Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI versus 18F-FDG PET/CT: Which is better in differentiation between malignant and benign solitary pulmonary nodules?

• Published in: Chinese journal of cancer research 2018-02, Vol.30 (1), p.21-30
• Main Authors: Feng, Feng, Qiang, Fulin, Shen, Aijun, Shi, Donghui, Fu, Aiyan, Li, Haiming, Zhang, Mingzhu, Xia, Ganlin, Cao, Peng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original
• ISSN: 1000-9604; 1993-0631
• DOI: 10.21147/j.issn.1000-9604.2018.01.03

OBJECTIVETo prospectively compare the discriminative capacity of dynamic contrast enhanced-magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) with that of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the differentiation of malignant and benign solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). METHODSForty-nine patients with SPNs were included in this prospective study. Thirty-two of the patients had malignant SPNs, while the other 17 had benign SPNs. All these patients underwent DCE-MRI and 18F-FDG PET/CT examinations. The quantitative MRI pharmacokinetic parameters, including the trans-endothelial transfer constant (Ktrans), redistribution rate constant (Kep), and fractional volume (Ve), were calculated using the Extended-Tofts Linear two-compartment model. The 18F-FDG PET/CT parameter, maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), was also measured. Spearman's correlations were calculated between the MRI pharmacokinetic parameters and the SUVmax of each SPN. These parameters were statistically compared between the malignant and benign nodules. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to compare the diagnostic capability between the DCE-MRI and 18F-FDG PET/CT indexes. RESULTSPositive correlations were found between Ktrans and SUVmax, and between Kep and SUVmax (P