Preoperative Positron Emission Tomography Research Articles

Role of preoperative 18-FDG- PET/CT in early-stage breast cancer upstaging and modification of treatment

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic and therapeutic impact of preoperative positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) in the initial staging of patients with early-stage breast cancer. Methods: A total of 72 consecutive patients (age: range 24-78 years, mean 51 years), with newly diagnosed operable breast cancer (Infiltrating Ductal carcinoma: Lobular carcinoma: Others - 49:15:8) with tumor size 10-65 mm were examined preoperatively. All patients underwent conventional assessment imaging modalities like mammography, breast/axillary ultrasound and PET/CT. Results: PET/CT identified a primary tumor in all but two patients. PET/CT solely detected unsuspected distant metastases (bones, lung, brain etc) in 9 patients and new primary cancers (endometrium and lung) in another two patients, as well as 11 cases of extra-axillary lymph node involvement. In 6 patients, extra-axillary malignancy was detected by PET/CT only, leading to an upgrade of initial staging in 9% (6/70) and ultimately a modification of planned treatment in 12% (9/70) of patients. PET/CT evaluation led 5 patients of stage II A to stage IV, 3 patients of stage II B to stage IV and 1 patient to Stage IIIB which further modified treatment plan from an adjuvant to a metastatic approach. Conclusion: PET/CT is a valuable tool to provide information on extra-axillary lymph node involvement, distant metastases and other occult primary cancers. Preoperative 18 F fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT has a substantial impact on initial staging and on clinical management in patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Multimodal Image-Guided Surgical and Photodynamic Interventions in Head and Neck Cancer: From Primary Tumor to Metastatic Drainage.

The low survival rate of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients is attributable to late disease diagnosis and high recurrence rate. Current HNC staging has inadequate accuracy and low sensitivity for effective diagnosis and treatment management. The multimodal porphyrin lipoprotein-mimicking nanoparticle (PLP), intrinsically capable of positron emission tomography (PET), fluorescence imaging, and photodynamic therapy (PDT), shows great potential to enhance the accuracy of HNC staging and potentially HNC management. Using a clinically relevant VX-2 buccal carcinoma rabbit model that is able to consistently develop metastasis to regional lymph nodes after tumor induction, we investigated the abilities of PLP for HNC diagnosis and management. PLPs facilitated accurate detection of primary tumor and metastatic nodes (their PET image signal to surrounding muscle ratios were 10.0 and 7.3, respectively), and provided visualization of the lymphatic drainage from tumor to regional lymph nodes by both preoperative PET and intraoperative fluorescence imaging, allowing the identification of unknown primaries and recurrent tumors. PLP-PDT significantly enhanced cell apoptosis in mouse tumors (73.2% of PLP-PDT group vs 7.1% of PLP alone group) and demonstrated complete eradication of primary tumors and obstruction of tumor metastasis in HNC rabbit model without toxicity in normal tissues or damage to adjacent critical structures. PLPs provide a multimodal imaging and therapy platform that could enhance HNC diagnosis by integrating PET/computed tomography and fluorescence imaging, and improve HNC therapeutic efficacy and specificity by tailoring treatment via fluorescence-guided surgery and PDT.

Abstract A47: Membrane translocation of GLUT1 induced by TP53 mutation is positively correlated with increased glucose uptake in patients with breast cancer

