Intra-individual qualitative and quantitative comparison of [Ga]Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT and PET/MRI.

Background: Somatostatin receptor (SSTR) positron emission tomography (PET) is a cornerstone of neuroendocrine tumor (NET) management. Hybrid PET/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now available for NET-imaging, next to PET/computed tomography (CT).

Objectives: To determine whether CT or MRI is the best hybrid partner for [Ga]Ga-DOTATATE PET.

Outcomes and potential impact of a virtual hands-on training program on MRI staging confidence and performance in rectal cancer.

Objectives: To explore the potential impact of a dedicated virtual training course on MRI staging confidence and performance in rectal cancer.

Methods: Forty-two radiologists completed a stepwise virtual training course on rectal cancer MRI staging composed of a pre-course (baseline) test with 7 test cases (5 staging, 2 restaging), a 1-day online workshop, 1 month of individual case readings (n = 70 cases with online feedback), a live online feedback session supervised by two expert faculty members, and a post-course test. The ESGAR structured reporting templates for (re)staging were used throughout the course.

Predicting resectable disease in relapsed epithelial ovarian cancer by using whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic value of whole-body diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (WB-DWI/MRI) to predict resectable disease at the time of secondary cytoreductive surgery for relapsed epithelial ovarian cancer with a platinum-free interval of at least 6 months.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study between January 2012 and December 2021 in a tertiary referral hospital. Inclusion criteria were: (a) first recurrence of epithelial ovarian cancer; (b) platinum-free interval of ≥6 months; (c) intent to perform secondary cytoreductive surgery with complete macroscopic resection; and (d) WB-DWI/MRI was performed.

Sense and nonsense of yT-staging on MRI after chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer.

Aim: The aim of this work was to investigate the value of rectal cancer T-staging on MRI after chemoradiotherapy (ymrT-staging) in relation to the degree of fibrotic transformation of the tumour bed as assessed using the pathological tumour regression grade (pTRG) of Mandard as a standard of reference.

Method: Twenty two radiologists, including five rectal MRI experts and 17 'nonexperts' (general/abdominal radiologists), evaluated the ymrT stage on the restaging MRIs of 90 rectal cancer patients after chemoradiotherapy. The ymrT stage was compared with the final ypT stage at histopathology; the percentages of correct staging (ymrT = ypT), understaging (ymrT < ypT) and overstaging (ymrT > ypT) were calculated and compared between patients with predominant tumour at histopathology (pTRG4-5) and patients with predominant fibrosis (pTRG1-3).

Predicting response to chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer via visual morphologic assessment and staging on baseline MRI: a multicenter and multireader study.

Purpose: Pre-treatment knowledge of the anticipated response of rectal tumors to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) could help to further optimize the treatment. Van Griethuysen et al. proposed a visual 5-point confidence score to predict the likelihood of response on baseline MRI.

Comparison of MRI response evaluation methods in rectal cancer: a multicentre and multireader validation study.

Objectives: To compare four previously published methods for rectal tumor response evaluation after chemoradiotherapy on MRI.

Methods: Twenty-two radiologists (5 rectal MRI experts, 17 general/abdominal radiologists) retrospectively reviewed the post-chemoradiotherapy MRIs of 90 patients, scanned at 10 centers (with non-standardized protocols). They applied four response methods; two based on T2W-MRI only (MRI tumor regression grade (mrTRG); split-scar sign), and two based on T2W-MRI+DWI (modified-mrTRG; DWI-patterns).

Early Whole-Body Diffusion-weighted MRI Helps Predict Long-term Outcome Following Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy for Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Purpose To evaluate the predictive value of 7-week apparent diffusion coefficient change from baseline (ADCratio) at whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI (WB-DWI MRI) after one peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) cycle to predict outcome in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumor (mNET). Materials and Methods From April 2009 to May 2012, participants in a prospective clinical trial investigating yttrium 90-DOTA Phe1-Tyr-octreotide (DOTATOC) treatment for mNET (EudraCT no. 2008-007965-22) underwent WB-DWI MRI and gallium 68 (Ga)-DOTATOC PET/CT before and 7 weeks after one PRRT cycle.

The sigmoid take-off as a landmark to distinguish rectal from sigmoid tumours on MRI: Reproducibility, pitfalls and potential impact on treatment stratification.

Purpose: The sigmoid take-off (STO) was recently introduced as a preferred landmark, agreed upon by expert consensus recommendation, to discern rectal from sigmoid cancer on imaging. Aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility of the STO, explore its potential treatment impact and identify its main interpretation pitfalls.

Methods: Eleven international radiologists (with varying expertise) retrospectively assessed n = 155 patients with previously clinically staged upper rectal/rectosigmoid tumours and re-classified them using the STO as completely below (rectum), straddling the STO (rectosigmoid) or completely above (sigmoid), after which scores were dichotomized as rectum (below/straddling STO) and sigmoid (above STO), being the clinically most relevant distinction.

Imaging modalities in pregnant cancer patients.

Cancer during pregnancy is increasingly diagnosed due to the trend of delaying pregnancy to a later age and probably also because of increased use of non-invasive prenatal testing for fetal aneuploidy screening with incidental finding of maternal cancer. Pregnant women pose higher challenges in imaging, diagnosis, and staging of cancer. Physiological tissue changes related to pregnancy makes image interpretation more difficult.

Accuracy of whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI (WB-DWI/MRI) in diagnosis, staging and follow-up of gastric cancer, in comparison to CT: a pilot study.

