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The role of MRI in prostate cancer: current and future directions

Fernandes, Maria Clara; Yildirim, Onur; Woo, Sungmin; Vargas, Hebert Alberto; Hricak, Hedvig
There has been an increasing role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the management of prostate cancer. MRI already plays an essential role in the detection and staging, with the introduction of functional MRI sequences. Recent advancements in radiomics and artificial intelligence are being tested to potentially improve detection, assessment of aggressiveness, and provide usefulness as a prognostic marker. MRI can improve pretreatment risk stratification and therefore selection of and follow-up of patients for active surveillance. MRI can also assist in guiding targeted biopsy, treatment planning and follow-up after treatment to assess local recurrence. MRI has gained importance in the evaluation of metastatic disease with emerging technology including whole-body MRI and integrated positron emission tomography/MRI, allowing for not only better detection but also quantification. The main goal of this article is to review the most recent advances on MRI in prostate cancer and provide insights into its potential clinical roles from the radiologist's perspective. In each of the sections, specific roles of MRI tailored to each clinical setting are discussed along with its strengths and weakness including already established material related to MRI and the introduction of recent advancements on MRI.
PMCID:9378354
PMID: 35294642
ISSN: 1352-8661
CID: 5452992

Associations of Body Fat Distribution and Cardiometabolic Risk of Testicular Cancer Survivors After Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy

Wibmer, Andreas G; Dinh, Paul C; Travis, Lois B; Chen, Carol; Bromberg, Maria; Zheng, Junting; Capanu, Marinela; Sesso, Howard D; Feldman, Darren R; Vargas, Hebert Alberto
BACKGROUND:It is unknown how body fat distribution modulates the cardiometabolic risk of testicular cancer survivors after cisplatin-based chemotherapy. METHODS:For 455 patients enrolled in the Platinum Study at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SAT) adipose tissue was quantified on prechemotherapy computed tomography. The VAT-to-SAT ratio was calculated as a quantitative measure of central adiposity. Endpoints were incidence of new posthemotherapy cardiometabolic disease (new antihypertensive, lipid-lowering, or diabetes medication), and postchemotherapy Framingham risk scores. Cox models and linear regression with interaction terms were applied. Postchemotherapy body fat distribution was analyzed in 108 patients. All statistical tests were 2-sided. RESULTS:The baseline median age was 31 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 26-39 years), body mass index (BMI) was 26 kg/m2 (IQR = 24-29 kg/m2), and the VAT-to-SAT ratio was 0.49 (IQR = 0.31-0.75). The median follow-up was 26 months (IQR = 16-59 months). Higher prechemotherapy VAT-to-SAT ratios inferred a higher likelihood of new cardiometabolic disease among patients with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or greater (age-adjusted hazard ratio = 3.14, 95% confidence interval = 1.02 to 9.71, P = .047), but not other BMI groups. The prechemotherapy VAT-to-SAT ratio was associated with postchemotherapy Framingham risk scores in univariate regression analysis (exp(β)-estimate: 2.10, 95% confidence interval = 1.84 to 2.39, P < .001); in a multivariable model, this association was stronger in younger vs older individuals. BMI increased in most patients after chemotherapy and correlated with increases in the VAT-to-SAT ratio (Spearman r = 0.39, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS:In testicular cancer survivors, central adiposity is associated with increased cardiometabolic risk after cisplatin-based chemotherapy, particularly in obese or young men. Weight gain after chemotherapy occurs preferentially in the visceral compartment, providing insight into the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in this population.
PMCID:9263534
PMID: 35801305
ISSN: 2515-5091
CID: 5453032

Value of MRI in evaluating urachal carcinoma: A single center retrospective study

Das, Jeeban P; Woo, Sungmin; Ghafoor, Soleen; Andrieu, P I Causa; Ulaner, Gary A; Donahue, Timothy F; Goh, Alvin C; Vargas, H Alberto
OBJECTIVES:Urachal carcinomas (UrC) are rare non-urothelial bladder neoplasms, however the potential role for MR imaging in UrC has not been well established. Our objective was to assess the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in primary and recurrent UrC. METHODS AND MATERIALS:This retrospective single-center study included all patients with UrC that underwent MRI between January 2005 and May 2020. Two radiologists reviewed MRIs independently followed by consensus with a third radiologist. For primary UrC, tumor location, size, morphology, invasion of peritoneum and/or local structures other than bladder and concordance between Mayo stage on MRI and pathology were assessed. MRI performed for recurrent UrC evaluated the pattern of recurrence. The reference standard was histopathological analysis. RESULTS:Ninety-six patients with UrC were identified of which 17 were included (9 men and 8 women, median age 50 years [IQR 42-62]). At initial MR staging (n = 10), all primary UrC were located at the bladder dome with median longest axis dimension of 6.0 cm. Most (70%) were mixed solid-and-cystic. Invasion of the peritoneum and/or local structures other than bladder was identified in 30%. Concordance between consensus MRI Mayo stage and final pathologic Mayo stage was 90%. At MR restaging (n = 7), UrC recurrence was most commonly seen at the bladder dome (71%). Overall, MRI showed a sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 50% for detecting recurrent tumor. CONCLUSION:MRI demonstrates value in evaluation of disease extent in primary and recurrent UrC, with high concordance between Mayo stage at MRI and pathology, and in the detection of local recurrences.
PMID: 35351368
ISSN: 1873-2496
CID: 5453002

