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Background The aim of this phantom study was to optimise the [68Ga]Ga-PSMA PET/CT examination in terms of scan time duration and image reconstruction parameters, in combination with PSF and TOF modelling, in a digital Biograph Vision PET/CT scanner. Methods Three types of phantoms were used: (a) soft-tissue tumour phantom consisting of six spheres mounted in a torso phantom, (b) bone-lung tumour phantom, and (c) resolution phantom. Phantom inserts were filled with activity concentrations (ACs) that clinical data. Phantom data were acquired in list-mode at one bed position. Images with emission data ranging from 30 to 210 s in 30-s increments were reconstructed from a reference image acquired with 3.5-min emission. Iterative image reconstruction (OSEM), point-spread-function (PSF) and time-of-flight (TOF) options were applied using different iterations, Gaussian filters, and voxel sizes. The criteria for image quality was lesion detectability and lesion quantification, evaluated as contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) and percentage maximum AC (peak AC), respectively. A threshold value of CNR above 8 6 and percentage maximum AC (peak AC) deviation range of ±20% of the reference image, were considered acceptable. The proposed single-bed scan time reduction was projected to a whole-body examination (patient validation scan) using the continuous-bed-motion mode. Results Sphere and background ACs of 20 kBq/mL and 1 kBq/mL were selected, respectively. The optimised single-bed scan time was approximately 60 s using OSEM-TOF or OSEM-TOF+PSF (4 iterations, 4.0-mm Gaussian filter, and almost isotropic voxel size of 3.0-mm side length), resulting in a PET spatial resolution of 6.3 mm. In the patient validation, the maximum percentage difference between standard and optimized protocol (15 vs 5 min) was below 19%. Conclusions A reduction of single-bed and whole-body scan time for [68Ga]Ga-PSMA PET/CT compared to current clinically recommended acquisition protocols is postulated Clinical studies are warranted to validate the applicability of this protocol.

PURPOSE To study the impact of transarterial Yttrium-90 radioembolization (TARE) in combination with second-line systemic chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastases (CLM). METHODS In this international, multicenter, open-label phase III trial, patients with CLM who progressed on oxaliplatin- or irinotecan-based first-line therapy were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive second-line chemotherapy with or without TARE. The two primary end points were progression-free survival (PFS) and hepatic PFS (hPFS), assessed by blinded independent central review. Random assignment was performed using a web- or voice-based system stratified by unilobar or bilobar disease, oxaliplatin- or irinotecan-based first-line chemotherapy, and KRAS mutation status. RESULTS Four hundred twenty-eight patients from 95 centers in North America, Europe, and Asia were randomly assigned to chemotherapy with or without TARE; this represents the intention-to-treat population and included 215 patients in the TARE plus chemotherapy group and 213 patients in the chemotherapy alone group. The hazard ratio (HR) for PFS was 0.69 (95% CI, 0.54 to 0.88; 1-sided P = .0013), with a median PFS of 8.0 (95% CI, 7.2 to 9.2) and 7.2 (95% CI, 5.7 to 7.6) months, respectively. The HR for hPFS was 0.59 (95% CI, 0.46 to 0.77; 1-sided P < .0001), with a median hPFS of 9.1 (95% CI, 7.8 to 9.7) and 7.2 (95% CI, 5.7 to 7.6) months, respectively. Objective response rates were 34.0% (95% CI, 28.0 to 40.5) and 21.1% (95% CI, 16.2 to 27.1; 1-sided P = .0019) for the TARE and chemotherapy groups, respectively. Median overall survival was 14.0 (95% CI, 11.8 to 15.5) and 14.4 months (95% CI, 12.8 to 16.4; 1-sided P = .7229) with a HR of 1.07 (95% CI, 0.86 to 1.32) for TARE and chemotherapy groups, respectively. Grade 3 adverse events were reported more frequently with TARE (68.4% v 49.3%). Both groups received full chemotherapy dose intensity. CONCLUSION The addition of TARE to systemic therapy for second-line CLM led to longer PFS and hPFS. Further subset analyses are needed to better define the ideal patient population that would benefit from TARE.

123/131I-MIBG scintigraphy has shown a high specificity for imaging pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma however with low sensitivity due to low spatial resolution. 124I-MIBG PET may overcome this limitation to improve the staging of patients with (suspected) pheochromocytoma. Methods: We analyzed the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) of 124I-MIBG PET in 43 consecutive patients with suspected (recurrence of) pheochromocytoma using histopathological (n = 25) and clinical validation (n = 18) as standard of truth. Furthermore, we compared 124I-MIBG PET versus contrast enhanced CT (CE-CT) per-patient and per-lesion detection rate of 124I-MIBG PET in 13 additional patients with known metastatic malignant pheochromocytoma (MMP). Results:124I-MIBG PET/CT was positive in 19/43 (44%) patients with suspected pheochromocytoma. Presence of pheochromocytoma was confirmed in 22/43 (51%). 124I-MIBG PET/CT sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV were 86%, 100%, 100%, 88%, respectively. 124I-MIBG PET was positive in 11/13 (85%) MMP patients. Combined 124I-MIBG PET and CE-CT detected 173 lesions, of which 166 (96%) and 118 (68%) were visible on 124I-MIBG PET and CE-CT, respectively. Discussion:124I-MIBG PET detects pheochromocytoma with high accuracy at initial staging and high detection rate at re-staging. Superior diagnostic performance aids guidance of surgical and medical management including personalized 131I-MIBG therapy.

Purpose The role of streptozocin-based chemotherapy (STZ CTx) in advanced, well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (PanNET) and the best sequence of treatments in advanced PanNET are unclear. We examined the outcomes after STZ CTx in patients who had been selected according to the current therapeutic guidelines. Methods Data from 50 PanNET patients consecutively treated with STZ CTx between 2010 and 2018 were analysed. The endpoints of the study were the objective-response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results STZ CTx was the first-line treatment in 54% of patients. The PanNET grades were as follows: 6% G1, 88% G2, and 6% well-differentiated G3. The ORR was 38%. Stable disease was the best response in 38% of patients and 24% showed progressive disease. Treatment was discontinued because of toxicity in one patient. Median PFS and OS were 12 (95% confidence interval (CI), 8.5–15.5) and 38 months (95% CI, 20.4–55.6), respectively. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, the median OS was 89 months (95% CI, 34.9–143.1) for STZ CTx as first-line therapy compared with 22 months (95% CI, 19.3–24.7; p = 0.001, log-rank test) for subsequent lines. Bone metastases negatively impacted survival (HR, 2.71, p = 0.009, univariate analysis, HR, 2.64, p = 0.015, multivariate analysis, and Cox regression). Conclusions In patients selected according to current guidelines, PFS, and OS after STZ CTx were lower than previously reported, whereas ORR was unchanged. First-line treatment was positively associated with OS and the presence of bone metastases was negatively associated with OS. Pre-treatment with targeted or peptide-receptor radionuclide therapy did not alter ORR, PFS, or OS.

