18F-FDG PET or PET/CT for detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with endometrial cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The present study assessed the diagnostic performances of 18F-FDG PET or PET/CT in detecting pelvic and/or paraaortic lymph node metastasis in patients with endometrial cancer. METHODS: Through a search of MEDLINE (January 1998 to March 2011), an overall weighted average for sensitivity and specificity as well as pooled estimates of positive and negative likelihood ratios were calculated. A summary receiver-operating-characteristics (sROC) curve was constructed and the area under the sROC curve (AUC) was calculated. I-square was calculated to explore heterogeneity. RESULTS: The present study included 243 patients from seven studies. Results indicated a lack of significant heterogeneity for sensitivity and specificity (I(2)<50% and p>0.05). The overall pooled estimates for sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET or PET/CT scans in the detection of pelvic and/or paraaortic metastasis were 63.0% (95% CI, 48.7-75.7%) and 94.7% (95% CI, 90.4-97.4%), respectively. The positive likelihood ratio was 10.465 (95% CI, 5.646-19.396) and the negative likelihood ratio 0.399 (95% CI, 0.284-0.560). The AUC was 0.9533. The overall diagnostic accuracy (Q* index) was 89.5%. Conclusion The high positive likelihood value confirms the reliability of a positive FDG-PET or PET/CT to detect pelvic and/or paraaortic lymph nodes metastasis in patients with untreated endometrial cancer. FDG-PET or PET/CT may prove beneficial to surgeons when selecting appropriate patients on whom to perform lymphadenectomy.     

18F-FDG PET/CT predicts survival in patients with inflammatory breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Purpose

The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in predicting overall survival in inflammatory breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods

Included in this retrospective study were 53 patients with inflammatory breast cancer who had at least two PET/CT studies including a baseline study before the start of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the effects on survival of the following factors: tumor maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) at baseline, preoperatively and at follow-up, decrease in tumor SUVmax, histological tumor type, grade, estrogen, progesterone, HER2/neu receptor status, and extent of disease at presentation including axillary nodal and distant metastases.

Results

By univariate analysis, survival was significantly associated with decrease in tumor SUVmax and tumor receptor status. Patients with decrease in tumor SUVmax had better survival (P?=?0.02). Patients with a triple-negative tumor (P?=?0.0006), a Her2/neu-negative tumor (P?=?0.038) or an ER-negative tumor (P?=?0.039) had worse survival. Multivariate analysis confirmed decrease in tumor SUVmax and triple-negative receptor status as significant predictors of survival. Every 10 % decrease in tumor SUVmax from baseline translated to a 15 % lower probability of death, and complete resolution of tumor FDG uptake translated to 80 % lower probability of death (P?=?0.014). Patients with a triple-negative tumor had 4.11 times higher probability of death (P?=?0.004).

Conclusion

Decrease in tumor SUVmax is an independent predictor of survival in patients with inflammatory breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Further investigation with prospective studies is warranted to clarify its role in assessing response and altering therapy.     

Somatostatin receptor PET/CT in neuroendocrine tumours: update on systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

Neuroendocrine tumours (NET) are uncommon and may be localized in many different places in the body. Traditional imaging has mainly been performed with CT and somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS). Recently, it has become possible to use somatostatin receptor PET/CT (SMSR PET) instead, which might improve diagnostic quality. To evaluate the diagnostic quality of SMSR PET we performed a meta-analysis as an update of a previous study published in 2012.

Methods

A literature search was performed searching MEDLINE, Embase and five other databases with a combination of the expressions “PET”, “positron emission tomography”, “neuroendocrine” and “NET”. The search was updated to 31 December 2012. Studies were selected which evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of SMSR PET for NET in the thorax or abdomen with a study size of at least eight patients. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated with QUADAS-2.

Results

Eight studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were selected for final analysis, and 14 articles from a previous meta-analysis were added for a total of 22 articles. A total of 2,105 patients were included in the studies, an increase from 567 in the previous meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity was 93 % (95 % CI 91 – 94 %) and specificity 96 % (95 % CI 95 – 98 %). The area under the summary ROC curve was 0.98 (95 % CI 0.95 – 1.0). In the previous meta-analysis the pooled sensitivity was 93 % (95 % CI 91 – 95 %) and specificity 91 % (95 % CI 82 – 97 %).

