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Bowel wall thickening in the hospitalized patient can be due to myriad etiologies. Familiarity with the optimal study protocols and a structured approach for evaluation are important. Understanding the pathology and knowing the imaging features of most common entities (ischemia, shock bowel, hemorrhage, infection, graft-versus-host disease, and fluid overload) enable radiologists to provide unique value to clinical management.

Aim: Compare ablation versus partial nephrectomy (PN) in T1A renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treatment, using the SEER database. Methods: Patients with diagnosed T1A RCC from 2004 to 2013 were identified. Propensity matching paired subjects with similar background variables. Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression were performed before and after matching. Results: Cohort included 4592 patients (809 ablation, 3783 PN). PN compared with ablation group had significantly increased overall survival (OS; 93.6% vs 81.9% 5-year survival; p < 0.0001) and cancer-specific survival (CSS; p < 0.0001). After matching (1222 pairs), PN group had significantly increased OS (91.0% vs 86.3% 5-year survival; p = 0.0457) but similar CSS (p = 0.4023). Conclusion: Ablation offers similar CSS but lower OS as PN for T1A RCC in this SEER database.

Aim: To compare the overall survival (OS) and liver cancer-specific survival of advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who received transarterial radioembolization (TARE) with those who received nonoperative/interventional treatment (NOT). Materials & methods: A total of 12,520 HCC patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database were categorized by treatment with either radioembolization or NOT. Kaplan–Meier and multivariate Cox regression were conducted. Results: The TARE group had both a significantly longer median overall survival than the NOT group (TARE = 9 months; NOT = 2 months; p Conclusion: TARE appears to provide a significant survival advantage over the NOT population in advanced HCC patients.

Aim: To compare overall survival (OS) and liver cancer-specific survival (LCSS) in patients with localized hepatocellular carcinoma treated with surgical resection (SR) or thermal ablation (TA) using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. Materials & methods: Kaplan–Meier, competing risk and Cox regression analyses were performed after identifying patients. Propensity score matching was then applied. Results: There was significantly better OS in the SR group and significantly lower probability of LCSS in the TA group. After matching, there was significantly longer OS in the SR group and a lower probability of LCSS in the TA group. Conclusion: SR offered a significant survival benefit over TA for localized hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: Compare radioembolization (Y90) and chemoembolization (CE) for the treatment of unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (UICC). Materials & methods: Institutional Review Board-approved, retrospective search was performed. Forty patients with UICC were treated with either Y90 (n = 25, 39 treatments) or CE (n = 15, 35 treatments). Comparative analysis was performed using Student's t and fisher-exact tests. Multivariable-logistic regression was also performed. Results: Median ages were 60 and 64 years for CE and Y90 groups, respectively (p = 0.798). Patient variables including age, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score, tumor burden, extra-hepatic disease, prior chemotherapy and prior surgery were similar between groups. Adverse events were similar in both groups (CE 20%, Y90 26%; p > 0.9). Overall response rate (CE 6%, Y90 4%; p > 0.9) and disease control rate (CE 46%, Y90 48%; p > 0.9) were statistically similar. Multilogistic regression did not identify any variables that correlated with disease control rate, including Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score and tumor burden. Conclusion: Our observation shows that CE and Y90 display similar toxicity and disease control in the treatment of UICC.