Purpose To compare CT, MRI, and [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ([18F]-FDG PET/MRI) for nodal status, regarding quantity and location of metastatic locoregional lymph nodes in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer. Materials and methods One hundred eighty-two patients (mean age 52.7 ± 11.9 years) were included in this prospective double-center study. Patients underwent dedicated contrast-enhanced chest/abdomen/pelvis computed tomography (CT) and whole-body ([18F]-FDG PET/) magnet resonance imaging (MRI). Thoracal datasets were evaluated separately regarding quantity, lymph node station (axillary levels I–III, supraclavicular, internal mammary chain), and lesion character (benign vs. malign). Histopathology served as reference standard for patient-based analysis. Patient-based and lesion-based analyses were compared by a McNemar test. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy were assessed for all three imaging modalities. Results On a patient-based analysis, PET/MRI correctly detected significantly more nodal positive patients than MRI (p p p p p = 0.015). Subgroup analysis for different lymph node stations showed that PET/MRI detected significantly more lymph node metastases than MRI and CT in each location (axillary levels I–III, supraclavicular, mammary internal chain). MRI was superior to CT only in axillary level I (p = 0.0291). Conclusion [18F]-FDG PET/MRI outperforms CT or MRI in detecting nodal involvement on a patient-based analysis and on a lesion-based analysis. Furthermore, PET/MRI was superior to CT or MRI in detecting lymph node metastases in all lymph node stations. Of all the tested imaging modalities, PET/MRI showed the highest sensitivity, whereas CT showed the lowest sensitivity, but was most specific.

Aims In contrast to all prior AJCC/TNM classifications for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) the 8th edition does not take minimal extrathyroidal extension (M-ETE) into consideration for local tumor staging. We therefore aimed to retrospectively assess the specific impact of M-ETE on the outcome of M-ETE patients treated in our clinic. Methods DTC patients with M-ETE and a follow-up time of ≥ 5 years were included and matched with an identical number of patients without M-ETE, but with equal histopathological tumor subtype and size. The frequency of initially metastatic disease among groups was compared using Fisher’s exact test, the recurrence rate by virtue of log-rank test. Fisher’s exact test and multivariate analysis were used to account for the presence of confounding risk factors. Results One hundred sixty patients (80 matching pairs) were eligible. With other confounding risk factors being equal, the prevalence of N1-/M1-disease at initial diagnosis was comparable among groups (M-ETE: 42.5 %; no M-ETE: 32.5 %; p = 0.25). No differences with regard to the recurrence rate were shown. However, M-ETE patients were treated with external beam radiation therapy more often (16.3 % vs. 1.3 %; p = 0.004) and received higher median cumulative activities of 131I (10.0 vs. 8.0 GBq; p Discussion Although having played a pivotal role for local tumor staging of DTC for decades M-ETE did not increase the risk for metastases at initial diagnosis and the recurrence rate in our cohort. Patients with M-ETE had undergone intensified treatment, which entails a possible confounding factor that warrants further investigation in randomized controlled trials.

At present, prostate cancer remains the second most occurring cancer in men, in Europe. Treatment efficacy for therapy of advanced metastatic disease, and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in particular is limited. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a promising therapeutic target in prostate cancer, seeing the high amount of overexpression on prostate cancer cells. Clinical investigation of PSMA-targeted radionuclide therapy has shown good clinical efficacy. However, adverse effects are observed of which salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia are among the most prominent. Salivary gland toxicity is currently the dose-limiting side effect for PSMA-targeted radionuclide therapy, and more specifically for PSMA-targeted alpha therapy. To date, mechanisms underlying the salivary gland uptake of PSMA-targeting compounds and the subsequent damage to the salivary glands remain largely unknown. Furthermore, preventive strategies for salivary gland uptake or strategies for treatment of salivary gland toxicity are needed. This review focuses on the current knowledge on uptake mechanisms of PSMA-targeting compounds in the salivary glands and the research performed to investigate different strategies to prevent or treat salivary gland toxicity. ispartof: NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY vol:98-99 pages:30-39 ispartof: location:United States status: published

Zusammenfassung Einleitung Die COVID-19-Pandemie stellt weltweit die Gesundheitssysteme vor eine in ihrem Ausmaß nicht zu erahnende Herausforderung. Diese Online-Umfrage erfasste die Auswirkungen der COVID-19-Pandemie auf die Leistungszahlen der Nuklearmedizin in Deutschland im Jahresvergleich 2020 zu 2019. Materialien und Methoden Ein webbasierter Fragebogen wurde entwickelt, um die Leistungszahlen 2020 und insbesondere die Veränderungen im Jahresvergleich zu 2019 zu erfassen. Abgefragt wurden die Veränderungen in der nuklearmedizinischen Diagnostik und Therapie sowie inwieweit die Handlungsempfehlungen „Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2“ umgesetzt wurden. Ergebnisse 91 vollständige Antworten wurden erfasst und ausgewertet, was rund 20 % aller deutschen nuklearmedizinischen Einrichtungen entspricht. In der Diagnostik zeigte sich im Vergleich zu 2019 eine Abnahme der Szintigrafien der Schilddrüse (15,9 %), der Knochen (8,8 %), der Lunge (7,6 %), der Sentinel-Lymphknoten (5,5 %) und des Myokards (1,4 %) bei geringem Anstieg der PET/CT-Untersuchungen (1,2 %). Bei den nuklearmedizinischen Therapien war die Reduktion bei den benignen Erkrankungen am höchsten (benigne Schilddrüse 13,3 %, RSO 7,7 %), während die Veränderungen zu 2019 bei den malignen Indikationen weniger ausgeprägt waren (PRRT + 2,2 %, PSMA + 7,4 %, SIRT –5,9 % und RJT bei Schilddrüsenkarzinom –2,4 %). Die Handlungsempfehlungen der DGN wurden zu 90 % ganz oder teilweise angewendet. Schlussfolgerungen Die initial deutliche Reduktion der nuklearmedizinischen Leistungen in den ersten 3 Wochen der COVID-19-Pandemie hat sich im weiteren Verlauf nicht fortgesetzt, ein Nachholen der nicht durchgeführten Untersuchungen hat allerdings nicht stattgefunden. Besonders schwerwiegend war der Rückgang bei Diagnostik und Therapie der benignen Erkrankungen.

Background Manual quantification of the metabolic tumor volume (MTV) from whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT is time consuming and therefore usually not applied in clinical routine. It has been shown that neural networks might assist nuclear medicine physicians in such quantification tasks. However, little is known if such neural networks have to be designed for a specific type of cancer or whether they can be applied to various cancers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of a neural network in a cancer that was not used for its training. Methods Fifty consecutive breast cancer patients that underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT were included in this retrospective analysis. The PET-Assisted Reporting System (PARS) prototype that uses a neural network trained on lymphoma and lung cancer 18F-FDG PET/CT data had to detect pathological foci and determine their anatomical location. Consensus reads of two nuclear medicine physicians together with follow-up data served as diagnostic reference standard; 1072 18F-FDG avid foci were manually segmented. The accuracy of the neural network was evaluated with regard to lesion detection, anatomical position determination, and total tumor volume quantification. Results If PERCIST measurable foci were regarded, the neural network displayed high per patient sensitivity and specificity in detecting suspicious 18F-FDG foci (92%; CI = 79–97% and 98%; CI = 94–99%). If all FDG-avid foci were regarded, the sensitivity degraded (39%; CI = 30–50%). The localization accuracy was high for body part (98%; CI = 95–99%), region (88%; CI = 84–90%), and subregion (79%; CI = 74–84%). There was a high correlation of AI derived and manually segmented MTV (R2 = 0.91; p p p = 0.025) and liver MTV (HR = 1.149; CI = 1.001–1.318; p = 0.048) were predictive for overall survival in a multivariate analysis. Conclusion Although trained on lymphoma and lung cancer, PARS showed good accuracy in the detection of PERCIST measurable lesions. Therefore, the neural network seems not prone to the clever Hans effect. However, the network has poor accuracy if all manually segmented lesions were used as reference standard. Both the whole body and organ-wise MTV were significant prognosticators of overall survival in advanced breast cancer.

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are a heterogeneous family of uncommon tumours with challenging diagnosis, clinical management and unique needs that almost always requires a multidisciplinary approach. In the absence of guidance from the scientific literature, along with the rapidly changing data available on the effect of COVID-19, we report how 12 high-volume NEN centres of expertise in 10 countries at different stages of the evolving COVID-19 global pandemic along with members of international neuroendocrine cancer patient societies have suggested to preserve high standards of care for patients with NENs. We review the multidisciplinary management of neuroendocrine neoplasms during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we suggest potential strategies to reduce risk and aid multidisciplinary treatment decision-making. By sharing our joint experiences, we aim to generate recommendations for proceeding to other institutions facing the same challenges., Highlights • Neuroendocrine neoplasm (NEN) management requires a multidisciplinary approach. • Evidence is lacking to guide adjustments to standard-of-care during the COVID-19 era. • Multiple countries are now experiencing diverse trajectories of the COVID-19 pandemic. • NEN centres worldwide have shared experiences to preserve high standards of care. • We suggest potential strategies to reduce risk and aid multidisciplinary approach.

Purpose/introduction [18F]FDG-PET/CT is the standard imaging-technique for radiation treatment (RT) planning in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of this study was to examine the additional value of endobronchial-ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) to standard PET/CT for mediastinal lymph-node (LN) staging and its impact on clinical target volume (CTV). Materials and methods All consecutive patients with primary stage III NSCLC who underwent [18F]FDG-PET/CT and EBUS-TBNA prior to RT were analyzed from 12/2011 to 06/2018. LN-stations were assessed by an expert-radiologist and a nuclear medicine-physician. CTV was evaluated by two independent radiation oncologists. LNs were grouped with increasing distance along the lymphatic chains from primary tumor into echelon-1 (ipsilateral hilum), echelon-2 (LN-station 7 and ipsilateral 4), and echelon-3 (remaining mediastinum and contralateral hilum). Results A total of 675 LN-stations of which 291 were positive for tumor-cells, were sampled by EBUS-TBNA in 180 patients. The rate of EBUS-positive LNs was 43% among all sampled LNs. EBUS-positivity in EBUS-probed LNs decreased from 85.8% in echelon-1 LNs to 42.4%/ 9.6% in echelon-2/ -3 LNs, respectively (p < 0.0001, Fisher’s exact test). The false discovery rate of PET in comparison with EBUS results rose from 5.3% in echelon-1 to 32.9%/ 69.1% in echelon-2/ -3 LNs, respectively (p < 0.0001, Fisher’s exact test). Sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET/CT ranged from 85 to 99% and 67 to 80% for the different echelons. In 22.2% patients, EBUS-TBNA finding triggered changes of the treated CTV, compared with contouring algorithms based on FDG-avidity as the sole criterion for inclusion. CTV was enlarged in 6.7% patients due to EBUS-positivity in PET-negative LN-station and reduced in 15.5% by exclusion of an EBUS-negative but PET-positive LN-station. Conclusion The false discovery rate of [18F]FDG-PET/CT increased markedly with distance from the primary tumor. Inclusion of systematic mediastinal LN mapping by EBUS-TBNA in addition to PET/CT has the potential to increase accuracy of target volume definition, particularly in echelon-3 LNs. EBUS-TBNA is recommended as integral part of staging for radiochemotherapy in stage III NSCLC.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive neuroendocrine cancer of the skin. For patients who are refractory to immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI), treatment options are limited. Few cases of MCCs with high somatostatin receptor (SSTR) expression were reported to show responses upon SSTR-directed peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). A combination of PRRT and ICI has not been reported in MCC to date. A 60-year old man with metastatic MCC, who was primarily resistant to the anti-PD-L1 ICI with avelumab and secondarily resistant to the anti-CTLA4 plus anti-PD-1 ICI therapy with ipilimumab plus nivolumab (IPI/NIVO) with additional RT, presented with multiple bone and lymph node metastases. After confirmation of SSTR expression, the patient was treated with a salvage therapy of additional four doses of IPI/NIVO combined with two cycles of PRRT. Treatment was well tolerated with transient hematoxicity and mild nausea. Re-staging three months after therapy start showed an exceptional good response. This case report demonstrates the feasibility of a combined treatment with IPI/NIVO and PRRT as a salvage option for MCC patients progressing under ICI therapy. Prospective evidence confirming the additive value of combining ICI and radionuclide therapy in a larger cohort is needed.

Executive SummaryThe EC Directive 2013/59/Euratom states in article 56 that exposures of target volumes in nuclear medicine treatments shall be individually planned and their delivery appropriately verified. The Directive also mentions that medical physics experts should always be appropriately involved in those treatments. Although it is obvious that, in nuclear medicine practice, every nuclear medicine physician and physicist should follow national rules and legislation, the EANM considered it necessary to provide guidance on how to interpret the Directive statements for nuclear medicine treatments.For this purpose, the EANM proposes to distinguish three levels in compliance to the optimization principle in the directive, inspired by the indication of levels in prescribing, recording and reporting of absorbed doses after radiotherapy defined by the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU): Most nuclear medicine treatments currently applied in Europe are standardized. The minimum requirement for those treatments is ICRU level 1 (“activity-based prescription and patient-averaged dosimetry”), which is defined by administering the activity within 10% of the intended activity, typically according to the package insert or to the respective EANM guidelines, followed by verification of the therapy delivery, if applicable. Non-standardized treatments are essentially those in developmental phase or approved radiopharmaceuticals being used off-label with significantly (> 25% more than in the label) higher activities. These treatments should comply with ICRU level 2 (“activity-based prescription and patient-specific dosimetry”), which implies recording and reporting of the absorbed dose to organs at risk and optionally the absorbed dose to treatment regions. The EANM strongly encourages to foster research that eventually leads to treatment planning according to ICRU level 3 (“dosimetry-guided patient-specific prescription and verification”), whenever possible and relevant. Evidence for superiority of therapy prescription on basis of patient-specific dosimetry has not been obtained. However, the authors believe that a better understanding of therapy dosimetry, i.e. how much and where the energy is delivered, and radiobiology, i.e. radiation-related processes in tissues, are keys to the long-term improvement of our treatments.