Conclusion

SMSR PET has good diagnostic performance for evaluation of NET in the thorax and abdomen, better than SRS which has been the previous standard method. This meta-analysis gives further support for switching to SMSR PET.     

Diagnostic performance of post-treatment FDG PET or FDG PET/CT imaging in head and neck cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

Our objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing the diagnostic performance of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) with or without computed tomography (CT) in post-treatment response assessment and/or surveillance imaging of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods

A systematic search of the indexed medical literature was done using appropriate keywords to identify relevant studies. Metrics of diagnostic test accuracy, viz. sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were extracted from individual studies and combined using a random effects model to yield weighted mean pooled estimates with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The impact of timing of post-treatment scan, study quality and advancements in PET technology was explored through meta-regression.

Results

A total of 51 studies involving 2,335 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The weighted mean (95% CI) pooled sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of post-treatment FDG PET(CT) for the primary site was 79.9% (73.7?C85.2%), 87.5% (85.2?C89.5%), 58.6% (52.6?C64.5%) and 95.1% (93.5?C96.5%), respectively. Similar estimates for the neck were 72.7% (66.6?C78.2%), 87.6% (85.7?C89.3%), 52.1% (46.6?C57.6%) and 94.5% (93.1?C95.7%), respectively. Scans done ??12?weeks after completion of definitive therapy had moderately higher diagnostic accuracy on meta-regression analysis using time as a covariate.

Conclusion

The overall diagnostic performance of post-treatment FDG PET(CT) for response assessment and surveillance imaging of HNSCC is good, but its PPV is somewhat suboptimal. Its NPV remains exceptionally high and a negative post-treatment scan is highly suggestive of absence of viable disease that can guide therapeutic decision-making. Timing of post-treatment imaging has a significant, though moderate impact on diagnostic accuracy.     

18F-FDG PET或PET/CT评估乳腺癌新辅助化疗疗效价值的meta分析

目的 用meta分析方法评价18F-FDG PET或PET/CT用于乳腺癌新辅助化疗疗效评估的准确性和预测价值.方法 检索PubMed、Embase、Cochrane以及万方数据库中相关的英文或中文文献.制定纳入文献的选择标准,并按照诊断性研究质量评价(QUADAS)评分表对文献质量进行评分,以保证纳入研究的同质性.对符合标准的研究结果进行meta分析,估计和比较PET和其他影像检查(以测量肿瘤体积改变情况为评估指标)的加权Se、Sp、LR、诊断优势比(DOR)与综合ROC(SROC)曲线,判断PET和其他影像检查评估新辅助化疗的准确性.用绘制漏斗图和meta回归的方法探讨纳入研究的异质性来源.结果 16篇文献符合全部纳入标准,含662例研究对象.Meta分析加权值:(1)PET:SePET 86.1％(247/287),SpPET 69.6％(261/375),LR + PET 3.18,LR - PET0.23,DORPET 17.26;(2)其他影像检查:Sed 57.2％ (91/159),Spd 48.5％(50/103),LR+d1.07,LR-d0.87,DORd1.30.绘制SROC曲线,得出QPET*(0.8058)＞Qd*(0.5328).漏斗图示发表偏倚对结果影响小.Meta回归分析发现,文献发表年份可能是异质性的来源之一(P=0.05).结论 监测葡萄糖代谢的改变比测量肿瘤大小的改变更能准确评估乳腺癌新辅助化疗的疗效.     

The role of FDG PET/CT or PET/MRI in assessing response to neoadjuvant therapy for patients with borderline or resectable pancreatic cancer: a systematic literature review

Annals of Nuclear Medicine - The aim of the present systematic review is to examine the role of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) associated with computed tomography (CT)...     

Prognostic significance of novel F-FDG PET/CT defined tumour variables in patients with oesophageal cancer

Purpose

¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) is now established as a routine staging investigation of oesophageal cancer (OC). The aim of the study was to determine the prognostic significance of PET/CT defined tumour variables including maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax), tumour length (TL), metastatic length of disease (MLoD), metabolic tumour volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG) and total local nodal metastasis count (PET/CT LNMC).

Materials and methods

103 pre-treatment OC patients (76 adenocarcinoma, 25 squamous cell carcinoma, 1 poorly differentiated and 1 neuroendocrine tumour) were staged using PET/CT. The prognostic value of the measured tumour variables were tested using log-rank analysis of the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox's proportional hazards method. Primary outcome measure was survival from diagnosis.

