18F-FDG PET/CT显像在肾癌中的临床应用价值

目的:评价18F-脱氧葡萄糖(18F-fluorodeoxyglucose,18F-FDG)正电子发射计算机断层扫描(PET)/CT显像对肾癌诊断和治疗方案选择的临床应用价值.方法:回顾性分析56例临床诊断为肾癌患者的全身18F-FDG PET/CT和CT平扫加增强扫描的影像学资料.比较两者对肾癌的诊断价值.结果:56例患者中,经手术病理检查实为肾癌者47例.其余9例因18F-FDG PET/CT显像发现有转移病灶者放弃手术.18F-FDG;PET/CT 榆古敏感度为80.4%;CT平扫加增强扫描的敏感度为92.9%.9例转移病例中,3例为腹膜后淋巴结转移,3例两肺多发转移,2例骨转移并肝转移,1例伴有下腔静脉和肾静脉癌栓形成,而CT平扫加增强扫描仅发现1例肾静脉和下腔静脉痛栓形成.结论:18F-FDG PET/CT显像对诊断原发性肾癌的敏感性不如CT,但对淋巴结转移及远处转移的诊断优于CT,对肾癌的分期、治疗方案的选择及预后的判断有重要意义.     

11C-胆碱PET/CT显像在前列腺癌诊断中的应用价值

目的探讨11C-胆碱PET/CT显像在前列腺癌诊断中的临床价值。方法42例PSA升高的可疑前列腺癌患者为研究组,5例浸润性膀胱癌患者为阴性对照组,静脉注射7.4 MBq/kg 11C-胆碱5 min后行仰卧位盆腔PET/CT显像,可疑转移者行全身显像。测量最高标准化摄取值(SUVmax)并计算前列腺病灶与肌肉组织SUVmax的比值T/B。结果经病理证实为前列腺癌者22例,良性前列腺增生(BPH)者25例(含对照组),两者的T/B值分别为4.32±1.35和1.68±1.23.差异有统计学意义(P<0.01)。11C-胆碱PET/CT显像诊断前列腺癌的敏感性为81.8%(18/22),特异性为84.0%(21/25)。PET/CT显示9例前列腺癌患者伴骨和(或)淋巴结及肺转移。22例前列腺癌者SUVmax与PSA值、Gleason评分值无相关性(P>0.05)。结论11C-胆碱PET/CT显像对前列腺癌的诊断有重要价值。     

18F-PSMA PET/CT与mpMRI对前列腺癌盆腔淋巴结转移诊断价值的比较

目的比较18F-前列腺特异性膜抗原(PSMA)-1007 PET/CT与多参数磁共振(mpMRI)对前列腺癌盆腔淋巴结转移的诊断效能。方法回顾性分析2018年11月至2021年4月于四川省肿瘤医院同期行18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT和mpMRI检查的30例前列腺癌患者的临床病理资料。年龄(68.4±6.4)岁, 术前血清总前列腺特异性抗原45.70(16.07, 100.00)ng/ml。30例中14例PET/CT淋巴结阳性, 7例mpMRI淋巴结阳性。术前临床T分期:T1期1例, T2期20例, T3期6例, T4期3例;危险度分层高危29例, 中危1例。30例均行腹腔镜根治性前列腺切除术+盆腔扩大淋巴结清扫术。根据术后淋巴结病理检查结果, 分析两种影像学检查诊断前列腺癌盆腔淋巴结转移的敏感性、特异性、阳性预测值和阴性预测值, 同时采用Kappa检验分析两种影像学检查与术后淋巴结病理结果的一致性。结果本组30例术后病理均为前列腺癌, 其中10例盆腔淋巴结阳性。以术后病理作为诊断金标准, 按照盆腔淋巴结转移例数计算诊断效能, 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT的敏感性、...     