Abstract Background: High rate of glycolysis exhibited by cancer cells plays a crucial role in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. To uncover candidate contributing to increasing glucose uptake in breast cancer, we interrogated clinical transcriptome data set from 66 patients undergoing preoperative 18F-fluorodeoxy glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). Also, we validated the candidate in other clinical data and confirm its role in glucose uptake through cell line works. Methods: Clustered analysis by standardized uptake value (SUV) from FDG-PET and gene network analysis suggested that repression of p53 might be a key molecule associated with elevated SUV level. To validate p53 as a major determinant in an elevated glucose uptake, we used second cohort consisted of women with p53 gene sequencing analysis and FDG-PET. Mutational analysis of exons 5-9 of the p53 gene was carried out using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing high performance liquid chromatography. Of these women, to reduce bias and clearly estimate the influence of p53 mutation on SUV and survival, we identified 114 women by propensity-score matching method. Next, among the molecules associated glucose uptake, we compared the expression of GLUT1 using tissue-microarray (TMA). The TMA was constructed using achievable 73 tumors from second cohort with case-matching by P53 mutation status. Then, we validated the role of P53 in glucose uptake by mammary cell using the experiments with MCF-10A cell line. To compare the degree of glucose uptake between P53-mutated and P53-intact cells, we measured gamma activities of these cell lines after treated with 18F-FDG media. Simultaneously, different amount of glucose uptake is visualized using the PET camera. Results: In case-matched cohort by P53 status, the mean SUV of p53-mutational group was significantly higher than that of wild-type p53-group (7.49 vs. 5.44, P=0.013). Compared with the group with intact p53, recurrence-free survival (RFS) was significantly reduced in the group with p53 mutation (P =0.017). In multivariate analysis, p53 mutational status carried prognostic significance (hazard ratio 3.73, 95% CI 1.15-12.07) independent of tumor size, nodal status, and estrogen receptor status. In immunohistochemical stain with GLUT1 using the TMA, we found that the expression of membraneous GLUT1 was significantly higher in P53-mutated tumors than in P53-intact tumor (P=0.022), in support of previous finding showing that P53 mutation promotes GLUT1 translocation to cell membrane. In experiments with MCF10A cell lines, we found that gamma activities and signal intensity by the absorption of18F-glucose were much higher in P53-mutated cell than in P53-intact cell. These experiments showed that the amount of glucose uptake in mammary cell increases followed by P53 mutation, supporting our clinical findings. Conclusion: We showed that TP53 mutation promotes GLUT1 translocation to membrane, which consequently induces glucose influx in patients with breast cancer. In terms of glucose metabolism, P53 mutation caused the increase of glucose uptake within tumor and adversely affect survival in breast cancer. Citation Format: Sung Gwe Ahn, Hak Woo Lee, Airi Han, Jeong Joon. Membrane translocation of GLUT1 induced by TP53 mutation is positively correlated with increased glucose uptake in patients with breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Research; Oct 17-20, 2015; Bellevue, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(2_Suppl):Abstract nr A47.

Radiological features of cerebellar glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common type of malignant primary central nervous system tumor in adults; however, the prevalence of GBM arising in the cerebellum is extremely low. This study aimed to demonstrate the radiological features of cerebellar GBMs, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)- and (11)C methionine (MET)-positron emission tomography (PET) findings. We retrospectively reviewed seven patients with cerebellar GBM (six men and one woman: mean age: 56 years, range: 18-73 years). We reviewed medical records and radiological data, including preoperative CT, MRI and PET. All patients underwent CT and MRI. DWI data were acquired in four patients. Three patients underwent FDG- and MET-PET examinations. All patients underwent total or subtotal tumor resection and received pathological diagnoses. Four patients had imaging findings consistent with GBM and received preoperative cerebellar GBM diagnoses. Two patients exhibited homogeneous patchy and nodular enhancement without necrosis on MRI, which resembled malignant lymphoma and metastasis. One case exhibited Lhermitte-Duclos disease-like parallel linear striations (i.e.,"tiger-striped" appearance). Although the imaging findings of these three patients were inconsistent with GBM, pathological diagnosis confirmed cerebellar GMB. Some evaluated cases of cerebellar GBM did not exhibit the common CT, MRI, and PET findings of supratentrial GBM, leading to considerable difficulty with preoperative differential diagnosis.

