Publications by authors named "Ali Afshar-Oromieh"

Background: Lutetium-177 PSMA radioligand therapy ([¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-PSMA-RLT) is an effective treatment option for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Prospective studies reported favourable efficacy and safety outcomes of up to 6 cycles of [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-PSMA. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-PSMA rechallenge therapy in patients with mCRPC who progressed after an initial course of [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-PSMA-RLT.

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Background: The purpose of this study was to identify semiquantitative parameters of [F]FDG PET/CT using a digital PET scanner, which may increase diagnostic accuracy and readers' confidence in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE).

Results: Images of 82 patients undergoing [F]FDG PET/CT for suspected IE were visually and semiquantitatively analyzed. Standardized uptake values (SUV) of suspected foci, also normalized to liver, mediastinum and surrounding activity were calculated.

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Radiopharmaceutical therapy is emerging rapidly as an effective and safe pillar in cancer management. The regulatory approvals for Lu-PSMA-617 radiopharmaceutical therapy in both the pre- and post-chemotherapy metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer clinical space have paved the way for the implementation of this life-prolonging therapy in clinical practice. However, the emergence of resistance to radiopharmaceutical therapy is inevitable, and therefore, combination therapies will be needed to synergize treatment efficacy without untoward collective toxicity.

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Objectives: The number of patients receiving radioligand therapy (RLT) has risen sharply in recent years. This raises concerns about possible risks to dental healthcare workers due to their exposure to the patients and their saliva. We therefore set about to measure the salivary radioactivity in patients undergoing Lu-RLT.

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Ectopic kidney in the thoracic region are infrequent in clinical practice. A 64-year-old man underwent a Rubidium (82Rb) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) scan for the evaluation of myocardial ischemia due to a diagnosed 2-vessel coronary artery disease. While no myocardial perfusion abnormalities were detected, the scan showed the presence of a diaphragmatic high stand on the right side, with evidence of an ectopic kidney.

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Single-time-point (STP) image-based dosimetry offers a more convenient approach for clinical practice in radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) compared with conventional multiple-time-point image-based dosimetry. Despite numerous advancements, current STP methods are limited by the need for strict and late timing in data acquisition, posing challenges in routine clinical settings. This study introduces a new concept of instant STP (iSTP) dosimetry, achieved by predicting the effective half-life ( ) of organs using machine learning applied on pretherapy patient data (PET and clinical values).

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Background: Bone marrow (BM) is the dominant dose-limiting organ in [Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 therapy for patients with metastasized castration resistant prostate cancer, where BM dosimetry is challenging due to segmentation.

Purpose: We aim to develop an automatic image-based segmentation method on peri-therapeutic sequential [Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 images for personalized BM dosimetry.

Methods: Quantitative SPECT/CT imaging at 2, 20, 40 and 60 (n = 14)/200 (n = 16) h post [Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 injection were analyzed for 10 patients with 30 treatment cycles.

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In 2015, around 4400 individuals received a diagnosis of lung cancer, and Switzerland recorded approximately 3200 deaths related to lung cancer. Advances in detection, such as lung cancer screening and improved treatments, have led to increased identification of early-stage lung cancer and higher chances of long-term survival. This progress has introduced new considerations in imaging, emphasising non-invasive diagnosis and characterisation techniques like radiomics.

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Purpose: Long axial field-of-view (LAFOV) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanners enable high sensitivity and wide anatomical coverage. Therefore, they seem ideal to perform post-selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) Y scans, which are needed, to confirm that the dose is delivered to the tumors and that healthy organs are spared. However, it is unclear to what extent the use of LAFOV PET is feasible and which dosimetry approaches results in accurate measurements.

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Purpose: To assess the influence of long-axial field-of-view (LAFOV) PET/CT systems on radiomics feature reliability, to assess the suitability for short-duration or low-activity acquisitions for textural feature analysis and to investigate the influence of acceptance angle.

Methods: 34 patients were analysed: twelve patients underwent oncological 2-[18F]-FDG PET/CT, fourteen [18F]PSMA-1007 and eight [68Ga]Ga-DOTATOC. Data were obtained using a 106 cm LAFOV system for 10 min.

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Aim: To assess in a phantom and in a clinical study the influence of different reconstruction parameters on quantitative SPECT/CT values in the assessment of cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR-CA).

Method: A hybrid SPECT/CT camera with a proprietary software for SPECT/CT-based quantification of myocardial uptake of Tc-DPD was used. Images were reconstructed with 6 different protocols, differing in iterations, subset and Gaussian filter.

