(18)F-FDG PET for the Evaluation of Thymic Epithelial Tumors: Correlation with the World Health Organization Classification in Addition to Dual-time-point Imaging

Overview

Journal Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging

Specialties Biophysics
Nuclear Medicine
Radiology

Date 2009 Feb 17

PMID 19219429

Citations 17

Authors

Atsuo Inoue

Noriyuki Tomiyama

Mitsuaki Tatsumi

Naoki Ikeda

Meinoshin Okumura

Hiroyuki Shiono

Masayoshi Inoue

Ichiro Higuchi

Katsuyuki Aozasa

Takeshi Johkoh

Hironobu Nakamura

Jun Hatazawa

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: Our aim was to determine dual-phase (18)F-FDG PET imaging features for various subtypes of thymic epithelial tumors based on the World Health Organization classification.

Methods: Forty-six patients with histologically verified thymic epithelial tumors [23 with low-risk tumors (4 with type A, 16 with AB, and 3 with B1) and 23 with high-risk tumors (7 with B2, 5 with B3, and 11 with thymic carcinoma] were enrolled in this study. All patients were injected with (18)F-FDG.; after 1 h, they underwent scanning; after 3 h, 23 patients underwent an additional scanning. The maximum standard uptake value (SUV(max)) and the retention index (RI%) of the lesions were determined.

Results: The early and delayed SUV(max) values in the patients with high-risk tumors [early SUV(max) (mean: 6.0) and delayed SUV(max) (mean: 7.4)] were both significantly larger than those in patients with low-risk tumors [early SUV(max) (mean: 3.2) and delayed SUV(max) (mean: 3.4)] (P < 0.05). Early SUV(max) values of greater than 7.1 differentiated thymic carcinomas from other types of tumors. For the histological differentiation between high-risk tumors and low-risk tumors, an early SUV(max) value of 4.5 was used as the cutoff. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 78.3, 91.3, and 84.8%, respectively.

Conclusion: High SUV values (early SUV > 4.5) suggest the presence of high-risk tumors. A very high SUV value (early SUV > 7.1) is useful for the differentiation of thymic carcinomas from other types of tumors. The delayed SUV values were higher than the early SUV values in all types of tumors.

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