Results

Univariate analysis showed all variables to have strong statistical significance in relation to survival. Multivariate analysis demonstrated three variables that were significantly and independently associated with survival; MLoD (HR 1.035, 95% CI 1.008–1.064, p = 0.011), TLG (HR 1.002, 95% CI 1.000–1.003, p = 0.018) and PET/CT LNMC (HR 0.048–0.633, 95% CI 0.005–2.725, p = 0.015).

Conclusion

MLoD, TLG, and PET/CT LNMC are important prognostic indicators in OC. This is the first study to demonstrate an independent statistical association between TLG, MLoD and survival by multivariable analysis, and highlights the value of staging OC patients with PET/CT using functional tumour variables.     

Prognostic utility of FDG PET/CT in advanced ovarian,fallopian and primary peritoneal high-grade serous cancer patients before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

In patients with advanced ovarian, fallopian and primary peritoneal carcinoma, complete interval debulking surgery (IDS) is often performed after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) to achieve long progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). We aimed to investigate the utility of 2-deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-d-glucose (FDG) PET/CT in patients with these malignancies who underwent complete IDS. Between 2009 and 2017, twenty-two patients underwent FDG PET/CT scans before and after NAC. The highest SUVmax/peak (standardized uptake value), metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) for whole lesions were defined as target SUVmax/peak, tMTV and tTLG, respectively. We also calculated these reduction rates during NAC. These parameters were compared between the groups with platinum-free interval (PFI) > 12 months (n = 10) and those with PFI ≤ 12 months (n = 12). The PFS and OS were evaluated using these quantitative parameters, and in terms of the presence of visually detectable residual lesions after NAC. The target SUVmax/peak before NAC, the reduction rates in the target SUVmax, tMTV and tTLG were significantly higher in the group with PFI > 12 months than the shorter PFI group (p < 0.05). Especially in PFS, the higher reduction rates in the target SUVmax/peak, tMTV, and tTLG had an excellent prognostic stratification (p < 0.05) and the FDG visually negative group after NAC had a significantly better prognosis than the other group (p < 0.01). The reduction rate of FDG PET-based quantitative values and visual analysis after NAC demonstrated prognostic potential, especially in PFS.     

Clinical value of FDG PET or PET/CT in urinary bladder cancer: a systemic review and meta-analysis

Aim

The purpose of the current study was to conduct a systemic review and meta-analysis of the published literature to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of FDG PET or PET/CT in urinary bladder cancer.

Materials and methods

The authors conducted a systematic MEDLINE search of articles published between January 2000 and December 2010. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality of each study. We conducted a meta-analysis of pooled sensitivity and specificity in detecting primary and metastatic lesions of bladder cancer.

Results

Six studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT for primary lesion detection of bladder cancer were 0.90 (95% CI: 0.70–0.99) and 1.00 (95% CI: 0.74–1.00), respectively. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of FDG PET or PET/CT for staging or restaging (metastatic lesions) of bladder cancer were 0.82 (95% CI: 0.72–0.89) and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.81–0.95), respectively.

Conclusion

The diagnostic accuracy of FDG PET or PET/CT is good in metastatic lesions of urinary bladder cancer. Due to the small number of patients and limited number of studies analyzed, the diagnostic capability of FDG PET or PET/CT in detection of primary bladder wall lesions could not be assessed.     

18F-FDG PET/CT评估三阴性乳腺癌新辅助化疗疗效的研究进展

三阴性乳腺癌（TNBC）是一种雌激素受体（ER）、孕激素受体（PR）及人表皮生长因子受体2（HER-2）表达均为阴性的乳腺癌亚型,常发生于绝经前的女性,具有预后较差、5年生存率低、侵袭性强、易复发及发生远处转移等特征。目前TNBC主要的治疗方法是手术与化疗,其中新辅助化疗的应用也越来越广泛。近年来,18F-FDG PET/CT在乳腺癌治疗评估中的价值已被广泛研究,PET/CT监测乳腺癌新辅助化疗疗效的价值已得到肯定。该文对18F-FDG PET/CT评估TNBC新辅助化疗疗效的研究进展进行综述。     

Prognostic value of volume-based metabolic parameters of <Superscript>18</Superscript>F-FDG PET/CT in ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on the prognostic value of ¹⁸F-FDG PET-derived volume-based parameters regarding metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) in patients with ovarian cancer.