18F-FDG符合线路SPECT显像诊断胃癌

目的 探讨^18F-FDG符合线路SPECT显像在胃癌诊断中的应用价值。方法对18例经组织病理学证实的胃癌患者的^18F-FDG符合线路SPECT显像进行分析，并与近期CT结果比较。结果①符合线路SPECT检出原发性胃癌的敏感性、特异性和阳性预测值分别为88．9％、100％和88．9％。②18例手术患者中，胃局部淋巴结转移12例，符合线路SPECT显像检出7例，其敏感性、特异性和阳性预测值分别为58．3％、100％和58．3％。③符合线路显像检出远处转移6例，CT仅检出2例。④对6例同时行^18F-FDG符合线路SPECT显像与锝[^99Tc^m]-亚甲基二膦酸盐(^99Tc^m-MDP)骨显像的患者进行分析，发现两者所示骨病灶部位不尽一致。结论^18F-FDG符合线路SPECT显像诊断胃癌较为灵敏，检出胃癌局部淋巴结及远处转移可能优于CT。     

18氟脱氧葡萄糖正电子扫描和计算机断层扫描应用于胃癌术前分期的研究

目的 研究18氟脱氧葡萄糖正电子扫描(18F-FDG PET)和计算机断层扫描(CT)融合显像(18F-FDG PET/CT)在胃癌术前分期中的作用.方法 2006年1月至2009年12月间经内镜活检与病理学检查确诊、并使用18F-FDG PET/CT作术前评估的胃癌患者67例.对比分析18F-FDG PET/CT的术前分期和手术病理学检查结果,探讨18F-FDG PET/CT在胃癌术前分期中的敏感度、特异性和准确度.结果 癌细胞转移到淋巴结50例,肝2例,网膜3例,肠系膜2例,肠壁2例,腹膜4例,肺1例,骨1例,子宫、附件2例.18F-FDG PET/CT对胃癌术前分期的敏感度、特异性和准确度分别是87%,96%和88%.18F-FDG PET/CT对不同TNM分期胃癌的敏感度、特异性和准确度并不相同,分别是Ⅰ期50%,100%,50%;Ⅱ期89%,87%,89%和Ⅲ期86%,97%,86%.但Ⅳ期胃癌的敏感度、特异性和准确度均为100%.结论 18F-FDG PET/CT不仅能检测肿瘤原发灶和周围淋巴结,且能全面了解病变全身的累及范围,对制定合理的治疗方案有重要的参考价值.特别是对不能根治的胃癌具有极高的诊断率,可避免不必要的手术探查.     

18F-FDGPET/CT与传统影像检查寻找骨转移瘤原发灶的比较

[目的]比较18F-FDG PET/CT与传统影像检查(胸片、彩超、CT及MRI等)为骨转移瘤患者寻找原发灶的临床价值.[方法]回顾性分析37例于2008年5月～2010年6月间本中心收治的经病理证实的骨转移瘤患者的病例资料,并随访其后续的诊治情况.以病理结果或临床随访作为原发灶确认标准.并将PET/CT与传统影像检查对原发灶的检出情况进行比较.且对治疗方案的调整进行汇总.[结果]37例患者中,PET/CT提示原发灶28例,其中正确检出原发灶27例(73％),1例为假阳性;传统影像检查正确检出原发灶17例(46％),两者原发灶正确检出率的差异有显著性(x2=5.61,P=0.018).27例经PET/CT正确检出原发灶的病例中,17例(63％)采取了针对原发灶的治疗措施.此外9例PET/CT未提示原发灶的患者中,3例经病理证实为假阴性.[结论]与传统影像检查相比,18F-FDG PET/CT可更有效、更便捷的找出骨转移瘤患者原发灶,进而为制定更合理的治疗方案提供依据.     

~(18)F-FDG PET/CT和PET/MRI在前列腺癌诊断及分期中的效能研究

目的对比前列腺癌2-氟-2脱氧-D-葡萄糖(~(18)F-FDG)正电子发射断层扫描/计算机断层成像(PET/CT)和正电子发射断层扫描/核磁共振成像(PET/MRI)影像学特征,探讨两种方法在前列腺癌筛查、诊断及分期中的价值。方法回顾性分析20例组织学证实为前列腺癌患者的~(18)F-FDG PET/CT和PET/MRI图像资料,比较两种方法影像学结果,并采用配对t检验和卡方检验进行统计学分析。结果 ~(18)F-FDG PET/CT和PET/MRI对病灶定量的最大标准摄取值(SUVmax)(2.9±0.25 vs.3.2±0.26)有统计学差异(P0.05),PET/CT和PET/MRI探查原发性前列腺癌阳性结果(11例vs.18例)有统计学差异(P0.05),探查周围组织(1例vs.4例)、盆腔淋巴结(4例vs.4例)及骨盆(6例vs.5例)的转移效能无统计学差异(P0.05)。结论 ~(18)F-FDG PET/MRI诊断原发性前列腺具有优势,在探查周围侵犯、盆腔淋巴或骨盆转移时和PET/CT无明显差异。临床工作中合理选择或联合应用有助于前列腺癌筛查、诊断及分期的全面评估。     

