2-Fluorine-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D glucose positron emission tomography in the pretreatment staging of Hodgkin's disease: Influence on patient management in a single institution

Purpose:Optimum therapy for patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD)is determined by a number of prognostic factors, one of which is an accuratedefinition of extent of disease (stage). Computerised tomography is widelyused in staging but cannot reliably evaluate normal sized lymph nodes and someextranodal sites, e.g., liver, spleen and bone marrow.2-Fluorine-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D glucose (FDG) has been shown to concentratepreferentially in lymphoma sites (whether in nodal or extranodal tissue) andtherefore may have a useful role in staging patients with HD. This studycompares concurrent computerized tomography (CT) and FDG positron emissiontomography (PET) in the staging of Hodgkin's disease and assesses thefrequency of stage migration and possible changes in therapy related to theuse of PET scanning. Patients and methods:This was a single centre retrospective studyof 44 patients with Hodgkin's disease who underwent both staging CT and PETprior to treatment between September 1993 and August 1998 at St. Thomas'Hospital. The number and sites of disease were assessed for each patient,documenting any stage and therapy modification prompted by PET findings. Results:One hundred fifty-nine sites of disease were demonstratedin forty-four patients by FDG–PET compared with eighty-four by CT. Asa result, 18 (40.9%) patients were upstaged, nine of these byFDG-uptake in splenic or extranodal sites not visualised on CT. Only threepatients were downstaged by PET results. Eleven patients (25%) hadtreatment modified by PET scan findings. Conclusions:Significantly more sites of disease were identifiedby PET than CT resulting in stage changes and a modification of therapy in25% of patients. This has important implications not only for currentpatient management but also for the design of future clinical trials.     

基线18F-FDG PET/CT显像在滤泡性淋巴瘤分布、分级和分期中的价值

目的:总结滤泡性淋巴瘤（follicular lymphoma,FL）基线18F-FDG PET/CT显像特点并探讨基线18F-FDG PET/CT显像不同代谢参数在FL分布、分级、分期中的价值。方法:回顾性分析2014年01月至2022年12月进行基线18F-FDG PET/CT检查的经病理证实的FL患者56例,对其基线18F-FDG PET/CT显像受累病灶的部位、密度及最大径进行总结分析;应用独立样本t检验比较FL低级别组（1、2级）、高级别组（3a、3b级）与Ki-67、SUVmax、TBR和Dmax间的关系;分析FL局限期组（Ⅰ、Ⅱ期）与播散期组（Ⅲ、Ⅳ期）间SUVmax、TBR的差异。结果:基线18F-FDG PET/CT显像最高代谢病灶最常见的好发部位是腹部和颈部淋巴结,多表现为腹部和颈部多发高代谢肿大淋巴结,密度均匀,较大者融合成团。高、低级别组Ki-67指数间差异有统计学意义（t=4.621,P＜0.05）,利用ROC曲线进行分析,Ki-67指数临界值为35%;高、低级别组间SUVmax、TBR差异有统计学意义（t=2.481、t=2.514,P＜0.05）,ROC曲线临界值分别为12.3、4.7,Dmax差异无统计学意义（t=1.380,P＞0.05）。局限期组与播散期组的SUVmax、TBR无统计学差异（t=0.534、1.212,P＞0.05）。结论:FL基线18F-FDG PET/CT显像多表现为腹部和颈部多发肿大淋巴结,密度均匀且融合成团,代谢活性不同程度增高,基线18F-FDG PET/CT能有效评估FL患者分级并能够准确分期,代谢参数SUVmax、TBR越高,分级越高,但其与分期间无明显关联。     

Computed tomography and 18F-FDG positron emission tomography for therapy control of Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients: when do we really need FDG-PET?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) and [(18)F]fluoro-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) for prediction of progression-free survival of Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients after completion of therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: CT and FDG-PET were performed in 40 HD, 17 indolent NHL and 44 aggressive NHL patients (29 women, 72 men; aged 41+/-14 years) in a median of 2 months after therapy. Progression-free survival was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Independent prognostic factors were identified by means of Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: CT imaging results were progressive disease (PD) in five, stable disease (SD) in 57, and partial response (PR) or complete remission (CR) in 39 patients. FDG-PET suggested residual lymphoma in 24 patients. Three-year progression-free survival rates after exclusion of five PD patients were: 100% (PET negative; CT: PR or CR), 81% (PET negative; CT: SD), 21% (PET positive; CT: SD) and 0% (PET positive; CT: PR). FDG-PET (P<0.0001) and bulky disease (P <0.05) were identified as independent prognostic variables. CONCLUSIONS: Among lymphoma patients with PR and SD on CT, FDG-PET discriminated those destined to progress into a low risk of < or =20% and a high risk for recurrence of > or =80%.     