Methods

Pubmed and EMBASE databases were searched up to February 12, 2018 for studies which evaluated MTV or TLG as a prognostic factor in ovarian cancer with progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) as the endpoints. Hazard ratios (HRs) were meta-analytically pooled using the random-effects model. Multiple subgroup analyses based on clinicopathological and PET variables were performed.

Results

Eight studies with 473 patients were included. The pooled HRs of MTV and TLG for PFS were 2.50 (95% CI 1.79–3.48; p?<?0.00001) and 2.42 (95% CI 1.61–3.65; p?<?0.0001), respectively. Regarding OS, the pooled HRs of MTV and TLG were 8.06 (95% CI 4.32–15.05; p?<?0.00001) and 7.23 (95% CI 3.38–15.50; p?<?0.00001), respectively. Multiple subgroup analyses consistently showed that MTV and TLG were significant prognostic factors for PFS with pooled HRs ranging from 2.35 to 2.58 and from 1.73 to 3.35, respectively.

Conclusions

MTV and TLG from ¹⁸F-FDG PET were significant prognostic factors in patients with ovarian cancer. Despite the clinical heterogeneity and difference in methodology between the studies, patients with a high MTV or TLG have a higher risk of disease progression or death.

     

Prognostic significance of total lesion glycolysis in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer receiving chemotherapy

Background

[¹⁸F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging has been employed as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for malignant tumors. Total lesion glycolysis (TLG) on FDG-PET is calculated by multiplying the mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean) by the tumor volume. Unlike the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), which represents the point of greatest metabolic activity within tumors, TLG has been suggested to reflect global metabolic activity in whole tumors.

Methods

We retrospectively examined whether or not FDG-PET measurements, including SUVmean, SUVmax, and TLG, could predict progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving chemotherapy.

Results

This study involved 81 consecutive patients with NSCLC who received chemotherapy. All of the patients underwent FDG-PET examination before treatment. SUVmean, SUVmax, and TLG on FDG-PET were significantly associated with gender, smoking status, and tumor histology. With adjustment for several other variables, Cox regression analysis showed that TLG was significantly prognostic for both PFS [hazard ratio = 2.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.18–4.64; P = 0.015] and OS (hazard ratio = 2.80; 95% confidence interval, 1.12–6.96; P = 0.003), whereas SUVmean and SUVmax had no significant association with PFS (P = 0.693 and P = 0.322, respectively) or OS (P = 0.587 and P = 0.214, respectively).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that TLG may be more useful than SUVmean and SUVmax for predicting PFS and OS in NSCLC patients receiving chemotherapy. The TLG measurement on FDG-PET imaging could be routinely recommended to advanced NSCLC patients.     

18F-FDG PET or PET/CT for detecting extrahepatic metastases or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim

Positron emission tomography (PET) using F18-flurodeoxy-glucose (FDG) has been widely used for reflecting cellular metabolism. However, the feasibility of FDG PET in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is limited. The aim of the study was to assess the ability of FDG PET (PET/CT) in the detection of extrahepatic metastases or recurrent HCC.

Materials and methods

We conducted MEDLINE, EMBASE and COCHRANE searches (last update, April 2011). Eight eligible articles were identified evaluating F18-FDG PET (PET/CT) in extrahepatic metastases or recurrent HCC. Two authors independently evaluated the methodological quality of each study. We estimated pooled sensitivities, specificities, summary receiver-operating-characteristic (SROC) curves, and summary likelihood ratios.

Results

Eight eligible studies were enrolled in this study. The pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio of FDG PET (PET/CT) in the detection of metastatic HCC were 76.6%, 98.0%, 14.68, and 0.28, respectively. The pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity, LR+ and LR− of FDG PET (PET/CT) in the detection of recurrent HCC were 81.7%, 88.9%, 4.72, and 0.19, respectively.

Conclusion

Based on the results of this systematic review, F-18 FDG PET (PET/CT) was useful in ruling in extrahepatic metastases of HCC and valuable for ruling out the recurrent HCC.     

The role of FDG PET/CT in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for localized bone sarcomas

Purpose

The histological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is an important prognostic factor in patients with osteosarcoma (OS) and Ewing sarcoma (EWS). The aim of this study was to assess baseline primary tumour FDG uptake on PET/CT, and serum values of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), to establish whether these factors are correlated with tumour necrosis and prognosis.

