title: Malignant melanoma: staging with whole-body positron emission tomography and 2-[F-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) in the detection of metastasis from melanoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Whole-body PET was performed in 33 patients with either known metastatic or newly diagnosed melanoma. Patients with suspected metastases also underwent computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or both. Diagnoses were confirmed with histologic examination or with at least one imaging modality in addition to PET. Blinded interpretations of PET scans were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty of 53 lesions evaluated proved to be melanoma metastases. Whole-body PET correctly depicted 37 sites of metastases. Three cutaneous metastases (< 3 mm) were missed. PET correctly excluded malignancy in 10 cases where suspicious lesions were found with conventional cross-sectional imaging modalities but later ruled out with fine-needle biopsy. In six patients, PET depicted new metastases. The sensitivity for the detection of malignant lesions was 92%; the specificity for reading the PET images without clinical information was 77% and with clinical information was 100%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that whole-body FDG PET is an effective imaging modality to screen for metastases from malignant melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Radiology, University Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Steinert
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Huch Böni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buck
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Böni
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Berthold
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marincek
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Burg
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: von Schulthess
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005260:Female; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
chemical_list: D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D003847:Deoxyglucose