Clinical value of FDG-PET for preoperative evaluation of endometrial cancer

• Published in: Annals of nuclear medicine 2011-05, Vol.25 (4), p.269-275
• Main Authors: Suga, Tsuyoshi, Nakamoto, Yuji, Saga, Tsuneo, Higashi, Tatsuya, Hamanaka, Yasuyo, Tatsumi, Mitsuaki, Hayashida, Kohei, Hara, Tadashi, Konishi, Ikuo, Fujii, Shingo, Togashi, Kaori
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Endometrial Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Endometrial Neoplasms - pathology; Endometrial Neoplasms - surgery; Endometrial Neoplasms - therapy; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Humans; Imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Metastasis; Neoplasm Staging; Neoplasms, Second Primary - diagnostic imaging; Nuclear Medicine; Original Article; Positron-Emission Tomography; Preoperative Period; Radiology; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 0914-7187; 1864-6433
• DOI: 10.1007/s12149-011-0474-2

Objective Whole body positron emission tomography (PET) with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been widely used in various malignancies, but the clinical value of FDG-PET for endometrial cancer has not been fully investigated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of FDG-PET for preoperative evaluation of endometrial cancer. Methods Forty female patients suspected of having endometrial cancer were included in this study. All patients underwent an FDG-PET or PET/CT scan, and images were interpreted visually. The diagnostic performance in detecting the primary tumor, regional nodal status, and distant metastasis was determined. In addition, the usefulness of PET was assessed in terms of additional information and clinical impact for therapeutic management. Results Of 40 patients, 30 were histologically confirmed to have endometrial cancer. The patient-based sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET for primary tumors were 83 and 100%, respectively, and 100 and 100%, respectively, for nodal metastases. There were 12 distant metastases in 6 patients and two second primary cancers in two patients, which were all accurately diagnosed by PET on a patient-basis. PET yielded 12 additional findings in 10 patients, and had a bearing on the therapeutic management of four patients, including one patient with recurrent breast cancer. Conclusions FDG-PET had a reasonably high diagnostic accuracy in endometrial cancer. Although the number of cases with clinical impact was limited, additional information by PET was obtained in one-third of the cases.