Whole-body 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) for accurate staging of Hodgkin's disease

Background: Staging of Hodgkin's disease (HD) is accomplished by a variety of invasive and non-invasive modalities. This prospective study was undertaken to investigate the value of whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) in defining regions involved by lymphoma compared with conventional staging methods in patients with HD.Patients and methods: Fourty-four newly diagnosed patients with HD underwent FDG-PET as part of their initial staging work-up. PET findings were correlated with findings of conventional staging including computed tomography, ultrasound, bone scanning, bone marrow biopsy, liver biopsy and laparotomy. When results of FDG-PET differed to those obtained by conventional methods reevaluation was performed by biopsy, if possible, or magnetic resonance imaging.Results: The results of FDG-PET were compared with three hundred twenty-one conventional staging procedures performed in 44 patients. FDG-PET was positive in 38 of 44 (86%) patients at sites of documented disease. PET detected additional lesions in five cases previously not identified by conventional staging methods. In another case a nodal lesion suspect on CT was negative at FDG-PET and was settled as true negative by biopsy. As a consequence of PET findings five patients had to be upstaged and one patient had to be downstaged, resulting in changes in treatment strategy in all six cases (14%). FDG-PET failed to visualize sites of HD in four patients. In two of our patients a false positive PET result was obtained.Conclusions: Our data indicate that FDG-PET provides an imaging technique that appears to visualize involved lesions in most patients with HD and is useful in the managment of these patients.     

Substantial impact of FDG PET imaging on the therapy decision in patients with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma

This prospective study assessed the impact of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) on the staging and possible consequential changes of treatment regimen in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). A total of 88 consecutive patients with histologically verified Hodgkin's lymphoma underwent a PET scan in addition to conventional staging procedures. Treatment was based on the conventional staging only, and the results of the FDG-PET did not affect the treatment strategy. The evaluation focused on the suggested change in clinical stage according to the Ann Arbor classification and on the suggested change in treatment strategy rather than on a lesion-by-lesion analysis. Using all the methods performed as the standard of reference, (18)F-FDG-PET staging was concordant with conventional staging in 70 out of 88 patients (80%). (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography suggested a change to a different clinical stage in 18 patients (20%). Management would have been changed in 16 patients (18%): intensification of treatment in nine patients (10%) and minimisation of treatment in seven patients (8%). In the 44 patients with early disease (stage IA-IIB), treatment would have been intensified in nine out of 44 patients (20%). (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography is a relevant noninvasive method that supplements conventional staging procedures and should therefore be used routinely to stage Hodgkin's lymphoma, particularly in patients with an early stage.     

PET for Staging of Esophageal Cancer

FDG-PET is of clinical value especially for detection of distant metastases or recurrentesophageal cancer.For the staging of primary tumor or locoregional lymph node metastasis PET is cur-rently not suitable.     

PET在食管癌分期中的作用

FDG-PET is of clinical value especially for detection of distant metastases or recurrent esophageal cancer. For the staging of primary tumor or locoregional lymph node metastasis PET is currently not suitable.     

The expanding role of PET technology in the management of patients with colorectal cancer.

The therapeutic options and subsequent survival of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients has increased substantially over recent years. While surgical excision of the primary cancer results in cure of approximately 50% of patients, recurrence and metastatic disease still remains a significant cause of death. Although resection of liver or lung metastases can result in cure, relapse rates remain high, indicating that patient selection needs improvement. Positron emission tomography (PET) technology has a great deal to offer with respect to CRC management, particularly in the setting of patient selection for metastasectomy and in the evaluation of possible recurrent disease, however it has not yet become a routine part of the management of all CRC patients. This review article aims to discuss the current and future implications of PET technology in the optimal management of CRC patients throughout their care pathway.     

