Can [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose standardized uptake values of PET imaging predict pathologic extrathyroid invasion of thyroid papillary microcarcinomas?
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the hypothesis that the [F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) standardized uptake values (SUVs) of positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging can predict pathologic extrathyroid invasion of thyroid papillary microcarcinomas (TPMC) DESIGN: Prospective clinical study.


METHODS
From 2004 to 2005, 44 consecutive patients with TPMC (< or =1 cm), confirmed by ultrasonography and aspiration cytology, had FDG PET scans performed. Among them, 66 tumor foci in 41 patients were confirmed to be of less than 1 cm in diameter by the final surgical pathology report. According to the microcarcinoma tumor focus, prediction of pathologic extrathyroid invasion, by clinical variables including sonographic findings and SUVs from PET imaging, was evaluated by the univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis.


RESULTS
: Univariate analysis showed that the tumor site attached to the thyroid capsule and the SUVs of PET imaging could predict pathologic extrathyroid invasion. However, the tumor site attached to thyroid capsule and an age older than 45 were significant predictors by multivariate analysis (P = .001 and P = .036). SUVs from PET imaging were only correlated with the size of tumor (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The SUVs from FDG PET imaging alone cannot predict the pathologic extrathyroid invasion in patients with TPMC. However, the ultrasonographic findings, such as tumor site, provide better information about the extrathyroid invasion of TPMC tumor foci.
Jeong
Han-Sin
HS
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Chung
Manki
M
Baek
Chung-Hwan
CH
Ko
Young-Hyeh
YH
Choi
Joon-Young
JY
Son
Young-Ik
YI
D000328:Adult; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D014463:Ultrasonography
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18