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Published in: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 8/2011

01-08-2011 | Original Article

Comparison of 131I whole-body imaging, 131I SPECT/CT, and 18F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of metastatic thyroid cancer

Authors: Jong-Ryool Oh, Byung-Hyun Byun, Sun-Pyo Hong, Ari Chong, Jahae Kim, Su-Woong Yoo, Sae-Ryung Kang, Dong-Yeon Kim, Ho-Chun Song, Hee-Seung Bom, Jung-Joon Min

Published in: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | Issue 8/2011

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to compare 131I whole-body scintigraphy (WBS), WBS with 131I single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT), and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT in the detection of distant metastases of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).

Methods

A total of 140 patients with 258 foci of suspected distant metastases were evaluated. 131I WBS, 131I SPECT/CT, and 18F-FDG PET/CT images were interpreted separately. The final diagnosis was obtained from histopathologic study, serum thyroglobulin level, other imaging modalities, and/or clinical follow-up.

Results

Of the 140 patients with 258 foci, 46 patients with 166 foci were diagnosed as positive for distant metastasis. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of each imaging modality were 65, 55, and 59%, respectively, for 131I WBS; 65, 95, and 85% for 131I SPECT/CT, respectively; and 61, 98, and 86%, respectively, for 18F-FDG PET/CT in patient-based analyses. Lesion-based analyses demonstrated that both SPECT/CT and PET/CT were superior to WBS (p<0.001) in all patient groups. SPECT/CT was superior to WBS and PET/CT (p<0.001) in patients who received a single challenge of radioiodine therapy, whereas PET/CT was superior to WBS (p=0.005) and SPECT/CT (p=0.013) in patients who received multiple challenges.

Conclusion

Both SPECT/CT and PET/CT demonstrated high diagnostic performance in detecting metastatic thyroid cancer. SPECT/CT was highly accurate in patients who underwent a single challenge of radioiodine therapy. In contrast, 18F-FDG PET/CT presented the highest diagnostic performance in patients who underwent multiple challenges of radioiodine therapy.
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Metadata
Title
Comparison of 131I whole-body imaging, 131I SPECT/CT, and 18F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of metastatic thyroid cancer
Authors
Jong-Ryool Oh
Byung-Hyun Byun
Sun-Pyo Hong
Ari Chong
Jahae Kim
Su-Woong Yoo
Sae-Ryung Kang
Dong-Yeon Kim
Ho-Chun Song
Hee-Seung Bom
Jung-Joon Min
Publication date
01-08-2011
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging / Issue 8/2011
Print ISSN: 1619-7070
Electronic ISSN: 1619-7089
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-011-1809-x

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