Site-specifically labeled CA19.9-targeted immunoconjugates for the PET, NIRF, and multimodal PET/NIRF imaging of pancreatic cancer

Molecular imaging agents for preoperative positron emission tomography (PET) and near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF)-guided delineation of surgical margins could greatly enhance the diagnosis, staging, and resection of pancreatic cancer. PET and NIRF optical imaging offer complementary clinical applications, enabling the noninvasive whole-body imaging to localize disease and identification of tumor margins during surgery, respectively. We report the development of PET, NIRF, and dual-modal (PET/NIRF) imaging agents, using 5B1, a fully human monoclonal antibody that targets CA19.9, a well-established pancreatic cancer biomarker. Desferrioxamine (DFO) and/or a NIRF dye (FL) were conjugated to the heavy-chain glycans of 5B1, using a robust and reproducible site-specific (ss) labeling methodology to generate three constructs ((ss)DFO-5B1, (ss)FL-5B1, and (ss)dual-5B1) in which the immunoreactivity was not affected by the conjugation of either label. Each construct was evaluated in a s.c. xenograft model, using CA19.9-positive (BxPC3) and -negative (MIAPaCa-2) human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Each construct showed exceptional uptake and contrast in antigen-positive tumors with negligible nonspecific uptake in antigen-negative tumors. Additionally, the dual-modal construct was evaluated in an orthotopic murine pancreatic cancer model, using the human pancreatic cancer cell line, Suit-2. The (ss)dual-5B1 demonstrated a remarkable capacity to delineate metastases and to map the sentinel lymph nodes via tandem PET-computed tomography (PET/CT) and NIRF imaging. Fluorescence microscopy, histopathology, and autoradiography were performed on representative sections of excised tumors to visualize the distribution of the constructs within the tumors. These imaging tools have tremendous potential for further preclinical research and for clinical translation.

Hope Is Palliative

The authors reflect on the palliative value of hope when dealing with illness.

International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society classification predicts occult lymph node metastasis in clinically mediastinal node-negative lung adenocarcinoma.

We investigated the role of the 2011 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, American Thoracic Society, and European Respiratory Society (IASLC/ATS/ERS) classification in predicting occult lymph node metastasis in clinically mediastinal node-negative lung adenocarcinoma. We reviewed lung adenocarcinoma patients who had clinically N2-negative status, were evaluated by preoperative positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) and had undergone lobectomy or pneumonectomy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (n = 297). Tumours were classified according to the 2011 IASLC/ATS/ERS classification. The associations between occult lymph node metastasis and clinicopathological variables were analysed using Fisher's exact test and logistic regression analysis. Thirty-two (11%) cN0-1 patients had occult mediastinal lymph node metastasis (pN2) whereas 25% of cN1 patients had pN2 disease. Increased micropapillary pattern was associated with increased risk of pN2 disease (P = 0.001). On univariate analysis, high maximum standard uptake value of the primary tumour on PET/CT (P = 0.019) and the presence of micropapillary (P = 0.014) and solid pattern (P = 0.014) were associated with occult pN2 disease. On multivariable analysis, micropapillary pattern was positively associated with risk of pN2 disease (odds ratio = 3.41; 95% confidence intervals = 1.42-8.19; P = 0.006). The presence of micropapillary pattern is an independent predictor of occult mediastinal lymph node metastasis. Our observations have potential therapeutic implications for management of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma.