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI parametric mapping using high spatiotemporal resolution Golden-angle RAdial Sparse Parallel MRI and iterative joint estimation of the arterial input function and pharmacokinetic parameters

Mazaheri, Yousef; Kim, Nathanael; Lakhman, Yulia; Jafari, Ramin; Vargas, Alberto; Otazo, Ricardo
The aim of this work is to develop a data-driven quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI technique using Golden-angle RAdial Sparse Parallel (GRASP) MRI with high spatial resolution and high flexible temporal resolution and pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis with an arterial input function (AIF) estimated directly from the data obtained from each patient. DCE-MRI was performed on 13 patients with gynecological malignancy using a 3-T MRI scanner with a single continuous golden-angle stack-of-stars acquisition and image reconstruction with two temporal resolutions, by exploiting a unique feature in GRASP that reconstructs acquired data with user-defined temporal resolution. Joint estimation of the AIF (both AIF shape and delay) and PK parameters was performed with an iterative algorithm that alternates between AIF and PK estimation. Computer simulations were performed to determine the accuracy (expressed as percentage error [PE]) and precision of the estimated parameters. PK parameters (volume transfer constant [Ktrans ], fractional volume of the extravascular extracellular space [ve ], and blood plasma volume fraction [vp ]) and normalized root-mean-square error [nRMSE] (%) of the fitting errors for the tumor contrast kinetic data were measured both with population-averaged and data-driven AIFs. On patient data, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to compare nRMSE. Simulations demonstrated that GRASP image reconstruction with a temporal resolution of 1 s/frame for AIF estimation and 5 s/frame for PK analysis resulted in an absolute PE of less than 5% in the estimation of Ktrans and ve , and less than 11% in the estimation of vp . The nRMSE (mean ± SD) for the dual temporal resolution image reconstruction and data-driven AIF was 0.16 ± 0.04 compared with 0.27 ± 0.10 (p < 0.001) with 1 s/frame using population-averaged AIF, and 0.23 ± 0.07 with 5 s/frame using population-averaged AIF (p < 0.001). We conclude that DCE-MRI data acquired and reconstructed with the GRASP technique at dual temporal resolution can successfully be applied to jointly estimate the AIF and PK parameters from a single acquisition resulting in data-driven AIFs and voxelwise PK parametric maps.
PMID: 35226774
ISSN: 1099-1492
CID: 5266012

Quantitative versus Subjective Analysis of Dynamic Contrast-enhanced MRI for O-RADS? [Comment]

Vargas, Hebert Alberto; Woo, Sungmin
PMID: 35230190
ISSN: 1527-1315
CID: 5452982

Ovarian cancer reporting lexicon for computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging developed by the SAR Uterine and Ovarian Cancer Disease-Focused Panel and the ESUR Female Pelvic Imaging Working Group

