title: The role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the management of testicular cancers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine the utility of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) in managing testicular cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two patients (29 seminoma, 28 nonseminoma and five mixed) underwent 75 (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans (16 scans for primary staging, 44 for residual masses and 15 for rising tumour markers). Follow-up histology, clinical scans and tumour marker results were included for retrospective analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (i) Primary staging: eight of 11 patients with equivocal CT scans had true-negative (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans. Five high-risk patients with normal stage 1 CT scans had negative (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans, but two subsequently relapsed. (ii) Residual masses: of the 20 scans interpreted as showing viable disease, five were false positive. Nineteen scans were negative (18 true negative and one false negative). (iii) Rising tumour markers: of the 15 scans, two were false negative and 13 were true positive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (18)F-FDG PET/CT is helpful when primary staging CT scans are equivocal but insufficiently sensitive to predict relapse in high-risk patients with normal CT scans. With residual masses, a negative scan is rarely associated with relapse. (18)F-FDG PET/CT is helpful in defining recurrent disease in the majority of patients with rising tumour markers and negative CT scans.
authors.affiliation: aKings College London bRoyal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London cInstitute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, UK.
authors.forename: Gary J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Aslam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sohaib
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Huddart
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Dearnaley
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horwich
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chua
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018239:Seminoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18