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18F-FDG PET for the evaluation of thymic epithelial tumors: Correlation with the World Health Organization classification in addition to dual-time-point imaging

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Abstract

Purpose

Our aim was to determine dual-phase 18F-FDG PET imaging features for various subtypes of thymic epithelial tumors based on the World Health Organization classification.

Methods

Forty-six patients with histologically verified thymic epithelial tumors [23 with low-risk tumors (4 with type A, 16 with AB, and 3 with B1) and 23 with high-risk tumors (7 with B2, 5 with B3, and 11 with thymic carcinoma] were enrolled in this study. All patients were injected with 18F-FDG.; after 1 h, they underwent scanning; after 3 h, 23 patients underwent an additional scanning. The maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) and the retention index (RI%) of the lesions were determined.

Results

The early and delayed SUVmax values in the patients with high-risk tumors [early SUVmax (mean: 6.0) and delayed SUVmax (mean: 7.4)] were both significantly larger than those in patients with low-risk tumors [early SUVmax (mean: 3.2) and delayed SUVmax (mean: 3.4)] (P < 0.05). Early SUVmax values of greater than 7.1 differentiated thymic carcinomas from other types of tumors. For the histological differentiation between high-risk tumors and low-risk tumors, an early SUVmax value of 4.5 was used as the cutoff. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 78.3, 91.3, and 84.8%, respectively.

Conclusion

High SUV values (early SUV > 4.5) suggest the presence of high-risk tumors. A very high SUV value (early SUV > 7.1) is useful for the differentiation of thymic carcinomas from other types of tumors. The delayed SUV values were higher than the early SUV values in all types of tumors.

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Acknowledgements

This paper has not been presented, no portion of the paper has been published, and the manuscript is not under consideration for publication by any other journal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Tracer Kinetics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2–2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565–0871, Japan

    Atsuo Inoue, Mitsuaki Tatsumi, Ichiro Higuchi & Jun Hatazawa

  2. Department of Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan

    Noriyuki Tomiyama, Takeshi Johkoh & Hironobu Nakamura

  3. Department of Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan

    Naoki Ikeda, Meinoshin Okumura, Hiroyuki Shiono & Masayoshi Inoue

  4. Department of Pathology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan

    Katsuyuki Aozasa

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  1. Atsuo Inoue
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  2. Noriyuki Tomiyama
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  3. Mitsuaki Tatsumi
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  4. Naoki Ikeda
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  5. Meinoshin Okumura
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  7. Masayoshi Inoue
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  8. Ichiro Higuchi
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  9. Katsuyuki Aozasa
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  10. Takeshi Johkoh
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  11. Hironobu Nakamura
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  12. Jun Hatazawa
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Correspondence to Atsuo Inoue.

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Inoue, A., Tomiyama, N., Tatsumi, M. et al. 18F-FDG PET for the evaluation of thymic epithelial tumors: Correlation with the World Health Organization classification in addition to dual-time-point imaging. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 36, 1219–1225 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-009-1082-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-009-1082-4

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