title: Functional imaging evaluation in the detection, diagnosis, and histologic differentiation of pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors.
abstract: Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) have distinct pathologic characteristics. Typical carcinoids are indolent neoplasms with a good prognosis, whereas atypical carcinoids have a less indolent behavior. Both are optimally treated with complete surgical excision. More aggressive pNETs often present with local invasion, thoracic lymph nodal metastases, and distant spread. Patients may not be candidates for surgical resection and are treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. This article examines the potential role of functional imaging evaluation using (18)F FDG and somatostatin analogues labeled with (68)Ga DOTA-peptides in well-differentiated pNETs with particular attention to clinical and surgical implications.
authors: Unit of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS-Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, viale risorgimento 80, Reggio Emilia 42121, Italy. Electronic address: filippo_lococo@yahoo.it.
authors: Filippo
authors: F
authors: Lococo
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona 6500, Switzerland.
authors: Giorgio
authors: G
authors: Treglia
authors: Scientific Direction, IRCCS-San Raffaele Pisana, Via della Pisana, 235, Rome 00163, Italy.
authors: Alfredo
authors: A
authors: Cesario
authors: Unit of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS-Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, viale risorgimento 80, Reggio Emilia 42121, Italy.
authors: Massimiliano
authors: M
authors: Paci
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS-Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, viale risorgimento 80, Reggio Emilia 42121, Italy.
authors: Angelina
authors: A
authors: Filice
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS-Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, viale risorgimento 80, Reggio Emilia 42121, Italy.
authors: Annibale
authors: A
authors: Versari
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery, University of Torino, via Giuseppe Verdi 8, Torino 10124, Italy.
authors: Pier Luigi
authors: PL
authors: Filosso
mesh_terms: D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000175:diagnosis*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: PET-CT scans; Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors; Radiometabolic evaluation; pNETs