18F-FDG PET/CT显像在结直肠癌肝转移中的应用探讨

目的 通过对结直肠癌疑肝转移患者肝脏手术前18F-FDG PET/CT显像研究其敏感性及特异性.方法 对143例确定或怀疑结直肠癌肝转移患者在肝脏手术前进行18F-FDG PET/CT显像,通过双盲回顾性的方法进行研究,以病理活检或临床/影像学随访确定病灶的发展或转归.结果 18F-FDG PET/CT显像在疑诊132例中确诊有肝转移的127例显示阳性,确诊无肝转移的患者11例均显示阴性,经统计学处理对于肝转移的确定PET/CT敏感性96.2%,特异性100%.用传统的诊断方法(CT、MRI、超声等)未发现的肝外转移病灶26例中有13例患者排除肝转移,故有27.3%的患者改变了手术治疗措施.结论 18F-FDG PET/CT显像对于结直肠癌肝转移的发现有很高的敏感性和特异性,对于肝外转移灶的发现也优于传统的诊断手段.建议18F-FDG PET/CT显像应被加入到结直肠癌肝转移肝脏手术前患者的诊疗计划中.     

18F—FDGPET／CT显像在肾癌中的临床应用价值

目的：评价18F脱氧葡萄糖（18F-fluorodeoxyglucose，18F-FDG）正电子发射计算机断层扫描（PET）／CT显像对肾癌诊断和治疗方案选择的临床应用价值。方法：回顾性分析56例临床诊断为肾癌患者的全身18F—FDGPET／CT和CT平扫加增强扫描的影像学资料。比较两者对肾癌的诊断价值。结果：56例患者中，经手术病理检查证实为肾癌者47例，其余9例因18F-FDGPET／CT显像发现有转移病灶者放弃手术。18F-FDGPET／CT检查敏感度为80．4％；CT平扫加增强扫描的敏感度为92．9％。9例转移病例中，3例为腹膜后淋巴结转移，3例两肺多发转移，2例骨转移并肝转移．1例伴有下腔静脉和肾静脉癌栓形成，而（TI、平扫加增强扫描仅发现1例肾静脉和下腔静脉癌栓形成。结论：18F-FDGPET／CT显像对诊断原发性。肾癌的敏感性不如CT，但对淋巴结转移及远处转移的诊断优于CT，对肾癌的分期、治疗方案的选择及预后的判断有重要意义。     

~(68)Ga-PSMA-617 PET/CT在初诊前列腺癌远处转移灶检测中的应用时机

目的探讨~(68)Ga-PSMA-617PET/CT在初诊前列腺癌远处转移灶检测中的应用时机。方法回顾性分析空军军医大学第一附属医院2017年05月至2018年05月接诊的68例初诊前列腺癌患者的临床资料,按有无发生远处病灶转移及转移类型分为无远处转移组、仅伴区域外淋巴结转移组、仅伴骨转移组、同时伴区域外淋巴结和骨转移组及伴内脏转移组5组,分析~(68)Ga-PSMA-617PET/CT检查不同的远处转移灶结果与患者发病年龄、前列腺特异性抗原(PSA)水平、Gleason评分、T分期、N分期间的关系。结果68例初诊前列腺癌患者中,~(68)Ga-PSMA-617PET/CT检查结果显示,无远处转移患者38例(55.9%)、远处转移性患者30例(44.1%)。远处转移患者较无远处转移患者具有更高的PSA水平、Gleason评分、T分期及N分期,两者差异有统计学意义(P0.0001),但发病年龄无明显差异(P=0.675)。无远处转移组、仅伴区域外淋巴结转移组、仅伴骨转移组、同时伴区域外淋巴结和骨转移组及伴内脏转移组的PSA水平与转移程度存在正相关(r=0.602,P0.0001),并提示当PSA≥37ng/mL时,即可能发生远处转移。结论推荐Gleason评分为8-10分、T分期为3-4、N分期为1的初诊前列腺癌患者,特别是当PSA≥37ng/mL时,行~(68)GaPSMA-617PET/CT检查,尽早发现患者远处转移灶及精准分期,有利于对患者制订更合理的个体化治疗方案。     

