The value of FDG-PET in oncology is currently investigated in clinical studies. There is only limited information on the usefulness of FDG-PET in the evaluation of distant metastases of lung cancer. The purpose of the present prospective investigation was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET in the detection of brain metastases of lung cancer. After intravenous injection of 220 +/- 50 MBq F-18-deoxyglucose PET acquisition was carried out using an ECAT ART scanner (CTI Siemens). Images were reconstructed using a filtered backprojection with a Hanning filter. PET data were analyzed by visual interpretation of coronal, sagittal and transversal slices. PET scans were interpreted by two experienced nuclear medicine physicians without prior knowledge of the results of other imaging studies or clinical data. Between March 1997 and July 1998 whole-body PET was performed in 417 patients with suspected lung cancer. 402 patients were used for statistical analysis. Based on conventional brain imaging with CT (occasionally MRI), brain metastases were suspected in 17 patients (prevalence 4.2%). For FDG-PET alone, sensitivity was 82% (14/17) and specificity 38% (14/37). Therefore, diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET in detection of brain metastases was 93.5%. The low specificity of FDG-PET can be explained by reduced tracer uptake mainly due to brain infarction or vascular encephalopathy in this group of elderly patients. Our results indicate that due to its low specificity FDG-PET is not useful for the evaluation of brain metastases in the primary staging of patients with lung cancer.
The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography with 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG-PET) in the detection of recurrent lung cancer. PET was performed using an ECAT ART scanner (Siemens CTI) after i.v. injection of 220 +/- 50 MBq 18FDG. PET data were analysed by visual interpretation of coronal, sagittal and transversal slices. PET scans were interpreted independently by two experienced nuclear medicine physicians without prior knowledge of the results of other imaging studies or clinical data. 40 patients (= 41 cases) who had undergone primarily curative tumour treatment, were evaluated. In 29 of 35 cases with recurrent tumour, diagnosis was verified by pathologic means. FDG-PET correctly identified tumour recurrence in 34/35 cases. In 5/6 cases without prevent tumour recurrence PET gave true negative results. The overall accuracy of FDG-PET was 39/41 = 95% (95%-confidence interval 83-99%). FDG-PET shows high diagnostic accuracy in detecting recurrent lung cancer in patients with prior curative tumour treatment, but cannot substitute the need for pathological diagnosis.
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