Imaging-based screening: maximizing benefits and minimizing harms

Thyroid abnormalities identified on CT screening for lung cancer

PURPOSE

Because incidental thyroid nodules (ITNs) are common extrapulmonary findings in low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans for lung cancer screening, we aimed to investigate the frequency of ITNs on LDCT scans separately on baseline and annual repeat scans, the frequency of malignancy among the ITNs, and any association with demographic, clinical, CT characteristics.

METHODS

Retrospective case series of all 2309 participants having baseline and annual repeat screening in an Early Lung and Cardiac Action Program (MS-ELCAP) LDCT lung screening program from January 2010 to December 2016 was performed. Frequency of ITNs in baseline and annual repeat rounds were determined. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to identify significant predictors.

RESULTS

Dominant ITNs were seen in 2.5 % of 2309 participants on baseline and in 0.15 % of participants among 4792 annual repeat LDCTs. The low incidence of new ITNs suggests slow growth as it would take approximately an average of 16.8 years for a new ITN to be detected on annual rounds of screening. Newly detected ITNs on annual repeat LDCT were all smaller than 15 mm. Regression analysis showed that the increasing of age, coronary artery calcifications score and breast density grade were significant predictors for females having an ITN. No significant predictors were found for ITNs in males.

CONCLUSION

ITNs are detected at LDCT however, no malignancy was found. Certain predictors for ITNs in females have been identified including breast density, which may point towards a common causal pathway.

New Approaches and Recommendations for Risk-Adapted Breast Cancer Screening

Population-based breast cancer screening using mammography as the gold standard imaging modality has been in clinical practice for over 40 years. However, the limitations of mammography in terms of sensitivity and high false-positive rates, particularly in high-risk women, challenge the indiscriminate nature of population-based screening. Additionally, in light of expanding research on new breast cancer risk factors, there is a growing consensus that breast cancer screening should move toward a risk-adapted approach. Recent advancements in breast imaging technology, including contrast material-enhanced mammography (CEM), ultrasound (US) (automated-breast US, Doppler, elastography US), and especially magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (abbreviated, ultrafast, and contrast-agent free), may provide new opportunities for risk-adapted personalized screening strategies. Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence and radiomics techniques has the potential to enhance the performance of risk-adapted screening. This review article summarizes the current evidence and challenges in breast cancer screening and highlights potential future perspectives for various imaging techniques in a risk-adapted breast cancer screening approach. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 1. TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 5.

Prevalence and Features of Incidental Findings in Veterinary Computed Tomography: A Single-Center Six-Years' Experience

Computed tomography (CT) is an advanced imaging technique that may lead to detect "incidentalomas", unexpected asymptomatic lesions found during unrelated examinations. Their clinical meaning and management are not clear for veterinarians, who risk unnecessary investigations that harm the patients. This study is a retrospective analysis that aims to investigate incidentalomas in CT exams and to describe their prevalence, location, types and follow-up, their correlations and associations with the species, breed, sex, and age of patients examined and with the kind and number of sites scanned. The reports of 561 CT scans performed in 512 dogs and 49 cats in a veterinary facility over six years were reviewed and compared to the clinical records of the patients. Eighty incidentalomas were found in 57 dogs and four cats. A significant positive correlation was found in dogs between age and the prevalence of incidentalomas. In dogs, the prevalence of incidentalomas was significantly higher in Boxers and in neck, thoracic, and abdominal scans. Spinal incidentalomas were the most common typologies in dogs. This study can represent a tool that allows clinicians to acquire greater awareness about incidentalomas and to carry out the evidence-based clinical management of them.

Nanomedicine Ex Machina: Between Model-Informed Development and Artificial Intelligence

Today, a growing number of computational aids and simulations are shaping model-informed drug development. Artificial intelligence, a family of self-learning algorithms, is only the latest emerging trend applied by academic researchers and the pharmaceutical industry. Nanomedicine successfully conquered several niche markets and offers a wide variety of innovative drug delivery strategies. Still, only a small number of patients benefit from these advanced treatments, and the number of data sources is very limited. As a consequence, “big data” approaches are not always feasible and smart combinations of human and artificial intelligence define the research landscape. These methodologies will potentially transform the future of nanomedicine and define new challenges and limitations of machine learning in their development. In our review, we present an overview of modeling and artificial intelligence applications in the development and manufacture of nanomedicines. Also, we elucidate the role of each method as a facilitator of breakthroughs and highlight important limitations.

The Critical Role of Clinical Practice Guidelines and Indicators in High-Quality Survivorship After Childhood Cancer

Childhood cancer survivors are at significant risk for late cancer treatment-related morbidity and mortality. Physicians involved in the care of childhood cancer survivors should be aware of these specific health problems and provide high-quality, long-term follow-up care to preserve and improve survivors' health. The steps required to achieve high-quality care include synthesizing evidence (systematic reviews are helpful in this regard), developing clinical policy from evidence into evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, disseminating and implementing clinical practice guidelines, and evaluating their impact on quality of care and survivor health outcomes with quality indicators. This article describes these cornerstones of evidence-based medicine.

Inflammatory bowel disease patient perceptions of diagnostic and monitoring tests and procedures

Background

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) with its high incidence and prevalence rates in Canada generates a heavy burden of tests and procedures. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the transfer of information from physician to patient, as well as the patient understanding and perceptions about the tests and procedures that are ordered to them in the context of IBD diagnosis and monitoring.

Methods

An online questionnaire was completed by 210 IBD patients in Canada. Information on the five most-often used tests or procedures in IBD diagnosis/monitoring was collected. These include: general blood test, colonoscopy, colon biopsy, medical imaging and stool testing.

Results

The general blood test is both the most ordered and most refused tool. It is also the one with which patients are the least comfortable, the one that generates the least concern and the one about which physicians provide the least information. The stool test is the test/procedure with which patients are the most comfortable. Procedures raise more concerns among patients and physicians provide more information about why they are needed, their impact and the risks they present. Very little information is provided to patients about the risks of having false positives or negative tests.

Conclusions

This study provides an initial understanding of patient perceptions, the transfer of information from a physician to a patient and a patient’s understanding of the tests and procedures that will be required to treat IBD throughout what is a lifelong disease. The present study takes a first step in better understanding the acceptance of the test or procedure by IBD patients, which is essential for them to adhere to the monitoring process.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12876-019-0946-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Surveillance for Late Effects in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Many childhood cancer survivors carry a significant risk for late morbidity and mortality, a consequence of the numerous therapeutic exposures that contribute to their cure. Focused surveillance for late therapy-related complications provides opportunities for early detection and implementation of health-preserving interventions. The substantial body of research that links therapeutic exposures used during treatment of childhood cancer to adverse outcomes among survivors enables the characterization of groups at the highest risk for developing complications related to specific therapies; however, methods available to optimize screening strategies to detect these therapy-related complications are limited. Moreover, the feasibility of conducting clinical trials to test screening recommendations for childhood cancer survivors is limited by requirements for large sample sizes, lengthy study periods, prohibitive costs, and ethical concerns. In addition, the harms of screening should be considered, including overdiagnosis and psychological distress. Experts in several countries have developed guideline recommendations for late effects surveillance and have collaborated to harmonize these recommendations internationally to enhance long-term follow-up care and quality of life for childhood cancer survivors. Methods used in these international efforts include systematic literature searches, development of evidence-based summaries, rigorous evaluation of the evidence, and formulation of consensus-based surveillance recommendations for each late complication. Alternate methods to refine recommendations, such as cumulative burden assessment and risk prediction and cost-effectiveness modeling, may provide novel approaches to guide survivorship care in this vulnerable population and, thus, represents a worthy objective for future international survivorship collaborations.

Diagnosis of Cerebral Aneurysm Via Magnetic Resonance Angiography Screening: Emphasis on Legal Responsibility Increases False Positive Rate

Purpose

False positive diagnoses of cerebral aneurysm via magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) screening may increase unnecessary cerebral catheter angiography. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of medical liability on medical decision-making during radiologic interpretation.

Materials and Methods

We included 56 consecutive patients who were referred with suspected aneurysm based on MRA or computed tomography angiography (CTA) and showed no aneurysm on subsequent digital subtraction angiography (DSA). MRA and CTA were reviewed twice by two neuroradiology fellows who were blind as to whether the suspected lesions were true aneurysms or not. The second review was repeated after proposing that their decision was subject to legal liability and they would be responsible for medico-legal problems related to their diagnoses. Diagnostic differences based on each review were analyzed, focusing on changes in false positive diagnosis rates.

Results

A total of 63 suspected aneurysmal lesions detected via MRA or CTA were found to be negative based on DSA. At first review, 32 lesions were diagnosed as true aneurysms by observer 1 and 27 by observer 2, corresponding to false positive rates of 51% and 43% respectively. At the second review, 39 lesions (62%) were diagnosed by observer 1, and 30 (48%) by observer 2. Thus, there was an overall increase in false positive aneurysm diagnosis of 11% for observer 1 and 5% for observer 2, after emphasizing their responsibilities in the context of medical litigation.

Conclusion

Concerns about medical liability could result in increased false positive diagnoses of cerebral aneurysms via MRA screening. Whether repeated follow-up of the suspected lesion or catheter angiographic confirmation is better with regard to long-term patient outcomes requires further study.

The Utility of Routine Ultrasound Imaging after Elective Transplant Ureteric Stent Removal

Background. Ureteric stent insertion during kidney transplantation reduces the incidence of major urological complications (MUCs). We evaluated whether routine poststent removal graft ultrasonography (PSRGU) was useful in detecting MUCs before they became clinically or biochemically apparent. Methods. A retrospective analysis was undertaken of clinical outcomes following elective stent removals from adult single renal transplant recipients (sRTRs) at our centre between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2013. Results. Elective stent removal was performed for 338 sRTRs. Of these patients, 222 had routine PSRGU (median (IQR) days after stent removal = 18 (11–31)), 79 had urgent PSRGU due to clinical or biochemical indications, 12 had CT imaging, and 25 had no further renal imaging. Of the 222 sRTRs who underwent routine PSRGU, 210 (94.6%) had no change of management, three (1.4%) required repeat imaging only, and eight patients (3.6%) had incidental (nonureteric) findings. One patient (0.5%) had nephrostomy insertion as a result of routine PSRGU findings, but no ureteric stenosis was identified. Of 79 patients having urgent PSRGU after elective stent removal, three patients required transplant ureteric reimplantation. Conclusions. This analysis found no evidence that routine PSRGU at two to three weeks after elective stent removal provides any added value beyond standard clinical and biochemical monitoring.