Evolution of imaging in rectal cancer: multimodality imaging with MDCT,MRI, and PET

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), and positron emission tomography (PET) are complementary imaging modalities in the preoperative staging of patients with rectal cancer, and each offers their own individual strengths and weaknesses. MRI is the best available radiologic modality for the local staging of rectal cancers, and can play an important role in accurately distinguishing which patients should receive preoperative chemoradiation prior to total mesorectal excision. Alternatively, both MDCT and PET are considered primary modalities when performing preoperative distant staging, but are limited in their ability to locally stage rectal malignancies. This review details the role of each of these three modalities in rectal cancer staging, and how the three imaging modalities can be used in conjunction.     

Prognostic factors for subdiaphragmatic involvement in clinical stage I-II supradiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease: a retrospective analysis of the GHSG.

Background: Staging laparotomy and splenectomy were routinely performed in patients with early-stage Hodgkin's disease (HD) qualifying for radiotherapy alone to determine the exact extent of disease. However, staging laparotomy is associated with a considerable number of side effects, warranting more sophisticated diagnostic procedures and new therapy strategies. We retrospectively analyzed patients undergoing staging laparotomy to identify pretherapy risk factors predicting the probability of abdominal disease and to define high-risk groups that might benefit from staging laparotomy and subsequent stage-adjusted treatment.Patients and methods: Between February 1988 and January 1993, 391 patients with CS I–II supradiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease underwent staging laparotomy and splenectomy according to the treatment policy of the German Hodgkin's Lymphoma Study Group (GHSG) for early stages of Hodgkin's disease. Univariate and multivariate analysis of pretherapeutic clinical characteristics were performed in an attempt to predict staging laparotomy results and to identify risk groups.Results: Of the 391 patients, 81 (21%) had subdiaphragmatic disease. Eighteen percent were upstaged to PS III and three percent to PS IV. By a multivariate model the following parameters were independent risk factors for positive surgical staging: left cervical involvement (P < 0.001), mediastinal involvement (P < 0.009), Karnofsky performance status (P < 0.004) and histology (P < 0.04). In our analysis gender (P < 0.08) and ESR (P < 0.06), often described as of high prognostic value, was not significant. The presence of systemic symptoms, number of involved areas and clinical stage were not associated with abdominal disease, as described in several former publications.To define high-risk groups, which comprise at least 15% of patients of the cohort and have a risk of subdiaphragmatic involvement of >35%, combinations of only two or three of the predictive factors were analyzed. With respect to these criteria the following subgroups of patients were identified as having a high risk for subdiaphragmatic disease (>35%): a) left cervical lymph node involvement and no mediastinal involvement (n = 98, observed risk 36%); b) no mediastinal involvement and MC/LD histology (n= 113, observed risk 40%).Conclusions: We conclude that initial clinical characteristics are predictive for occult abdominal involvement in early clinical stages of Hodgkin's disease. The impact of these risk factors on future therapeutical strategies have to be evaluated.     

Continuous split course irradiation for stage I and II Hodgkin's disease: 20 year experience at the Medical College of Wisconsin

Between January 1970 and December 1989, 153 consecutive patients with stage I or 11 Hodgkin's disease were treated at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals. Eighty-eight patients were clinically staged and 65 patients underwent staging laparotomy. Ninety-nine patients were treated using continuous split course irradiation (CSCI) technique. Overall survival (OS) at 5, 10, and 15 years was 89%, 79%, and 68%, respectively. Disease-free survival (DFS) at 5, 10, and 15 years was 75%, 72%), and 68%, respectively. No significant differences were found in OS or DFS when comparing pathologically and clinically staged patients or when comparing patients treated using CSCI with those treated with the standard technique. Patients treated using CSCI tended to complete therapy in a shorter time, without increased morbidity.     