We aimed to systematically determine the impact of tumor burden on (68)Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen-11 ((68)Ga-PSMA) PET biodistribution by the use of quantitative measurements. Methods: This international multicenter, retrospective analysis included 406 men with prostate cancer who underwent (68)Ga-PSMA PET/CT. Of these, 356 had positive findings and were stratified by quintiles into a very low (quintile 1, ≤25 cm(3)), low (quintile 2, 25–189 cm(3)), moderate (quintile 3, 189–532 cm(3)), high (quintile 4, 532–1,355 cm(3)), or very high (quintile 5, ≥1,355 cm(3)) total PSMA-positive tumor volume (PSMA-VOL). PSMA-VOL was obtained by semiautomatic segmentation of total tumor lesions using qPSMA software. Fifty prostate cancer patients with no PSMA-positive lesions (negative scan) served as a control group. Normal organs, which included salivary glands, liver, spleen, and kidneys, were semiautomatically segmented using (68)Ga-PSMA PET images, and SUV(mean) was obtained. Correlations between the SUV(mean) of normal organs and PSMA-VOL as continuous and categoric variables by quintiles were evaluated. Results: The median PSMA-VOL was 302 cm(3) (interquartile range [IQR], 47–1,076 cm(3)). The median SUV(mean) of salivary glands, kidneys, liver, and spleen was 10.0 (IQR, 7.7–11.8), 26.0 (IQR, 20.0–33.4), 3.7 (IQR, 3.0–4.7), and 5.3 (IQR, 4.0–7.2), respectively. PSMA-VOL showed a moderate negative correlation with the SUV(mean) of the salivary glands (r = −0.44, P

Purpose Bone-tracer scintigraphy has an established role in diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis (CA) as it detects transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR). Positron emission tomography (PET) with amyloid tracers has shown high sensitivity for detection of both ATTR and light-chain (AL) CA. We aimed to investigate the accuracy of 18F-flutemetamol in CA. Methods We enrolled patients with CA or non-amyloid heart failure (NA-HF), who underwent cardiac 18F-flutemetamol PET/MRI or PET/CT. Myocardial and blood pool standardized tracer uptake values (SUV) were estimated. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and T1 mapping/ extracellular volume (ECV) estimation were performed. Results We included 17 patients (12 with CA, 5 with NA-HF). PET/MRI was conducted in 13 patients, while PET/CT was conducted in 4. LGE was detected in 8 of 9 CA patients. Global relaxation time and ECV were higher in CA (1448 vs. 1326, P = 0.02 and 58.9 vs. 33.7%, P = 0.006, respectively). Positive PET studies were demonstrated in 2 of 12 patients with CA (AL and ATTR). Maximal and mean SUV did not differ between groups (2.21 vs. 1.69, P = 0.18 and 1.73 vs. 1.30, P = 0.13). Conclusion Although protein-independent binding is supported by our results, the diagnostic yield of PET was low. We demonstrate here for the first time the low sensitivity of PET for CA.

Introduction [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 (Lu-PSMA) radioligand therapy is an emerging treatment option for patients with end-stage prostate cancer. However, response to Lu-PSMA therapy is only achieved in approximately half of patients. It is clinically important to identify patients at risk of poor outcome. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate pretherapeutic PSMA PET derived total tumor volume and related metrics as prognosticators of overall survival in patients receiving Lu-PSMA therapy. Methods A total number of 110 patients form the Departments of Nuclear Medicine Münster and Essen were included in this retrospective analysis. Baseline PSMA PET-CT was available for all patients. Employing a previously published approach, all tumor lesions were semi-automatically delineated in PSMA PET-CT acquisitions. Total lesion number, total tumor volume (PSMA-TV), total lesion uptake (PSMA-TLU = PSMA-TV * SUVmean), and total lesion quotient (PSMA-TLQ = PSMA-TV / SUVmean) were quantified for each patient. Log2 transformation was used for regressions. Results Lesion number, PSMA-TV, and PSMA-TLQ were prognosticators of overall survival (HR = 1.255, p = 0.009; HR = 1.299, p = 0.005; HR = 1.326, p = 0.002). In a stepwise backward Cox regression including lesion number, PSMA-TV, PSA, LDH, and PSMA-TLQ, only the latter two remained independent and statistically significant negative prognosticators of overall survival (HR = 1.632, p = 0.011; HR = 1.239, p = 0.024). PSMA-TLQ and LDH were significant negative prognosticators in multivariate Cox regression in contrast to PSA value. Conclusion PSMA-TV was a statistically significant negative prognosticator of overall survival in patients receiving Lu-PSMA therapy. PSMA-TLQ was an independent and superior prognosticator of overall survival compared with PSMA-TV.

Colorectal cancer is the cancer with the third highest incidence both in males and females in the USA and is also frequently occurring in other industrialized nations. Anal cancer on the other hand is much rarer, but has a rising incidence, especially in high income nations and with a connection to HIV infections, homosexual men and a younger age of the first sexual encounter. Both have high mortality rates in common and are complex to handle in terms of prevention, staging, treatment and diagnostic of recurrence. This article aims to give an overview about the established diagnostic methods of nuclear medicine, especially sole PET and (contrast enhanced) hybrid imaging with ¹⁸F-FDG as tracer for primary staging, restaging, therapy monitoring and radiotherapy planning in current guidelines, with a special focus on the American guidelines of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network for colorectal and anal cancer. There will also be an outlook on potential future adjustments in those leading to a more significant representation of nuclear medicine by giving a synopsis of the available studies and data published in international medical press. New tracers that are still in research stage, progress in the imaging techniques, for example a further establishment of PET/MR hybrid imaging, the use of artificial intelligence and parametric imaging, as well as possible future theranostic applications like c-MET binding peptides will also be shortly discussed.

The aim of this study was to compare PET/MR enterography with ileocolonoscopy regarding patients' acceptance and their future preference.Between October 2014 and February 2018 one-hundred-eleven patients underwent PET/MR enterography and ileocolonoscopy within 2 weeks. Overall acceptance of each modality was rated using a 10-point Likert scale with higher score indicating worse experience. Wilcoxon test was used to assess difference. Patients' acceptance of bowel cleansing and oral intake of contrast agent was analyzed in the same way. Furthermore, to find out if diagnosis, gender and age might influence patients' acceptance and future preference, Mann-Whitney U test for ordinal and Chi-squared test for categorical parameters were applied.77 patients (47 females) with a mean age of 44.5 years and diagnosed ulcerative colitis (UC; n = 46) and Crohn's disease (CD; n = 31), were included in the analysis. Overall, ileocolonoscopy was significantly better rated than PET/MR enterography (p 0.001). Bowel cleansing was worse tolerated than oral intake of liquid (p 0.001). Patients with CD preferred PET/MR enterography as future screening method, while UC patients favored ileocolonoscopy (p = 0.012). PET/MR enterography tended to be better accepted by CD patients (p = 0.08). Females tolerated both bowel cleansing and oral contrast agent worse than males (p = 0.05 and 0.047). No significant difference between different age groups was found.Ileocolonoscopy was rated as better tolerable than PET/MR and the overall rate for future preference was very similar. Optimization of both modalities might enhance patients' acceptance.

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the clinical utility of simultaneously obtained quantitative 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission-tomography (18F-FDG PET) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) datasets for the prediction of histopathological therapy response of soft tissue sarcomas (STS) under neoadjuvant isolated limb perfusion (ILP). Methods: A total of 37 patients with confirmation of a STS of the extremities underwent an 18F-FDG PET/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination before (1st scan) and after (2nd scan) ILP with melphalan and TNF-α. For each patient, the maximum tumor size, metabolic activity (standardized uptake values, SUV) and diffusion-restriction (apparent diffusion restriction values, ADC) were determined in pre- and posttherapeutic examinations and percentage changes during treatment were calculated. A Mann-Whitney U test was used and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to compare the results of the different quantitative parameters to predict histopathological therapy response. Results from histopathological analysis after subsequent tumor resection served as reference standard and patients were defined as responders/non-responders based on the grading scale by Salzer-Kuntschik. Results: Histopathological analysis categorized 22 (59%) patients as therapy responders (Grade I-III) and 15 (41%) patients as non-responders (Grade IV-VI). Tumors in the responder group showed a mean reduction in size of -9.7% and metabolic activity (SUVpeak: -51.9%; SUVmean: -43.8%) as well as an increase of the ADC values (ADCmin: +29.4% and ADCmean: +32.8%) under treatment. Percentage changes in the non-responder group amounted to: tumor size -6.2%; SUVpeak: -17.3%; SUVmean: -13.9%; ADCmin: +15.3% and ADCmean: +14.6%. Changes of the SUVs and ADCmean values between responders and non-responders were significantly different ( 0.05). The corresponding AUCs were 0.63 (tumor size), 0.87 (SUVpeak), 0.82 (SUVmean), 0.63 (ADCmin), 0.84 (ADCmean) and 0.89 (ratio: ADCmean/SUVpeak), respectively. Conclusion:18F-FDG PET and MR-derived quantitative imaging parameters (SUVs and ADCmean) and their combination reveal a good performance for the prediction of histopathological therapy response of STS under neoadjuvant ILP. Therefore, integrated PET/MRI could serve as a valuable tool for pretherapeutic assessment as well as monitoring of neoadjuvant treatment strategies of STS.

