Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: retrospective analysis of 12 patients.
BACKGROUND
Whole-body 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) has been used for whole-body imaging modality in detecting malignancy in clinical oncology. However, only a few reports of FDG PET in skin cancers have been described, except for melanoma and lymphoma.


OBJECTIVE
To report on the usefulness of FDG PET as a baseline workup study for patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).


METHODS
There were 12 cases of SCC (9 cases with high-risk SCC). Of the 12, FDG PET was performed for staging in 11 patients and for restaging in 1 patient 1 year after wide excision.


RESULTS
Primary lesions were detected in nine cases (83.3%), lymph node involvement in three cases (25.0%), and distant. organ (lung) involvement in one case (8.3%). In one patient whose primary lesion was positive, stomach cancer with involvement of adrenal glands, omentum, and lymph nodes was incidentally detected. All of the patients with high-risk SCC showed FDG uptakes of the primary lesions, and the patients with FDG uptakes in lymph nodes and distant organ had high-risk SCC.


CONCLUSIONS
There have been no comparative studies on the cost-effectiveness between sentinel lymph node biopsy and FDG PET in SCC patients. However, considering the noninvasiveness and thoroughness in checking the whole body, including distant organs, FDG PET may have clinical value as a baseline workup study for patients with high-risk SCC.
Cho
Sung Bin
SB
Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Chung
Woo Gil
WG
Yun
Mijin
M
Lee
Jong Doo
JD
Lee
Min Geol
MG
Chung
Kee Yang
KY
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18