Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate retrospectively 18F-FDG PET/CT findings of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) and their correlation with the pathologic findings. Patients and Methods FDG PET/CT findings were reviewed in 5 patients with IMT and 1 patient with spindle cell sarcoma transformed from IMT. PET/CT scans were performed in all 6 patients before surgery. Follow-up FDG PET/CT scan was performed in 1 patient. The location, size, maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax), and pathologic findings of the tumors were reviewed. The correlation between the FDG uptake and pathologic findings were analyzed. Results A total of 10 lesions were detected in all 6 patients. The tumor locations were liver (n = 3), retroperitoneum (n = 2), spleen (n = 1), lung (n = 1), and bone (n = 3). Seven IMTs and 1 spindle cell sarcoma transformed from IMT were confirmed by pathology. The mean SUVmax of the pathologically proven tumors was 10.9 ± 5.5, with a high variability of SUVmax among tumors ranging from 3.3 to 20.8. The tumors (n = 7) with high cellularity had stronger FDG uptake, while the tumors (n = 1) with low cellularity had relatively low FDG uptake. The tumors with nuclear atypia and relatively high proliferative index had very strong FDG uptake, while those with low proliferative index or negative Ki-67 staining had relatively lower FDG uptake. One small tumor with abundant plasma cells showed high FDG uptake, while 1 large tumor with focal inflammatory cell infiltrate showed lower FDG uptake. One patient developed local recurrences and distant metastases revealed by the second FDG PET/CT scan 7 months after resection. Conclusions FDG uptake in IMTs varied from low to high FDG uptake, which may be due to tumor cellularity, biological behaviors of the tumor cells, the composition and the proportion of inflammatory cells, and the extent of activation of the inflammatory cells. FDG PET/CT may be useful for detection of the primary tumors, local recurrences, and distant metastases.
To study the clinical application value of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (US-FNAB) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEU) in the diagnosis of thyroid imaging reported and data system Grade 4 (TI-RADS 4) nodules. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 134 patients with thyroid nodules surgery were selected, and their results of preoperative color Doppler ultrasonography were TI-RADS 4. The data of US-FNAB and CEU before operation and the results of pathological section after operation were collected. The pathological results were taken as the gold standard, and the specimens obtained by US-FNAB puncture were used for HE staining and cytological diagnosis. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and the cost were calculated for CEU and US-FNAB, respectively. The diagnostic efficacy of the 2 methods was compared. Results: Of 134 thyroid nodules, there were 131 malignant nodules (97.76%) and 3 benign ones (2.24%). The sensitivity of US-FNAB and CEU were 87.02% and 93.89% respectively. The specificity of US-FNAB and CEU were 100.00% and 66.67%. The accuracy of US-FNAB and CEU were 87.31% and 93.28% respectively. Comparisons of the diagnostic accuracy were performed by χ2 test. There was no significant difference in sensitivity between CEU and US-FNAB (P>0.05). However, the sensitivity of US-FNAB and CEU were 87.50% and 100.00%, respectively, when the maximum diameter of nodule was less than 10 mm, and there was statistical significance (P<0.05). The sensitivity of US-FNAB and CEU were 92.73% and 85.45%, respectively, when the maximum diameter of nodule was more than 10 mm, and there was no statistical significance (P>0.05). The cost and risk of US-FNAB was higher than those of CEU. Conclusion: The sensitivity of US-FNAB is higher than that of CEU for thyroid nodules with the diameter larger than 10 mm. With high detection rate, good safety and low cost, CEU can still be used for thyroid nodules with the diameter less than 10 mm, which is diagnosed as negative nodules by US-FNAB.目的:评价超声引导下细针穿刺活检(ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy,US-FNAB)和对比增强超声(contrast-enhanced ultrasound,CEU)对甲状腺影像报告和数据系统(thyroid imaging reported and data system,TI-RADS)4类甲状腺结节的诊断价值。方法:回顾性分析已行手术治疗的甲状腺结节、其术前常规彩色B超检查结果为TI-RADS 4类的患者134例,并收集US-FNAB,CEU和术后病理切片结果的资料。以手术后组织病理结果为金标准,对US-FNAB标本行HE染色和细胞学检查。计算CEU和US-FNAB的灵敏度、特异度、准确率及费用。比较CEU与US-FNAB的诊断价值。结果:134例甲状腺结节中,有恶性结节131例,良性结节3例。US-FNAB和CEU的灵敏度分别为87.02%和93.89%,特异度分别为100.00%和66.67%,准确率分别为87.31%和93.28%。配对χ2检验显示:CEU和US-FNAB的灵敏度差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);但在结节直径≤10 mm的患者中,US-FNAB和CEU的灵敏度分别为87.50%和100.00%,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);结节直径>10 mm的患者中,US-FNAB和CEU的灵敏度分别为92.73%和85.45%,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。US-FNAB费用及风险均高于CEU。结论:对于直径>10 mm的甲状腺结节,US-FNAB检查的敏感度高于CEU,而对于US-FNAB诊断为阴性、直径≤10 mm的甲状腺结节,仍可推荐检出率高、安全、经济的CEU检查。.
