Present and future of PET and PET/CT in gynaecologic malignancies.
OBJECTIVE
To review the published data in literature on patients affected by gynaecological malignancies to establish the role of (18)F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/CT in comparison to conventional imaging (CI).


METHODS
All papers specifically addressed to the role of (18)F-FDG PET and PET/CT in gynaecological malignancies published on PubMed/Medline, in abstracts from the principal international congresses, in the guidelines from national Societies that had appeared in literature until November 2009 were considered for the purpose of the present study.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of (18)F-FDG PET, and even more of (18)F-FDG PET/CT, is increasing in the follow up of patients with gynaecologic malignancies and suspected recurrent disease: there is evidence in the literature that (18)F-FDG PET/CT has a higher sensitivity than CI in depicting occult metastatic spread. An interesting issue is represented by patients with ovarian cancer with an increase of the specific biomarker, CA-125, and negative/inconclusive findings at CI. The use of (18)F-FDG PET in differential diagnosis and staging is more controversial, but there is some evidence that a baseline PET examination performed before commencing therapy, for staging purpose, is also useful to evaluate the response to chemoradiation treatment. In several papers it has been suggested a relevant role of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in evaluating the entity of response to treatment and therefore to plan the subsequent therapeutic strategy.
Musto
Alessandra
A
Department of Nuclear Medicine, PET Center, Policlinico Sant'Orsola Malpighi, Bologna University, Bologna, Italy.
Rampin
Lucia
L
Nanni
Cristina
C
Marzola
Maria Cristina
MC
Fanti
Stefano
S
Rubello
Domenico
D
D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005544:Forecasting; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18