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A retrospective, single-center analysis of 14 cases of Candida endocarditis (from 355 candidemia cases during the years 2012–2019) revealed a high in-hospital mortality (57.1%), a high proportion of healthcare-associated infections (13/14) and a high treatment preference for echinocandins. Transthoracic echocardiography and 18F-FDG PET/CT had a sensitivity of 54.5% and 57.1%, respectively. Patients were older than previously described and most patients with Candida endocarditis had persistent candidemia for ≥ 3 days despite antifungal therapy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11046-020-00492-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Primary cerebral non-amyloid light chain deposition disease (LCDD) is a rare disease caused by the deposition of light chain fragments in brain tissue without a systemic hematological disorder. Unl...

Purpose Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) is the standard for staging aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Limited data from prospective studies is available to determine whether initial staging by FDG PET/CT provides treatment-relevant information of bone marrow (BM) involvement (BMI) and thus could spare BM biopsy (BMB). Methods Patients from PETAL (NCT00554164) and OPTIMAL>60 (NCT01478542) with aggressive B-cell NHL initially staged by FDG PET/CT and BMB were included in this pooled analysis. The reference standard to confirm BMI included a positive BMB and/or FDG PET/CT confirmed by targeted biopsy, complementary imaging (CT or magnetic resonance imaging), or concurrent disappearance of focal FDG-avid BM lesions with other lymphoma manifestations during immunochemotherapy. Results Among 930 patients, BMI was detected by BMB in 85 (prevalence 9%) and by FDG PET/CT in 185 (20%) cases, for a total of 221 cases (24%). All 185 PET-positive cases were true positive, and 709 of 745 PET-negative cases were true negative. For BMB and FDG PET/CT, sensitivity was 38% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 32–45%) and 84% (CI: 78–88%), specificity 100% (CI: 99–100%) and 100% (CI: 99–100%), positive predictive value 100% (CI: 96–100%) and 100% (CI: 98–100%), and negative predictive value 84% (CI: 81–86%) and 95% (CI: 93–97%), respectively. In all of the 36 PET-negative cases with confirmed BMI patients had other adverse factors according to IPI that precluded a change of standard treatment. Thus, the BMB would not have influenced the patient management. Conclusion In patients with aggressive B-cell NHL, routine BMB provides no critical staging information compared to FDG PET/CT and could therefore be omitted. Trial registration NCT00554164 and NCT01478542

Background We assessed the diagnostic value of FDG PET/CT in a real-world cohort of patients with surgically managed infective endocarditis (IE). Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients hospitalized in a tertiary IE referral medical center from January 2014 to October 2018 fulfilling the following criteria: ICD-10 code for IE and OPS code for both, heart surgery and FDG PET/CT. Results Final analysis included 29 patients, whereof 28 patients had surgically proven IE. FDG PET/CT scan was true-positive in 15 patients (sensitivity (SEN) 56%) and false-negative in 12 patients. Combination of Duke criteria (DC) with FDG PET/CT scan resulted in gain of SEN for all patients with confirmed IE (SEN of DC 79% vs SEN of combination DC and FDG PET/CT 89%), driven by a relevant gain in PVE patients only (SEN of DC 78% vs SEN of combination DC and FDG PET/CT 94%). Interestingly, higher prosthesis age was observed in patients with false-negative scans. Conclusions We found a SEN of 56% for FDG PET/CT in a real-world cohort of patients with surgically proven IE which was associated with a 16% gain of IE diagnosis in patients with PVE when combined with DC.

Brain and leptomeningeal metastasis (LMM) of non-small cell lung cancer is still associated with poor prognosis. Moreover, the current diagnostic standard for LMM often yields false negative results and the scientific progress in this field is still unsatisfying. We present a case of a 71-year old patient with an isolated LMM. While standard diagnostics could only diagnose a cancer of unknown primary, the use of [68Ga]-Pentixafor-PET/CT (CXCR4-PET/CT, a radiotracer targeting CXCR4) and a liquid biopsy of the cerebrospinal fluid revealed the primary NSCLC. The detection of L858R-EGFR, a common driver mutation in NSCLC, enabled us to treat the patient with Afatinib and monitor treatment using [68Ga]-Pentixafor PET/CT. To estimate the impact of CXCR4 signaling and its ligands in NSCLC brain metastasis we looked at their expression and correlation with EGFR mutations in a primary and brain metastasis data set and investigated the previously described binding of extracellular ubiquitin to CXCR4. In conclusion, we describe a novel approach to improve diagnostics towards LMM and underline the impact of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis in brain metastasis in a subset of NSCLC patients. We cannot confirm a correlation of CXCR4 expression with EGFR mutations or the binding of extracellular ubiquitin as previously reported.

