men, age range 46-76 years) with histologically proven NETs, who showed high SR loads by (99m)Tc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy, were treated with (177)Lu-DOTATATE.

Results of a phase II trial of S-1 as first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer (CESAR-study group).

Purpose: S-1, an oral fluoropyrimidine derivative, has previously demonstrated anticancer efficacy in pancreatic cancer (PC), predominantly in Asian populations. This study evaluated the antitumor effect and safety of S-1 in Caucasian patients with metastatic PC.

Methods: Chemotherapy-naïve patients received S-1 orally at 30 mg/m(2) twice daily (BID) for 2 weeks, repeated every 3 weeks.

Insights into epiploic appendagitis.

Epiploic appendagitis is a rare cause of abdominal pain. Diagnosis of epiploic appendagitis, although infrequent, is easily made with CT or ultrasonography in experienced hands. As reported in the literature, most patients with primary epiploic appendagitis are treated conservatively without surgery, with or without anti-inflammatory drugs.

Patent abdominal subcutaneous veins caused by congenital absence of the inferior vena cava: a case report.

Introduction: Patent paraumbilical and abdominal subcutaneous veins are found frequently as collaterals in patients due to portal hypertension mainly in liver cirrhosis.

Case Presentation: For evaluation of portal hypertension in a 72-year-old Caucasian man without liver cirrhosis, magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium contrast-enhancement was performed and demonstrated a missing inferior vena cava. A blood return from the lower extremities was shown through enlarged collateral veins of the abdominal wall, vena azygos and hemiazygos continuation, and multiple liver veins emptying into the right cardiac atrium.

Cost of transfusion-dependent myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) from a German payer's perspective.

No curative treatment exists for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) besides allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Hence, palliative treatment is provided for a life time accruing high health care cost. As no study in cost of MDS exists in Germany, the objective of this study was to assess and analyze costs of transfusion-dependent low/intermediate-1-risk MDS in Germany from a payers' perspective.

Estimating DXA total body fat percentage by lipometer subcutaneous adipose tissue thicknesses.

DXA is an accepted reference method to estimate body composition. However several difficulties in the applicability exist. The equipment is rather expensive, not portable, impractical for measurement of big study populations and it provides a minimal amount of ionizing radiation exposure.