Thyroid incidentalomas in FDG-PET/CT: prevalence and clinical impact.
To evaluate the prevalence of thyroid FDG-PET/CT incidentalomas and the risk of malignancy in focal findings. A retrospective study of 3,062 PET scans was performed between 05/2006 and 09/2009. Prevalence of thyroid incidentalomas, risk of malignancy and correlation between standard uptake value (SUV) and cancer risk were analysed. The overall prevalence of thyroid incidentalomas was 2.4%. 71% showed a focal and 29% a diffuse uptake. In the focal uptake group, the diagnosis was clarified in 79% with cytology/histology. In 23.8% of the patients with a focal uptake, a malignant lesion was found. Diffuse uptake was predominantly associated with autoimmune thyroiditis. There was no statistically significant difference in the SUVmax between benign and malignant focal lesions (p = 0.0982). Patients with incidental focal uptake in the thyroid during FDG-PET/CT bear a considerable risk of malignancy and should undergo cytologic clarification of the diagnosis.
Clinic of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, Rorschacherstrasse 95, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland. bonabi@gmx.ch
Sharouz
S
Bonabi
Felix
F
Schmidt
Martina A
MA
Broglie
Sarah R
SR
Haile
Sandro J
SJ
Stoeckli
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18