Methods

Patients treated between 2009 and 2014 for localized EWS and OS, who underwent FDG PET/CT as part of their staging work-up, were included. The relationships between primary tumour SUVmax at baseline (SUV1), SUVmax after induction chemotherapy (SUV2), metabolic response calculated as [(SUV1???SUV2)/SUV1)]?×?100, LDH and ALP and tumour response/survival were analysed. A good response (GR) was defined as tumour necrosis >90 % in patients with OS, and grade II-III Picci necrosis (persitence of microscopic foci only or no viable tumor) in patients with Ewing sarcoma.

Results

The study included 77 patients, 45 with EWS and 32 with OS. A good histological response was achieved in 53 % of EWS patients, and 41 % of OS patients. The 3-year event-free survival (EFS) was 57 % in EWS patients and 48 % OS patients. The median SUV1 was 5.6 (range 0?–?17) in EWS patients and 7.9 (range 0?–?24) in OS patients (p?=?0.006). In EWS patients the GR rate was 30 % in those with a high SUV1 (≥6) and 72 % in those with a lower SUV1 (p?=?0.0004), and in OS patients the GR rate was 29 % in those with SUV1 ≥6 and 64 % in those with a lower SUV1 (p?=?0.05). In the univariate analysis the 3-year EFS was significantly better in patients with a low ALP level (59 %) than in those with a high ALP level (22 %, p?=?0.02) and in patients with a low LDH level (62 %) than in those with a high LDH level (37 %, p?=?0.004). In EWS patients the 3-year EFS was 37 % in those with a high SUV1 and 75 % in those with a low SUV1 (p?=?0.004), and in OS patients the 3-year EFS was 32 % in those with a high SUV1 and 66 % in those with a low SUV1 (p?=?0.1). Histology, age and gender were not associated with survival. In the multivariate analysis, SUV1 was the only independent pretreatment prognostic factor to retain statistical significance (p?=?0.017). SUV2 was assessed in 25 EWS patients: the median SUV2 was 1.9 (range 1?–?8). The GR rate was 20 % in patients with a high SUV2, and 67 % in those with a low SUV2 (p?=?0.02). A good metabolic response (SUV reduction of ≥55 %) was associated with a 3-year EFS of 80 % and a poor metabolic response with a 3-year EFS of 20 % (p?=?0.05). In the OS patients the median SUV2 was 2.7 (range 0?–?4.5). Neither SUV2 nor the metabolic response was associated with outcome in OS patients.

Conclusion

FDG PET/CT is a useful and noninvasive tool for identifying patients who are more likely to be resistant to chemotherapy. If this finding is confirmed in a larger series, SUV1, SUV2 and metabolic response could be proposed as factors for stratifying EWS patients to identify those with high-grade localized bone EWS who would benefit from risk-adapted induction chemotherapy.

     

重复PET/CT的代谢反应预测食管癌新辅助化疗的病理学缓解

目的据报道,在新辅助化疗过程中或之后行正电子发射体层摄影(PET)示肿瘤18F-脱氧葡萄糖(FDG)摄取减低,可预测食管癌的病理学缓解。我们的目的是在前瞻性临床实验中应用标准化新辅助化疗方案来确定代谢反应是否可预测病理学缓解。方法一项非随机临床试验,包括接受治疗的潜在可治愈的食管癌病人。使用标准化化疗方案(奥沙利铂和5-氟尿嘧啶两个疗程)。化疗前行PET/CT,且在第2疗程开始后24～28d复查PET/CT。结果入选48例,平均年龄65岁,男性37例。应用最大标准摄取值(SUVmax)(42%)中位百分比降低来定义代谢反应,病理学缓解可见于71%(17/24)的代谢反应,无反应者为33%(8/24;P=0.009,敏感度68%,特异度70%)。病理学缓解可见于81%(13/16)具有完全代谢反应的病例和38%不完全代谢反应的病例(12/32;P=0.0042,敏感度52%,特异度87%),但无基于组织学的显著效应。结论代谢反应与病理学缓解之间具有显著相关性,但预测病理学缓解的准确性仍相对较低。要点①PET/CT可预测食管癌病人其肿瘤对化疗的反应。②采用标准化化疗的前瞻性研究。③PET/CT表现和疾病反应之间具有显著相关性。④然而预测病理学缓解的准确性仍相对较低。