<i>Objective:</i> This article reviews the basic principles, equipment, current therapeutic status and future trends of microwave ablation (MWA) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). <i>Methods:</i> All articles published in English on MWA or MWA as a treatment for HCC were identified with a PubMed search from the 1990s through June 2007. Papers were reviewed on the technical advances of MWA equipment and the clinical applications of MWA including indications, techniques, therapeutic outcomes, complications and combination therapies. <i>Results:</i> MWA has several advantages, including high thermal efficiency, higher capability of coagulating blood vessels, faster ablation time, and an improved convention profile. MWA can induce large ablation volumes and yield good local tumor control, especially for small HCC. Larger HCC can also be completely ablated by using more effective antenna or simultaneous application of multiple antennae. Long-term survival comparable to that of surgery was obtained for tumors measuring 4 cm or less. Associated complications appear to be low. <i>Conclusions:</i> MWA is a promising minimally invasive technique for the treatment of HCC. Future advances are warranted to improve the therapeutic efficacy.
The optimal treatment for resectable esophageal cancer remains unclear. This network meta-analysis compares the efficacy of different treatments. PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library were systematically screened. Randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy of different treatments for resectable esophageal cancer were included. Hazard ratios (HR) for overall survival (OS), progression-free survival, or disease-free survival, and odds ratios for locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis rates were identified as the measurements of efficacy. A Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed. In this study, 26 studies were included. Patients received either surgery alone; neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CT), neoadjuvant radiotherapy (RT), or neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery; or surgery followed by adjuvant CT, adjuvant RT, or adjuvant CRT. Neoadjuvant CRT followed by surgery (pooled HR = 0.76, 95% credible interval: 0.67–0.85) and neoadjuvant CT followed by surgery compared with surgery alone were the only two showing statistically confident improvement on OS. Ranking analysis showed that neoadjuvant CRT with surgery was likely to be the best option in terms of efficacy. Therefore, for patients with resectable esophageal cancer, neoadjuvant CRT with surgery is the optimal treatment. Future studies should focus on the optimization of neoadjuvant CRT regimens.
Delirium is a commonly occurred complication in the critically ill. Melatonin is an endogenous hormone exerting multiple biological effects, mainly in regulating diurnal rhythms, also in inflammatory process and immune response. We aimed to assess the efficacy of exogenous melatonergics in prevention of delirium.PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase will be searched to identify randomized controlled trials published from 1960 to April 2019. Critically ill adult patients administrated with melatonergics will be included. The primary outcome measure will be the incidence of delirium. The secondary outcome measure will be the length of stay in intensive care unit. The pooled effects of dichotomous outcomes will be analyzed as risk ratio, and that of continuous outcomes will be analyzed using weighted mean difference. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses will be conducted. Funnel plots and/or Egger test will be done for the examination of publication bias. The quality of evidence resulting from this study will be evaluated using the GRADE methodology. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) will be done to test whether the evidence in our meta-analysis is reliable and conclusive.The evidence to date of the melatonergics in prevention of delirium will be systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed with the GRADE level reported and TSA examined.The stronger evidence for the efficacy of melatonergics in prevention of delirium in critically ill patients will be provided for intensive care physicians.CRD42019138863.
The use of aspirin has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer at several sites, such as the breast, prostate, and colorectum. However, the evidence for this chemopreventive effect from aspirin use on endometrial cancer is conflicting, and whether an association exists is an open question.After carrying out a database search of articles published up to December 2019, we identified 7 case-control studies and 11 cohort studies, including a total of 14,766 endometrial cancer cases. We pooled the odds ratios (ORs) in case-control studies and risk ratios (RRs) in cohort studies, and then conducted subgroup analysis based on factors such as the frequency and duration of aspirin use, and obesity.In the overall meta-analysis, we found a significant inverse association between any aspirin use and the risk of endometrial cancer both in case-control studied [pooled ORs =0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78-0.98] and cohort studies (pooled RRs =0.86, 95% CI: 0.86-0.99). In the subgroup analysis, a negative association was observed between the maximal frequency of aspirin use and the endometrial cancer risk (pooled ORs/RRs: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.71-0.95), but no correlations were observed based on the longest duration of aspirin use or obesity.Our results suggest that the use of aspirin was associated with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer, and the reduced risk was closely related to the high-frequency of use. Further randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to confirm these findings.
Purpose: To evaluate therapeutic efficacy of ultrasound (US)-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation for treatment of needle-track seeding of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Materials and methods: Nine patients with needle-track seeding of HCC were treated as outpatients using US-guided HIFU ablation. The mean size of the lesion was 1.8 cm (range 1.1 to 2.6 cm), two lesions were located on the abdominal wall, seven lesions were located on the chest wall. An acoustic power of 200 to 400 W was used determined by the echo changes after energy exposures, intermittent HIFU exposures of 1 to 2 s were used during treatment. Treatment was considered complete when the entire nodule and a surrounding 0.5 cm margin become hyperechoic on US. The outcome of HIFU ablation was observed by US and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging during follow up.Results: HIFU ablation was performed smoothly in all patients, the treatment lasted for 6 to 21 min (mean 12 min). No major complications occurred. During a mean follow up of 10.3 months (range 7–15 months), persistent absence of lesion enhancement was seen in eight patients, one patient developed a recurrent lesion near the treated area, which was successfully treated by a repeat HIFU ablation.Conclusions: US-guided HIFU ablation may be an effective treatment for needle-track seeding of HCC.