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Pilot comparison of 18F-fluorocholine and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT with conventional imaging in prostate cancer

Introduction: Conventional imaging (CI) is known to have limitations with respect to staging of patients with primary or relapsed prostate cancer. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with ¹⁸F-flurodeoxyglucose (FDG) is also often suboptimal because of low tracer avidity, but ¹⁸F-fluorocholine (FCH) appears to be a promising alternative molecular imaging probe. We report a prospective pilot study of PET/CT comparing both tracers for staging and restaging of patients with prostate cancer. Methods: Sixteen prostate cancer patients were evaluated (7 for staging and 9 for restaging). All patients also underwent CI, comprising at least an abdominopelvic CT and a bone scan. All imaging results and other relevant data were extracted from the imaging reports and medical charts. Results: Based on all imaging-detected disease sites, both FCH-PET/CT and FDG-PET/CT (79%) were more sensitive than CI (14%), with the highest number of sites of nodal and distant disease on FCH PET/CT. FCH-PET/CT alone would have provided sufficient clinical information to form an appropriate management plan in 88% of cases, as compared with 56% for CI. Conclusion: FCH-PET/CT has the potential to impact on the management of patients with prostate cancer significantly more often than CI.     

Positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) for the staging of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

Background:Although PET has been shown to be highlysensitive in the primary staging of lymphoma, previous studies withsmall numbers of patients indicated that low-grade NHL may not always beadequately detected by PET. We undertook this study to determine factorsinfluencing the detection of lesions by PET in low-grade NHL and toevaluate the utility of PET in this indication. Patients and methods:Forty-two patients underwentconventional staging procedures (clinical examination,oto-rhino-laryngologic examination, computed tomography of the chest,abdomen and pelvis, gastroscopy and bone marrow biopsy as well aswhole-body non-attenuation corrected ¹⁸F-FDG-PET. Results:PET detected 40% more abnormal lymph nodeareas than conventional staging in follicular lymphoma but wasinappropriate for the staging of small lymphocytic lymphoma where itdetected less than 58% of abnormal lymph node areas. PET showedmore lesions than conventional staging for peripheral (34% morelymph node areas detected) and thoracic lymph node (39% more)areas but not for abdominal or pelvic lymph nodes (26% fewerareas detected). The sensitivity to detect bone marrow infiltration wasunacceptably low for PET. In contrast, PET was as effective as standardprocedures for the detection of other extranodal localizations, althougha few localizations were detected only by PET and a few others only byconventional procedures. Conclusions:PET may contribute to the management ofpatients with low-grade follicular NHL. For the other low-grade lymphomasubtypes, the role of PET is less evident. Further studies using PET toevaluate the results of treatment or to diagnose disease recurrence arewarranted in low-grade follicular NHL.     

The utility of initial staging PET-CT as a baseline scan for surveillance imaging in stage II and III melanoma

BackgroundThis study evaluates the utility of whole-body PET-CT for the initial staging and subsequent surveillance imaging of patients with completely resected stage II and stage III melanoma.MethodsA single-center, retrospective review of patients who received perioperative whole-body PET-CT from January 1, 2005 to December 1, 2019 within three months of initial melanoma diagnosis was performed.ResultsOf 258 total patients with completely resected melanoma who had a PET-CT within 3 months after their melanoma diagnosis, 113 had stage II and 145 had stage III melanoma. PET-CT detected distant metastasis in 3 (2.7%) of 113 stage II patients and 7 (4.8%) of 145 stage III patients.179 of 258 patients had adequate follow-up time to determine whether they received surveillance cross-sectional imaging and whether they had a melanoma recurrence. 143 (79.9%) received subsequent surveillance imaging, 74 of whom developed a recurrence. In 64 (86.5%) of 74 cases, recurrence was detected by routine surveillance. 26 (34.2%) of 76 stage II and 65 (63.1%) of 103 stage III patients developed a recurrence. The median time to recurrence among the 179 patients for stage II and III was 16.3 and 13.0 months, respectively.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that baseline staging with whole-body PET-CT rarely provides information that changes initial management. Rather, the value of the initial PET-CT is as a baseline for subsequent surveillance scans. Therefore, it may be premature to discourage cross-sectional imaging for patients with stage II and III melanoma without supportive evidence or a reliable biomarker of recurrent disease.     

Coregistered whole body magnetic resonance imaging‐positron emission tomography (MRI‐PET) versus PET‐computed tomography plus brain MRI in staging resectable lung cancer

BACKGROUND:

The objective of this study was to assess whether coregistered whole brain (WB) magnetic resonance imaging‐positron emission tomography (MRI‐PET) would increase the number of correctly upstaged patients compared with WB PET‐computed tomography (PET‐CT) plus dedicated brain MRI in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS:

From January 2010 through November 2011, patients with NSCLC who had resectable disease based on conventional staging were assigned randomly either to coregistered MRI‐PET or WB PET‐CT plus brain MRI (ClinicalTrials.gov trial NCT01065415). The primary endpoint was correct upstaging (the identification of lesions with higher tumor, lymph node, or metastasis classification, verified with biopsy or other diagnostic test) to have the advantage of avoiding unnecessary thoracotomy, to determine appropriate treatment, and to accurately predict patient prognosis. The secondary endpoints were over staging and under staging compared with pathologic staging.

