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PurposeTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of image-guided (computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging – CT/MRI) high-dose-rate (HDR) interstitial brachytherapy (iBT) as a salvage maneuver for the treatment of hepatic metastases originating from hepatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). PDAC metastases present a major and unresolved problem, and any surgical approach or local therapeutic intervention remains extremely controversial.Material and methodsA cumulative number of 45 hepatic PDAC metastases in 16 patients were treated and retrospectively analyzed. Synchronous metastatic spread was observed in five patients, metachronous in eleven. 14 patients had resection of the pancreatic primary prior to iBT: eight Whipple/PPPD and six distal pancreatectomy procedures. The hepatic metastases were progressing under chemotherapy, thus iBT was applied as a salvage maneuver with the intention of local tumor control and prolonged survival. iBT is applied interstitially, with temporarily introduced 192Ir source in a single fraction HDR irradiation regime to eradicate vital tumor cells. Response to treatment was assessed clinically with CT/MRI every three months.ResultsLocal tumor control was achieved in 87% of all treated metastases. The median diameter of the irradiated lesions was 2.2 cm (range, 1-11.2 cm), the median irradiation dose was 21 Gy (range, 5-29.1 Gy). Median progression-free survival (PFS) after iBT was 3.4 months (range, 1.5-19.6 months), the median overall survival (OS) after iBT was 8.9 months (range, 3.1-29.3 months). Three major complications (CTCAE grade 3) occurred following iBT: three cases of liver abscess, which were successfully resolved with drainage and antibiotics.ConclusionsOverall, iBT is a safe procedure, which enables excellent rates of local tumor control and presents a viable anti-neoplastic treatment option as a salvage therapy for metastatic PDAC patients.

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Purpose To search for abscopal effects (AE) distant to the site of radiation after sequential Yittrium-90 (Y-90) radioembolization (RE) of liver malignancies. Methods and Materials In this retrospective analysis, all patients treated by RE between 2007 and 2018 (n = 907) were screened for the following setting/conditions: sequential RE of left and right liver lobe in two sessions, liver-specific MRI (MRI1) acquired max. 10 days before or after first RE (RE1), liver-specific MRI (MRI2) acquired with a minimum time interval of 20 days after MRI1, but before second RE (RE2). No systemic tumor therapies between MRI1 and MRI2. No patients with liver cirrhosis. Metastases > 5 mm in untreated liver lobes were compared in MRI1 and MRI2 and rated as follows: same size or larger in MRI2 = no abscopal effect (NAE); > 30% shrinkage without Y-90 contamination in SPECT/CT = abscopal effect (AE). Results Ninety six of 907 patients met aforementioned criteria. Median time-frame between RE1 and MRI2 was 34 (20–64) days. These 96 cases had 765 metastases which were evaluable (median 5(1–40) metastases per patient). Four patients could be identified with at least one shrinking metastasis of the untreated site: one patient with breast cancer (3 metastases: 0 NAE; 3 AE), one patient with prostate cancer (6 metastases: 3 NAE; 3 metastases > 30% shrinkage but possible Y-90 contamination) and two patients with shrinkage of one metastasis each but less than 30%. Conclusion Our retrospective study documents AE after RE of liver tumors in 1 out of 96 cases, 3 other cases remain unclear.

Aim: The goal of this meta-analysis was to assess the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) as a pre- and posttreatment (ΔADC) predictive imaging biomarker of response to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: SCOPUS database, EMBASE database and MEDLINE library were scanned for connections between pre- and posttreatment ADC values of HCC and response to TACE. Six studies qualified for inclusion. The following parameters were collected: authors, publication year, study design, number of patients, drugs for TACE, mean ADC value, standard deviation, measure method, b-values and Tesla-strength. The QUADAS-2 instrument was employed to check the methodological quality of each study. The meta-analysis was performed by utilizing RevMan 5.3 software. DerSimonian and Laird random-effects models with inverse-variance were used to regard heterogeneity. Mean ADC values and 95% confidence intervals were computed. Results: Six studies (n=271 patients with 293 HCC nodules) were included. The pretreatment mean ADC in the responder group was 1.20 x 10-3 mm2/s (0.98, 1.42) and 1.14 x 10-3 mm2/s (0.89, 1.39) in the non-responder group. The analysis of post TACE ADC value changes (ΔADC) revealed a threshold of ≥ 20% to identify treatment responders. No suitable pretreatment ADC threshold to predict therapy response or discriminate between responders and non-responders before therapy could be discovered. Conclusion: ΔADC can facilitate early objective response evaluation through post-therapeutic ADC alterations ≥ 20%. Pretreatment ADC cannot predict response to TACE.