BACKGROUND: According to the Lugano classification (Cheson et al., JCO 2014, 32: 3059-3067) fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) is the standard for evaluation and staging of aggressive non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL). It is a matter of debate whether FDG PET/CT is sufficient to determine bone marrow (BM) involvement. We performed a pooled analysis of data from the PETAL (EudraCT 2006-001641-33) and OPTIMAL>60 trials (EudraCT 2010-019587-36) as prospective, open-label, randomized, multicenter Phase-III trials to determine whether initial staging with FDG PET/CT would allow non-invasive diagnosis of BM involvement and thus could avoid established but potentially painful and unpleasant BM biopsy (BMB). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients treated within the trials were included if both FDG PET/CT and BMB were performed during initial staging. Only patients with a biopsy-proven, centrally confirmed diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma or follicular lymphoma grade 3b were included. FDG PET/CT images and BM findings were blinded for central review by board certified PET/CT readers. Discordant findings were documented and resolved after unblinding by interdisciplinary discussion using findings of complementary imaging and/or subsequent PET examinations. Based on literature (Berthet et al., J Nucl Med 2013), a newly defined gold standard was used to confirm BM involvement. It includes a positive BMB or a positive FDG PET confirmed by targeted biopsy, complementary CT imaging or targeted MRI, or concurrent disappearance of focal FDG-avid BM lesions with other lymphoma manifestations during immunochemotherapy. RESULTS: Out of 1,976 patients a total of 930 patients met the inclusion criteria. BMB confirmed BM involvement in 85 of 930 patients (9%). According to FDG PET/CT, BM was involved in 185 out of 930 patients (20%) with 36 discordances (4%) between negative initial FDG PET/CT and positive BMB ("false negatives" with respect to previous reference standard, PRS). Discordances between positive initial FDG PET/CT and negative BMB ("false positives" by PRS) occurred in 136 patients (15%). If only BMB is used as in the PRS, the negative predictive value (NPV) of FDG PET/CT was 709/745=95% (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 93%-97%) with a sensitivity (Sens) of 58% (95%CI: 46%-68%) and a specificity (Spec) of 84% (95%CI: 81%-86%). After discussion of these cases, 185 out of 221 cases with BM involvement were identified as true positive, resulting in a Sens of 84% for FDG PET/CT (95%CI: 78%-88%). By means of FDG PET/CT 745 cases were negative of which 709 were confirmed as true negatives, resulting in an NPV of 95% (95%CI: 93%-97%). All 185 cases with positive FDG PET/CT were evaluated as true positive for BM involvement in the unblinded synopsis of all findings, resulting in a positive predictive value (PPV) of 100% (95%CI: 98%-100%). All 709 negative FDG PET/CT findings were finally confirmed as such, so Spec was 100% (95%CI: 99%-100%). Thus, the prevalence in our total cohort analyzed was 24%, since 221 out of 930 cases had confirmed BM involvement. Diagnostic performance parameters for BMB as compared to the newly defined gold standard were Sens 85/221=38% (95%CI: 32%-45%), Spec 709/709=100% (95%CI: 99%-100%), PPV 85/85=100% (95%CI: 96%-100%) and NPV 709/845=84% (95%CI: 81%-86%), respectively. Differences between the PRS in the diagnosis of BM involvement by only BMB and the newly defined gold standard result mainly from false negative BMB due to sampling errors, which are detected by FDG PET/CT. DISCUSSION: In the majority of patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma, routine BMB does not give any additional relevant diagnostic or prognostic information over FDG PET/CT alone and could therefore be omitted. BMB should only be performed if results would have direct therapeutic impact e.g. in patients with limited stage disease and lack of further risk factors according to the international prognostic index (IPI). Disclosures Held: MSD: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Other: Travel support, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Other: Travel support, Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Acrotech: Research Funding. Stilgenbauer:Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Hoffmann La-Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Duehrsen:Amgen: Consultancy; University Hospital Essen, Germany: Employment; Takeda: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Gilead: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Celgene: Research Funding; CPT: Consultancy; Takeda: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Amgen: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; AbbVie: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; CPT: Honoraria. Hüttmann:University Hospital Essen: Employment; Takeda: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria. Poeschel:Amgen: Other: Travel, accommodations, expenses; Abbvie: Other: Travel, accomodations, expenses; Roche: Other: Travel, accomodations, expenses; Hexal: Speakers Bureau.

