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Significance: The water and lipid content of normal breast tissue showed mammary gland characteristics with less influence from the chest wall using six-wavelength time-domain diffuse optical spectroscopy (TD-DOS) in a reflectance geometry.Aim: To determine the depth sensitivity of a six-wavelength TD-DOS system and evaluate whether the optical parameters in normal breast tissue can distinguish dense breasts from nondense breasts.Approach: Measurements were performed in normal breast tissue of 37 breast cancer patients. We employed a six-wavelength TD-DOS system to measure the water and lipid content in addition to the hemoglobin concentration. The breast density in mammography and optical parameters were then compared. Results:The depth sensitivity of the system for water and lipid content was estimated to be ∼15 mm. Our findings suggest that the influence of the chest wall on the water content is weaker than that on the total hemoglobin concentration. In data with evaluation conditions, the water content was significantly higher (p < 0.001) and the lipid content was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in dense breast tissue. The water and lipid content exhibited a high sensitivity and specificity to distinguish dense from non-dense breasts in receiver-operating-characteristic curve analysis.Conclusions: With less influence from the chest wall, the water and lipid content of normal breast tissue measured by a reflectance six-wavelength TD-DOS system, together with ultrasonography, can be applied to distinguish dense from non-dense breasts.

Since its introduction in the worldwide medical market, gadoxetic acid has attracted considerable interest. The year 2023 marks the 15th anniversary of the introduction of gadoxetic acid in Japan. Gadoxetic acid–enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (GA-MRI) is the predominantly performed contrast MRI examination for the liver. Its most essential characteristic, namely, the hepatobiliary phase, revolutionized the clinical management of liver disease. Gadoxetic acid–enhanced MRI is currently the most efficient method for focal liver lesion detection and analysis. Meta-analyses demonstrated its excellent effectiveness for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases. Owing to the extensive usage of gadoxetic acid, a hepatobiliary phase hypointense nodule without arterial phase hyperenhancement is well documented. The existence of such nodules may be a sign of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma in nodules and other areas in the liver. Apart from its role in tumor identification and characterization, GA-MRI can help assess response to therapy and liver fibrosis. Therefore, it is proposed to use gadoxetic acid as the first option for MRI of the liver in the majority of patients. The efficacy of gadoxetic acid surpasses its disadvantages, rendering this contrast agent the preferred choice for routine MRI of the liver. The clinical use of GA-MRI is discussed in this review article.

Background We investigated the efficacy of superselective intra-arterial infusion of high-dose cisplatin (CDDP) with concomitant radiotherapy (RADPLAT) using three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) or intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), and we analyzed the relationship between the total radiation dose and the treatment outcome in localized maxillary sinus cancer. Methods We examined the cases of 58 patients with localized maxillary sinus cancer who were treated with RADPLAT at our institution from March 2004 to November 2020. These 58 patients include 34 who received 3DCRT and 24 who have received IMRT. Results The median follow-up period was 38.4 months. The median prescribed dose to the local lesion was 66 Gy in the 3DCRT group and 70 Gy in the IMRT group. CDDP (100–120 mg/m2) were administered with a median of 6 cycles once a week. The 5-year local control rate and overall survival rate were 69.9% and 72.2%, respectively. The patients who were treated with 70 Gy had significantly higher local control rate (87.7%) than the patients treated with 60 Gy or lower (41.0%) (p = 0.011). Conclusions The patients who had received 70 Gy using IMRT had significantly higher local control rate. The total dose may have an impact on the local control rate in RADPLAT.