Open AccessStaging performance of carbon‐11 choline positron emission tomography/computed tomography in patients with bone and soft tissue sarcoma: Comparison with conventional imaging
Author(s) -
Tateishi Ukihide,
Yamaguchi Umio,
Maeda Testuo,
Seki Kunihiko,
Terauchi Takashi,
Kawai Akira,
Arai Yasuaki,
Moriyama Noriyuki,
Kakizoe Tadao
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
cancer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 1347-9032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2006.00288.x
Subject(s) - medicine , positron emission tomography , stage (stratigraphy) , radiology , magnetic resonance imaging , soft tissue , nuclear medicine , bone scintigraphy , paleontology , biology
The present study was conducted to compare the diagnostic accuracy between carbon‐11 choline ( 11 C‐choline) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and conventional imaging for the staging of bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Sixteen patients who underwent 11 C‐choline PET/CT prior to treatment were evaluated retrospectively for staging accuracy. Conventional imaging methods consisted of 99,m Tc‐hydroxymethylene diphosphonate bone scintigraphy, chest CT and magnetic resonance imaging of the primary site. The images were reviewed and a consensus was reached by two board‐certified radiologists who were unaware of any clinical or radiological information using hard‐copy films and multimodality computer platform. Tumor stage was confirmed by histological examination and/or by an obvious progression in number and/or size of the lesions on follow‐up examinations. Reviewers examining both 11 C‐choline PET/CT and conventional imaging classified T stage in all patients. Interpretation based on 11 C‐choline PET/CT, the Node (N) stage was correctly diagnosed in all patients, whereas the accuracy of conventional imaging in N stage was 63%. Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage was assessed correctly with 11 C‐choline PET/CT in 15 of 16 patients (94%) and with conventional imaging in eight of 16 patients (50%). The overall TNM staging and N staging accuracy of 11 C‐choline PET/CT were significantly higher than that of conventional imaging ( P < 0.05). 11 C‐choline PET/CT is more accurate than conventional imaging regarding clinical staging of patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas. A whole body 11 C‐choline PET/CT might be acceptable for imaging studies of tumor staging prior to treatment. ( Cancer Sci 2006; 97: 1125–1128)