The utility of FDG-PET in the diagnosis of thymic epithelial tumors

• Published in: The Journal of Medical Investigation Vol. 59; no. 3.4; pp. 225 - 234
• Main Author: Otsuka, Hideki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan The University of Tokushima Faculty of Medicine 2012
• Subjects: diagnosis; FDG-PET; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Humans; Multimodal Imaging - methods; Neoplasm Staging; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial - diagnostic imaging; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial - pathology; pathology; Positron-Emission Tomography - methods; Radiopharmaceuticals; staging; thymic epithelial tumor; Thymus Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Thymus Neoplasms - pathology; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 1343-1420; 1349-6867
• DOI: 10.2152/jmi.59.225

In this article, seven studies evaluating the utility of FDG-PET in the diagnosis of thymic epithelial tumors were reviewed and the results of an investigation conducted in Tokushima University Hospital are reported. FDG accumulation of low-risk thymoma is low, and FDG accumulation of thymic carcinoma is high. High-risk thymoma exhibits various degrees of accumulation and a definite conclusion has not yet been reached; however, overall, the higher the histological grade, the higher the FDG accumulation becomes, suggesting that this is correlated to staging. Our data also support the previous reports. FDG-PET may indicate lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis, which are sometimes difficult to detect using other modalities. When lymph node metastasis and/or distant metastasis are suspected in addition to thymic lesions, FDG-PET/CT, which allows for searching of the entire body at once, is useful. FDG-PET/CT is effective for estimating histopathological malignancy and staging in the diagnosis of thymic epithelial tumors and can be an important imaging test with high relevance to the prognosis of a patient. J. Med. Invest. 59: 225-234, August, 2012