Evaluation of Prostate Cancer with 11C- and 18F-Choline PET/CT: Diagnosis and Initial Staging.
Early diagnosis and adequate staging are crucial for the choice of adequate treatment in prostate cancer (PC). Morphologic and functional imaging modalities, such as CT and MRI, have had limited accuracy in the diagnosis and nodal staging of PC. Molecular PET/CT imaging with11C- or18F-choline-labeled derivatives is increasingly being used, but its role in the diagnosis and initial staging of PC is controversial because of limitations in sensitivity and specificity for the detection of primary PC. For T staging, functional MRI is superior to11C- or18F-choline PET/CT. For N staging,11C- or18F-choline PET/CT can provide potentially useful information that may influence treatment planning. For the detection of bone metastases,11C- or18F-choline PET/CT has had promising results; however, in terms of cost-effectiveness, the routine use of11C- or18F-choline PET/CT is still debatable.11C- or18F-choline PET/CT might be used in high-risk PC before radiation treatment planning, potentially affecting this planning (e.g., regarding dose escalation). This review provides an overview of the diagnostic accuracy and limitations of11C- or18F-choline PET/CT in the diagnosis and staging of PC.
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rostock University Medical Centre, Rostock, Germany.
Sascha
S
Nitsch
Department of Urology, Rostock University Medical Centre, Rostock, Germany; and.
Oliver W
OW
Hakenberg
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rostock University Medical Centre, Rostock, Germany.
Martin
M
Heuschkel
Department of Urology, Rostock University Medical Centre, Rostock, Germany; and.
Desiree
D
Dräger
Department of Radiotherapy, Rostock University Medical Centre, Rostock, Germany.
Guido
G
Hildebrandt
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rostock University Medical Centre, Rostock, Germany.
Bernd J
BJ
Krause
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rostock University Medical Centre, Rostock, Germany sarah.schwarzenboeck@med.uni-rostock.de.
Sarah M
SM
Schwarzenböck
D002794:Choline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D000072078:Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C516370:fluoromethylcholine; C447081:methyl carbon-11 choline; D002794:Choline
PET/CT; choline; diagnosis; prostate cancer; staging