(18)F-FDG/PET May Help to Identify a Subgroup of Patients with T1-T2 Breast Cancer and 1-3 Positive Lymph Nodes Who Are at a High Risk of Recurrence after Mastectomy.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to assess the utility of positron emission tomography (PET) for predicting recurrence among patients with T1-T2/N1 breast cancer who were treated with mastectomy.Materials and MethodsOf 712 consecutive patients with T1-T2/N1 breast cancer treated during 2003-2012, 109 had undergone preoperative 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose/PET and were included. Metabolic (maximum standardized uptake value [SUVmax]), volumetric (metabolic tumor volume [MTV]), and combined (total lesion glycolysis [TLG]) indices were measured. The resulting values were analyzed and compared with clinical outcome.ResultsAt the median follow-up of 46.7 months, the 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rate was 95.2%. SUVmax (area under curve, 0.824) was more useful than MTV or TLG as a means of identifying patients at high risk for any recurrence. In multivariate analysis, SUVmax remained an independent risk factor for RFS (p=0.006). Using the method of Contal and O’Quigley, a SUVmax threshold of 5.36 showed the best predictive performance. The PET-based high-risk group (≥ 5.36 in either breast or nodes) had more T1c-T2, high-grade, hormone-receptor negative, and invasive ductal carcinoma tumors than the low-risk group (< 5.36 in both breast and nodes). The prognosis was much worse when high SUVmax (≥ 5.36) was detected in nodes (p < 0.001). In the no-radiotherapy cohort, the PET-based high-risk group had increased risk of locoregional recurrence when compared to the low-risk group (p=0.037).ConclusionHigh SUVmax on preoperative PET showed association with elevated risk of locoregional recurrence and any recurrence. Pre-treatment PET may improve assessments of recurrence risk and clarify indications for post-mastectomy radiotherapy in this subset of patients.

Preoperative Evaluation of Lung Cancer in a Community Health Care Setting

We examined the presurgical evaluation of suspected lung cancer patients in a community-based health care system to establish current benchmarks of care that will lay the groundwork for an evidence-based quality improvement project. We retrospectively reviewed clinical records of all recipients of lung resection at two institutions, and classified all lung cancer relevant procedures into five "nodal points": lesion detection, diagnostic biopsy, radiologic staging, invasive staging, and treatment. We analyzed the frequency of passage through each nodal point, the time intervals between nodal points, and the use of staging modalities. Of 614 eligible patients, 92% had lung cancer, 5% had a non-lung primary tumor, 3% had a benign lesion. Six percent received preoperative therapy; 39% ofresections were minimally invasive. Ninety-eight percent of patients had a preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan, 27% had no preoperative diagnostic procedure, 22% had no preoperative positron emission tomography (PET)/CT scans, and 88% had no invasive preoperative staging test. Only 10% had trimodality staging with CT, PET/CT, and invasive staging. Twenty-one percent of patients who had an invasive staging test had mediastinal nodal metastasis at resection. The median duration (interquartile range) from initial lesion identification to resection was 84 days (43 to 189) days; from lesion identification to diagnostic biopsy, 28 days (7 to 96); and from diagnostic biopsy to surgery, 40 days (26 to 69). There is opportunity for improvement in the thoroughness, accuracy, and timeliness of preoperative evaluation of suspected lung cancer patients in this community cohort. Better coordination of care may significantly improve these benchmarks.

Combining FDG-PET and 99mTc-SPECT to predict functional outcome after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) are suggested to improve clinical decision-making in ischaemic cardiomyopathy. Here, we present a unique cohort of patients who underwent nuclear medicine studies and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) both before and 1 year after coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery to assess benefit from surgery. Before CABG, we applied three quantitative techniques using (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET and (99m)technetium-tetrofosmin-SPECT with a software tool to measure defects with hypoperfused but viable and non-viable myocardium in 15 patients. One method used solely PET, two others combined PET and SPECT at different thresholds. As a reference, we used change in left-ventricular (LV) function and volume by MRI. Preoperatively, ischaemic but viable areas detected by the method with a 10% threshold combining PET-SPECT and the PET-only method correlated significantly with preoperative regional wall thickening (WT; P = 0.03 and P = 0.005, respectively). When compared with global functional outcome (change in LV ejection fraction) and LV remodelling (change in end-diastolic volume) 1 year postoperatively, no correlation appeared with preoperative PET- or PET-SPECT-derived viable or non-viable tissue. Neither was any correlation observable between local change in WT and local preoperative defect size evaluated by any of these three methods. Preoperatively, PET and PET-SPECT with 10% threshold detected dysfunctional myocardium, but all analysis methods failed to predict 1-year functional outcome assessed by MRI. In patients with three-vessel disease and heart failure, SPECT perfusion and PET viability study results show substantial heterogeneity; this should be considered when selecting patients for revascularization.

