Search Results
Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Fourth hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
Search for other papers by Zhaoqi Zhang in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Josef Yu in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Eva Rainer in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Lindsay Hargitai in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Zewen Jiang in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Georgios Karanikas in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Tatjana Traub-Weidinger in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Richard Crevenna in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Marcus Hacker in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Shuren Li in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Objective
Correct diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) are crucial to treat patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of [18F]F-DOPA PET/CT in patients with MTC.
Methods
We reviewed MTC patients who underwent [18F]F-DOPA PET/CT from June 2008 to November 2023. Clinical characteristics, follow-up data, and the following [18F]F-DOPA PET/CT parameters were recorded: maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and SUVmean of multiple organs. The diagnostic value of PET/CT for the detection of tumor lesions was calculated. Serum basal calcitonin (bCt) and stimulated calcitonin (sCt) were determined. Receiver operating characteristics, Kaplan–Meier, and Cox regression analyses were performed.
Results
In total, 109 patients (50 women, 59 men; average age, 55 ± 14 years) were included in the analysis. The patient-related sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of [18F]F-DOPA PET/CT were 95%, 93%, and 94%, respectively. The lesion-related sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 65%, 99%, and 72%, respectively. The optimal cutoff values of bCt, sCt, and CEA to obtain positive [18F]F-DOPA PET/CT results were 64 pg/mL, 1808 pg/mL, and 4 µg/L, respectively. Patients with negative [18F]F-DOPA PET/CT had longer overall survival than patients with positive [18F]F-DOPA PET/CT results (P = 0.017). Significant positive correlations were found between bCt, sCt, and CEA with SUVmax, SUVmean, and MTV of [18F]F-DOPA PET/CT (P < 0.001). [18F]F-DOPA PET/CT results and MTV may be useful for the evaluation of the prognosis of patients with recurrent MTC, while age and MTV were independent prognostic factors in patients with primary MTC. For all patients, SUVmean of the left kidney, liver, aorta, and pancreas might be used to independently predict OS.
Conclusion
[18F]F-DOPA PET/CT had great value for diagnosis and prognostic assessment in patients with MTC. The DOPA PET/CT parameter SUVmean and MTV showed significant association with OS.