1,721,141 research outputs found
[18F]-FDHT PET for the Imaging of Androgen Receptor in Prostate and Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review
No full textThe aim of this systematic review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of fluoro-5 & alpha;-dihydrotestosterone ([F-18]-FDHT) for the in vivo imaging of androgen receptors (AR) through positron emission tomography (PET) in metastatic breast (mBC) and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Relevant studies published from 2013 up to May 2023 were selected by searching Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science. The selected imaging studies were analyzed using a modified version of the critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Eleven studies encompassing 321 patients were selected. Seven of the eleven selected papers included 266 subjects (82.2%) affected by mCRPC, while four encompassed 55 (17.2%) patients affected by mBC. [F-18]-FDHT PET showed a satisfying test/retest reproducibility, and when compared to a histochemical analysis, it provided encouraging results for in vivo AR quantification both in mCRPC and mBC. [F-18]-FDHT PET had a prognostic relevance in mCRPC patients submitted to AR-targeted therapy, while a clear association between [F-18]-FDHT uptake and the bicalutamide response was not observed in women affected by AR-positive mBC. Further studies are needed to better define the role of [F-18]-FDHT PET, alone or in combination with other tracers (i.e., [F-18]-FDG/[F-18]-FES), for patients' selection and monitoring during AR-targeted therapy, especially in the case of mBC
Hepato-Biliary Imaging in an Acute Setting: Is There a Role for Nuclear Medicine?
No full textNuclear medicine (NM) is not commonly considered as a first-line imaging modality in hepato-biliary (HB) emergencies. The aim of this review is to provide an update on the potential of NM for the imaging of HB emergencies. 99mTc-HIDA scintigraphy showed high diagnostic accuracy for acute cholecystitis, thus being particularly useful in patients at high-risk for surgery due to comorbidities and with no clear findings at US or CT. Although limitedly explored, White blood cell (WBC) scan might have a role in case of acute pancreatitis, especially for the imaging of pancreatic leukocyte infiltration and the prediction of pancreatic necrosis. Scientific literature on 18F-FDG-PET/CT in HB acute disease mainly consists of case reports or case series, describing incidental findings in oncological PET/CT scans. In patients with obstructive jaundice, PET/CT has been proposed to disclose and characterize occult tumoral etiology. Further studies are needed to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the various NM approaches in HB acute settings, particularly with respect to the emerging new technologies (eg, PET/MRI) and radiopharmaceuticals
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
LACOSAMIDE: TERAPIA IN ADD ON NEL TRATTAMENTO DELL’EPILESSIA PARZIALE
Full text linkRazionale ed obiettivi: La lacosamide è una nuova molecola con spiccata attività anticonvulsivante utilizzata nelle forme di epilessia ad esordio focale. Obiettivo del nostro studio è quello di valutare la tollerabilità, le interazioni farmacologiche e l’efficacia di questo nuovo farmaco usato in associazione ai vecchi ed ai nuovi farmaci antiepilettici.
Pazienti e metodi: Abbiamo arruolato 30 pazienti afferenti al nostro Centro per la Diagnosi e la Cura dell’Epilessia dell’Università degli studi di Palermo affetti da epilessia parziale in bi-politerapia. L’età media dei pazienti era di 36,6 anni, l’età media di esordio della prima crisi di 15,9; 25 erano farmacoresistenti e 22 hanno presentato una riduzione delle crisi dopo sei mesi di terapia con lacosamide (200-400 mg/die).
Risultati: I nostri dati dimostrano una associazione statisticamente significativa fra l’età di esordio della malattia e la farmacoresistenza (p 0,0038). Non è stata dimostrata invece nessuna associazione fra la durata media di malattia e la farmacoresistenza, così come fra la riduzione della frequenza delle crisi e il tipo di terapia.
Conclusioni: I nostri dati indicano che non è ancora possibile stabilire i meccanismi farmacodinamici/farmacocinetici che inducono una riduzione delle crisi nei pazienti in trattamento con lacosamide. I dati di letteratura suggeriscono che il sinergismo/antagonismo farmacologico è legato a differenti fattori fra cui il numero di farmaci assunti e i rispettivi meccanismi d’azione. La maneggevolezza, la tollerabilità e l’efficacia terapeutica del farmaco ne fa una affascinante scoperta nel trattamento delle forme focali farmacoresistenti, tuttavia sono necessari ulteriori studi per definire le sue proprietà di interazione con gli altri farmaci antiepilettici
99mTc-labeled FAPI compounds for cancer and inflammation: from radiochemistry to the first clinical applications
No full textbackground: In recent years, fibroblast activating protein (FAP), a biomarker overexpressed by cancer-associated fibroblasts, has emerged as one of the most promising biomarkers in oncology. similarly, FAP overexpression has been detected in various fibroblast-mediated inflammatory conditions such as liver cirrhosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. along this trajectory, FAP-targeted positron emission tomography (PET), utilizing FAP inhibitors (FAPi) labeled with positron emitters, has gained traction as a powerful imaging approach in both cancer and inflammation. however, PET represents a high-cost technology, and its widespread adoption is still limited compared to the availability of gamma cameras. to address this issue, several efforts have been made to explore the potential of [99mTc]Tc-FAPi tracers as molecular probes for imaging with gamma cameras and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).
main body: several approaches have been investigated for labeling FAPi-based compounds with 99mTc. specifically, the mono-oxo, tricarbonyl, isonitrile, and HYNIC strategies have been applied to produce [99mTc]Tc-FAPi tracers, which have been tested in vitro and in animal models. overall, these labeling approaches have demonstrated high efficiency and strong binding. the resulting [99mTc]Tc-FAPi tracers have shown high specificity for FAP-positive cells and xenografts in both in vitro and animal model studies, respectively. however, the majority of [99mTc]Tc-FAPi tracers have exhibited variable levels of lipophilicity, leading to preferential excretion through the hepatobiliary route and undesirable binding to lipoproteins. consequently, efforts have been made to synthesize more hydrophilic FAPi-based compounds to improve pharmacokinetic properties and achieve a more favorable biodistribution, particularly in the abdominal region. SPECT imaging with [99mTc]Tc-FAPi has yielded promising results in patients with gastrointestinal tumors, demonstrating comparable or superior diagnostic performance compared to other imaging modalities. similarly, encouraging outcomes have been observed in subjects with gliomas, lung cancer, breast cancer, and cervical cancer. beyond oncological applications, [99mTc]Tc-FAPi-based imaging has been successfully employed in myocardial and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
conclusions: this overview focuses on the various radiochemical strategies for obtaining [99mTc]Tc-FAPi tracers, highlighting the main challenges encountered and possible solutions when applying each distinct approach. additionally, it covers the preclinical and initial clinical applications of [99mTc]Tc-FAPi in cancer and inflammation
Liquid biopsy in malignant pleural mesothelioma: State of the art, pitfalls, and perspectives
No full textMalignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive tumor linked to asbestos exposure. Although the risk factors for MPM are well-known, the majority of MPM patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage and have a very poor prognosis. Circulating biomarkers for early diagnosis remain to be identified, and the current standard for MPM diagnosis relies on pleural biopsies. Robust non-invasive tests for the screening of asbestos-exposed subjects are therefore an important unmet clinical need. This review provides a critical summary of recent liquid biopsy-based studies aimed at discovering novel blood-based circulating biomarkers for the early diagnosis and prognostic stratification of MPM patients
Superscan-Like Pattern on 18F-Choline PET/CT in a Patient With Essential Thrombocythemia
No full textFew clinical and preclinical articles reported the potential usefulness of F-18-choline PET/CT in several hematological proliferative diseases. We report and incidental finding of a superscan-like pattern in a patient affected by essential thrombocythemia (ET), performing F-18-choline PET/CT for a biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. The mild elevation of PSA values and the negativity of subsequent Ga-68-PSMA-11 PET/CT allowed to correlate the diffuse skeletal uptake detected on F-18-choline PET/CT to the underlying hematologic disease, rather than to a prostate cancer relapse
The impact of PET imaging on triple negative breast cancer: an updated evidence-based perspective.
No full textintroduction: triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer characterized by the absence of estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors. It predominantly affects younger women and is associated with a poor prognosis. this systematic review aims to evaluate the current role of positron emission tomography (PET) in the management of TNBC patients and to identify future research directions.
methods: we systematically searched the pubmed, scopus, and web of science databases up to february 2024. a team of five researchers conducted data extraction and analysis. the quality of the selected studies was assessed using a specific evaluation form.
results: twenty-eight studies involving 2870 TNBC patients were included in the review. key clinical applications of PET in TNBC included predicting pathological complete response (pCR) in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), assessing the prognostic value of baseline PET, and initial disease staging. two studies utilized PSMA-ligand agents, while the majority used [18F]FDG-based PET. significant associations were found between baseline [18F]FDG uptake and molecular biomarkers such as PDL-1, androgen receptor, and Ki67. baseline [18F]FDG PET led to the upstaging of patients from stage IIB to stage IV, influencing treatment decisions and survival outcomes. In the NAC setting, serial PET scans measuring changes in [18F]FDG uptake, indicated by maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), predicted pCR with varying cut-off values correlated with different response rates. semiquantitative parameters such as metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and PET lung index were prognostic for metastatic disease.
conclusions: In TNBC patients, [18F]FDG PET is essential for initial disease staging in both localized and metastatic settings. It is also useful for assessing treatment response to NAC. the ability of PET to correlate metabolic activity with molecular markers and predict treatment outcomes highlights its potential in TNBC management. further prospective studies are needed to refine these clinical indications and establish its definitive role
Serum osteoprotegerin correlates with age and bone mass in postmenopausal, but not in fertile age women
No full textOsteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANKL) are bone turnover modulators expressed by osteoblasts. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the circulating OPG/RANKL system, age and bone mass, in fertile age and postmenopausal women
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