INTRODUCTION To correlate tumour grading and prognostic immunohistochemical markers of lung cancer with simultaneously acquired standardised uptake values (SUV) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) derived from hybrid PET/MRI. METHODS In this retrospective study, 55 consecutive patients (mean age 62.5 ± 9.2 years) with therapy-naive, histologically proven lung cancer were included. All patients underwent whole-body PET/MRI using 18F-flourdeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) as a radiotracer. Diffusion-weighted imaging of the chest (DWI, b-values: 0, 500, 1000 s/mm2 ) was performed simultaneously with PET acquisition. Histopathological tumour grading was available in 43/55 patients. In 15/55 patients, immunohistochemical markers, that is, phospho-AKT Ser473 (pAKTS473), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (erbB2) were available. RESULTS The average SUVmax, SUVmean, ADCmin and ADCmean in lung cancer primaries were 12.6 ± 5.9, 7.7 ± 4.6, 569.9 ± 96.1 s/mm2 and 825.8 ± 93.2 s/mm2 , respectively. We found a significant inverse correlation between the ADCmin and SUVmax (r = -0.58, P

In den vergangenen Jahren konnten deutliche Fortschritte in der modernen nuklearmedizinischen Diagnostik und bei den innovativen nuklearmedizinischen Therapien von Krebserkrankungen erzielt werden. Theranostik als Kombination aus Therapie und Diagnostik bietet ein groses Potenzial, die Tumorerkrankungen nicht nur fruhzeitig zu lokalisieren und deren Ausdehnung sowie teilweise auch ihren Metabolismus zu bestimmen, sondern auch gezielt therapieren zu konnen. Theranostik nutzt durch die molekulare Bildgebung gesammelte Informationen fur die initiale Diagnostik, das (Re‑)Staging und auch die Planung von patientenspezifischen Therapien sowie fur die genaue Dokumentation eines Behandlungserfolgs. Pharmaka werden hierzu je nach Einsatz in Diagnostik oder Therapie unterschiedlich radioaktiv markiert. Dies ermoglicht eine hochspezifische Bildgebung durch spezielle Kamerasysteme bzw. eine interne, zielgerichtete und nebenwirkungsarme Strahlentherapie. Die Ubergange zwischen therapeutisch wirkenden und diagnostisch nutzbaren Radiopharmaka sind jedoch haufig fliesend. Nahezu alle Radioisotope besitzen multiple Strahlenkomponenten, sodass man oftmals ein zu Therapiezwecken appliziertes Radiopharmakon gleichzeitig zur Bildgebung und zur Dosisbestimmung einsetzen kann, wobei dies teils auch durch die Aufzeichnung der sog. Bremsstrahlung erfolgt. Dieser Artikel gibt einen kurzen Uberblick uber die wichtigsten nuklearmedizinischen Anwendungsgebiete im Bereich der Onkologie mit besonderem Akzent auf die theranostischen Verfahren, beginnend mit der Theranostik des differenzierten Schilddrusenkarzinoms, uber die Diagnostik und Behandlung der neuroendokrinen Tumoren bis hin zur neueren Theranostik kastrationsresistenter Prostatakarzinome sowie weiterer (zukunftiger) Anwendungsgebiete.

To study the value of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and [18F]FDG positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) in assessing immunocompromised patients with suspected malignancy or infection. [18F]FDG-PET/CT and [18F]FDG-PET/MRI examinations of patients who were immunocompromised after receiving lung, heart, pancreas, kidney, liver, or combined kidney-liver transplants were analyzed in this retrospective study. Patients underwent whole-body hybrid-imaging because of clinical signs of malignancy and/or infection. Findings were assessed by molecular features ([18F]FDG-uptake) and morphological changes. The final diagnosis, which was arrived at after review of clinical, laboratory, and histopathologic analyses and follow-up imaging studies, served as the reference standard. Altogether, (i) 28 contrast-enhanced [18F]FDG-PET/CT scans (CE-PET/CT), (ii) 33 non-contrast [18F]FDG-PET/CT scans (NC-PET/CT), and (iii) 18 [18F]FDG-PET/MRI scans were included. Additionally, 12/62 patients underwent follow-up PET imaging to rule out vital tumor or metabolic active inflammatory processes. CE-PET/CT exhibited 94.4% sensitivity, 80.0% specificity, 89.5% positive predictive value (PPV), 88.9% negative predictive value (NPV), and 89.3% accuracy with regard to the reference standard. NC-PET/CT exhibited 91.3% sensitivity, 80.0% specificity, 91.3% PPV, 80.0% NPV, and 87.9% accuracy. PET/MRI exhibited 88.6% sensitivity, 99.2% specificity, 99.6% PPV, 81.3% NPV, and 94.4% accuracy. Exact McNemar statistical test (one-sided) showed significant difference between the CT-/MR-component alone and the integrated PET/CT and PET/MRI for diagnosis of malignancy or infection (p value

Purpose Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is used for (re)staging prostate cancer (PCa) and as a biomarker for evaluating response to therapy, but lacks established response criteria. A panel of PCa experts in nuclear medicine, radiology, and/or urology met on February 21, 2020, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to formulate criteria for PSMA PET/CT-based response in patients treated for metastatic PCa and optimal timing to use it. Methods Panelists received thematic topics and relevant literature prior to the meeting. Statements on how to interpret response and progression on therapy in PCa with PSMA PET/CT and when to use it were developed. Panelists voted anonymously on a nine-point scale, ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (9). Median scores described agreement and consensus. Results PSMA PET/CT consensus statements concerned utility, best timing for performing, criteria for evaluation of response, patients who could benefit, and handling of radiolabeled PSMA PET tracers. Consensus was reached on all statements. PSMA PET/CT can be used before and after any local and systemic treatment in patients with metastatic disease to evaluate response to treatment. Ideally, PSMA PET/CT imaging criteria should categorize patients as responders, patients with stable disease, partial response, and complete response, or as non-responders. Specific clinical scenarios such as oligometastatic or polymetastatic disease deserve special consideration. Conclusions Adoption of PSMA PET/CT should be supported by indication for appropriate use and precise criteria for interpretation. PSMA PET/CT criteria should categorize patients as responders or non-responders. Specific clinical scenarios deserve special consideration.

