scholarly journals Current status of PET imaging in neuro-oncology

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Galldiks ◽  
Philipp Lohmann ◽  
Nathalie L Albert ◽  
Jörg C Tonn ◽  
Karl-Josef Langen

Abstract Over the past decades, a variety of PET tracers have been used for the evaluation of patients with brain tumors. For clinical routine, the most important clinical indications for PET imaging in patients with brain tumors are the identification of neoplastic tissue including the delineation of tumor extent for the further diagnostic and therapeutic management (ie, biopsy, resection, or radiotherapy planning), the assessment of response to a certain anticancer therapy including its (predictive) effect on the patients’ outcome and the differentiation of treatment-related changes (eg, pseudoprogression and radiation necrosis) from tumor progression at follow-up. To serve medical professionals of all disciplines involved in the diagnosis and care of patients with brain tumors, this review summarizes the value of PET imaging for the latter-mentioned 3 clinically relevant indications in patients with glioma, meningioma, and brain metastases.

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Michael Werner ◽  
Philipp Lohmann ◽  
Gereon R. Fink ◽  
Karl-Josef Langen ◽  
Norbert Galldiks

The number of positron-emission tomography (PET) tracers used to evaluate patients with brain tumors has increased substantially over the last years. For the management of patients with brain tumors, the most important indications are the delineation of tumor extent (e.g., for planning of resection or radiotherapy), the assessment of treatment response to systemic treatment options such as alkylating chemotherapy, and the differentiation of treatment-related changes (e.g., pseudoprogression or radiation necrosis) from tumor progression. Furthermore, newer PET imaging approaches aim to address the need for noninvasive assessment of tumoral immune cell infiltration and response to immunotherapies (e.g., T-cell imaging). This review summarizes the clinical value of the landscape of tracers that have been used in recent years for the above-mentioned indications and also provides an overview of promising newer tracers for this group of patients.


2022 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel T. Gutierrez ◽  
Nelissa L. Manuel ◽  
Matthew S. Masbang

This study compares the observations of younger and older generations relating to different traditional games played by the Kapampangans. It particularly focuses on five games namely Maro; Tambubung; Luksung Babi; Salikutan; and Barongganan Bola. These games have been known to emphasise the players’ speed and agility. A survey and follow up in-depth interviews were used to explore the differing observations and perspectives of thirty elders (aged 60 years and above) and fifty youngsters (aged 10- 18 years old) from different towns in Pampanga. The survey highlighted the fact that the majority of the games were now played in the streets compared with the past when they were played in fields. The follow-up interviews revealed that the terrain of the towns significantly contributed to the structure and rules of the game, and many variations were found in the names of the games which were taken from how the game was played. Further research is recommended to explore the differing perceptions from the two generations concerning the current status of traditional games in their community.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdel Khalek Abdel Razek ◽  
Ahmed Alksas ◽  
Mohamed Shehata ◽  
Amr AbdelKhalek ◽  
Khaled Abdel Baky ◽  
...  

AbstractThis article is a comprehensive review of the basic background, technique, and clinical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and radiomics in the field of neuro-oncology. A variety of AI and radiomics utilized conventional and advanced techniques to differentiate brain tumors from non-neoplastic lesions such as inflammatory and demyelinating brain lesions. It is used in the diagnosis of gliomas and discrimination of gliomas from lymphomas and metastasis. Also, semiautomated and automated tumor segmentation has been developed for radiotherapy planning and follow-up. It has a role in the grading, prediction of treatment response, and prognosis of gliomas. Radiogenomics allowed the connection of the imaging phenotype of the tumor to its molecular environment. In addition, AI is applied for the assessment of extra-axial brain tumors and pediatric tumors with high performance in tumor detection, classification, and stratification of patient’s prognoses.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Galldiks ◽  
Maximilian Niyazi ◽  
Anca L Grosu ◽  
Martin Kocher ◽  
Karl-Josef Langen ◽  
...  