Combined 18F‐fluorocholine and 18F‐fluoride positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging for staging of high‐risk prostate cancer

Study Type – Diagnosis (cohort) Level of Evidence 2a What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with choline and fluoride for the detection of metastases in patients with prostate cancer have each been evaluated, with mixed results. Choline PET/CT has been evaluated against pelvic lymphadenectomy, generally with a low sensitivity but a high specificity; however, the study populations have been heterogenous. Fluoride PET/CT has been evaluated against other imaging methods, such as bone scan, single photon emission CT and MRI, and has been shown to have high specificity as well as sensitivity for bone metastases, but there are no studies with biopsy verification. This is the first study that evaluates the clinical use of both choline and fluoride PET/CT on the same patients in a well‐defined population of patients with high‐risk prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE

• ? To investigate how often positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans, with both ¹⁸F‐fluorocholine and ¹⁸F‐fluoride as markers, add clinically relevant information for patients with prostate cancer who have high‐risk tumours and a normal or inconclusive planar bone scan.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• ? Patients with prostate cancer with prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels between 20 and 99 ng/mL and/or Gleason score 8–10 tumours, planned for treatment with curative intent based on routine staging with a negative or inconclusive bone scan, were further investigated with a ¹⁸F‐fluorocholine and a ¹⁸F‐fluoride PET/CT.
• ? None of the patients received hormonal therapy before the staging procedures were completed.

RESULTS

• ? For 50 of the 90 included patients (56%) one or both PET/CT scans indicated metastases.
• ? ¹⁸F‐fluorocholine PET/CT indicated lymph node metastases and/or bone metastases in 35 patients (39%).
• ? ¹⁸F‐fluoride PET/CT was suggestive for bone metastases in 37 patients (41%).
• ? In 18 patients (20%) the PET/CT scans indicated widespread metastases, leading to a change in therapy intent from curative to non‐curative.
• ? Of the patients with positive scans, 74% had Gleason score 8–10 tumours. Of the patients with Gleason score 8–10 tumours, 64% had positive scans.

CONCLUSIONS

• ? PET/CT scans with ¹⁸F‐fluorocholine and ¹⁸F‐fluoride commonly detect metastases in patients with high‐risk prostate cancer and a negative or inconclusive bone scan.
• ? For 20% of the patients the results of the PET/CT scans changed the treatment plan.

     

18F-fluorocholine PET/CT compared with extended pelvic lymph node dissection in high-risk prostate cancer

Purpose

To compare ¹⁸F-fluorocholine positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND) for the detection of lymph node metastases in a large cohort of patients with high-risk prostate cancer.

Materials and methods

Patients with prostate-specific antigen levels between 20 and 99 ng/mL and/or Gleason score 8–10 cancers, planned for treatment with curative intent following a negative or inconclusive standard bone scan, were investigated with ¹⁸F-fluorocholine PET/CT followed by an ePLND. None of the patients received hormonal therapy prior to these staging procedures. Results for PET/CT were compared on a per-patient basis with histopathology from ePLND. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated.

Results

PET/CT detected a total of 76 suspected lymph node metastases and four suspected bone metastases in 33 (29 %) of the 112 included patients. Of these, 35 suspected lymph node metastases, only within the anatomical template area of an ePLND, were found in 21 of the patients. Histopathology of the ePLND specimens detected 117 lymph node metastases in 48 (43 %) of the 112 patients. Per-patient sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for ¹⁸F-fluorocholine PET/CT for lymph node metastases within the ePLND template were 0.33, 0.92, 0.76 and 0.65, respectively. Only 11 patients had lymph nodes larger than 10 mm that would have been reported by CT alone.

Conclusions

¹⁸F-fluorocholine PET/CT detects lymph node metastases in a significant proportion of patients with high-risk prostate cancer with a high specificity, but low sensitivity.     