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Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen Positron Emission Tomography (PSMA-PET) is routinely used for the staging of patients with prostate cancer, but data on response assessment are sparse and primarily stem from metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with PSMA radioligand therapy. Still, follow-up PSMA-PET is employed in earlier disease stages in case of clinical suspicion of disease persistence, recurrence or progression to decide if localized or systemic treatment is indicated. Therefore, the prognostic value of PSMA-PET derived tumor volumes in earlier disease stages (i.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how to predict individualized radiation doses for treating metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer using theranostics, focusing on the variations within organs rather than just organ-level estimates.
  • It involves 23 patients and analyzes pre-treatment PET scans alongside post-therapy imaging to compare how the distribution of the PET tracer correlates with the absorbed radiation doses in the kidneys, liver, and spleen.
  • Results showed inconsistencies between the PET imaging and dose maps, with deep learning techniques providing more accurate voxel-wise dose predictions than traditional methods, indicating that intra-organ variations significantly impact treatment planning.
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Since its clinical introduction in May 2011, prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-PET/computed tomography has quickly gained worldwide recognition as a significant breakthrough in prostate cancer diagnostics. In the meantime, several new PSMA radioligands for PET imaging have been introduced into routine clinical practice. This article aims to introduce the most commonly used tracers and their key areas of application.

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This review paper highlights the transformative role of PSMA-targeted diagnostics and therapy in prostate cancer management, particularly focusing on Lu-PSMA-617, approved by the FDA and EMA for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients post-chemotherapy and ARPI treatment. Originating from the VISION trial's success, this paper navigates the current radioligand therapy (RLT) indications, emphasizing practical patient selection, planning, and treatment execution. It critically examines Lu-PSMA's comparative effectiveness against cabazitaxel and Ra-223, addressing decision-making dilemmas for mCRPC treatments.

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Purpose: To evaluate the utility of long duration (10 min) acquisitions compared to standard 4 min scans in the evaluation of head and neck cancer (HNC) using a long-axial field-of-view (LAFOV) system in 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT.

Methods: HNC patients undergoing LAFOV PET/CT were included retrospectively according to a predefined sample size calculation. For each acquisition, FDG avid lymph nodes (LN) which were highly probable or equivocal for malignancy were identified by two board certified nuclear medicine physicians in consensus.

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Purpose: To assess early tumor response with quantitated SPECT/CT and to correlate it with clinical outcome in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with Lutetium-PSMA I&T therapy.

Methods: Single-center, observational study, part of the prospective Swiss national cancer registry study investigating the safety and efficacy of [Lu]Lu-PSMA I&T (EKNZ: 2021-01271) in mCRPC patients treated with at least two cycles of [Lu]Lu-PSMA I&T 6-weekly. After the first and second cycle quantitated SPECT/CT (Symbia Intevo, Siemens) was acquired 48 h after injection (three fields of view from head to thigh, 5 s/frame) and reconstructed using xQuant® (48i, 1 s, 10-mm Gauss).

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Background: Personalized dosimetry for Lu-177-PSMA treatment requires multiple-time-point SPECT/CT scans to calculate time-integrated activity (TIA). This study evaluates two-time-point (TTP) methods for TIA calculation for kidneys and tumors.

Methods: A total of 18 patients treated with 3.

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Purpose: Inflamed, prone-to-rupture coronary plaques are an important cause of myocardial infarction and their early identification is crucial. Atherosclerotic plaques are characterized by overexpression of the type-2 somatostatin receptor (SST) in activated macrophages. SST ligand imaging (e.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study looked at how well salvage radiotherapy (SRT) works for men with early recurring prostate cancer after surgery, even when their scans show no signs of the disease.
  • It involved 300 patients from 11 different centers in 5 countries and checked their survival rates after SRT treatment.
  • The results showed that most patients had good outcomes, with high chances of staying cancer-free for years, especially when they had lower PSA levels before treatment.
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We report the dosimetric evaluation of prostate-specific membrane antigen-based radioligand therapy (RLT) for metastatic prostate cancer in a patient with autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease. The patient received hemodialysis during each of 6 RLT cycles while staying as an inpatient. We used voxel dosimetry and blood sampling for the dose calculation.

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Purpose: The current clinical recommendations posit the deployment of specific approved radiolabeled prostate-specific membrane antigen-ligand positron emission tomography (PSMA PET) for detecting metastatic prostate cancer during primary staging. Nevertheless, the precise efficacy of such ligands in localizing intraprostatic tumours (index tumour) and T-staging is not well established. Consequently, the objective of this inquiry is to ascertain the diagnostic accuracy of PSMA-PET in the tumour staging of newly diagnosed prostate cancer by means of a meta-analysis that integrates studies utilizing histological confirmation as the reference standard.

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Background The prevalence of calcific aortic stenosis and amyloid transthyretin cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) increase with age, and they often coexist. The objective was to determine the prevalence of ATTR-CM in patients with severe aortic stenosis and evaluate differences in presentations and outcomes of patients with concomitant ATTR-CM undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Methods and Results Prospective screening for ATTR-CM with Technetium-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid bone scintigraphy was performed in 315 patients referred with severe aortic stenosis between August 2019 and August 2021.

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