Abstract The management of patients with glioma usually requires multimodality treatment including surgery, radiotherapy, and systemic therapy. Accurate neuroimaging plays a central role for radiotherapy planning and follow-up after radiotherapy completion. In order to maximize the radiation dose to the tumor and to minimize toxic effects on the surrounding brain parenchyma, reliable identification of tumor extent and target volume delineation is crucial. The use of positron emission tomography (PET) for radiotherapy planning and monitoring in gliomas has gained considerable interest over the last several years, but Class I data are not yet available. Furthermore, PET has been used after radiotherapy for response assessment and to distinguish tumor progression from pseudoprogression or radiation necrosis. Here, the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) working group provides a summary of the literature and recommendations for the use of PET imaging for radiotherapy of patients with glioma based on published studies, constituting levels 1-3 evidence according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 665-669
Author(s):  
Sulmaz Ghahramani ◽  
Mahsa Paparisabet ◽  
Mohammad Sayari ◽  
Seyed Vahid Hosseini ◽  
Kamran Bagheri Lankarani

Background: Colectomy is considered as a part of therapeutic armamentarium in ulcerative colitis. The availability of new biologic treatments might have affected the trend of using this modality. Methods: The hospital records of all tertiary centers in Shiraz, which are the main centers for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) in southern Iran, were reviewed to estimate the total number of admissions for the treatment of severe UC and colectomy among patients from 2009 to 2019. In this historical cohort study, information about the current status of the patients was collected by phone calls during December 2019. Results: Totally, 111 (4%) UC patients, out of 2933 admissions, underwent colectomy. Sixty-five (54.6%) UC colectomy patients were female. The results revealed an upward trend for the ratio of the frequency of colectomies to total UC admissions (Z = 3.39, P < 0.001). Colectomy complications occurred in 44 patients (40%), and most of the patients 38 (34%) had late complications, leading to readmission. Seven patients (6.3%) had died from colectomy during the follow-up calls. Most of the dead patients underwent urgent surgery and were young. Conclusion: Despite the use of biologics during the past decade in southern Iran, there was a rising trend among the UC patients’ colectomies. The frequencies of post-operative complications and mortality was considerable, highlighting the need for refinement of UC care in this region.


Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danica W. Y. Liu ◽  
A. Kate Fairweather-Schmidt ◽  
Richard Burns ◽  
Rachel M. Roberts ◽  
Kaarin J. Anstey

Abstract. Background: Little is known about the role of resilience in the likelihood of suicidal ideation (SI) over time. Aims: We examined the association between resilience and SI in a young-adult cohort over 4 years. Our objectives were to determine whether resilience was associated with SI at follow-up or, conversely, whether SI was associated with lowered resilience at follow-up. Method: Participants were selected from the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Project from Canberra and Queanbeyan, Australia, aged 28–32 years at the first time point and 32–36 at the second. Multinomial, linear, and binary regression analyses explored the association between resilience and SI over two time points. Models were adjusted for suicidality risk factors. Results: While unadjusted analyses identified associations between resilience and SI, these effects were fully explained by the inclusion of other suicidality risk factors. Conclusion: Despite strong cross-sectional associations, resilience and SI appear to be unrelated in a longitudinal context, once risk/resilience factors are controlled for. As independent indicators of psychological well-being, suicidality and resilience are essential if current status is to be captured. However, the addition of other factors (e.g., support, mastery) makes this association tenuous. Consequently, resilience per se may not be protective of SI.


2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Garvey

Asthma rates in the US have risen during the past 25 years, as have asthma-related morbidity and healthcare costs. Professional organizations involved in asthma care have identified the need to assure that an advanced level of asthma knowledge and skill is available to patients with asthma, their families, and insurers. This need led to development of the certification for asthma educators. The Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C) must meet specific clinical criteria and pass a standardized examination designed to evaluate knowledge and skill for providing competent asthma education and coordination. The development and current status of the Certified Asthma Educator examination process and content are discussed, as are goals of the certification


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-165
Author(s):  
Jillian M. Berkman ◽  
Jonathan Dallas ◽  
Jaims Lim ◽  
Ritwik Bhatia ◽  
Amber Gaulden ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVELittle is understood about the role that health disparities play in the treatment and management of brain tumors in children. The purpose of this study was to determine if health disparities impact the timing of initial and follow-up care of patients, as well as overall survival.METHODSThe authors conducted a retrospective study of pediatric patients (< 18 years of age) previously diagnosed with, and initially treated for, a primary CNS tumor between 2005 and 2012 at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Primary outcomes included time from symptom presentation to initial neurosurgery consultation and percentage of missed follow-up visits for ancillary or core services (defined as no-show visits). Core services were defined as healthcare interactions directly involved with CNS tumor management, whereas ancillary services were appointments that might be related to overall care of the patient but not directly focused on treatment of the tumor. Statistical analysis included Pearson’s chi-square test, nonparametric univariable tests, and multivariable linear regression. Statistical significance was set a priori at p < 0.05.RESULTSThe analysis included 198 patients. The median time from symptom onset to initial presentation was 30.0 days. A mean of 7.45% of all core visits were missed. When comparing African American and Caucasian patients, there was no significant difference in age at diagnosis, timing of initial symptoms, or tumor grade. African American patients missed significantly more core visits than Caucasian patients (p = 0.007); this became even more significant when controlling for other factors in the multivariable analysis (p < 0.001). African American patients were more likely to have public insurance, while Caucasian patients were more likely to have private insurance (p = 0.025). When evaluating survival, no health disparities were identified.CONCLUSIONSNo significant health disparities were identified when evaluating the timing of presentation and survival. A racial disparity was noted when evaluating missed follow-up visits. Future work should focus on identifying reasons for differences and whether social determinants of health affect other aspects of treatment.


1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 267-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Angelakis ◽  
E. Diamadopoulos

The basic aim of this paper is to present the existing conditions and problems of water resources management in Greece. Water demand has increased tremendously over the past 30 years. Despite adequate precipitation, water imbalance is often experienced, due to temporal and regional variations of the precipitation, the increased water demand during the summer months and the difficulty of transporting water due to the mountainous terrain. Integration of reclaimed wastewater originating from the wastewater treatment plant effluents into the water resources management is proposed. This plan exhibits the potential for reducing the pollution loads entering sea or inland waters, while at the same time providing water for irrigation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geeta Aggarwal ◽  
Manju Nagpal ◽  
Ameya Sharma ◽  
Vivek Puri ◽  
Gitika Arora Dhingra

Background: Biopharmaceuticals such as Biologic medicinal products have been in clinical use over the past three decades and have benefited towards the therapy of degenerative and critical metabolic diseases. It is forecasted that market of biologics will be going to increase at a rate of 20% per year, and by 2025, more than ˃ 50% of new drug approvals may be biological products. The increasing utilization of the biologics necessitates for cost control, especially for innovators products that have enjoyed a lengthy period of exclusive use. As the first wave of biopharmaceuticals is expired or set to expire, it has led to various opportunities for the expansion of bio-similars i.e. copied versions of original biologics with same biologic activity. Development of biosimilars is expected to promote market competition, meet worldwide demand, sustain the healthcare systems and maintain the incentives for innovation. Methods: Appraisal of published articles from peer reviewed journals, PubMed literature, latest news and guidelines from European Medicine Agency, US Food Drug Administration (FDA) and India are used to identify data for review. Results: Main insight into the quality requirements concerning biologics, current status of regulation of biosimilars and upcoming challenges lying ahead for the upgrading of marketing authorization of bio-similars has been incorporated. Compiled literature on therapeutic status, regulatory guidelines and the emerging trends and opportunities of biosimilars has been thoroughly stated. Conclusion: Updates on biosimilars will support to investigate the possible impact of bio-similars on healthcare market.


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