RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Utility of FDG-PET for Investigating Unexplained Serum AFP Elevation in Patients with Suspected Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence
JF Anticancer Research
JO Anticancer Res
FD International Institute of Anticancer Research
SP 4719
OP 4725
VO 25
IS 6C
A1 CHEN, YEN-KUNG
A1 HSIEH, DAR-SHIH
A1 LIAO, CHAO-SHENG
A1 BAI, CHYI-HUEY
A1 SU, CHEN-TAU
A1 SHEN, YEH-YOU
A1 HSIEH, JIH-FANG
A1 LIAO, ALFRED C.
A1 KAO, CHIA-HUNG
YR 2005
UL http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/25/6C/4719.abstract
AB The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential role of positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in patients with unexplained rising serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels after the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients and Methods: Thirty-one FDG-PET studies were performed in 26 patients (age range, 45-83; 21 men and 5 women), who had undergone either surgical resection or interventional therapy for HCC, but were subsequently noted to have high AFP serum levels on routine follow-up examinations, although imaging studies and physical examinations were normal. The FDG-PET results were correlated with histological findings, as well as long-term radiological and clinical follow-up (shortest follow-up period after FDG-PET was 6 months). Results: FDG-PET was abnormal in 22 of the 31 studies (71.0%) among the 26 patients. Intrahepatic lesions were detected in 20 of a total 30 lesions (66.7%) in 18 studies of FDG-PET among 26 patients. Ten FDG-PET studies among 9 patients identified one intrahepatic lesion, while 3 studies among 3 patients identified more than one intrahepatic lesion. Extrahepatic metastases were found in 9/31 studies of FDG-PET (29.0%) among 8 patients. These metastatic foci, composed of increased FDG accumulation, were identified in several locations; lung (4 studies among 4 patients), bone (2 studies among 2 patients) and the peritoneum (4 studies among 3 patients). Overall, FDG-PET for detecting HCC recurrence demonstrated 22 true-positives, 8 false-negatives, 1 true-negative and 0 false-positive results. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of FDG-PET for detecting HCC recurrence was 73.3%, 100% and 74.2%, respectively. Conclusion: When conventional examinations are normal, FDG-PET is a valuable imaging tool in patients who have rising AFP levels after HCC treatment. FDG-PET whole-body scan also provides an important and valuable imaging study for detecting extrahepatic metastasis. Copyright© 2005 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved