Photodynamic therapy in colorectal cancer treatment—The state of the art in preclinical research

BackgroundPhotodynamic therapy (PDT) is used in many different oncologic fields. Also in gastroenterology, where have been a few attempts to treat both the premalignant lesion and advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). This review aims to give a general overview of preclinical photodynamic studies related to CRC cells and animal studies of photodynamic effects related to CRC treatment to emphasize their potential in study of PDT mechanism, safety and efficiency to translate these results into clinical benefit in CRC treatment.Materials and methodLiterature on in vitro preclinical photodynamic studies related to CRC cells and animal studies of photodynamic effects related to CRC treatment with the fallowing medical subject headings search terms: colorectal cancer, photodynamic therapy, photosensitizer(s), in vitro, cell culture(s), in vivo, animal experiment(s). The articles were selected by their relevance to the topic.ResultsThe majority of preclinical studies concerning possibility of PDT application in colon and rectal cancer is focused on phototoxic action of photosensitizers toward cultured colorectal tumor cells in vitro. The purposes of animal experiments are usually elucidation of mechanisms of observed photodynamic effects in scale of organism, estimation of PDT safety and efficiency and translation of these results into clinical benefit.Concluding remarksIn vitro photodynamic studies and animal experiments can be useful for studies of mechanisms and efficiency of photodynamic method as a start point on PDT clinical research. The primary disadvantage of in vitro experiments is a risk of over-interpretation of their results during extrapolation to the entire CRC.     

Does the measurement of the difference of resistive indexes in spleen and kidney allow a selective assessment of chronic kidney injury?

Purpose: To determine whether the difference of resistive indexes (RIs) in spleen and kidney (DI-RISK) is a more specific ultrasonographic (US) marker of intrarenal parenchymal damage than intrarenal RI alone. Materials and Methods: The study was approved by the local ethics committee. All study participants provided informed consent. The authors defined standard values for renal RI, splenic RI, and DI-RISK in 152 healthy subjects; carotid intima media thickness (IMT) was assessed as a marker of systemic vascular disease. Next, the authors measured these US parameters and collected echocardiographic data in 290 patients with chronic kidney disease (stage 2-4) recruited between September 2008 and February 2011 to evaluate the DI-RISK across the spectrum of stages of kidney function. Correlation coefficients were calculated with the Spearman test, and multivariate linear regression was used to analyze independent predictors of renal RI, splenic RI, and DI-RISK. Results: Healthy subjects had a mean age of 34.3 years ± 8.7, and patients with chronic kidney disease had a mean age of 65.0 years ± 12.3 (P < .001). In healthy subjects, both renal and splenic RIs were associated with IMT (renal RI: r = 0.19, P = .022; splenic RI: r = 0.23, P = .005); there was no correlation between DI-RISK and IMT (r = -0.10, P = .215). Similarly, in patients with chronic kidney disease, renal and splenic RIs correlated with IMT (renal RI: r = 0.33, P < .001; splenic RI: r = 0.30, P = .001). DI-RISK was associated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; r = -0.19, P = .001) but not with IMT (r = 0.08, P = .174). At multivariate regression analysis, DI-RISK was independently associated with eGFR but not with extrarenal factors. Conclusion: In patients with chronic kidney disease, renal RIs do not selectively indicate organ damage, but also mirror systemic vascular disease. The authors introduced DI-RISK as a potential US marker that may more specifically reflect kidney damage. ? RSNA, 2012.     

Collecting duct carcinoma of the kidney: are imaging findings suggestive of the diagnosis?

OBJECTIVE: Collecting duct carcinoma derives from the renal medulla and has an infiltrative growth pattern at pathologic examination. The purpose of our study was to characterize the imaging features of this aggressive malignancy and determine whether the diagnosis can be reliably suggested from imaging findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Radiologic studies from 17 patients with pathologically proven collecting duct carcinoma were analyzed by two reviewers. RESULTS: The tumors varied in size from 1.5 to 19 cm (mean, 7.7 cm). Medullary involvement was present on CT in 16 (94%) of 17 cases, but cortical involvement or an exophytic component was also present in 15 cases (88%) and 10 cases (59%), respectively. The reniform contour of the kidney was preserved in seven cases (41%) and correlated with a smaller tumor size (p<0.01). Tumors showed an infiltrative appearance on CT in 11 cases (65%), but an expansile component was also present in eight of these cases. A cystic component was present on CT in six (35%) of 17 cases. On sonography, the solid tumor component was hyperechoic to normal renal parenchyma in six of seven cases and isoechoic in the other. On MR imaging, all tumors (4/4) were hypointense on T2-weighted imaging. On urography, all lesions (5/5) distorted the intrarenal collecting system. On angiography, all tumors (3/3) were hypovascular. CONCLUSION: Medullary involvement and an infiltrative appearance are common findings on cross-sectional imaging and may suggest the diagnosis of collecting duct carcinoma. In large tumors, however, these features are frequently overshadowed by an exophytic or expansile component that cannot be distinguished from the more common cortical renal cell carcinoma.     

Clearance of99mTc-diisopropyl-IDA in the “steady state”

A 77-year-old man with a stent in place for biliary drainage was examined. Intravenously administered^99mTc-diisopropyl-IDA showed little accumulation of activity in the abdomen while the stent was draining internally. Upon switching the stent to external drainage, it was possible to monitor the slow movement of the bile which contained radioactivity. Imaging over the liver and comparing activity changes with a^99mTc standard showed that the decrease in hepatic radioactivity was identical to that occurring in the^99mTc standard. The liver was thus in a steady state for excretion of the^99mTc hepatobiliary agent, for it was extracting as much radioactivity from the circulation as it was excreting.Supported by grant no. USPHS CA 17802 from the National Cancer Institute     

Complications of loco-regional therapy in the liver—spectrum of imaging findings by CT and MRI

The aim of this study was to discuss the appearance of common complications from loco-regional therapy of primary and secondary malignant liver neoplasms on cross-sectional imaging. Knowledge of common complications is important for the safe performance of loco-regional therapy (LRT) and for the interpretation of post-LRT follow-up imaging. With careful patient selection, LRT represents an effective and safe treatment of primary and secondary hepatic malignancies; however, complications related to LRT methods infrequently lead to additional morbidity.     

Structured reporting of MRI of the shoulder – improvement of report quality?

Objectives

To evaluate the effect of structured reports (SRs) in comparison to non-structured narrative free text (NRs) shoulder MRI reports and potential effects of both types of reporting on completeness, readability, linguistic quality and referring surgeons’ satisfaction.

Methods

Thirty patients after trauma or with suspected degenerative changes of the shoulder were included in this study (2012–2015). All patients underwent shoulder MRI for further assessment and possible surgical planning. NRs were generated during clinical routine. Corresponding SRs were created using a dedicated template. All 60 reports were evaluated by two experienced orthopaedic shoulder surgeons using a questionnaire that included eight questions.

Results

Eighty per cent of the SRs were fully complete without any missing key features whereas only 45% of the NRs were fully complete (p?<?0.001). The extraction of information was regarded to be easy in 92% of the SRs and 63% of the NRs. The overall quality of the SRs was rated better than that of the NRs (p?<?0.001).

Conclusions

Structured reporting of shoulder MRI improves the readability as well as the linguistic quality of radiological reports, and potentially leads to a higher satisfaction of referring physicians.

Key Points

? Structured MRI reports of the shoulder improve readability. ? Structured reporting facilitates information extraction. ? Referring physicians prefer structured reports to narrative free text reports. ? Structured MRI reports of the shoulder can reduce radiologist re-consultations.

     

Contribution of the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI to Dynamic MRI in the detection of hypovascular small (≤ 2 cm) HCC in cirrhosis

Objective  

To prospectively assess the additional value of the hepatobiliary (HB) phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA-MRI in identifying and characterising small (≤2 cm) hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) undetermined in dynamic phases alone because of their atypical features, according to the AASLD criteria.     

CT of the musculoskeletal system: What is left is the days of MRI?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a central role in the modern imaging of musculoskeletal disorders, due to its ability to produce multiplanar images and characterise soft tissues accurately. However, computed tomography (CT) still has an important role to play, not merely as an alternative to MRI, but as being the preferred imaging investigation in some situations. This article briefly reviews the history of CT technology, the technical factors involved and a number of current applications, as well as looking at future areas where CT may be employed. The advent of ever-increasing numbers of rows of detectors has opened up more possible uses for CT technology. However, diagnostic images may be obtained from CT systems with four rows of detectors or more, and their ability to produce near isotropic voxels and therefore multiplanar reformats.     

Can the health of a nation be correlated to its state of internal peace?

The Institute for Economics and Peace has ranked 162 territories within the United Nations according to how they score on a scale of 1.0 (most peaceful) to 5.0 (least peaceful) in a ‘Global Peace Index’ (GPI). The GPI 2015 values range from 1.148 (Iceland) to 3.645 (Syria). In this pilot study, we report significant correlations (Spearman rank coefficients) between each country’s GPI and indicators of the health of its citizens (life expectancies, death rates and health expenditures): these significances are marginally enhanced when Sub-Saharan African countries are excluded. Our findings may indicate avenues for promoting a healthy global society, but more detailed and comprehensive analyses should be conducted in order for the factors behind the correlations to be identified and applied with more certainty.