Browsing by Author "Jeremic, Branislav"

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    Integrated positron emission tomography/computed tomography for evaluation of mediastinal lymph node staging of non-small-cell lung cancer in a tuberculosis-endemic area : a 5-year prospective observational study
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 2015) Shaw, Jane A.; Irusen, Elvis M.; Von Groote-Bidlingmaier, Florian; Warwick, James M.; Jeremic, Branislav; Du Toit, Rudolf; Koegelenberg, Coenraad F. N.
    Background. Integrated positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) is a well-validated modality for assessing mediastinal lymph node metastasis in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which determines management and predicts survival. Tuberculosis (TB) is known to lead to false-positive PET-CT findings. Objectives. To assess the diagnostic accuracy of PET-CT in identifying mediastinal lymph node involvement of NSCLC in a high TB-endemic area. Methods. Patients who underwent both PET-CT and lymph node tissue sampling for the investigation of suspected NSCLC were prospectively included in this observational study. Results were analysed per patient and per lymph node stage. A post-hoc analysis was performed to test the validity of a maximum standardised uptake value (SUV­max) cut-off for lymph node positivity. Results. PET-CT had a sensitivity of 92.6%, specificity of 48.6%, positive predictive value of 56.8% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 90.0% in the per-patient analysis. Diagnostic accuracy was 67.2%. Similar values were obtained in the per-lymph node stage analysis. TB was responsible for 21.1% of false-positive results. A SUVmax cut-off of 4.5 yielded an improvement in diagnostic accuracy from 64.0% to 84.7% compared with a cut-off of 2.5, but at the cost of decreasing the NPV from 90.6% to 83.5%. Conclusion. In a high TB-endemic area, PET-CT remains a valuable method for excluding mediastinal lymph node involvement in NSCLC. Patients with a negative PET-CT may proceed to definitive management without further invasive procedures. However, PET-CT-positive lymph nodes require pathological confirmation, and the possibility of TB must be considered.
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    Radiation oncology of lung cancer in the 21st century : a view from building x
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-09) Jeremic, Branislav
    Branislav Jeremic obtained his medical degree at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. He followed this with a radiation oncology residency – finishing it in 1987 at the age of 29 – after which he obtained his PhD degree in neurooncology at the University of Kragujevac, Serbia in 1992. Having expressed an early interest in pursuing an academic career, he occupied various posts leading to the post of full Professor at the University of Kragujevac, Serbia. He embarked on clinical research in lung, head and neck, and brain tumours, mostly investigating optimisation of concurrent radiation therapy and chemotherapy in locally advanced disease. He designed and executed more than 30 clinical trials in this setting, which resulted in more than 190 peer reviewed papers in major oncological journals worldwide. He frequently visits various leading institutions around the world and is frequently invited as Visiting Professor (Harvard, Mayo Clinic) and lecturer worldwide. For his intriguing ideas he was granted prestigious fellowships and awards, such as those from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, including the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Prize. As staff radiation oncologist of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) he shared with other staff and the director of the IAEA the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 and was responsible for organising the resulting continental (African) event in Cape Town in 2006. Since December 2012, he occupies the position of Professor and Head of the Division of Radiation Oncology at the Stellenbosch University. He is married to Aleksandra, an electronic engineer, with whom he has one daughter, Marta, herself a freshman student of medicine. His extra-curricular activities include dedication to travel, wine, art and jazz, with emphasis on John Coltrane and late harvest sweet wine.