Gold-silica nanoshell therapy [AuroShells with subsequent focal laser therapy (AuroLase)] is an emerging targeted treatment modality for prostate cancer. We reviewed pre- and post-treatment unenhanced CT imaging to assess for retained gold-silica nanoshells in the abdomen and pelvis.
This single-institution retrospective study identified patients in the AuroLase pilot who underwent pre- and post-treatment unenhanced abdominopelvic CT. The attenuation, before and after gold-silica nanoshell administration, of the liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, prostate, blood pool, paraspinal musculature, and abnormal lymph nodes were manually measured by two readers. After inter-reader agreement was calculated using intraclass correlation (ICC), a permutation test was used to assess pre- and post-therapy attenuation differences.
Four patients met the inclusion criteria. Mean age was 72.3 ± 5.9 years. Median time interval between pre-treatment CT and treatment, and between treatment and post-treatment CT, was 232 days and 236.5 days, respectively. The two readers' attenuation measurements had very high agreement (ICC = 0.99, p < 0.001). The highest differences in organ attenuation between pre- and post-therapy scans were seen in all four patients in the liver and spleen (liver increased by an average of 28.9 HU, p = 0.010; spleen increased by an average of 63.7 HU, p = 0.012). A single measured lymph node increased by an average of 58.9 HU. In the remainder of the measured sites, the change in attenuation from pre- to post-therapy scans ranged from -0.1 to 3.8 HU (p > 0.05).
Increased attenuation of liver and spleen at CT can be an expected finding in patients who have received gold-silica nanoshell therapy.
Abdominal radiology (New York). 2024 Feb 20 [Epub ahead of print]
Sonia Gaur, Erica B Stein, Daniel K Schneider, Maria Masotti, Matthew S Davenport, Arvin K George, James H Ellis
Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5030, USA., Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2029, USA., Department of Urology, University of Michigan, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5330, USA., Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5030, USA. .