Intérêt de la tomographie par émission de positons au [18F]-fluorodésoxyglucose dans le diagnostic, le bilan d'extension et la recherche de récidive des cancers gynécologiques et mammaires

[Modern diagnostics in breast cancer: nuclear medicine techniques]

The authors discuss the role of nuclear medicine techniques in the modern diagnostics of breast cancer, including the methods currently used in Hungary and the future possibilities.

Tomografía de emisión de positrones con fluordesoxiglucosa-F18 en el seguimiento del cáncer de endometrio

OBJECTIVE

To assess the utility of FDG-PET in the follow-up of patients treated for endometrial cancer and with suspicion of recurrence according to conventional imaging methods (CT, MRI) and/or elevation of serum tumour markers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between April 2002 and December 2005, eleven patients underwent 17 FDG-PET studies (six with 2 studies); mean age was 63.4 yrs (range, 52-69 yrs) and time since diagnosis ranged from 11 months to 12 yrs (mean of 56 months). Initially, seven patients were in stage I, three in stage III and one in stage IV (FIGO classification). Histologically, they corresponded to 8 endometrioid carcinomas and 3 non endometrioid carcinomas.

RESULTS

FDG-PET showed infradiaphragmatic uptake in 3 patients and disseminated disease in 7 cases. FDG-PET showed no uptake in one patient. CT (n = 7) or MRI (n = 7) detected infradiaphragmatic lesions in 5 patients and visceral lesions in 2. In 11 patients, tumour markers were elevated (CA125, n = 9; CA19.9, n = 2; CA15.3, n = 2). In 7 patients, FDG-PET modified the information yielded by conventional imaging techniques and in 4 patients, the FDG-PET contributed no additional information. In 2 patients, histologic confirmation of the lesions was obtained and in 9 patients, there were clinical follow-up (from 3 to 20 months, mean of 8.7 months) and imaging studies.

CONCLUSIONS

FDG-PET is superior to CT and MRI for detecting recurrences in the follow-up of patients with endometrial cancer.