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Multimodal imaging with 18F-FDG-PET/CT and 111In-Octreotide SPECT in patients with metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma

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Abstract

Objective

The aim of our study was to determine the role of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) and indium-111 Octreotide single photon emission tomography (111In-Octreotide SPECT) in the evaluation of metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MMTC).

Methods

Twenty-five MMTC patients were retrospectively evaluated. All patients had undergone whole-body 18F-FDG-PET/CT including 20 who had also undergone 111In-Octreotide SPECT within a maximum interval of 6 weeks. Diagnostic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) alone or as part of 18F-FDG-PET/CT examination was performed in all patients.

Results

Contrast-enhanced CT detected a total of 131 lesions including 79 enlarged lymph nodes and 14 bone lesions. 18F-FDG-PET/CT visualized a total of 92 true positive lesions (SUVmax range 1.1–10.0, mean 4.0 ± 1.7) including 66 lymph nodes, 7 of which were not enlarged on CT, and 8 bone metastases. In the 20 patients studied with both techniques, a total of 64 and 46 true positive lesions were detected by 18F-FDG-PET/CT and 111In-Octreotide SPECT, respectively. In particular, 18F-FDG uptake was found in 43 lymph nodes and in 7 bone metastases whereas 111In-Octreotide uptake was detected in 27 lymph nodes and in 10 bone metastases.

Conclusions

In MMTC patients, 18F-FDG-PET/CT provides a useful contribution mainly in evaluating lymph node involvement whereas 111In-Octreotide SPECT can contribute to the detection and somatostatin receptor characterization especially of bone lesions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly supported by Ministry of University and Research, MERIT—MEdical Research in Italy (Project No. RBNE08YFN3_008); AIRC, Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (Project No. 11756); POR (Programma Operativo Regionale) Campania FESR (Fondo Europeo Sviluppo Regionale) 2007/2013, Rete delle Biotecnologie Campane.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, Edificio 10, 80131, Naples, Italy

    Serena De Luca, Luigi Camera, Sabrina Segreto & Silvana Del Vecchio

  2. Institute of Biostructures and Bioimages, National Research Council, Naples, Italy

    Rosa Fonti, Barbara Salvatore & Silvana Del Vecchio

  3. Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Antongiulio Faggiano & Annamaria Colao

  4. Nuclear Medicine Department, Hospital S. Andrea, La Spezia, Italy

    Andrea Ciarmiello

  5. IRCCS-SDN, Naples, Italy

    Marco Salvatore

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  1. Serena De Luca
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Correspondence to Silvana Del Vecchio.

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De Luca, S., Fonti, R., Camera, L. et al. Multimodal imaging with 18F-FDG-PET/CT and 111In-Octreotide SPECT in patients with metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma. Ann Nucl Med 30, 234–241 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-015-1056-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-015-1056-5

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