Preliminary experience with 18f-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in pediatric oncology patients

Acta Chir Iugosl. 2011;58(4):67-73.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to present preliminary experience with FDG PET/CT in pediatric oncology patients in National PET Center, Clinical Center of Serbia and to asses its impact on management of malignancies in children. 33 FDG PET/CT scans were performed on 30 pediatric patients. PET/CT imaging was performed for staging the disease, assessing therapy efficacy and diagnosing recurrent or metastatic disease. FDG PET/CT changed the stage of the disease in 60.6% (20/33) of the cases. 14 patients were down-staged after PET/CT, mostly patients with Hodgkin's disease, were in 7/10 cases PET/CT showed no activity in residual masses. Six scans led to upstage of the disease. In three cases PET/CT did not change the stage of disease, but has showed new distant metastases. In conclusion, FDG PET/CT showed important role in managing pediatric patients with different malignancies and was useful complementary diagnostic tool to conventional imaging methods.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Multimodal Imaging*
  • Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18