The burden of death following discharge after lobectomy

Pulmonary lobectomy is the most commonly performed surgery for lung cancer and remains the gold standard operative treatment. The reported surgical mortality from this procedure rarely differentiates between in-hospital mortality (IHM) and early post-discharge mortality (PDM). We aimed to examine the IHM and 90-day PDM over time and identify outcome predictors including patient characteristics, comorbidity and system-level factors. Data for patients who underwent lobectomy from 2005 to 2011 were acquired from a linked Ontario population-based database. Exclusions included patients undergoing sleeve lobectomy, resections for synchronous lesions, previous lung malignancy and extended length of stay (LOS) over 30 days. We reported proportional mortality and cumulative survival attributable to IHM and PDM with confidence intervals. Multivariate logistic and Cox regression analyses were performed to examine the role of variables associated with IHM and 90-day PDM. For 5389 patients who underwent lobectomy for non-small-cell lung cancer, the median LOS was 6 (1-30) days. IHM (n = 73) was 1.4% (1.1-1.6%) and PDM (n = 101) was an additional 1.9% (1.6-2.3%) within 90 days post-lobectomy discharge. Logistic regression suggested that age [odds ratio (OR): 1.5 (1.3-1.8)], myocardial infarction [OR: 3.6 (1.8-7.0)], congestive heart failure [OR: 5.8 (2.4-13.8)], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [OR: 1.9 (1.1-3.2)], preoperative positron emission tomography [OR: 2.7 (1.1-7.0)], peptic ulcer disease [OR: 22.1 (4.1-117.4)], hemiplegia [OR: 15.8 (1.8-141.1)], other primary cancer [OR: 0.5 (0.3-0.8)] and year of surgery [OR: 1.0 (0.8-1.0)] were potential predictors of IHM. Length of hospital stay [hazard ratio (HR): 1.1 (1.0-1.1)], male gender [HR: 1.5 (1.0-2.3)], age [HR: 1.1 (1.0-1.3)] and metastatic cancer [HR: 2.6 (1.7-4.0)] were potential predictors of PDM. PDM represents a substantive, under-reported burden of mortality due to lobectomy. More than half of post-lobectomy mortality occurs post-discharge and the annual rate remained unchanged, while IHM decreased with time, suggesting that the improvement seen in mortality might be exclusive to the smaller IHM. Patient factors play a significant role in both IHM and PDM. We emphasize that this identifies the importance of appropriate patient selection, further investigation of risk factors and particular attention to these risk factors during regular follow-up visits to improve PDM in this high-risk patient population.

Impact of pre-operative positron emission tomography in gallbladder cancer

BackgroundCurrent pre-operative staging methods for gallbladder cancer (GBC) are suboptimal in detecting metastatic disease. Positron emission tomography (PET) may have a role but data are lacking. MethodsPatients with GBC and PET assessed by a hepatobiliary surgeon in clinic between January 2001 and June 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonace imaging (MRI) were correlated with PET scans and analysed for evidence of metastatic or locally unresectable disease. Medical records were reviewed to determine if PET scanning was helpful by preventing non-therapeutic surgery or enabling resection in patients initially deemed unresectable. ResultsThere were 100 patients including 63 incidental GBC. Thirty-eight patients did not proceed to surgery, 35 were resected and 27 patients were explored but had unresectable disease. PET was positive for metastatic disease in 39 patients (sensitivity 56%, specificity 94%). Five patients definitively benefitted from PET: in 3 patients PET found disease not seen on CT, and 2 patients with suspicious CT findings had negative PET and successful resections. In a further 12 patients PET confirmed equivocal CT findings. Three patients had additional invasive procedures performed owing to PET avidity in other sites. Utility of PET was higher in patients with suspicious nodal disease on CT [odds ratio (OR) 7.1 versus no nodal disease, P = 0.0004], and in patients without a prior cholecystectomy (OR 3.1 versus post-cholecystectomy, P = 0.04). ConclusionAddition of PET to conventional cross-sectional imaging has a modest impact on management pre-operatively particularly in patients without a prior cholecystectomy and to confirm suspicious nodal disease on CT.