RESULTS:

Lung cancer was correctly upstaged in 37 of 143 patients (25.9%) in the MRI‐PET group and in 26 of 120 patients (21.7%) in the PET‐CT plus brain MRI group (4.2% difference; 95% confidence interval, ?6.1% to 14.5%; P = .426). Lung cancer was over staged in 26 of 143 patients (18.2%) in the MRI‐PET group and in 7 of 120 patients (5.8%) in the PET‐CT plus brain MRI group (12.4% difference; 95% confidence interval, 4.8%‐20%; P = .003), whereas lung cancer was under staged in 18 of 143 patients (12.6%) and in 28 of 120 patients (23.3%), respectively (?10.7% difference; 95% confidence interval, ?20.1% to ?1.4%; P = .022).

CONCLUSIONS:

Although both staging tools allowed greater than 20% correct upstaging compared with conventional staging methods, coregistered MRI‐PET did not appear to help identify significantly more correctly upstaged patients than PET‐CT plus brain MRI in patients with NSCLC. Cancer 2013. © 2013 American Cancer Society.     

淋巴瘤单发骨病变的18F－FDGPET／CT影像学分析

目的：研究原发性骨淋巴瘤与单发继发性淋巴瘤骨髓浸润的18 F －FDG PET／CT 影像学表现,探讨18 F－FDG PET／CT 对原发性骨淋巴瘤的诊断及鉴别诊断价值。方法：回顾性分析经病理证实的25例单发骨淋巴瘤的18 F －FDG PET／CT 影像学资料。结果：25例骨淋巴瘤均为单发,其中14例位于脊柱骨,10例位于附肢骨,1例位于肋骨。15例为原发性骨淋巴瘤,10例为继发性淋巴瘤骨髓浸润。原发性骨淋巴瘤15例中非霍奇金淋巴瘤11例,霍奇金淋巴瘤4例;继发性淋巴瘤骨髓浸润10例中非霍奇金淋巴瘤7例,霍奇金淋巴瘤3例。25例骨淋巴瘤中23例 CT 表现为骨质密度异常改变,2例病变骨质密度未见明显异常改变。病变 FDG摄取不同程度增高,SUVmax范围为2．6～24．5。原发性骨淋巴瘤及继发性淋巴瘤骨髓浸润病变 SUVmax经 Mann－Whitney U 检验提示原发性骨淋巴瘤与继发性淋巴瘤骨髓浸润病变 SUVmax有差异（P ＝0．007）。结论：原发性骨淋巴瘤18 F －FDG PET／CT 影像学表现有一定的特征性,分析其表现对原发性和继发性骨淋巴瘤的诊断及鉴别诊断有一定的临床价值。     

The usefulness of F-18 FDG PET/CT-mammography for preoperative staging of breast cancer: comparison with conventional PET/CT and MR-mammography

Background

The objective of the study was to compare the diagnostic efficacy of an integrated Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) PET/CT-mammography (mammo-PET/CT) with conventional torso PET/CT (supine-PET/CT) and MR-mammography for initial assessment of breast cancer patients.

Patients and methods

Forty women (52.0 ± 12.0 years) with breast cancer who underwent supine-PET/CT, mammo-PET/CT, and MR-mammography from April 2009 to August 2009 were enrolled in the study. We compared the size of the tumour, tumour to chest wall distance, tumour to skin distance, volume of axillary fossa, and number of meta-static axillary lymph nodes between supine-PET/CT and mammo-PET/CT. Next, we assessed the difference of focality of primary breast tumour and tumour size in mammo-PET/CT and MR-mammography. Histopathologic findings served as the standard of reference.

