Clinical implication of F-18 FDG PET/CT for differentiated thyroid cancer in patients with negative diagnostic iodine-123 scan and elevated thyroglobulin.
This study aims to investigate the usefulness of F-18 FDG PET/CT in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) with elevated serum thyroglobulin (Tg) but negative iodine-123 (I-123) scan.


METHODS
Twenty patients with histopathologically proven DTC, negative diagnostic I-123 scan, and elevated serum Tg levels were prospectively submitted to F-18 FDG PET/CT evaluation. The histopathologic findings consisted of 19 papillary thyroid cancers, 1 follicular thyroid cancer.


RESULTS
F-18 FDG PET/CT identified lesions in 18 out of 20 patients, giving a sensitivity of 90%. Thirteen of the 18 patients revealed limited loco-regional disease. Remaining 5 patients showed distant metastases, consisting of 4 patients with lung metastases and 1 patient with bone metastasis. Two patients revealed negative F-18 FDG PET/CT findings.


CONCLUSIONS
F-18 FDG PET/CT is suitable for the detection and precise localization of loco-regional recurrences and distant metastases of DTC in patients with elevated serum Tg but negative I-123 whole body scan.
Kim
Seong-Jang
SJ
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea. growthkim@daum.net
Lee
Tae Hong
TH
Kim
In-Ju
IJ
Kim
Yong-Ki
YK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000097:blood*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D013954:Thyroglobulin