Background: Accurate staging of patients with gastric cancer is necessary for selection of the most appropriate and personalized therapy. Computed tomography (CT) is currently used as primary staging tool, being widely available with a relatively high accuracy for the detection of parenchymal metastases, but with low sensitivity for the detection of peritoneal metastases. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has a very high contrast resolution, suggesting a higher diagnostic performance in the detection of small peritoneal lesions.

Sequential intra-arterial infusion of 90Y-resin microspheres and mitomycin C in chemo refractory liver metastatic breast cancer patients: a single centre pilot study.

Background The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of intra-arterial mitomycin C (MMC) infusion after selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) using Yttrium-90 (90Y) resin microspheres in liver metastatic breast cancer (LMBC) patients. Patients and methods The prospective pilot study included LMBC patients from 2012-2018. Patients first received infusion of 90Y resin microspheres, after 6-8 weeks response to treatment was assessed by MRI, 18F-FDG PET/CT and laboratory tests.

Whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI for operability assessment in patients with colorectal cancer and peritoneal metastases.

Background: Correct staging of patients with colorectal cancer is of utmost importance for the prediction of operability. Although computed tomography (CT) has a good overall performance, estimation of peritoneal cancer spread is a known weakness, a problem that cannot always be overcome by Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-FDG-PET/CT); especially in infiltrative and miliary disease spread. Due to its high spatial and contrast resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) might have a better performance.

Transarterial Radioembolization Following Chemoembolization for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Response Based on Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Change is an Independent Predictor for Survival.

Purpose: To evaluate whether response based on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) change at diffusion-weighted MRI after transarterial radioembolization (TARE) can predict survival, in patients with prior transarterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: We identified all patients who received DEB-TACE prior to TARE for HCC between 2007 and 2016. Response on MRI was determined by modified RECIST (mRECIST) and ADC change relative to pre-TARE imaging (ADCratio).

Feasibility of whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI for detection of primary tumour, nodal and distant metastases in women with cancer during pregnancy: a pilot study.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI (WB-DWI/MRI) for detecting primary tumour, nodal and distant metastases in pregnant women with cancer.

Methods: Twenty pregnant patients underwent WB-DWI/MRI in additional to conventional imaging. Reproducibility of WB-DWI/MRI between two readers was evaluated using Cohen's κ statistics and accuracy was compared to conventional imaging for assessing primary tumour site, nodal and visceral metastases.

Safety and Efficacy of Transarterial Radioembolisation in Patients with Intermediate or Advanced Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma Refractory to Chemoembolisation.

Introduction: Transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) is the most widely used locoregional treatment for patients with an unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Transarterial radioembolisation (TARE) with yttrium-90 containing microspheres is an emerging interventional treatment that could be complementary or an alternative to TACE.

Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of TARE in patients with HCC who are refractory to TACE with drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE).

Absence of tumor invasion into pelvic structures in locally recurrent rectal cancer: prediction with preoperative MR imaging.

Purpose: To retrospectively assess the accuracy of preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for identification of tumor invasion into pelvic structures in patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer scheduled to undergo curative resection.

Materials And Methods: The institutional review board approved this study, and informed consent was waived because of the retrospective nature of the study. Preoperative MR images in 40 consecutive patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer scheduled to undergo curative treatment between October 2003 and November 2006 were analyzed retrospectively.

Locally advanced rectal cancer: MR imaging for restaging after neoadjuvant radiation therapy with concomitant chemotherapy. Part I. Are we able to predict tumor confined to the rectal wall?

Purpose: To retrospectively assess accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging after radiation therapy with concomitant chemotherapy for downsizing of the primary lesion to ypT0-2 tumor confined to rectal wall in locally advanced rectal cancer, with histopathologic findings as reference standard, and to evaluate additional value of volumetric analysis.

Materials And Methods: The institutional review board approved the study and waived informed consent. Sixty-seven patients met criteria of the study.

Radicality of resection and survival after multimodality treatment is influenced by subsite of locally recurrent rectal cancer.

Purpose: To analyze results of multimodality treatment in relation to subsite of locally recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC).

Method And Materials: A total of 170 patients with LRRC who underwent treatment between 1994 and 2008 were studied. The basic principle of multimodality treatment was preoperative (chemo)radiotherapy, intended radical surgery, and intraoperative radiotherapy.

Pre-operative staging with positron emission tomography in patients with pelvic recurrence of rectal cancer.

Background/aim: The treatment of pelvic recurrences of rectal cancer is primarily surgical. The substantial morbidity and mortality of such resections warrant stringent patient selection. Recent literature reports PET to be of additional value to CT for the detection of metastases in colorectal cancer patients.

Radical resection after IORT-containing multimodality treatment is the most important determinant for outcome in patients treated for locally recurrent rectal cancer.

Background: The optimal treatment for locally recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC) is still a matter of debate. This study assessed the outcome of LRRC patients treated with multimodality treatment, consisting of neoadjuvant radio (chemo-) therapy, extended resection, and intraoperative radiotherapy.

Methods: One hundred and forty-seven consecutive patients with LRRC who underwent treatment between 1994 and 2006 were studied.

Mesorectal fascia invasion after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer: accuracy of MR imaging for prediction.

Purpose: To retrospectively assess sensitivity and specificity of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging after chemotherapy and radiation therapy for predicting tumor invasion of the mesorectal fascia (MRF) in locally advanced primary rectal cancer, by using results of histologic examination and surgery as the reference standard, and to determine morphologic MR imaging criteria for MRF invasion.

Materials And Methods: The Ethical Committee of University Hospital Maastricht approved this study and waived informed consent. Two observers independently scored postchemoradiation MR images in 64 patients with rectal cancer (38 male [mean age, 60 years] and 26 female [mean age, 64 years] patients) for MRF tumor invasion with a confidence level scoring system defined by subjective criteria.