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is accurate for high-grade prostate cancer bone staging when compared to bone scintigraphy

IntroductionIn this study, we compared ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG)-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and bone scintigraphy accuracies for the detection of bone metastases for primary staging in high-grade prostate cancer (PCa) patients to determine if ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT could be used alone as a staging modality.MethodsMen with localized high-grade PCa (n=256, Gleason 8–10, International Society of Urological Pathology [ISUP] grades 4 or 5) were imaged with bone scintigraphy and ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT. We compared, on a per-patient basis, the accuracy of the two imaging modalities, taking inter-modality agreement as the standard of truth (SOT).Results¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT detected at least one bone metastasis in 33 patients compared to only 26 with bone scan. Of the seven false-negative bone scintigraphies, four (57.1%) were solitary metastases (monometastatic), three (42.9%) were oligometastatic (2–4 lesions), and none were plurimetastatic (>4 lesions). Compared to SOT, ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT showed higher sensitivity and accuracy than bone scintigraphy (100% vs. 78.8%, and 98.7% vs. 98.2%) for the detection of skeletal lesions.Conclusions¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT appears similar or better than conventional bone scans to assess for bone metastases in patients newly diagnosed with high-grade PCa. Since intraprostatic FDG uptake is also a biomarker for failure of radical prostatectomy and that FDG-PET/CT has been shown to be accurate in detecting PCa lymph node metastasis, FDG-PET/CT has the potential to be used as the sole preoperative staging modality in high-grade PCa.     

<Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc-HDP bone scintigraphy and <Superscript>18</Superscript>F-sodiumfluoride PET/CT in primary staging of patients with prostate cancer

Introduction/Aim

Correct staging of patients with prostate cancer is important for treatment planning and prognosis. Although bone scintigraphy with ^99mTc-phosphonates (BS) is generally advised for staging by guidelines in high risk prostate cancer, this imaging technique is hampered by a high rate of inconclusive results and moderate accuracy. Potentially better imaging techniques for detection of bone metastases such as ¹⁸F-sodiumfluoride PET/CT (NaF PET/CT) are therefore being evaluated. In this observational cohort study we evaluate the performance and clinical impact of both BS and NaF PET/CT in primary staging of patients with prostate cancer.

Methods

The first of two cohorts consisted of patients who received a BS while the second included patients who received a NaF PET/CT for primary staging of prostate cancer. For both cohorts the number of positive, negative and equivocal findings, calculated diagnostic performance of the imaging modality in terms of sensitivity and specificity, as well as the impact on clinical management were studied. The ranges of the diagnostic performance were calculated both assuming that equivocal findings were positive and assuming that they were negative for bone metastases. For the NaF PET/CT cohort the number of patients with signs of lymph node metastases on low dose CT were also recorded, including the impact of these findings on clinical management.

Results

One-hundred-and-four patients underwent NaF PET/CT, whereas 122 patients underwent BS. Sensitivities of 97–100 and 84–95% and specificities of 98–100 and 72–100% were found on a patient basis for detection of bone metastases with NaF PET/CT and BS, respectively. Equivocal findings warranted further diagnostic procedures in 2% of the patients in the NaF cohort and in 16% in the BS cohort. In addition NaF PET/CT demonstrated lymph node metastases in 50% of the included patients, of which 25% showed evidence of lymph node metastases only.

Conclusion

Our data indicate better diagnostic performance of NaF PET/CT compared to BS for detection of bone metastases in primary staging of prostate cancer patients. Less equivocal findings are encountered with NaF PET/CT. Moreover, NaF PET/CT has additional value over BS since lymph node metastases are encountered frequently.

     

Role of positron emission tomography in urological oncology

??Positron emission tomography (PET) is a diagnostic tool using radiotracers to show changes in metabolic activities in tissues. We analysed the role of PET and PET/computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of urological tumours. ??A critical, non-structured review of the literature of the role of PET and PET/CT in urological oncology was conducted. ??PET and PET/CT can play a role in the management of urological malignancies. For prostate cancer, the advances in radiotracers seems promising, with novel radiotracers yielding better diagnostic and staging results than 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG). In kidney cancer, PET and PET/CT allow a proper diagnosis before the pathological examination of the surgical specimen. For testis cancer, PET and PET/CT have been shown to be useful in the management of seminoma tumours. In bladder cancer, these scans allow a better initial diagnosis for invasive cancer, while detecting occult metastases. ??PET and its combined modality PET/CT have shown their potential in the diagnosis of urological malignancies. However, further studies are needed to establish the role of PET in the management of these diseases. Future applications of PET may involve fusion techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging with PET.     