Die Positronenemissionstomografie (PET) mit 18 F-Fluorodesoxyglukose (FDG) in Kombination mit einer Computertomografie (CT) ist eine etablierte und nutzliche Untersuchungsmethode bei der Diagnostik inflammatorischer/infektioser Erkrankungen, bei der Beurteilung neurologischer und kardiologischer Pathologien und v. a. im Rahmen von Staging und Nachsorge zahlreicher maligner Neoplasien. Nach intravenoser Applikation der FDG stellen sich durch Tracerakkumulation oder –exkretion Gehirn, Myokard, Gastrointestinaltrakt, Leber, Nieren und Harntrakt in der PET intensiv dar. In diesem Artikel wird die physiologische Aufnahme der 18 F-Fluorodesoxyglukose in der positronenemissionstomografischen Ganzkorperuntersuchung beschrieben. Daruber hinaus werden in einer topografischen Gliederung zahlreiche physiologische Normvarianten aufgelistet und diskutiert. Eine akkurate Interpretation der PET-Bilder setzt eine umfassende Kenntnis dieser normalen physiologischen Distribution des radioaktiven Tracers und der haufig zu beobachtenden Normvarianten oder aktivierungs- bzw. medikamenteninduzierten FDG-Speicherungen voraus, die mit malignen Lasionen verwechselt werden konnen. Auf diese Weise konnen Fehlinterpretationen vermieden und die exzellenten diagnostischen Moglichkeiten der FDG-PET/CT voll ausgeschopft werden.

Brain and leptomeningeal metastasis (LMM) of non-small cell lung cancer is still associated with poor prognosis. Moreover, the current diagnostic standard for LMM often yields false negative results and the scientific progress in this field is still unsatisfying. We present a case of a 71-year old patient with an isolated LMM. While standard diagnostics could only diagnose a cancer of unknown primary, the use of [68Ga]-Pentixafor-PET/CT (CXCR4-PET/CT, a radiotracer targeting CXCR4) and a liquid biopsy of the cerebrospinal fluid revealed the primary NSCLC. The detection of L858R-EGFR, a common driver mutation in NSCLC, enabled us to treat the patient with Afatinib and monitor treatment using [68Ga]-Pentixafor PET/CT. To estimate the impact of CXCR4 signaling and its ligands in NSCLC brain metastasis we looked at their expression and correlation with EGFR mutations in a primary and brain metastasis data set and investigated the previously described binding of extracellular ubiquitin to CXCR4. In conclusion, we describe a novel approach to improve diagnostics towards LMM and underline the impact of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis in brain metastasis in a subset of NSCLC patients. We cannot confirm a correlation of CXCR4 expression with EGFR mutations or the binding of extracellular ubiquitin as previously reported.

Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is a rare malignant disease, although its incidence has increased over the last few decades. It derives from follicular thyroid cells. Generally speaking, the prognosis is excellent. If treatment according to the current guidelines is given, cases of recurrence or persistence are rare. DTC requires special expertise by the treating physician. In recent years, new therapeutic options for these patients have become available. For this article we performed a systematic literature review with special focus on the guidelines of the American Thyroid Association, the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, and the German Society of Nuclear Medicine. For DTC, surgery and radioiodine therapy followed by levothyroxine substitution remain the established therapeutic procedures. Even metastasized tumors can be cured this way. However, in rare cases of radioiodine-refractory tumors, additional options are to be discussed. These include strict suppression of thyroid-stimulating hormone (also known as thyrotropin, TSH) and external local radiotherapy. Systemic cytostatic chemotherapy does not play a significant role. Recently, multikinase or tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been approved for the treatment of radioiodine-refractory DTC. Although a benefit for overall survival has not been shown yet, these new drugs can slow down tumor progression. However, they are frequently associated with severe side effects and should be reserved for patients with threatening symptoms only.

Updated presentation of the spectrum of nuclear medicine in-vivo examinations and therapies from officially available statistics on out-patient and in-patient care as well as trends of structural data on nuclear medicine in Germany.Data from the German Federal Health Monitoring, from the frequency statistics of the statutory health insurance for out-patients and from the German Medical Association were used and supplemented by data from selective literature searches.In descending order, thyroid, bone and cardiac scans continue to be the most frequent nuclear medicine procedures. With a marked increase of PET/CT and SPECT/CT, the number of basic scintigraphies is declining. Cardiac, lung and brain scans as well as lymph scintigraphies are increasingly requested, bone and thyroid scan decrease. The consultation of nuclear medicine physicians in private practices is increasing by 4 % per year (2009: 2 164 664; 2015: 2 687 359). The number of nuclear medicine physicians in the out-patient sector rose significantly (2009: 756, 2015: 939, growth 24 %) and has remained constant due to restrictions since 2013. The specialist recognitions of women in nuclear medicine increased (proportion currently 46 %). In hospitals, more PET(/CT) scanners (2009: 97; 2015: 125) and fewer gamma cameras (2009: 594; 2015: 550) are operated. The number of non-thyroid (and also out-patient) radionuclide therapies continued to increase.With increased use of hybrid technologies, the nuclear medicine spectrum shows positive trends especially in nuclear cardiology and extra-thyroid therapy. These developments must be taken into account when amending regulations of specialist training and medical student teaching.

Sarcoidosis, a granulomatous T-cell-mediated multisystem disease with a yearly incidence of 10.9 to 35.5 cases per 100,000 in the United States, affects a variety of organ systems. Although the characteristic radiological finding of a bihilar lymphadenopathy still plays a diagnostic key role, FDG PET/CT is more sensitive in detecting and monitoring various manifestations. We present a rare case of a 37-year-old woman with bihilar, mediastinal, and abdominal lymphadenopathy in conjunction with a histologically proven cutaneous manifestation of sarcoidosis in a tattoo of the lower back exhibiting an increased uptake of FDG.

O-(2-F-18-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (F-18-FET) PET is a well-established method increasingly used for diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring in gliomas. Epileptic activity, frequently occurring in glioma patients, can influence MRI findings. Whether seizures also affect F-18-FET PET imaging is currently unknown. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to investigate the brain amino acid metabolism during epileptic seizures by F-18-FET PET and to elucidate the pathophysiologic background. Methods: Ten patients with 11 episodes of serial seizures or status epilepticus, who underwent MRI and F-18-FET PET, were studied. The main diagnosis was glioma World Health Organization grade II-1V (n = 8); 2 patients suffered from nonneoplastic diseases. Immunohistochemical assessment of LAT1/ LAT2/CD98 amino acid transporters was performed in seizure-affected cortex (n = 2) and compared with glioma tissues (n = 3). Results: All patients exhibited increased seizure-associated strict gyral F-18-FET uptake, which was reversible in follow-up studies or negative shortly before and without any histologic or clinical signs of tumor recurrence. F-18-FET uptake corresponded to structural MRI changes, compatible with cortical vasogenic and cytotoxic edema, partial contrast enhancement, and hyperperfusion. Patients with prolonged postictal symptoms lasting up to 8 wk displayed intensive and widespread 1 lobe) cortical F-18-FET uptake. LAT1/LAT2/CD98 was strongly expressed in neurons and endothelium of seizure-affected brains and less in reactive astrocytosis. Conclusion: Seizure activity, in particular status epilepticus, increases cerebral amino acid transport with a strict gyral F-18-FET uptake pattern. Such periictal pseudoprogression represents a potential pitfall of F-18-FET PET and may mimic brain tumor. Our data also indicate a seizure-induced upregulation of neuronal, endothelial, and less astroglial LAT1/LAT2/CD98 amino acid transporter expression.