⁶⁸Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT enables detection of meningioma tissue based on somatostatin receptor 2 expression. Transosseous extension of intracranial meningiomas is known to be an important risk factor for tumor recurrence and patient mortality. We analyzed the diagnostic performance of ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT and contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) for the detection of osseous infiltration using qualitative and quantitative imaging parameters. Methods: In this institutional review board–approved retrospective study, subjects were selected from 327 consecutive ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT examinations for evaluation of confirmed or suspected meningioma. Inclusion criteria were CE-MRI within 30 d and pathology-confirmed meningioma diagnosis with inclusion or exclusion of transosseous extension as the standard of reference. Imaging was analyzed by two readers. Tracer uptake values and meningioma volumes were determined. χ², Mann–Whitney U, Wilcoxon signed rank, and McNemar tests, as well as receiver-operating-characteristic analyses, were performed to compare variables and diagnostic performance. Results: Eighty-two patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Patients with transosseous extension of meningioma (n = 67) showed significantly larger lesions (median, 12.8 vs. 3.3 mL; P < 0.001) and significantly higher tracer uptake values (median SUV_max, 14.2 vs. 7.6; P = 0.011) than patients with extraosseous meningiomas (n = 15). ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT in comparison to CE-MRI performed at a higher sensitivity (98.5% vs. 53.7%) while maintaining high specificity (86.7% vs. 93.3%) in the detection of osseous involvement (P < 0.001). In receiver-operating-characteristic analysis, PET/CT assessment performed better than CE-MRI (area under the curve, 0.932 vs. 0.773). PET/CT- and CE-MRI–based volume estimation yielded comparable results for extraosseous meningiomas (P = 0.132) and the extraosseous part of transosseous meningiomas (P = 0.636), whereas the volume of the intraosseous part was assessed as significantly larger by PET/CT (P < 0.001). Conclusion: ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT enables improved detection of the transosseous extension of intracranial meningiomas compared with CE-MRI.

Background and Purpose—: Endovascular therapy in addition to standard care (EVT+SC) has been demonstrated to be more effective than SC in acute ischemic large vessel occlusion stroke. Our aim was to determine the cost-effectiveness of EVT+SC depending on patients’ initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, time from symptom onset, Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS), and occlusion location. Methods—: A decision model based on Markov simulations estimated lifetime costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) associated with both strategies applied in a US setting. Model input parameters were obtained from the literature, including recently pooled outcome data of 5 randomized controlled trials (ESCAPE [Endovascular Treatment for Small Core and Proximal Occlusion Ischemic Stroke], EXTEND-IA [Extending the Time for Thrombolysis in Emergency Neurological Deficits–Intra-Arterial], MR CLEAN [Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands], REVASCAT [Randomized Trial of Revascularization With Solitaire FR Device Versus Best Medical Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Stroke Due to Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion Presenting Within 8 Hours of Symptom Onset], and SWIFT PRIME [Solitaire With the Intention for Thrombectomy as Primary Endovascular Treatment]). Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed to estimate uncertainty of the model results. Net monetary benefits, incremental costs, incremental effectiveness, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were derived from the probabilistic sensitivity analysis. The willingness-to-pay was set to $50 000/QALY. Results—: Overall, EVT+SC was cost-effective compared with SC (incremental cost: $4938, incremental effectiveness: 1.59 QALYs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio: $3110/QALY) in 100% of simulations. In all patient subgroups, EVT+SC led to gained QALYs (range: 0.47–2.12), and mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were considered cost-effective. However, subgroups with ASPECTS ≤5 or with M2 occlusions showed considerably higher incremental cost-effectiveness ratios ($14 273/QALY and $28 812/QALY, respectively) and only reached suboptimal acceptability in the probabilistic sensitivity analysis (75.5% and 59.4%, respectively). All other subgroups had acceptability rates of 90% to 100%. Conclusions—: EVT+SC is cost-effective in most subgroups. In patients with ASPECTS ≤5 or with M2 occlusions, cost-effectiveness remains uncertain based on current data.

