Recurrent high-grade glioma (HGG) remains incurable with inevitable evolution of resistance and high inter-patient heterogeneity in time to progression (TTP). Here, we evaluate if early tumor volume response dynamics can calibrate a mathematical model to predict patient-specific resistance to develop opportunities for treatment adaptation for patients with a high risk of progression. A total of 95 T1-weighted contrast-enhanced (T1post) MRIs from 14 patients treated in a phase I clinical trial with hypo-fractionated stereotactic radiation (HFSRT; 6 Gy × 5) plus pembrolizumab (100 or 200 mg, every 3 weeks) and bevacizumab (10 mg/kg, every 2 weeks; NCT02313272) were delineated to derive longitudinal tumor volumes. We developed, calibrated, and validated a mathematical model that simulates and forecasts tumor volume dynamics with rate of resistance evolution as the single patient-specific parameter. Model prediction performance is evaluated based on how early progression is predicted and the number of false-negative predictions. The model with one patient-specific parameter describing the rate of evolution of resistance to therapy fits untrained data ( ). In a leave-one-out study, for the nine patients that had T1post tumor volumes ≥1 cm3, the model was able to predict progression on average two imaging cycles early, with a median of 9.3 (range: 3–39.3) weeks early (median progression-free survival was 27.4 weeks). Our results demonstrate that early tumor volume dynamics measured on T1post MRI has the potential to predict progression following the protocol therapy in select patients with recurrent HGG. Future work will include testing on an independent patient dataset and evaluation of the developed framework on T2/FLAIR-derived data.
The role of imaging in the staging, treatment planning, and ongoing surveillance of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) continues to evolve. Changes in patient demographics, treatment paradigms, and technology present opportunities and challenges for the management of HNSCC. The general indications and usage of standard and multimodal cross-sectional imaging in the evaluation and management of HNSCC are reviewed, with an emphasis on incorporating them into treatment pathways. Emerging imaging technologies and methods with a potential near-term impact on HNSCC are discussed. In general, the complex, multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of advanced HNSCC requires multimodal imaging for adequate treatment planning and follow up. Early-stage disease can often be managed with clinical and endoscopic examinations and a single, cross-sectional imaging modality (eg, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging). Although generalized treatment pathways and guidelines do exist, the literature is rapidly advancing and new radiotracers and evaluation methods are expected to alter both imaging and treatment recommendations in the years to come.
Applications of deep learning (DL) in medical imaging have proliferated in the last few years. DL systems have proved particularly effective for segmenting organs and lesions in MRI and CT image volumes. By their nature, DL systems tend to be “black boxes,” unable to provide insight into how their segmentation results were obtained. Consequently, a lingering issue is the reproduction and validation of the many compelling results.
Introduction: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common histologic subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) accounting for approximately 25–30% of NHL cases. The treatment is based upon stage and extent of disease. In most cases, NHL is treated with systemic chemotherapy and sometimes also radiation. As it is well known, there are numerous side effects to chemotherapy that includes rituximab. We are here to present one rare side effect of treatment called posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). Case Report: This is a 67-yearold female patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with extensive neoplastic involvement of the lower thorax, abdomen, pelvis, and bilateral hydronephrosis with diffuse tumor infiltration of the left renal hilum. She was started on aggressive chemotherapy with dose adjusted etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, rituximab (DAEPOCH- R). She was also being treated with intrathecal chemotherapy with methotrexate (MTX). She presented to the emergency room with generalized weakness, confusion, and fevers. She started complaining of loss of vision in the emergency room. A quick ophthalmic examination showed that her pupils were round, regular, and reactive to light with no gross deficits. Computed tomography (CT) of the head demonstrated bilateral, symmetrical vasogenic edema in the right and left posterior frontoparietal and occipital cortices and cerebellar hemispheres. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed vasogenic edema in the cerebellum and parieto-occiptal lobes with no restricted diffusion consistent with PRES. Conclusion: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome can result from various etiologies of which hypertensive encephalopathy, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, and eclampsia are common. This case serves to raise awareness among hospitalists that PRES should be a differential diagnosis in the setting of patients receiving certain chemotherapeutic agents presenting with the aforementioned clinical symptoms.