Scanning with 18F-FDG-PET/CT for Detection of Pelvic Nodal Involvement in Inguinal Node-Positive Penile Carcinoma

Background

Penile carcinoma patients with inguinal lymph node involvement (LNI) have an increased risk for pelvic nodal involvement with or without distant metastases.

Objective

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) with computed tomography (CT; 18F-FDG PET/CT) scanning in determining further metastatic spread in patients with tumour-positive inguinal nodes.

Design, setting, and participants

Eighteen patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma with unilateral or bilateral cytologically tumour-positive inguinal disease underwent whole-body 18F-FDG-PET/CT scanning for tumour staging.

Measurements

Images were blindly assessed by two nuclear medicine physicians. All scans were evaluated for pelvic nodal involvement per basin and for distant metastases. Histopathology (when available), radiologic imaging, and clinical follow-up (with a minimum of 1 yr) served as a reference standard. The diagnostic value of PET/CT scanning for predicting pelvic nodal involvement was evaluated using standard statistical methods.

Results and limitations

The reference was available in 28 of the 36 pelvic basins. Of the 11 tumour-positive pelvic basins, 10 were correctly predicted by PET/CT scan, as were all 17 tumour-negative pelvic basins. PET/CT scan showed a sensitivity of 91%, a specificity of 100%, a diagnostic accuracy of 96%, a positive predictive value of 100%, and a negative predictive value of 94% in detecting pelvic nodal involvement. Additionally, PET/CT scans showed distant metastases in five patients. In four patients, the presence of distant metastases could be confirmed, while in one patient, no radiologic confirmation was found for that particular lesion. A potential limitation is that the diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT scanning was calculated on 28 pelvic basins only. Furthermore, no comparison was made with conventional CT scans, as not all patients had undergone contrast-enhanced CT scans.

Conclusions

PET/CT scanning appears promising for detecting pelvic lymph node metastases with great accuracy, and it identifies distant metastases in penile carcinoma patients with inguinal LNI. In our practice, PET/CT scanning has become part of routine staging in such patients.     

What Is the Comparative Ability of 18F-FDG PET/CT, 99mTc-MDP Skeletal Scintigraphy,and Whole-body MRI as a Staging Investigation to Detect Skeletal Metastases in Patients with Osteosarcoma and Ewing Sarcoma?