Neuroendokrine Neoplasien (NEN) des Verdauungstrakts stellen eine heterogene Erkrankung mit variabler klinischer Manifestation dar. Sie machen etwa 1 % aller Malignome aus. Die funktionell aktiven NEN stellen aufgrund ihrer Hormonexzesssyndrome besondere Anforderungen an Diagnostik und Therapie. Die einzig kurative Therapie der NEN ist ihre vollstandige Entfernung. Weitere Optionen sind Somatostatinanaloga, molekular-zielgerichtete Therapien, Peptid-Radiorezeptor-Therapie und systemische Chemotherapie. Die Zahl der Phase-III-Studien ist limitiert, komparative Studien fehlen fur die meisten Situationen. Eine etablierte Therapiesequenz ist daher nur selten vorhanden, die Masnahmen werden individualisiert eingesetzt. Therapieziel bei fortgeschrittenen, differenzierten neuroendokrinen Tumoren ist eine Wachstumsstabilisierung. Bei undifferenzierten neuroendokrinen Karzinomen ist die objektive Ansprechrate auf eine systemische Chemotherapie hoher, jedoch statistisch von kurzer Dauer.

ZusammenfassungSeit Einführung der PET/CT im Jahr 2001 bzw. der PET/MRT im Jahr 2010 ist die PET als Hybridbildgebung und Instrument einer bildgesteuerten Präzisionsmedizin zunehmend zu einem Versorgungsstandard in der Onkologie geworden. Die zentrale Schnittstelle in der Kommunikation zwischen den zuweisenden onkologisch tätigen Ärzten und dem Nuklearmediziner und Radiologen stellt der schriftliche Befund dar, der das Patientenmanagement und Outcome beeinflusst, aber auch juristisch-relevante Dokumentation der erbrachten Leistung und ärztlichen Beurteilung der erhobenen Befunde ist. Eine qualitativ hochwertige, auf die klinische Frage fokussierte Hybridbildgebung sollte im weiteren Fortgang mit einem gleichermaßen qualitativ hochwertigen, strukturierten schriftlichen Befund verbunden sein, der die klinische Frage zur Zufriedenheit des zuweisenden Arztes beantwortet. Im vorliegenden Manuskript werden daher Konsensempfehlungen zur Befundstruktur, zu Befundinhalten und zur konklusiven Beurteilung einer onkologischen Hybridbildgebung gegeben. Darüber hinaus werden beispielhafte Vorlagen für ebensolche Befunde dargestellt. Die hier dargelegten Empfehlungen zur strukturierten Befunderstellung sollen eine weitere Standardisierung und Harmonisierung onkologischer Befunde im Kontext einer Hybridbildgebung fördern und so die Kommunikation mit den zuweisenden Ärzten vereinfachen und die Akzeptanz und Wertschätzung der onkologischen Hybridbildgebung weiter unterstützen.

Background Regarding the longer-term recurrence rate the optimal activity for the remnant thyroid ablation in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is discussed controversially. For the short-term ablation success rate up to 12 months there are already several meta-analyses. In this study we performed the first meta-analysis regarding the longer-term recurrence rate after radioactive 131-I administration. Methods We conducted an electronic search using PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessed the recurrence rate after radioactive iodine ablation in patients with DTC, with a follow-up of at least two years were selected. Statistics were performed by using Review Manager version 5.3 and Stata software. Results Four RCTs were included in the study, involving 1501 patients. There was no indication for heterogeneity (I2 = 0%) and publication bias. The recurrence rate among patients who had a low dose 131-iodine ablation was not higher than for a high dose activity (odds ratio (OR) 0.93 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53–1.63]; P = 0.79). The mean follow-up time was between 4.25 and 10 years. The subgroup analysis regarding the TSH stimulated thyroglobulin values ( Conclusions For the first time we showed that the longer-term, at least 2-year follow-up, recurrence rate among patients who had 131-iodine ablation with 1.1 GBq was not higher than with 3.7 GBq.

Rationale: PSMA-PET-CT enables measuring molecular expression of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in vivo, which is the target molecule of 177Lu-PSMA-617 (Lu-PSMA) therapy. However, the correlation of PSMA expression and overall survival (OS) in patients treated with Lu-PSMA therapy is currently unclear; especially with regard to coexistence of high and low PSMA expressing metastases. To this end, this retrospective single arm study elucidates the correlation of PSMA expression and overall survival in patients treated with Lu-PSMA therapy. Additionally, PET based criteria to define low PSMA expression were explored. Methods: Eighty-five patients referred to Lu-PSMA therapy were included in the analysis. Pretherapeutic 68Ga-PSMA-PET-CT scans were available for all patients. SUVmax of the highest PSMA expressing metastasis (PSMAmax), SUVmax of the lowest PSMA expressing metastasis (PSMAmin), and average SUVmax of all metastases (PSMAaverage) amongst other PET parameters were measured for each patient. A log-rank cutoff-finder was used to determine low (lowPSMAaverage) and high (highPSMAaverage) average PSMA expression as well as low (lowPSMAmin) and high (highPSMAmin) minimal PSMA expression. Results: PSMAaverage was a significant prognosticator of overall survival in contrast to PSMAmax (HR: 0.959; p = 0.047 vs. HR: 0.992; p = 0.231). Optimal log rank cut-offs were: PSMAaverage = 14.3; PSMAmin = 10.2. Patients with low average PSMA expression (lowPSMAaverage) had significantly shorter survival compared to those with high average expression (highPSMAaverage) (5.3 vs. 15.1 months; p < 0.001; HR: 3.738, 95%CI = 1.953-7.154; p < 0.001). Patients with low PSMA expressing metastases (lowPSMAmin) had shorter survival compared to those without a low PSMA expressing metastasis (highPSMAmin) (p = 0.003; 7.9 months vs. 21.3; HR: 4.303, 95%CI = 1.521-12.178; p = 0.006). Patients that were classified as highPSMAaverage but with lowPSMAmin had an intermediate overall survival (11.4 months; longer compared to lowPSMAaverage, 5.3 months, p = 0.002; but shorter compared to highPSMAmin, 21.3 months, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Low average PSMA expression is a negative prognosticator of overall survival. Absence of low PSMA expressing metastases is associated with best overall survival and the maximum PSMA expression seems not suited to prognosticate overall survival. Low PSMA expression might therefore be a negative prognosticator for the outcome of patients treated with Lu-PSMA therapy. Future studies are warranted to elucidate the degree of low PSMA expression tolerable for Lu-PSMA therapy.

Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by absence or deficient activity of α-galactosidase A (α-Gal A) due to mutations in the α-galactosidase A gene (GLA), leading to progressive accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) in tissues and organs including heart, kidney, the eyes, vascular endothelium, the nervous system and the skin. Cardiac involvement is leading to fatal complications and reduced life expectancy. FD is treatable with disease-specific treatment (enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) or with chaperone therapy). Therefore, the early diagnosis of FD is crucial for reducing the morbidity and mortality. Screening of high-risk populations (eg, patients with unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), young patients with unexplained stroke, and patients with unexplained renal failure proteinuria or microalbuminuria) yields good results. The diagnostic algorithm is gender-specific. Initially, the measurement of α-Gal A activity is recommended in males, and optionally in females. In males with non-diagnostic residual activity (5-10%) activity, genetic testing is afterwards done for confirming the diagnosis. In fact, diagnosis of FD is not possible without genetic testing for both males and females. Globotriaosysphingosine (lyso-Gb3) for identification of atypical FD variants and high- sensitive troponin T (hsTNT) for identification of cardiac involvement are also important diagnostic biomarkers. The aim of this review was to provide an update on diagnosis and screening of patients with FD.