Prognostic Value of the Maximum Standardized Uptake Value on Positron Emission Tomography for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Esophageal cancer is a malignant tumor with one of the worst prognosis. Positron emission tomography (PET) reveals the degree of metabolic activity of tumor cells. We hypothesized that a high maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) on PET would predict a poor clinical outcome. From November 2004 to August 2011, we reviewed 88 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent preoperative PET followed by surgery. SUVmax values of primary sites were measured. The patients were divided into two groups with median SUVmax as a cutoff value and outcomes were compared. The median SUVmax was 6.35. Cervical and upper thoracic cancer, large tumor size, stage ≥ T2, and lymph node metastasis were significantly associated with the high SUVmax group. Cervical and upper thoracic cancer (p = 0.038), SUVmax (p = 0.038), number of lymph nodes dissected (p = 0.009), stage ≥ T2 (p = 0.003), lymph node metastasis (p < 0.001), and incomplete resection (p = 0.031) were significant predictors for the disease-free survival. A high SUVmax ( ≥ 6.35, p = 0.023) and stage ≥ T2 (p = 0.025) were significantly associated with overall survival by multivariate analysis. High preoperative SUVmax on PET predicts advanced T stage and worse prognosis. SUVmax on PET may provide useful information combined with current stage for determining optimal treatment in esophageal cancer.

False-positive rate of positron emission tomography/computed tomography for presumed solitary metastatic adrenal disease in patients with known malignancy.

The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography (PET) in cancer patients undergoing adrenalectomy for presumed metastatic disease, utilizing the gold standard of histopathology. We retrospectively reviewed all adrenalectomies for metastatic disease performed at our institution over the last 12years. Preoperative PET scans were compared with final pathology reports. Statistical analyses were performed with Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and Student's t test for continuous variables. Forty-nine adrenalectomies were performed for metastatic disease. Thirty had preoperative PET imaging and were included in this analysis. Mean age was 65.5±13.6years (29-91) and 54% were male. Mean size was 3.8cm (0.4-7.1). Primary tumor distribution was 61% (n=17) pulmonary; 11% (n=3) breast; 7% (n=2) gastric; 7% (n=2) renal; and 4% (n=1) each of brain, lymphoma, melanoma, and uterine. Mean standardized uptake value (SUV) was 11±7.3 (3.2-30.0). Final pathology revealed that 80% (25/30) were positive for metastatic disease and 20% (5/30) were negative. The positive predictive value of PET in correctly identifying adrenal metastatic disease was 83% (24 true-positive cases and 5 false-positive cases); there was one false-negative PET. False-positive PET results were not correlated with sex (p=0.35), age (p=0.24), or maximum SUV units (p=0.26). The 20% false-positive rate for PET-positive adrenalectomies performed for metastatic disease should warrant its inclusion in preoperative counseling to the patient and interaction with the treating oncologist.

Accuracy of positron emission tomography in identifying hilar (N1) lymph node involvement in non-small cell lung cancer: Implications for stereotactic body radiation therapy