BackgroundSkeletal metastases of bone sarcomas are indicators of poor prognosis. Various imaging modalities are available for their identification, which include bone scan, positron emission tomography/CT scan, MRI, and bone marrow aspiration/biopsy. However, there is considerable ambiguity regarding the best imaging modality to detect skeletal metastases. To date, we are not sure which of these investigations is best for screening of skeletal metastasis.Question/purposeWhich staging investigation—¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT), whole-body MRI, or ^99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy—is best in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) in detecting skeletal metastases in patients with osteosarcoma and those with Ewing sarcoma?MethodsA prospective diagnostic study was performed among 54 of a total 66 consecutive osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma patients who presented between March 2018 and June 2019. The institutional review board approved the use of all three imaging modalities on each patient recruited for the study. Informed consent was obtained after thoroughly explaining the study to the patient or the patient’s parent/guardian. The patients were aged between 4 and 37 years, and their diagnoses were proven by histopathology. All patients underwent ^99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy, ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, and whole-body MRI for the initial staging of skeletal metastases. The number and location of bone and bone marrow lesions diagnosed with each imaging modality were determined and compared with each other. Multidisciplinary team meetings were held to reach a consensus about the total number of metastases present in each patient, and this was considered the gold standard. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of each imaging modality, along with their 95% confidence intervals, were generated by the software Stata SE v 15.1. Six of 24 patients in the osteosarcoma group had skeletal metastases, as did 8 of 30 patients in the Ewing sarcoma group. The median (range) follow-up for the study was 17 months (12 to 27 months). Although seven patients died before completing the minimum follow-up, no patients who survived were lost to follow-up.ResultsWith the number of patients available, we found no differences in terms of sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV among the three staging investigations in patients with osteosarcoma and in patients with Ewing sarcoma. Sensitivities to detect bone metastases for ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, whole-body MRI, and ^99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy were 100% (6 of 6 [95% CI 54% to 100%]), 83% (5 of 6 [95% CI 36% to 100%]), and 67% (4 of 6 [95% CI 22% to 96%]) and specificities were 100% (18 of 18 [95% CI 82% to 100%]), 94% (17 of 18 [95% CI 73% to 100%]), and 78% (14 of 18 [95% CI 52% to 94%]), respectively, in patients with osteosarcoma. In patients with Ewing sarcoma, sensitivities to detect bone metastases for ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, whole-body MRI, and ^99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy were 88% (7 of 8 [95% CI 47% to 100%]), 88% (7 of 8 [95% CI 47% to 100%]), and 50% (4 of 8 [95% CI 16% to 84%]) and specificities were 100% (22 of 22 [95% CI 85% to 100%]), 95% (21 of 22 [95% CI 77% to 100%]), and 95% (21 of 22 [95% CI 77% to 100%]), respectively. Further, the PPVs for detecting bone metastases for ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, whole-body MRI, and ^99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy were 100% (6 of 6 [95% CI 54% to 100%]), 83% (5 of 6 [95% CI 36% to 100%]), and 50% (4 of 8 [95% CI 16% to 84%]) and the NPVs were 100% (18 of 18 [95% CI 82% to 100%]), 94% (17 of 18 [95% CI 73% to 100%]), and 88% (14 of 16 [95% CI 62% to 98%]), respectively, in patients with osteosarcoma. Similarly, the PPVs for detecting bone metastases for ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, whole-body MRI, and ^99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy were 100% (7 of 7 [95% CI 59% to 100%]), 88% (7 of 8 [95% CI 50% to 98%]), and 80% (4 of 5 [95% CI 28% to 100%]), and the NPVs were 96% (22 of 23 [95% CI 78% to 100%]), 95% (21 of 22 [95% CI 77% to 99%]), and 84% (21 of 25 [95% CI 64% to 96%]), respectively, in patients with Ewing sarcoma. The confidence intervals around these values overlapped with each other, thus indicating no difference between them.ConclusionBased on these results, we could not demonstrate a difference in the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV between ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, whole-body MRI, and ^99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy for detecting skeletal metastases in patients with osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. For proper prognostication, a thorough metastatic workup is essential, which should include a highly sensitive investigation tool to detect skeletal metastases. However, our study findings suggest that there is no difference between these three imaging tools. Since this is a small group of patients in whom it is difficult to make broad recommendations, these findings may be confirmed by larger studies in the future.Level of EvidenceLevel II, diagnostic study.     

Detecting metastatic pelvic lymph nodes by 18F-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography in patients with prostate-specific antigen relapse after treatment for localized prostate cancer

AIM: To evaluate whether positron emission tomography (PET) with (18)F-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) can detect pelvic lymph node metastases in prostate cancer patients who had elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after treatment. METHODS: Twenty-four patients with a rising serum PSA level after treatment for localized prostate cancer were examined with FDG-PET before pelvic lymph node dissection. All patients had negative findings on whole body bone scan and equivocal pelvic computed tomography (CT) results. The results of FDG-PET were then compared to the histology of the pelvic lymph nodes obtained at surgery. RESULTS: Lymph node metastases were detected by histopathological examination in 16/24 (66.7%) patients. At the sites with histopathologically proven metastases, increased FDG uptake was found in 12/16 (75.0%) patients. In addition, there were 4 patients with false-negative results, but no patient with a false-positive result on FDG-PET images. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of FDG-PET in detecting metastatic pelvic lymph nodes were 75.0, 100.0, 83.3, 100.0, and 67.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that FDG-PET may be a valuable diagnostic tool in the staging of pelvic lymph nodes in patients with PSA relapse after treatment of localized prostate cancer when the whole body bone scan is negative and pelvic CT findings are equivocal.     

