Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Contrast-enhanced PET/CT, more accurate, in metastatic pancreatic cancer

Yoneyana et al in their study that was published in the EuropeanJournal of Radiology report on the accuracy of contrast-enhanced (CE) 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)–positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in the staging of pancreatic cancer.

A total of 95 patients with primary pancreatic cancer underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT examinations.  The diagnostic accuracy between non-CE PET/CT and CE PET/CT was compared using as a reference standard histology in 48 patients (51%) and an obvious progression in number or size of the lesions on follow-up CT examinations in 47 patients (49%). 

Invasion of duodenum (n = 20, 21%), mesentery (n = 12, 13%), and retroperitoneum (n = 13, 14%) was correctly diagnosed by both modalities.  The diagnostic accuracy of nodal metastases of the two modalities was similar with metastases correctly diagnosed by CE PET/CT in 38 patients (88%) and by non-CE PET/CT in 45 patients (87%). Using CE PET/CT, distant metastases, scalene node metastasis, and peritoneal dissemination were correctly diagnosed in 39 patients (91%), while interpretation based on non-CE PET/CT revealed distant metastasis, scalene node metastasis, and peritoneal dissemination in 42 patients (81%).  Therefore, the diagnostic accuracy of CE PET/CT was significantly higher than that of non-CE PET/CT (p < 0.05) in distant metastases, scalene node metastasis, and peritoneal dissemination.


The authors concluded that the addition of contrast in PET/CT studies allows for a more precise assessment of distant metastases, scalene node metastases, and peritoneal dissemination in patients with pancreatic cancer.

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