Shinagare, Atul B; Sadowski, Elizabeth A; Park, Hyesun; Brook, Olga R; Forstner, Rosemarie; Wallace, Sumer K; Horowitz, Jeanne M; Horowitz, Neil; Javitt, Marcia; Jha, Priyanka; Kido, Aki; Lakhman, Yulia; Lee, Susanna I; Manganaro, Lucia; Maturen, Katherine E; Nougaret, Stephanie; Poder, Liina; Rauch, Gaiane M; Reinhold, Caroline; Sala, Evis; Thomassin-Naggara, Isabelle; Vargas, Herbert Alberto; Venkatesan, Aradhana; Nikolic, Olivera; Rockall, Andrea G
OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:Imaging evaluation is an essential part of treatment planning for patients with ovarian cancer. Variation in the terminology used for describing ovarian cancer on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can lead to ambiguity and inconsistency in clinical radiology reports. The aim of this collaborative project between Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR) Uterine and Ovarian Cancer (UOC) Disease-focused Panel (DFP) and the European Society of Uroradiology (ESUR) Female Pelvic Imaging (FPI) Working Group was to develop an ovarian cancer reporting lexicon for CT and MR imaging. METHODS:Twenty-one members of the SAR UOC DFP and ESUR FPI working group, one radiology clinical fellow, and two gynecologic oncology surgeons formed the Ovarian Cancer Reporting Lexicon Committee. Two attending radiologist members of the committee prepared a preliminary list of imaging terms that was sent as an online survey to 173 radiologists and gynecologic oncologic physicians, of whom 67 responded to the survey. The committee reviewed these responses to create a final consensus list of lexicon terms. RESULTS:An ovarian cancer reporting lexicon was created for CT and MR Imaging. This consensus-based lexicon has 6 major categories of terms: general, adnexal lesion-specific, peritoneal carcinomatosis-specific, lymph node-specific, metastatic disease -specific, and fluid-specific. CONCLUSIONS:This lexicon for CT and MR imaging evaluation of ovarian cancer patients has the capacity to improve the clarity and consistency of reporting disease sites seen on imaging. KEY POINTS/CONCLUSIONS:• This reporting lexicon for CT and MR imaging provides a list of consensus-based, standardized terms and definitions for reporting sites of ovarian cancer on imaging at initial diagnosis or follow-up. • Use of standardized terms and morphologic imaging descriptors can help improve interdisciplinary communication of disease extent and facilitate optimal patient management. • The radiologists should identify and communicate areas of disease, including difficult to resect or potentially unresectable disease that may limit the ability to achieve optimal resection.
PMCID:9516633
PMID: 34846566
ISSN: 1432-1084
CID: 5451362

Abbreviated MR Protocols in Prostate MRI

Hötker, Andreas M; Vargas, Hebert Alberto; Donati, Olivio F
Prostate MRI is an integral part of the clinical work-up in biopsy-naïve patients with suspected prostate cancer, and its use has been increasing steadily over the last years. To further its general availability and the number of men benefitting from it and to reduce the costs associated with MR, several approaches have been developed to shorten examination times, e.g., by focusing on sequences that provide the most useful information, employing new technological achievements, or improving the workflow in the MR suite. This review highlights these approaches; discusses their implications, advantages, and disadvantages; and serves as a starting point whenever an abbreviated prostate MRI protocol is being considered for implementation in clinical routine.
PMCID:9029675
PMID: 35455043
ISSN: 2075-1729
CID: 5453012

Plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma of the bladder: MRI features and their association with survival

Woo, Sungmin; Ghafoor, Soleen; Das, Jeeban P; Gangai, Natalie; Goh, Alvin C; Vargas, Herbert Alberto
OBJECTIVES:Plasmacytoid urothelial carcinomas (PUC) of the bladder are rare variants known for diffuse and infiltrative spread, however their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features are not well established. We aimed to evaluate MRI features of PUC of the bladder and their association with survival. METHODS AND MATERIALS:This retrospective single-center study included 41 patients with pathologically-proven bladder PUC of the bladder that underwent pre-treatment MRI between January 2000 and March 2020. Two radiologists reviewed MRIs independently followed by consensus with a third radiologist. On MRI, tumor extent, size, Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VI-RADS) scores (≥4, muscle-invasive; 5, extravesical extension [EVE]), pelvic peritoneal spread (PPS), hydronephrosis, pelvic adenopathy and clinicopathological factors of age, gender, pathological stage, and treatment type were extracted. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional-hazards models were used to evaluate association with survival. RESULTS:Thirty-two men and 9 women (median age 70 years, IQR 64-76) were included. Most were muscle-invasive (n = 30 [73.2%]). On MRI, most tumors were diffuse (n = 28 [68.3%]), >5 cm (n = 30 [73.2%]), VI-RADS 4 to 5 (n = 36 [87.8%]) with features of EVE and (n = 31 [75.6%]) and PPS (n = 25 [61.0%]). Variables associated with survival were: Larger tumors (>5 cm; hazard ratio [HR] = 5.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-15.5; P < 0.01), diffuse extent (HR = 4.0; 95% CI 1.4-11.2; P = 0.01), EVE (HR = 4.5; 95% CI 1.5-13.6; P < 0.01), PPS (HR = 3.0; 95% CI 1.2-7.4; P = 0.01), hydronephrosis (HR = 13.7; 95% CI 3.1-60.9; P < 0.01), pathologic stage (≥pT3 vs. pT1; HR = 5.6; 95% CI 1.3-22.0; P = 0.02), and margin positivity (HR = 4.4 [95% CI 1.2-16.4], P = 0.03). CONCLUSION:PUCs of the bladder are commonly large, diffuse VI-RADS score 4 to 5 tumors with MRI features of EVE and PPS. These features and pathological stage were associated with survival.
PMCID:8885786
PMID: 34750054
ISSN: 1873-2496
CID: 5451352

