J Buon
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Due to the fact that fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG-PET/CT) and technetium-99m-methylenediphosphonate ((99m)Tc-MDP) whole body scans identify bone metastases by different mechanisms, i.e. by using glucose metabolism and osteoblastic response in the bone, respectively, it can be expected that there may be some differences between these two methods in the number of lesions identified. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) in detecting bone metastases between (18)F-FDG-PET/CT and conventional (99m)Tc-MDP whole body scans. ⋯ For the detection of bone metastases the specificity and accuracy of (18)F-FDG-PET/CT were higher compared to bone scintigraphy, while the sensitivity was lower. It is the opinion of the authors that both studies are complementary to final diagnosis.
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The aim of this research was to examine overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with colorectal peritoneal carcinomatosis (CRC-PC), treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and intraoperative hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), as well as to analyse factors of prognostic significance. ⋯ Our study indicates that CRS+HIPEC significantly improves the survival of CRC-PC patients. This treatment modality should be considered as the most suitable in well-selected patients with this disease.
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Benign and malignant pulmonary lesions are not easy to distinguish in a clinical setting. We investigated the feasibility of using parametric imaging of the rate constant Ki to diagnose the nature of pulmonary lesions. ⋯ Our results indicate that Ki parametric imaging in (18)F-FDG PET/computed tomography (CT) dynamic multi-bed scanning may be useful in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary lesions.
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The purpose of this article was to highlight the importance of data management systems in radiotherapy. ⋯ DICOM communication system may significantly improve the quality assurance in radiotherapy.
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While pain is highly prevalent in cancer patients and its management is universally challenging, it is more commonly undertreated in the developing world. Southeastern European countries have limited resources and manpower to allocate for delivery of effective care for cancer-related pain. The purpose of this study was to explore the practice methods and the barriers to effective pain management in Southeastern Europe. ⋯ The limitations faced by our respondents seem to be related mostly to the shortcomings of the respective health care systems, along with the need for more experience and knowledge about the titration of pain medications and dealing with toxicities.