title: 18F-DOPA and 18F-FDG PET/CT, scintigraphic localization and radioguided surgery of recurrent medullary thyroid cancer: two case reports.
abstract: Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is considered as a rare thyroid cancer. Surgical approaches such as, total thyroidectomy and bilateral lymph node dissection, represent the first-line treatment. Persistent or increasing serum levels of tumor markers, such as CEA and calcitonin, imply residual or recurrent disease. An early and precise detection of recurrence is very important for guiding appropriate treatment. Recent developments in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with different radiopharmaceuticals targeting specific hallmark of MTC, such as 18F-DOPA and 18F-FDG, have offered increased sensitivity for identifying recurrences. Moreover, the ability of conventional scintigraphic imaging to guide the surgical approach can be useful for the treatment of MTC recurrent patients. In the present work, we reported two cases of patients with recurrent MTC sending to surgical treatment guided by "nuclear medicine approaches".
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Evangelista
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farsad
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piotto
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata, 64; 35128 Padua, Italy. laura.evangelista@ioveneto.it.
authors.forename: Maria R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pelizzo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine