• Dedicated Breast CT: Feasibility for Monitoring Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Treatment

      Vedantham, Srinivasan; O'Connell, Avice M.; Shi, Linxi; Karellas, Andrew; Huston, Alissa J.; Skinner, Kristin A. (2014-11-29)
      OBJECTIVES: In this prospective pilot study, the feasibility of non-contrast dedicated breast computed tomography (bCT) to determine primary tumor volume and monitor its changes during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) treatment was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven women who underwent NAC were imaged with a clinical prototype dedicated bCT system at three time points - pre-, mid-, and post-treatment. The study radiologist marked the boundary of the primary tumor from which the tumor volume was quantified. An automated algorithm was developed to quantify the primary tumor volume for comparison with radiologist's segmentation. The correlation between pre-treatment tumor volumes from bCT and MRI, and the correlation and concordance in tumor size between post-treatment bCT and pathology were determined. RESULTS: Tumor volumes from automated and radiologist's segmentations were correlated (Pearson's r = 0.935, P < 0.001) and were not different over all time points [P = 0.808, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA)]. Pre-treatment tumor volumes from MRI and bCT were correlated (r = 0.905, P < 0.001). Tumor size from post-treatment bCT was correlated with pathology (r = 0.987, P = 0.002) for invasive ductal carcinoma larger than 5 mm and the maximum difference in tumor size was 0.57 cm. The presence of biopsy clip (3 mm) limited the ability to accurately measure tumors smaller than 5 mm. All study participants were pathologically assessed to be responders, with three subjects experiencing complete pathologic response for invasive cancer and the reminder experiencing partial response. Compared to pre-treatment tumor volume, there was a statistically significant (P = 0.0003, paired t-test) reduction in tumor volume at mid-treatment observed with bCT, with an average tumor volume reduction of 47%. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests that dedicated non-contrast bCT has the potential to serve as an expedient imaging tool for monitoring tumor volume changes during NAC. Larger studies are needed in future.
    • Improved Survival after Administration of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Clinical Stage I/II Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

      Hendrix, Ryan J. (2019-05-06)
      Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of US cancer related deaths. This study assessed the oncologic benefit of a neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) treatment strategy for patients with clinical Stage I/II PDAC. Methods: Patients with biopsy confirmed PDAC and clinical Stage I/II disease were treated with a protocol of NAC. The primary study endpoint was median overall survival (OS). Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. Results: 56 patients met inclusion criteria. Of these, 21 patients (38%) had Stage I disease and 35 (62%) had Stage II disease. The median OS for the entire study population was 18.7 months. A total of 22 (39%) patients were managed with NAC+S; 34 (61%) received NAC alone. Median OS and 2-year survival rates were greater in those completing NAC+S compared to NAC alone (median OS 28.8 months vs. 17.3 months: p=0.05; 2-year OS: 55% vs 21%: p=0.01) . Interestingly, patients managed with NAC who were not candidates for surgical resection after restaging demonstrated a survival advantage (17.3 months) compared to what was previously reported in historical controls. Conclusion: NAC+S provided a significant 11.5 month improvement in median OS compared to treatment with NAC alone. Modern NAC may contribute a significant oncologic benefit in the overall treatment strategy for patients with Stage I/II PDAC, even if surgery is not ultimately pursued.