PurposeTo assess the efficacy of preoperative positron emission tomography (PET) to stage the ipsilateral hilum in resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods and materialsAll patients who underwent surgery for NSCLC between 1995 and 2008 were evaluated. Patients who underwent preoperative PET imaging at our institution and had hilar nodal sampling were included. Those whose primary tumors extended to the hilum or who received preoperative chemotherapy or radiation therapy were excluded. All PET studies were interpreted by an attending nuclear medicine radiologist and were scored as positive or negative in the hilum or peribronchial area based on visual analysis alone. A 2-sided Fisher exact test compared patient subgroups. ResultsDuring the time interval, 1558 patients underwent surgery for NSCLC, of whom 484 were eligible for this analysis. The ipsilateral hilum was positive on preoperative PET in 107 patients. The median number of N1 lymph nodes sampled was 4 (range, 1-31). Positive ipsilateral N1 lymph nodes were identified pathologically in 91 patients (19%). Among the 91 patients with involved N1 lymph nodes, 40 were PET positive resulting in a sensitivity of 44%. Among 393 patients without pathologic involvement of hilar lymph nodes, 326 were PET negative resulting in a specificity of 83%. The positive predictive and negative predictive values were 37% and 86%, respectively. ConclusionsPositron emission tomography appears to have limitations in staging the ipsilateral hilar lymph nodes. Invasive sampling is appropriate if treatment would differ based on the nodal status.

A detached pedestal during cardiac assist with Jarvik 2000

A 71-year old man with a left ventricular assist device, Jarvik 2000 ( Jarvik Heart, New York, NY, USA), presented with unusual complications. Preoperative positron emission tomography and computed tomography (CT) scan revealed no signs of osteitis, but intraoperative bacterial cultures identified Enterobacter aerogenes. The retroauricular pedestal was completely detached from the temporal bone (Figs 1 and 2). A new retroauricular pedestal was successfully repositioned after the detachment of the first one.

Thoracoscopic approach to bilateral pulmonary metastasis: is it justified?

There are few reports on optimal surgical approaches to bilateral pulmonary metastasis and the sequences used in the operation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the thoracoscopic bilateral approach to pulmonary metastasis. From June 2006 to February 2013, 61 patients underwent a planned bilateral pulmonary metastasectomy with one- (n = 52) or two-stage (n = 9) thoracoscopic surgery. We retrospectively analysed the outcomes of this group of patients to define the role and limitation of thoracoscopic surgery in bilateral disease. In 17 patients with bilateral single lesions on the computed tomography (CT) scans, we were able to resect more nodules than initially imaged in 7 patients (41.2%), and there were 2 patients (11.8%) who had more true metastatic lesions than expected. Among 44 patients who showed more than two bilateral multiple lesions on the CT scan, we were able to resect more than 10 nodules in 2 patients (4.5%). The overall accuracy rate for resected malignant nodules was 76.6%, and 9 patients (14.8%) actually had the disease confined to the unilateral thorax, with solitary (n = 8) and multiple (n = 1) metastases after bilateral exploration. The prognostic factors for unilateral disease were unilateral lesion on the positron emission tomography (PET) scan (P = 0.024). The values of FVC and FEV1 were, respectively, 14.4 and 15.4% reduction at 6 months postoperatively in patients who had three or more nodules resected. Sarcomatous histology (P = 0.039), a diameter larger than 3 cm (P = 0.042) and bilateral lesion on PET (P = 0.035) were the prognostic factors for intrathoracic recurrences. Bilateral pulmonary metastasectomy was performed safely with thoracoscopy in patients with bilateral oligo-metastatic sub-pleural lesions and the one-stage approach was a feasible option in bilateral single lesions. Preoperative PET scan could help predict intrathoracic recurrence after thoracoscopic metastasectomy.

Abstract W P101: Surgical Revascularization Reverses Decreased Cerebral Oxygen Metabolism in Young Patients with Moyamoya Disease

Purpose: This prospective study was aimed to evaluate the effects of surgical revascularization on cerebral oxygen metabolism in moyamoya disease. Methods: This study included totally 41 patients who underwent STA-MCA anastomosis and indirect bypass for moyamoya disease between 2000 and 2011. There were 12 children and 29 adults. Totally 67 hemispheres underwent surgery. MR imaging and 15O-gas positron emission tomography (PET) were performed before and 3 to 4 months after surgery. Hemodynamic and metabolic parameters were precisely quantified. Results: Preoperative PET scans revealed that cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2) was kept normal in 15 hemispheres (22%), but decreased in other 52 (78%). The incidence did not differ between pediatric and adult patients. Pronounced cerebral ischemia was observed in all hemispheres with decreased CMRO2. After surgery, CMRO2 value significantly improved to the normal level in 20 (38%) of 52 hemispheres, but did not change in other 32 (62%). Multivariate analysis showed that the predictors for postoperative CMRO2 normalization were patient’s age (younger than 40 years) and no parenchymal damage on MRI. Conclusion: These findings strongly suggest that cerebral oxygen metabolism is often depressed in response to dense and chronic cerebral ischemia in moyamoya disease. The phenomenon may be advantageous to protect the involved hemispheres against ischemia. Surgical revascularization may readily normalize oxygen metabolism in young patients without any parenchymal damage.

