First Clinical Experience of Ga-FAPI PET/CT in Tertiary Cancer Center: Identifying Pearls and Pitfalls

Overview

Journal Diagnostics (Basel)

Date 2025 Jan 25

PMID 39857102

Authors

Akram Al-Ibraheem

Ahmed Saad Abdlkadir

Ula Al-Rasheed

Dhuha Al-Adhami

Feras Istatieh

Farah Anwar

Marwah Abdulrahman

Rula Amarin

Issa Mohamad

Asem Mansour

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Over the past four years, Ga-fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has been established at a tertiary cancer care facility in Jordan. This retrospective study aims to explore tracer uptake metrics across various epithelial neoplasms, identify diagnostic pitfalls associated with Ga-FAPI PET/CT, and evaluate the influence of Ga-FAPI PET/CT staging results on changes in therapeutic intent compared to gold standard molecular imaging modalities. A total of 48 patients with biopsy-confirmed solid tumors underwent 77 Ga-FAPI PET/CT examinations for molecular imaging assessment, encompassing neoplasms originating from the gastrointestinal tract, head and neck, hepatobiliary system, pancreas, breast, and lung. Notably, pancreaticobiliary tumors exhibited the highest tracer uptake, with mean maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) and tumor-to-background ratios (TBR) surpassing 10. A comparative sub-analysis of Ga-FAPI PET metrics in 20 treatment-naïve patients revealed a significant correlation between Ga-FAPI uptake metrics and tumor grade (Spearman's rho 0.83; = 0.00001). Importantly, the results from Ga-FAPI PET/CT influenced treatment decisions in 35.5% of the cases, primarily resulting in an escalation of management plans. A total of 220 diagnostic challenges were identified across 88.3% of the scans, predominantly within the musculoskeletal system, attributed to degenerative changes (99 observations). This comprehensive analysis highlights the potential significance of Ga-FAPI PET/CT in oncological imaging and treatment strategy, while also emphasizing the necessity for meticulous interpretation to mitigate diagnostic challenges.

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