HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH RSS TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Metser, U. Articles by Even-Sapir, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Metser, U. Articles by Even-Sapir, E.

¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in the Evaluation of Adrenal Masses

¹ Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; ² Department of Radiology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; and ³ Department of Surgery A, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Correspondence: For correspondence or reprints contact: Ur Metser, MD, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizman St., Tel-Aviv, 64239 Israel. E-mail: umetser{at}tasmc.health.gov.il

Our purpose was to evaluate the performance of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, using data from both the PET and the unenhanced CT portions of the study, in characterizing adrenal masses in oncology patients. Methods: One hundred seventy-five adrenal masses in 150 patients referred for ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT were assessed. Final diagnosis was based on histology (n = 6), imaging follow-up (n = 118) of 6–29 mo (mean, 14 mo), or morphologic imaging criteria (n = 51). Each adrenal mass was characterized by its size; its attenuation on CT, expressed by Hounsfield units (HU); and the intensity of ¹⁸F-FDG uptake, expressed as standardized uptake value (SUV). Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn to determine the optimal cutoff values of HU and SUV that would best discriminate between benign and malignant masses. Results: When malignant lesions were compared with adenomas, PET data alone using an SUV cutoff of 3.1 yielded a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 98.5%, 92%, 89.3%, 98.9%, respectively. For combined PET/CT data, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 100%, 98%, 97%, 100%, respectively. Specificity was significantly higher for PET/CT (P < 0.01). Fifty-one of the 175 masses were 1.5 cm or less in diameter. When a cutoff SUV of 3.1 was used for this group, ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT correctly classified all lesions. Conclusion: ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT improves the performance of ¹⁸F-FDG PET alone in discriminating benign from malignant adrenal lesions in oncology patients.

Key Words: adrenal mass • adenoma • ¹⁸F-FDG • PET/CT

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. Groussin, G. Bonardel, S. Silvera, F. Tissier, J. Coste, G. Abiven, R. Libe, M. Bienvenu, J.-L. Alberini, S. Salenave, et al. 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography for the Diagnosis of Adrenocortical Tumors: A Prospective Study in 77 Operated Patients J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., May 1, 2009; 94(5): 1713 - 1722. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. W. L. Boland, M. A. Blake, N. S. Holalkere, and P. F. Hahn PET/CT for the Characterization of Adrenal Masses in Patients with Cancer: Qualitative Versus Quantitative Accuracy in 150 Consecutive Patients Am. J. Roentgenol., April 1, 2009; 192(4): 956 - 962. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. J. Brady, J. Thomas, T. Z. Wong, K. M. Franklin, L. M. Ho, and E. K. Paulson Adrenal Nodules at FDG PET/CT in Patients Known to Have or Suspected of Having Lung Cancer: A Proposal for an Efficient Diagnostic Algorithm Radiology, February 1, 2009; 250(2): 523 - 530. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. W. L. Boland, M. A. Blake, P. F. Hahn, and W. W. Mayo-Smith Incidental Adrenal Lesions: Principles, Techniques, and Algorithms for Imaging Characterization Radiology, December 1, 2008; 249(3): 756 - 775. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Vikram, H. D. W. Yeung, H. A. Macapinlac, and R. B. Iyer Utility of PET/CT in Differentiating Benign from Malignant Adrenal Nodules in Patients with Cancer Am. J. Roentgenol., November 1, 2008; 191(5): 1545 - 1551. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. B. Elaini, S. K. Shetty, V. M. Chapman, D. V. Sahani, G. W. Boland, A. T. Sweeney, M. M. Maher, J. T. Slattery, P. R. Mueller, and M. A. Blake Improved Detection and Characterization of Adrenal Disease with PET-CT RadioGraphics, May 1, 2007; 27(3): 755 - 767. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. C. Mitchell and F. E. Nwariaku Adrenal Masses in the Cancer Patient: Surveillance or Excision Oncologist, February 1, 2007; 12(2): 168 - 174. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Chong, K. S. Lee, H. Y. Kim, Y. K. Kim, B.-T. Kim, M. J. Chung, C. A Yi, and G. Y. Kwon Integrated PET-CT for the Characterization of Adrenal Gland Lesions in Cancer Patients: Diagnostic Efficacy and Interpretation Pitfalls RadioGraphics, November 1, 2006; 26(6): 1811 - 1824. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. M. Intenzo, K. S. Lee, and B.-T. Kim Invited Commentary * Authors' Response RadioGraphics, November 1, 2006; 26(6): 1824 - 1826. [Full Text] [PDF]