Objective To determine public health and cost consequences of time delays to endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for patients, health care systems, and society, we estimated quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) of EVT-treated patients and associated costs based on times to treatment. Methods The Markov model analysis was performed from US health care and societal perspectives over a lifetime horizon. Contemporary data from 7 trials within the Highly Effective Reperfusion Evaluated in Multiple Endovascular Stroke Trials (HERMES) collaboration served as data source. Aside from cumulative lifetime costs, we calculated the net monetary benefit (NMB) to determine the economic value of care. We used a contemporary willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per QALY for NMB calculations. Results Every 10 minutes of earlier treatment resulted in an average gain of 39 days (95% prediction interval 23–53 days) of disability-free life. Overall, the cumulative lifetime costs for patients with earlier or later treatment were similar. Patients with later treatment had higher morbidity-related costs but over a shorter time span due to their shorter life expectancy, resulting in similar lifetime costs as in patients with early treatment. Regarding the economic value of care, every 10 minutes of earlier treatment increased the NMB by $10,593 (95% prediction interval $5,549–$14,847) and by $10,915 (95% prediction interval $5,928–$15,356) taking health care and societal perspectives, respectively. Conclusions Any time delay to EVT reduces QALYs and decreases the economic value of care provided by this intervention. Health care policies to implement efficient prehospital triage and to accelerate in-hospital workflow are urgently needed.

Although CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CD19.CAR-T) has proven clinical efficacy for multiple refractory B-cell malignancies, over 50% of patients ultimately relapse. Recent evidence has underlined the critical role of the host in determining treatment responses. In this retrospective observational study of 106 patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma receiving standard-of-care CD19.CAR-T, we analyzed the impact of immunometabolic host features and detailed body composition measurements on post–CAR T clinical outcomes. We extracted muscle and adipose tissue distributions from prelymphodepletion CT images and assessed laboratory-based immuno-nutritional scores. Early responders displayed increased total abdominal adipose tissue deposits (TAT: 336 mm3 vs. 266 mm3, P = 0.008) and favorable immuno-nutritional scores compared to nonresponding patients. On univariate Cox regression analysis, visceral fat distribution, sarcopenia, and nutritional indices significantly impacted both progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Patients with a low skeletal muscle index (SMI; e.g.<34.5), a sarcopenia indicator, exhibited poor clinical outcomes (mOS 3.0 months vs. 17.6 months, log-rank P = 0.0026). Prognostically adverse immuno-nutritional scores were linked to inferior survival [low PNI: HROS, 6.31; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.35–11.90; P < 0.001]. In a multivariable analysis adjusting for baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, C-reactive protein, and lactate dehydrogenase, increased TAT was independently associated with improved clinical outcomes (adjusted HROS, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.08–0.90; P = 0.03). We noted particularly favorable treatment outcomes in patients with both increased abdominal fat and muscle mass (TAThigh/SMIhigh: 1-year PFS 50%, 1-year OS 83%). These real-world data provide evidence for a role of body composition and immuno-nutritional status in the context of CD19.CAR-T and suggest that the obesity paradox may extend to modern T cell–based immunotherapies. See related Spotlight by Nawas and Scordo, p. 704

On the basis of the pooled data of five large randomized controlled trials, this study confirms that endovascular therapy in addition to standard care is cost-effective for patients aged 50 to 100 ... Purpose To determine the impact of patient age on the cost-effectiveness of endovascular therapy (EVT) in addition to standard care (SC) in large-vessel-occlusion stroke for patients aged 50 to 100...

Background: Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer poses a therapeutic challenge with poor prognosis. The VISION trial showed prolonged progression-free and overall survival in patients treated with lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan (¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617) radioligand therapy compared with using the standard of care (SoC) alone. The objective of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 treatment compared with SoC therapy. Methods: A partitioned survival model was developed using data from the VISION trial, which included overall and progression-free survival and treatment regimens for ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 and SoC. Treatment costs, utilities for health states, and adverse events were derived from public databases and the literature. Because ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 was only recently approved, costs for treatment were extrapolated from ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE. Outcome measurements included the incremental cost, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness ratio. The analysis was performed in a US setting from a healthcare system perspective over the lifetime horizon of 60 months. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set to $50,000, $100,000, and $200,000 per quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Results: The ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 group was estimated to gain 0.42 incremental QALYs. Treatment using ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 led to an increase in costs compared with SoC ($169,110 vs $85,398). The incremental cost, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness ratio for ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 therapy was $200,708/QALYs. Sensitivity analysis showed robustness of the model regarding various parameters, which remained cost-effective at all lower and upper parameter bounds. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis using Monte Carlo simulation with 10,000 iterations, therapy using ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 was determined as the cost-effective strategy in 37.14% of all iterations at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $200,000/QALYs. Conclusions: Treatment using ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 was estimated to add a notable clinical benefit over SoC alone. Based on the model results, radioligand therapy represents a treatment strategy for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with cost-effectiveness in certain scenarios.