title: Recommendations on the use of 18F-FDG PET in oncology.
abstract: The rationale was to develop recommendations on the use of (18)F-FDG PET in breast, colorectal, esophageal, head and neck, lung, pancreatic, and thyroid cancer; lymphoma, melanoma, and sarcoma; and unknown primary tumor. Outcomes of interest included the use of (18)F-FDG PET for diagnosing, staging, and detecting the recurrence or progression of cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A search was performed to identify all published randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in the literature. An additional search was performed to identify relevant unpublished systematic reviews. These publications comprised both retrospective and prospective studies of varied methodologic quality. The anticipated consequences of false-positive and false-negative tests when evaluating clinical usefulness, and the impact of (18)F-FDG PET on the management of cancer patients, were also reviewed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (18)F-FDG PET should be used as an imaging tool additional to conventional radiologic methods such as CT or MRI; any positive finding that could lead to a clinically significant change in patient management should be confirmed by subsequent histopathologic examination because of the risk of false-positive results. (18)F-FDG PET should be used in the appropriate clinical setting for the diagnosis of head and neck, lung, or pancreatic cancer and for unknown primary tumor. PET is also indicated for staging of breast, colon, esophageal, head and neck, and lung cancer and of lymphoma and melanoma. In addition, (18)F-FDG PET should be used to detect recurrence of breast, colorectal, head and neck, or thyroid cancer and of lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Indiana/Purdue University, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-5253, USA. jwfletch@iupui.edu
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Djulbegovic
authors.forename: Heloisa P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Barry A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.forename: Val J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: Gary H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Lyman
authors.forename: R Edward
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wahl
authors.forename: John Christopher
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Paschold
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Avril
authors.forename: Lawrence H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Einhorn
authors.forename: W Warren
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Samson
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Delbeke
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gorman
authors.forename: Anthony F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Shields
mesh_terms: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000592:standards*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009683:Nuclear Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18