Accurate imaging is crucial for lesion detection in abdominal organs, for the noninvasive characterization of focal and diffuse abnormalities, and for surgical planning. To accomplish these tasks, several imaging modalities such as multidetector computer tomography (MDCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) are used for abdominal imaging, providing important morphological, functional or metabolic information. More recently, PET/MRI has been gaining attention due to the possibility of combining high-resolution imaging with metabolic imaging. PET/MRI is a novel hybrid imaging technology that in the near future might play a pivotal role in the clinical management of oncologic and inflammatory abdominopelvic diseases. Despite the still limited number of published clinical studies, PET/MRI has been proven to be at least equivalent to PET/CT and to standalone MRI in a variety of oncologic disease. Moreover, in selected and focused clinical studies, it has been proven to outperform current standard of care imaging, for example, in evaluating cholangiocarcinomas, liver metastases, untreated and treated rectal cancer. This has also had an impact on therapeuticmanagement in some studies. Therefore in some institutions, including those of the authors, PET/MRI is becoming the new standard imaging modality in staging treatment-naive intrahepatic massforming cholangiocarcinomas and prior to complicated hepatic surgery.

Ziel dieser Studie war die Evaluierung des prädiktiven Potenzials der Radiomics-Analyse zur Bestimmung des N- und M-Stadiums des primären Zervixkarzinoms anhand multiparametrischer 30 Patientinnen mit einem histologisch gesicherten, primären und therapienaiven Zervixkarzinom unterzogen sich einer multiparametrischen Insgesamt zeigte sich eine höhere Genauigkeit zur Prädiktion des korrekten M-Stadiums im Vergleich zum N-Stadium. Zur Prädiktion des korrekten M-Stadiums zeigten sich unter der Verwendung von SVM und SVM-RFE zur Feature-Auswahl die besten Ergebnisse mit einer Sensitivität von 91 %, einer Spezifität von 92 % und einer Fläche unter der Kurve (AUC) von 0,97. Die höchste Genauigkeit für die Bestimmung des N-Stadiums erfolgte unter der Verwendung von RBF-SVM und MIFS zur Feature-Auswahl mit einer Sensitivität von 83 %, einer Spezifität von 67 % und einer Fläche unter der Kurve (AUC) von 0,82. Die Radiomics-Analyse von multiparametrischen PET/MR-Datensätzen ermöglicht eine präzise Prädiktion des M- und N-Stadiums von Patientinnen mit primärem Zervixkarzinom und könnte damit supportiv zur nichtinvasiven Tumor-Phänotypisierung und Patientenstratifizierung eingesetzt werden. · Die Radiomics-Analyse der multiparametrischen PET/MRT ermöglicht die Prädiktion des Metastasierungsstatus des Zervixkarzinoms.. · Die Prädiktion des M-Stadiums ist der Prädiktion des N-Stadiums überlegen.. · Die multiparametrische PET/MRT bietet eine valide Plattform für Radiomics-Analysen..· Umutlu L, Nensa F, Demircioglu A et al. Radiomics Analysis of Multiparametric PET/MRI for N- and M-Staging in Patients with Primary Cervical Cancer. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2020; 192: 754 - 763. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of multiparametric A total of 30 patients with histopathological confirmation of primary and untreated cervical cancer were prospectively enrolled for a multiparametric Prediction of M-stage was superior when compared to N-stage. Prediction of M-stage using SVM with SVM-RFE as feature selection obtained the highest performance providing sensitivity of 91 % and specificity of 92 %. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of the pooled predictions, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.97. Prediction of N-stage using RBF-SVM with MIFS as feature selection reached sensitivity of 83 %, specificity of 67 % and an AUC of 0.82. M- and N-stage can be predicted based on isolated radiomics analyses of the primary tumor in cervical cancers, thus serving as a template for noninvasive tumor phenotyping and patient stratification using high-dimensional feature vectors extracted from multiparametric PET/MRI data. · Radiomics analysis based on multiparametric PET/MRI enables prediction of the metastatic status of cervical cancers. · Prediction of M-stage is superior to N-stage. · Multiparametric PET/MRI displays a valuable platform for radiomics analyses .

Preparations of health systems to accommodate large number of severely ill COVID-19 patients in March/April 2020 has a significant impact on nuclear medicine departments. A web-based questionnaire was designed to differentiate the impact of the pandemic on inpatient and outpatient nuclear medicine operations and on public versus private health systems, respectively. Questions were addressing the following issues: impact on nuclear medicine diagnostics and therapy, use of recommendations, personal protective equipment, and organizational adaptations. The survey was available for 6 days and closed on April 20, 2020. 113 complete responses were recorded. Nearly all participants (97 %) report a decline of nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures. The mean reduction in the last three weeks for PET/CT, scintigraphies of bone, myocardium, lung thyroid, sentinel lymph-node are -14.4 %, -47.2 %, -47.5 %, -40.7 %, -58.4 %, and -25.2 % respectively. Furthermore, 76 % of the participants report a reduction in therapies especially for benign thyroid disease (-41.8 %) and radiosynoviorthesis (-53.8 %) while tumor therapies remained mainly stable. 48 % of the participants report a shortage of personal protective equipment. Nuclear medicine services are notably reduced 3 weeks after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic reached Germany, Austria and Switzerland on a large scale. We must be aware that the current crisis will also have a significant economic impact on the healthcare system. As the survey cannot adapt to daily dynamic changes in priorities, it serves as a first snapshot requiring follow-up studies and comparisons with other countries and regions. Die Vorbereitungen der Gesundheitssysteme auf die Aufnahme einer großen Zahl schwerkranker COVID-19-Patienten im März/April 2020 haben erhebliche Auswirkungen auf nuklearmedizinische Abteilungen und Praxen, deren Ausmaß unbekannt ist. Ziel dieser Online-Umfrage ist es, den aktuellen Status der nuklearmedizinischen Abteilungen in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz zu erfassen. Ein webbasierter Fragebogen wurde entwickelt, um die Auswirkungen der Pandemie auf stationäre und ambulante nuklearmedizinische Abteilungen zu erfassen. Die Fragen bezogen sich auf die folgenden Themen: Merkmale der nuklearmedizinischen Abteilung, Auswirkungen auf die nuklearmedizinische Diagnostik und Therapie, Anwendung von Empfehlungen, persönliche Schutzausrüstung (PSA) und organisatorische Anpassungen an die neuen Rahmenbedingungen. Die Umfrage war 6 Tage lang verfügbar und wurde am 20. April 2020 geschlossen. 113 vollständige Antworten wurden erfasst und ausgewertet. Nahezu alle Teilnehmer (97 %) berichten über einen Rückgang der nuklearmedizinischen Diagnostik. Die durchschnittliche Abnahme in den letzten drei Wochen für PET/CT, Szintigraphien von Knochen, Myokard, Lunge, Schilddrüse, Sentinel-Lymphknoten beträgt –14,4 %, –47,5 %, –40,7 %, –58,4 % beziehungsweise –25,2 %. 76 % der Teilnehmer berichten über einen Rückgang der Therapien. Hiervon betroffen sind insbesondere die Radiojodtherapie von gutartigen Schilddrüsenerkrankungen (–41,8 %) und die Radiosynoviorthese (–53,8 %), während die Tumortherapien weitgehend stabil blieben. 48 % der Teilnehmer berichten über einen Mangel an persönlicher Schutzausrüstung. Organisatorische Anpassungen wie Kurzarbeit und Versetzung von Mitarbeitern wurden in 36 % beziehungsweise 19 % berichtet. Die nuklearmedizinischen Leistungen sind 3 Wochen, nachdem die Pandemie SARS-CoV-2 Deutschland, Österreich und die Schweiz in großem Umfang erreicht hat, deutlich reduziert. Wir müssen uns bewusst sein, dass die gegenwärtige Krise auch erhebliche wirtschaftliche Auswirkungen auf das Gesundheitssystem haben wird, sowohl in Krankenhäusern als auch in Praxen. Da sich die Umfrage nicht an die täglichen dynamischen Veränderungen der Prioritäten anpassen kann, dient sie als eine erste Momentaufnahme, die Folgestudien und Vergleiche mit anderen Ländern und Regionen erfordert.

Das metastasierte kastrationsresistente Prostatakarzinom (mCRPC) kann durch Fortschritte in den letzten Jahren immer besser behandelt werden. Hierbei kommen Substanzen zum Einsatz, die effektiv die Androgenrezeptorachse blockieren, verschiedene Chemotherapeutika sowie das Radiopharmakon 223Radium. Trotzdem kommt es regelhaft zu primarer und sekundarer Resistenzbildung gegen samtliche Therapieoptionen. Daher werden neue Therapieansatze dringend benotigt. Die 177Lutetium-PSMA- (prostataspezifisches Membranantigen‑)Radioligandentherapie (177Lu-PSMA-RLT) stellt eine gute Reserveoption dar, welche bei noch fehlender Zulassung in individuellen Heilversuchen mit vielversprechenden Erfolgen eingesetzt werden kann. In diesem Beitrag wird eine Standortbestimmung der 177Lu-PSMA-RLT beim mCRPC 2020 beschrieben. Die Therapielandschaft beim mCRPC und der aktuellen Evidenz der 177Lu-PSMA-RLT nach PubMed-Recherche werden dargestellt. In verschiedenen, teils umfangreichen retrospektiven Arbeiten und in ersten prospektiven Studien zeigt sich die 177Lu-PSMA-RLT bei einem Teil der Patienten als vielversprechende Reservetherapie. Das Toxizitatsprofil stellt sich auch im Vergleich zu anderen Therapieoptionen beim mCRPC als gunstig dar. Die Phase-III-Zulassungsstudie VISION ist weit fortgeschritten und konnte zur Zulassung der 177Lu-PSMA-RLT in Kombination mit Abirateron oder Enzalutamid nach Vorbehandlung mit Enzalutamid oder Abirateron und Chemotherapie mit Docetaxel fuhren. Trotz der hoffnungsvollen Ansatze mussen die Ergebnisse der VISION-Studie vor dem breiten Einsatz der 177Lu-PSMA-RLT abgewartet werden. Bis dahin sollten nur Patienten im Sinne von individuellen Heilversuchen und den hierzu geltenden Regeln behandelt werden.

Objectives To evaluate and compare the diagnostic potential of whole-body MRI and whole-body 18F-FDG PET/MRI for N and M staging in newly diagnosed, histopathologically proven breast cancer. Material and methods A total of 104 patients (age 53.4 ± 12.5) with newly diagnosed, histopathologically proven breast cancer were enrolled in this study prospectively. All patients underwent a whole-body 18F-FDG PET/MRI. MRI and 18F-FDG PET/MRI datasets were evaluated separately regarding lesion count, lesion localization, and lesion characterization (malignant/benign) as well as the diagnostic confidence (5-point ordinal scale, 1–5). The N and M stages were assessed according to the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual in MRI datasets alone and in 18F-FDG PET/MRI datasets, respectively. In the majority of lesions histopathology served as the reference standard. The remaining lesions were followed-up by imaging and clinical examination. Separately for nodal-positive and nodal-negative women, a McNemar chi2 test was performed to compare sensitivity and specificity of the N and M stages between 18F-FDG PET/MRI and MRI. Differences in diagnostic confidence scores were assessed by Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results MRI determined the N stage correctly in 78 of 104 (75%) patients with a sensitivity of 62.3% (95% CI: 0.48–0.75), a specificity of 88.2% (95% CI: 0.76–0.96), a PPV (positive predictive value) of 84.6% % (95% CI: 69.5–0.94), and a NPV (negative predictive value) of 69.2% (95% CI: 0.57–0.8). Corresponding results for 18F-FDG PET/MRI were 87/104 (83.7%), 75.5% (95% CI: 0.62–0.86), 92.2% (0.81–0.98), 90% (0.78–0.97), and 78.3% (0.66–0.88), showing a significantly better sensitivity of 18F-FDG PET/MRI determining malignant lymph nodes (p = 0.008). The M stage was identified correctly in MRI and 18F-FDG PET/MRI in 100 of 104 patients (96.2%). Both modalities correctly staged all 7 patients with distant metastases, leading to false-positive findings in 4 patients in each modality (3.8%). In a lesion-based analysis, 18F-FDG PET/MRI showed a significantly better performance in correctly determining malignant lesions (85.8% vs. 67.1%, difference 18.7% (95% CI: 0.13–0.26), p p Conclusion 18F-FDG PET/MRI has a better diagnostic accuracy for N staging in primary breast cancer patients and provides a significantly higher diagnostic confidence in lesion characterization than MRI alone. But both modalities bear the risk to overestimate the M stage.

The COVID-19 pandemic has now reached most countries and is straining health-care systems worldwide to their limits. Emergency room and intensive care staff are at increased risk for infection. Nobody knows the exact mortality rates associated with infections. However, given a likely very large

Eine adaquate Bildgebung ist fur die Detektion mitunter kleinster Lasionen, die non-invasive Charakterisierung von fokalen und diffusen Veranderungen, sowie die Planung chirurgischer Eingriffe von entscheidender Bedeutung. Zur Bewaltigung dieser Aufgaben werden verschiedene bildgebende Verfahren wie die Multidetektor-Computertomographie (MDCT), Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT) und Positronen-Emissions-Tomographie/Computertomographie (PET/CT) eingesetzt, die wichtige morphologische, funktionelle oder metabolische Informationen liefern. In letzter Zeit gewinnt die PET/MRT aufgrund der Moglichkeit von Kombination hochauflosender Bildgebung und metabolischer Bildgebung zunehmend an Aufmerksamkeit. Die PET/MRT ist eine neuartige Hybridbildgebungstechnologie, die in naher Zukunft eine zentrale Rolle bei der klinischen Behandlung von onkologischen und entzundlichen Abdomen-Becken-Erkrankungen spielen konnte. Trotz der noch begrenzten Anzahl publizierter klinischer Studien hat sich die PET/MRT bei einer Vielzahl von onkologischen Erkrankungen als zumindest gleichwertig wie PET/CT und MRT als Einzeluntersuchung erwiesen. In ausgewahlten und fokussierten klinischen Studien wurde zudem nachgewiesen, dass es die derzeitige Standardbildgebung beispielsweise in der Beurteilung von Cholangiokarzinomen, Lebermetastasen sowie unbehandelten und behandelten Rektumkarzinomen ubertrifft. Dies hat sich in einigen Studien auch auf das therapeutische Management ausgewirkt. Daher ist die PET/MRT in einigen Institutionen zur neue Standardbildgebungsmethode, z. B. bei unbehandelten intrahepatischen Cholangiokarzinomen sowie vor komplizierten Leberoperationen geworden.