Results

In the comparison between supine-PET/CT and mammo-PET/CT, significant differences were found in the tumour size (supine-PET/CT: 1.3 ± 0.6 cm, mammo-PET/CT: 1.5 ± 0.6 cm, p < 0.001), tumour to thoracic wall distance (1.8 ± 0.9 cm, 2.2 ± 2.1 cm, p < 0.001), and tumour to skin distance (1.5 ± 0.8 cm, 2.1 ± 1.4 cm, p < 0.001). The volume of axillary fossa was significantly wider in mammo-PET/CT than supine-PET/CT (21.7 ± 8.7 cm³ vs. 23.4 ± 10.4 cm³, p = 0.03). Mammo-PET/CT provided more correct definition of the T-stage of the primary tumour than did supine-PET/CT (72.5% vs. 67.5%). No significant difference was found in the number of metastatic axillary lymph nodes. Compared with MR-mammography, mammo-PET/CT provided more correct classification of the focality of lesion than did MR-mammography (95% vs. 90%). In the T-stage, 72.5% of cases with mammo-PET/CT and 70% of cases with MR-mammography showed correspondence with pathologic results.

Conclusions

Mammo-PET/CT provided more correct definition of the T-stage and evaluation of axillary fossa may also be delineated more clearly than with supine-PET/CT. The initial assessment of mammo-PET/CT would be more useful than MR-mammography because the mammo-PET/CT indicates similar accuracy with MR-mammography for decision of T-stage of primary breast tumour and more correct than MR-mammography for defining focality of lesion.     

206例成人早期霍奇金病的放射治疗

目的：探讨成人早期（Ⅰ、Ⅱ期）霍奇金病（HD）放射治疗野的规范使用。方法：回顾性分析1984年1月至1997年12月中国肿瘤收治的206例初治的膈上型早期霍奇金病成人患者（≥15岁）,其中130例单纯放射治疗（称为单放组,76例行放射治疗＋化疗（称为综合治疗组）。放射治疗采用累及野（IF）照射7例、斗蓬野（MF）照射34例、次全淋巴结照射（STNI）140例、全淋巴结照射（TNI）25例。Kaplan-Meier法行生存分析、Logrank法行显著性检验。结果：①全组5、10年总生存率分别为85．1％和73．2％,5、10年无瘤生存率分别为68．0％和63．6％。②单放组中接受MF、STNI和TNI照射的5年生存率分别为69．2％、93．3％、和94．4％;5年无瘤生存率分别为54．2％、79．2％、79．9％（P＜0．05）。③综合治疗组中接受IF（MF）照射和STNI（TNI）和5年总生存率分别为75．7％和90．6％,5年无瘤生存率分别为43．1％,和73．3％,P＜0．05）。结论：除了少数预后极好的IA期患者可给予单纯MF照射外,其它期别的患者在采用单纯放射治疗时宜选用STNI,盲目缩小放射治疗野将会导致无瘤生存率甚至总生存率的下降,预后不利的患者应给予放射治疗＋化疗综合治疗。     

Imaging with F‐18 FDG PET is superior to Tl‐201 SPECT in the staging of non‐small cell lung cancer for radical radiation therapy*

Thallium‐201 (Tl‐201) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is funded for evaluation of malignancy in Australia and may have utility for staging of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) if CT results are equivocal. Fluorine‐18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F‐18 FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is superior to CT for staging NSCLC but is more expensive and less widely available than Tl‐201 SPECT. Therefore, these techniques were prospectively compared in 27 radical radiation therapy candidates. Patients were allocated a conventional, PET and Tl‐201 stage. Tumour to background ratios (TBR) were recorded for the primary on both techniques. Metastatic disease was confirmed by surgical pathology, serial imaging or clinical follow up. Tumour to background ratios were consistently higher for FDG PET than Tl‐201 SPECT (P < 0.0001). Positron emission tomography detected all known primary tumours but Tl‐201 failed to image four primary tumours (15%). In 10 of 18 cases of discordance between PET and Tl‐201 SPECT regarding stage, corroboration was available from pathology or disease progression. Positron emission tomography was shown to have a 100% positive predictive value, including all three patients with PET‐detected distant metastases (P = 0.002). Results indicate that PET is superior to Tl‐201 SPECT scanning in the staging of NSCLC for radical radiation therapy, and that the low sensitivity for detection of local and metastatic disease is likely to limit the clinical impact and cost‐effectiveness of this technique despite its lower cost.