Metabolic tumour volume and total lesion glycolysis, measured using preoperative 18F–FDG PET/CT, predict the recurrence of endometrial cancer

To investigate the prognostic value of metabolic tumour volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG), measured by preoperative positron emission tomography and computerised tomography (PET/CT), in women with endometrial cancer. Retrospective cohort study. A tertiary referral centre. Women with endometrial cancer who underwent preoperative (18)F-FDG PET/CT in the period 2004-2009. Clinicopathological data for 84 women with endometrial cancer were reviewed from medical records. Cox proportional hazards modelling identified recurrence predictors. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the cut-off value for predicting recurrence. Disease-free survival (DFS). The number of patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages were: I (58); II (11); III (13); and IV (2). The median DFS was 48 (1-85) months. By univariate analysis, DFS was significantly associated with FIGO stage, histology, peritoneal cytology, myometrial invasion, nodal metastasis, serum CA-125, MTV, and TLG. Using multivariate analysis, the MTV (P = 0.010; hazard ratio, HR = 1.010; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI = 1.002-1.018) and TLG (P = 0.024; HR = 1.001; 95% CI = 1.000-1.002) were associated with DFS. The area under the ROC curve was 0.679 (95% CI = 0.505-0.836) after discriminating for recurrence using an MTV cut-off value of 17.15 ml. Regarding TLG, the cut-off value was 56.43 g and the area under the ROC plot was 0.661 (95% CI = 0.501-0.827). Kaplan-Meier survival graphs demonstrated a significant difference in DFS between groups categorised using the cut-off values for MTV and TLG (P < 0.022 for MTV and P < 0.047 for TLG, by log-rank test). Preoperative MTV and TLG could be independent prognostic factors predicting the recurrence of endometrial cancer.

Surgical resection and long‐term survival outcome for non‐small cell lung cancer: A comparison of Victorian population‐based studies spanning a decade

A survey of management of lung cancer diagnosed in Victoria in 2003 was commissioned by the Victorian Cooperative Oncology Group to identify gaps in the management of this disease. Results from a similar survey in 1993 were available to identify differences in the disease, management and outcomes. This paper details results of the surgically managed subset within the larger study. All patients diagnosed with lung cancer in the first 6 months of 2003 were identified from the Victorian Cancer Registry. Registry research staff completed a detailed questionnaire using primary source documents from hospitals and consulting rooms. The survey data were then de-identified with respect to patient and treating clinician prior to statistical analysis by the investigators. From eligible cases identified, non-small cell lung cancer was confirmed in 655 cases with a minimum of 6 years of follow-up. Thoracotomy was performed in 145 cases (22%), but only 130 received the intended resection. Compared with 1993, significant differences were increased use of preoperative positron emission tomography (PET) scanning (79% vs 0%), relatively fewer resections (20% vs 25%), lower pneumonectomy rate (14% vs 25%) and higher sub-lobar resection rate (22% vs 11%). The 30-day mortality remained below 2%. Positive resection margin (21%) and abandoned resection rates (10%) were much higher than expected. Overall 5-year survival was 42%, unchanged from 1993. Irrespective of widespread introduction of PET scanning, thoracotomy without resection was common. While operative mortality and overall survival were well within benchmark standards, futile thoracotomy and positive resection margin rates were unacceptably high.