Local Extent of Prostate Cancer at MRI versus Prostatectomy Histopathology: Associations with Long-term Oncologic Outcomes

Wibmer, Andreas G; Nikolovski, Ines; Chaim, Joshua; Lakhman, Yulia; Lefkowitz, Robert A; Sala, Evis; Carlsson, Sigrid V; Fine, Samson W; Kattan, Michael W; Hricak, Hedvig; Vargas, Hebert Alberto
Background It is unknown how the imperfect accuracy of MRI for local staging of prostate cancer relates to oncologic outcomes. Purpose To analyze how staging discordances between MRI and histopathologic evaluation relate to recurrence and survival after radical prostatectomy. Materials and Methods Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant retrospective analysis of preprostatectomy T2-weighted prostate MRI (January 2001 to December 2006). Extraprostatic extension and seminal vesicle invasion were assessed by using five-point Likert scales; scores of 4 or higher were classified as positive. Biochemical recurrence (BCR), metastases, and prostate cancer-specific mortality rates were estimated with Kaplan-Meier and Cox models. Results A total of 2160 patients (median age, 60 years; interquartile range, 55-64 years) were evaluated. Among patients with histopathologic extraprostatic (pT3) disease (683 of 2160; 32%), those with organ-confined disease at MRI (384 of 683; 56%) experienced better outcomes than those with concordant extraprostatic disease at MRI and pathologic analysis: 15-year risk for BCR, 30% (95% CI: 22, 40) versus 68% (95% CI: 60, 75); risk for metastases, 14% (95% CI: 8.4, 24) versus 32% (95% CI: 26, 39); risk for prostate cancer-specific mortality, 3% (95% CI: 1, 6) versus 15% (95% CI: 9.5, 23) (P < .001 for all comparisons). Among patients with histopathologic organ-confined disease (pT2) (1477 of 2160; 68%), those with extraprostatic disease at MRI (102 of 1477; 7%) were at higher risk for BCR (27% [95% CI: 19, 37] vs 10% [95% CI: 8, 14]; P < .001), metastases (19% [95% CI: 6, 48] vs 3% [95% CI: 1, 6]; P < .001), and prostate cancer-specific mortality (2% [95% CI: 1, 9] vs 1% [95% CI: 0, 5]; P = .009) than those with concordant organ-confined disease at MRI and pathologic analysis. At multivariable analyses, tumor extent at MRI (hazard ratio range, 4.1-5.2) and histopathologic evaluation (hazard ratio range, 3.6-6.7) was associated with the risk for BCR, metastases, and prostate cancer-specific mortality (P < .001 for all analyses). Conclusion The local extent of prostate cancer at MRI is associated with oncologic outcomes after prostatectomy, independent of pathologic tumor stage. This might inform a strategy on how to integrate MRI into a clinical staging algorithm. © RSNA, 2022 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Gottlieb in this issue.
PMID: 34931855
ISSN: 1527-1315
CID: 5452962

Automatic Forecasting of Radiology Examination Volume Trends for Optimal Resource Planning and Allocation

Becker, Anton S; Erinjeri, Joseph P; Chaim, Joshua; Kastango, Nicholas; Elnajjar, Pierre; Hricak, Hedvig; Vargas, H Alberto
The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of the Prophet forecasting procedure, part of the Facebook open-source Artificial Intelligence portfolio, for forecasting variations in radiological examination volumes. Daily CT and MRI examination volumes from our institution were extracted from the radiology information system (RIS) database. Data from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2019, was used for training the Prophet algorithm, and data from January 2020 was used for validation. Algorithm performance was then evaluated prospectively in February and August 2020. Total error and mean error per day were evaluated, and computational time was logged using different Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) samples. Data from 610,570 examinations were used for training; the majority were CTs (82.3%). During retrospective testing, prediction error was reduced from 19 to < 1 per day in CT (total 589 to 17) and from 5 to < 1 per day (total 144 to 27) in MRI by fine-tuning the Prophet procedure. Prospective prediction error in February was 11 per day in CT (9934 predicted, 9667 actual) and 1 per day in MRI (2484 predicted, 2457 actual) and was significantly better than manual weekly predictions (p = 0.001). Inference with MCMC added no substantial improvements while vastly increasing computational time. Prophet accurately models weekly, seasonal, and overall trends paving the way for optimal resource allocation for radiology exam acquisition and interpretation.
PMCID:8577854
PMID: 34755249
ISSN: 1618-727x
CID: 5452942