With one third of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) expected to develop cancer recurrence in the first two years after therapy, accurate assessment of the response and timely detection of cancer recurrence after concurrent chemo- and radiotherapy (CCRT) treatment is of great importance. Although there is neither definite consensus about the preferred imaging modality, nor the time interval until the first diagnostic examination after CCRT, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends the use of MRI and 18F-FDG PET/CT as a post-treatment LACC response-assessment imaging tools. In this study, we tried to appraise the early therapy response in LACC patients by both 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI in regard to the follow-up imaging results and their mutual interrelationship, and to ascertain if the post-treatment 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI results were related to the progression-free and overall survival rate in women with LACC after CCRT. We also aimed to estimate the early and follow-up diagnostic imaging impact on further therapy management. Based on our results, we concluded that 18F-FDG PET/CT did surpass MRI in the early assessment of therapeutic response in LACC patients after CCRT. Both modalities provided information that may serve as predictive biomarkers of outcome and LACC patients’ survival.

Background/Objectives: The global increase in the incidence of malignant melanoma, without significant changes in the mortality rate, may be influenced by the changes in the diagnostic approach and criteria, and the impact of innovative therapies on the survival of patients. Advances in treatment options, influencing prolonged survival, are bringing up a strong need for close surveillance of melanoma patients. In this observational, retrospective, and single-center study, we determined the impact of 18F-FDG PET/CT diagnostics on the outcomes and survival of malignant melanoma patients at different stages from an extensive and unselected group in a real-life clinical management setting. Methods: A total number of 189 malignant melanoma patients who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT examination in the course of the treatment at one university oncology institute during the period from January 2010 to December 2024 were included in the study, and the multifactorial impact on the outcome and survival of malignant melanoma patients was observed in regard to the differences resulting from the therapeutic approaches and the introduction of new therapeutic options and drugs. Results & Conclusions: Our results indicate that 18F-FDG PET/CT is a sensitive imaging tool for the detection of predominantly distant metastases in malignant melanoma patients belonging to an extensive and unselected population in a real-world clinical setting, not only at advanced melanoma stages but also at early stages of high-risk patients’ surveillance. Follow-up appears to be of substantial importance for patients at advanced stages, but also for patients at early stages of disease, in particular in the presence of a strong clinical suspicion. Immunotherapy and combined therapy are improving overall survival in melanoma patients in real-world circumstances and equivalent clinical surroundings.

Introduction. Neuroendocrine neoplasms are rare heterogeneous malignancies that may occur in almost any organ in the body. These neoplasms are associated with a wide range of clinical and pathophysiological manifestations. Case Report. A 67-year-old female patient, non-smoker with a history of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, visited her general practitioner complaining of back pain, heart palpitations, and change in stool consistency. Physical examination revealed multiple subcutaneous nodules in the neck and chest area that were painful to touch. Due to suspected hyperthyroidism, she was referred to an endocrinologist. The ultrasound of the thyroid gland showed multiple cysts in the right lobe and a nodule in the left lobe of the thyroid gland. Laboratory tests showed elevated calcitonin and carbohydrate antigen levels. Based on the assumption that medullary thyroid carcinoma was the most likely diagnosis, she was referred to the Nuclear Medicine Department of the Oncology Institute of Vojvodina. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the left thyroid nodule was done and thyroid malignancy was excluded. By histopathological analysis of the enlarged right chest lymph node and a skin lump on the left loin, a lung cancer with neuroendocrine morphology with positive neuroendocrine markers was diagnosed. Computed tomography revealed a tumor infiltrating the left hilum with metastases. Conclusion. Skin metastases of neuroendocrine neoplasms are rare and may occur in any part of the human body. They may develop before the primary tumor is recognized and are associated with disseminated malignancy. Diagnosis and treatment are important to control the disease and improve the quality of life of patients.

Background/Aim. Recognizing early irradiation-induced changes in the white matter is of great importance. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential use of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) parameters as biomarkers of early brain tissue microstructural changes during chemoradiotherapy (CRT) treatment of newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Methods. A total of 42 glioblastoma patients who underwent CRT after surgical resection/biopsy were scanned three times using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): before treatment, after 16 fractions, and after 33 fractions. Regions of interest (ROI) with total irradiation doses of 59.4 Gy (ROI 1), 39.6 Gy (ROI 2), and 19.8 Gy (ROI 3) were identified using co-registered axial dose distribution plans/dose-volume histograms and MRI scans. For each ROI, the following DTI parameters were calculated, measured, and analyzed: fractional anisotropy (FA), radial diffusivity (RD), axial diffusivity (AD), and mean diffusivity (MD). The corresponding DKI parameters included: radial kurtosis (RK), axial kurtosis (AK), and mean kurtosis (MK). Results. A significant decrease in FA value was observed in ROI 1 (total delivered dose 59.4 Gy) after both 16 and 33 delivered fractions, while the other DTI parameters and MK showed a significant increase. In ROI 1, a decreasing trend in RK and AK was identified, which was statistically confirmed after both 16 and 33 delivered fractions. In ROI 2 (total delivered dose of 39.6 Gy), FA values were significantly reduced after both 16 and 33 fractions, whereas RD, AD, MD, and MK were increased after 16 fractions, followed by a decrease after 33 fractions. The RK value in ROI 2 showed a significant decrease after both 16 and 33 fractions, and no changes were observed in AK values. In ROI 3 (total delivered dose of 19.8 Gy), no significant changes in any of the measured DTI or DKI parameters were noticed. Conclusion. DTI and DKI metric parameters may serve as biomarkers of early changes during and after CRT, providing information that may offer a better understanding of the complex dynamics of early white matter microstructural changes in response to glioblastoma CRT.

Background and Objectives: Resilience and perceived social support are crucial factors influencing psychological well-being among breast cancer survivors. Understanding their levels and interrelations can inform psychosocial interventions aimed at improving survivorship outcomes. This study aimed to examine the relationship between resilience and perceived social support, to evaluate the psychometric properties of the applied scales, and to explore their associations with key sociodemographic factors among breast cancer survivors. Materials and Methods: A total of 193 women in clinical remission, at least six months post-primary treatment, were recruited from the General Hospital Sombor. Participants completed sociodemographic and clinical questionnaires, the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlations, and group comparisons (t-tests and ANOVA) were conducted to assess the relationships among study variables and sociodemographic factors. Results: Participants demonstrated moderate resilience (57 ± 18), with Coping and Hardiness as the strongest domains and Optimism the lowest. Perceived social support was also moderate (4.65–4.82) across all domains, highest for family and significant others. Resilience and perceived social support were positively correlated (r = 0.616, p < 0.001), with Hardiness most strongly associated with overall resilience (r = 0.899). Support from a significant other was particularly linked to adaptability (r = 0.617). Participants living in urban areas and those with higher income reported significantly higher resilience and social support, though with low effect sizes. No other sociodemographic associations were observed. Conclusions: Breast cancer survivors in this Serbian cohort reported moderate resilience and social support, with a strong interrelationship between the two. These findings underscore the importance of strengthening social support networks as a potential pathway to enhance resilience and psychological well-being in cancer survivorship care.

Introduction/Aim. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignant skin tumor in fair-skinned populations. Although it has low metastatic potential, it can be highly locally invasive and, in addition to impairing function, may even pose a threat to life itself. The majority of BCCs can be successfully reated by classical surgical excision with appropriate safety margins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between clinical and histopathological tumor width in excised BCCs. Methods. A prospective clinical and histopathological study included 45 subjects consecutively examined at the Department of Dermatologic Surgery and Skin Tumors, University Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia, with a total of 60 primary BCC specimens obtained by classical surgical excision. Medical history was recorded, and dermatological examination was performed. Prior to the excisional biopsy, an incision was made along the edge of the clinically visible tumor to the level of the papillary dermis, and the standard recommended safety margin was added. Histopathological assessment involved microscopic analysis at various magnifications. The histopathological tumor width was measured using a millimeter ocular. The total clinically estimated tumor width was determined as the distance between the two stated skin incisions, and the distance from the incision to the histopathological tumor margin was also recorded. Results. A statistically significant correlation was found between clinically determined and microscopically measured total tumor width ($P < 0.05$). The mean clinically estimated width was 9.55 ± 5.13 mm, while the histopathological width was 7.98 ± 4.75 mm. The statistically determined difference between the clinically marked and microscopically measured tumor width was less than 2.0 mm in 96.7% of cases, i.e., in 88.4% of cases, this difference in assessment was 1.0 mm or less. Conclusion. There is a positive correlation between the clinically assessed and histopathologically verified width of the BCC.