Good quality white-light transurethral resection of bladder tumours (GQ-WLTURBT) with experienced surgeons performing complete resections and obtaining detrusor muscle reduces early recurrence in new non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: validation across time and place and recommendation for benchmarking

Study Type – Diagnostic (exploratory cohort) Level of Evidence 2a What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Staging of patients with prostate cancer is the cornerstone of treatment. However, after curative intended therapy a high portion of patients relapse with local and/or distant recurrence. Therefore, one may question whether surgical lymph node dissection (LND) is sufficiently reliable for staging of these patients. Several imaging methods for primary LN staging of patients with prostate cancer have been tested. Acceptable detection rates have not been achieved by CT or MRI or for that matter with PET/CT using the most common tracer fluoromethylcholine (FCH). Other more recent metabolic tracers like acetate and choline seem to be more sensitive for assessment of LNs in both primary staging and re‐staging. However, previous studies were small. Therefore, we assessed the value of [¹⁸F]FCH PET/CT for primary LN staging in a prospective study of a larger sample and with a ‘blinded’ review. After a study period of 3 years and >200 included patients, we concluded that [¹⁸F]FCH PET/CT did not reach an optimal detection rate compared with LND, and, therefore, it cannot replace this procedure. However, we did detect several bone metastases with [¹⁸F]FCH PET/CT that the normal bone scans had missed, and this might be worth pursuing.

OBJECTIVES

• ? To assess the value of [¹⁸F]fluoromethylcholine (FCH) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for lymph node (LN) staging of prostate cancer.
• ? To evaluate if FCH PET/CT can replace LN dissection (LND) for LN staging of prostate cancer, as about one‐third of patients with prostate cancer who receive intended curative therapy will have recurrence, one reason being undetected LN involvement.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• ? From January 2008 to December 2010, 210 intermediate‐ or high‐risk patients had a FCH PET/CT scan before regional LND.
• ? After dissection, the result of histological examination of the LNs (gold standard) was compared with the result of FCH PET/CT obtained by ‘blinded review’.
• ? Sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPV) of FCH PET/CT were measured for detection of LNe metastases.

RESULTS

• ? Of the 210 patients, 76 (36.2%) were in the intermediate‐risk group and 134 (63.8%) were in the high‐risk group. A medium (range) of 5 (1–28) LNs were removed per patient.
• ? Histological examination of removed LNs showed metastases in 41 patients. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of FCH PET/CT for patient‐based LN staging were 73.2%, 87.6%, 58.8% and 93.1%, respectively.
• ? Corresponding values for LN‐based analyses were 56.2%, 94.0%, 40.2%, and 96.8%, respectively.
• ? The mean diameter of the true positive LN metastases was significantly larger than that of the false negative LNs (10.3 vs 4.6 mm; P < 0.001).
• ? In addition, FCH PET/CT detected a high focal bone uptake, consistent with bone metastases, in 18 patients, 12 of which had histologically benign LNs.

CONCLUSIONS

• ? Due to a relatively low sensitivity and a correspondingly rather low PPV, FCH PET/CT is not ideal for primary LN staging in patients with prostate cancer.
• ? However, FCH PET/CT does convey important additional information otherwise not recognised, especially for bone metastases.

     

Dual-Time <Superscript>18</Superscript>F-FDG PET/CT Imaging in Initial Locoregional Staging of Breast Carcinoma: Comparison with Conventional Imaging and Pathological Prognostic Factors

The aims of this retrospective study were to consider the diagnostic role of dual-time ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) in detection of breast carcinoma and axillary lymph node (ALN) status and to evaluate the primary tumor ¹⁸F-FDG uptake pattern. Preoperative staging was performed by ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in 78 female patients with breast carcinoma. Conventional imaging results were evaluated by breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 79 lesions in 78 patients, bilateral mammography (MMG) of 40 lesions in 40 patients, and breast ultrasonography (USG) of 47 lesions in 46 patients. The primary tumor detection rate using ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT was higher than those using MRI, USG, and MMG. The sensitivity and specificity of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scans for detecting multifocality were higher than those of MRI. The specificity of ALN metastasis detection with MRI was higher than that with ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, but ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT had higher sensitivity. Higher ¹⁸F-FDG uptake levels were detected in patients with ALN metastasis, histologic grade 3, estrogen–progesterone-negative receptor status, lymphatic invasion, and moderate to poor prognostic groups. There was no statistical difference for the retention index in categorical pathological parameters except for progesterone-negative status. In conclusion, ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scans may be a valuable imaging technique for evaluating primary tumor and axillary status in staging breast carcinoma and ¹⁸F-FDG uptake may be a prognostic factor that indicates aggressive tumor biology and poor prognosis. Dual-time imaging in breast carcinoma staging may not be used for predicting pathological criteria and the aggressiveness of primary lesions.