Comparing whole body 18F-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography and technetium-99m methylene diphosphate bone scan to detect bone metastases in patients with renal cell carcinomas - a preliminary report.
OBJECTIVE
Conventional technetium-99m methylene diphosphate whole body bone scan (bone scan) has a high sensitivity but a poor specificity to detect bone metastases. However, positron emission tomography with 18F-2-deoxyglucose (FDG-PET) can offer superior spatial resolution and improved specificity. We have attempted to evaluate the usefulness of FDG-PET for detecting bone metastases in renal cell carcinomas (RCC) and to compare FDG-PET results with bone scan findings.


METHODS
Eighteen patients were selected for this study with biopsy-proven RCC. They were suspected of having bone metastases and were undergoing bone scan and FDG-PET to detect bone metastases. The final diagnoses of bone metastases were established by operative, histopathological findings or clinical follow-up longer than 1 year by additional radiographs or following FDG-PET/bone scan findings showing progressive and extensive widespread bone lesions.


RESULTS
A total of 52 bone lesions including 40 metastatic and 12 benign bone lesions found on either FDG-PET or bone scan were evaluated. FDG-PET could accurately diagnose all 40 metastatic and 12 benign bone lesions. Bone scan could accurately diagnose only 31 metastatic bone lesions. Diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy of FDG-PET were 100% and 100%, respectively,and bone scan were 77.5% and 59.6%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that FDG-PET has a higher sensitivity and a better accuracy than that of bone scan to detect bone metastases in patients with RCC.
Wu
H C
HC
Department of Urology, China Medical College Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Yen
R F
RF
Shen
Y Y
YY
Kao
C H
CH
Lin
C C
CC
Lee
C C
CC
D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate