title: Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in pulmonary carcinoid tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The role of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) as an additional investigation to computer tomography for pulmonary carcinoid tumors remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the role of FDG-PET for the diagnosis and staging of pulmonary carcinoid tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective mono-institutional analysis of data from 97 patients with pathologically confirmed pulmonary carcinoid tumor who had been operated on between July 1998 and April 2009 and had had a preoperative FDG-PET scan performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-five (67%) of the 97 tumors were typical (TC) and 32 (33%) atypical (AC) carcinoid tumors. Overall FDG-PET sensitivity was 67% being lower for TC (60%) than for AC (81%) (P=0.04). FDG-PET negative tumors were smaller than FDG-PET positive tumors, with a respective median size of 15 and 17 mm (P=0.02). Median SUVmax for FDG-PET-positive tumors was 4.0 (2.8-5.1) with no difference between TC and AC tumors. Median Ki-67 expression was respectively 4.7% and 3.1% for FDG-PET positive and FDG-PET negative tumors (P=0.05). During a median follow-up of 49 months (interquartile range 30-63 months), 9 patients (4TC, 5AC) developed recurrent disease. Neither SUVmax nor Ki-67 expression resulted associated with disease-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With an overall sensitivity of 67%, FDG-PET has shown to be useful in the preoperative work-up of patients with suspect lung carcinoid tumors. In particular it could have a role in larger tumors. These results warrant a prospective evaluation of FDG-PET in the staging of lung carcinoid tumor.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy - roberto.gasparri@ieo.it.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gasparri
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Rezende
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fazio
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maisonneuve
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Travaini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paganelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petrella
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Galetta
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spaggiari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D057234:Preoperative Period; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18