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We retrospectively reviewed the imaging of patients after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of lung metastases performed at our institution to assess the usefulness of ground glass opacification (GGO) margin for the prediction of complete tumor ablation. From January 2004 to March 2007, patients were identified where there was a postprocedure thin collimation scan to allow multiplanar reformatting, either immediately or at 24 h and at least 6 months of imaging follow-up. Thirty-six tumors in 22 patients were identified. The scans were assessed for the presence and width of GGO margin, and minimal and maximal dimensions were measured. A second reviewer, blinded to the outcome of the postprocedure assessment, reviewed the follow-up imaging for recurrence. The recurrence group had larger tumors (p = 0.045) and smaller mean minimal GGO margin width (p = 0.0001). Multivariate binary regression analysis confirmed that the minimal GGO margin was significantly (p < 0.005) associated with tumor recurrence. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis suggests a cutoff of 4.5 mm for complete tumor ablation. There was substantial agreement (kappa = 0.759) between the site of absent GGO margin and the site of tumor recurrence. The point on the tumor surface where there is no GGO margin is likely to be the site of future recurrence. In our experience, a circumferential GGO margin of >5 mm is the minimal margion required to ensure complete tumor ablation.

Endoscopically placed biliary stents are a well-established procedure for the treatment of benign and malignant causes of obstructive jaundice in patients unfit for definitive surgical intervention. Stent migration has been described, though in most instances the stent will pass or remain in the bowel lumen for extended periods of time. Only a few cases of clinically significant complications of stent migration have been reported. This is the first case report of a pelvic abscess complicating stenting for choledocholithiasis. As the numbers of stenting procedures continue to increase it may be anticipated that the numbers of complications will similarly increase.

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Purpose: Nelfinavir, a PI3K pathway inhibitor, is a radiosensitizer that increases tumor blood flow in preclinical models. We conducted an early-phase study to demonstrate the safety of nelfinavir combined with hypofractionated radiotherapy (RT) and to develop biomarkers of tumor perfusion and radiosensitization for this combinatorial approach.Experimental Design: Ten patients with T3-4 N0-2 M1 rectal cancer received 7 days of oral nelfinavir (1,250 mg b.i.d.) and a further 7 days of nelfinavir during pelvic RT (25 Gy/5 fractions/7 days). Perfusion CT (p-CT) and DCE-MRI scans were performed pretreatment, after 7 days of nelfinavir and prior to the last fraction of RT. Biopsies taken pretreatment and 7 days after the last fraction of RT were analyzed for tumor cell density (TCD).Results: There were 3 drug-related grade 3 adverse events: diarrhea, rash, and lymphopenia. On DCE-MRI, there was a mean 42% increase in median K trans , and a corresponding median 30% increase in mean blood flow on p-CT during RT in combination with nelfinavir. Median TCD decreased from 24.3% at baseline to 9.2% in biopsies taken 7 days after RT (P ¼ 0.01). Overall, 5 of 9 evaluable patients exhibited good tumor regression on MRI assessed by tumor regression grade (mrTRG).Conclusions: This is the first study to evaluate nelfinavir in combination with RT without concurrent chemotherapy. It has shown that nelfinavir-RT is well tolerated and is associated with increased blood flow to rectal tumors. The efficacy of nelfinavir-RT versus RT alone merits clinical evaluation, including measurement of tumor blood flow.