This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map 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 Reprints, Permissions and Rights Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hooft, L. Articles by van Tulder, M. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hooft, L. Articles by van Tulder, M. W.

Diagnostic Accuracy of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography in the Follow-Up of Papillary or Follicular Thyroid Cancer

Vrije Universiteit Medical Centre, Departments of Nuclear Medicine (L.H., O.S.H., G.J.J.T.), Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (L.H., O.S.H., M.B., M.W.v.T.), Endocrinology (P.L.), and Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine (W.D.), 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Lotty Hooft, M.Sc., Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Vrije Universiteit Medical Centre, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail l.hooft{at}azvu.nl

Abstract

Positron emission tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose is a relatively new nuclear imaging technique in oncology. We conducted a systematic review to determine the diagnostic accuracy of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in patients suspected of recurrent papillary or follicular thyroid carcinoma. Two reviewers independently selected, extracted, and assessed data from relevant literature found in computerized databases and by reference tracking. Prospective and retrospective studies with 10 human subjects, or more, that evaluated the accuracy of ring positron emission tomography, using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in follicular and papillary thyroid cancer, were included. Studies on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose imaging using cameras, reviews, case reports, editorials, letters, and comments were excluded. The methodological quality was assessed by applying the criteria for diagnostic tests recommended by the Cochrane Methods Group on Screening and Diagnostic Tests. A rating system was used for qualitative analysis consisting of four levels of evidence (1 = highest level; 4 = lowest level). Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. All studies claimed a positive role for positron emission tomography but, at evidence levels 3 or 4, precluding quantitative analysis. Methodological problems included poor validity of reference tests and a lack of blinding of test performance and interpretation. The reviewed material was heterogeneous with respect to patient variation and validation methodology. The most consistent data were found on the ability of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography to provide an anatomical substrate in patients with elevated serum Tg and negative iodine-131 scans.

In conclusion, the results seem to support the potential of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography to identify and localize foci of recurrent cancer in the latter patient subset. However, implementation of positron emission tomography in a routine diagnostic algorithm requires additional evidence.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. K. Evans, A. Laupacis, K. Y. Gulenchyn, L. Levin, and M. Levine Evidence-Based Approach to the Introduction of Positron Emission Tomography in Ontario, Canada J. Clin. Oncol., November 20, 2009; 27(33): 5607 - 5613. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. S Al-Zahrani, M.-E. M Abouzied, S. A. Salam, G. Mohamed, A. Rifai, A. Al Sugair, and T. Amin The role of F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the postoperative evaluation of differentiated thyroid cancer Eur. J. Endocrinol., May 1, 2008; 158(5): 683 - 689. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. T. Kloos Approach to the Patient with a Positive Serum Thyroglobulin and a Negative Radioiodine Scan after Initial Therapy for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., May 1, 2008; 93(5): 1519 - 1525. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. W. Fletcher, B. Djulbegovic, H. P. Soares, B. A. Siegel, V. J. Lowe, G. H. Lyman, R. E. Coleman, R. Wahl, J. C. Paschold, N. Avril, et al. Recommendations on the Use of 18F-FDG PET in Oncology J. Nucl. Med., March 1, 2008; 49(3): 480 - 508. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G Riesco-Eizaguirre, P Gutierrez-Martinez, M A Garcia-Cabezas, M Nistal, and P Santisteban The oncogene BRAF V600E is associated with a high risk of recurrence and less differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma due to the impairment of Na+/I- targeting to the membrane. Endocr. Relat. Cancer, March 1, 2006; 13(1): 257 - 269. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Hooft, A. A. M. van der Veldt, P. J. van Diest, O. S. Hoekstra, J. Berkhof, G. J. J. Teule, and C. F. M. Molthoff [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Uptake in Recurrent Thyroid Cancer Is Related to Hexokinase I Expression in the Primary Tumor J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2005; 90(1): 328 - 334. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Pacak, G. Eisenhofer, and D. S. Goldstein Functional Imaging of Endocrine Tumors: Role of Positron Emission Tomography Endocr. Rev., August 1, 2004; 25(4): 568 - 580. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. L. Mazzaferri, R. J. Robbins, L. E. Braverman, F. Pacini, B. Haugen, L. Wartofsky, G. D. Braunstein, P. W. Ladenson, and A. Pinchera Authors' Response: A Consensus Report of the Role of Serum Thyroglobulin as a Monitoring Method for Low-Risk Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., September 1, 2003; 88(9): 4508 - 4509. [Full Text] [PDF]