THE DIAGNOSTIC ROLE OF PET/CT IN PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT PLEURAL EFFUSION
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Malignant pleural effusion is defined as the presence of malignant cells in pleural effusion (PE) or biopsy specimens and occurs in 15% of all cancer patients. The most common cause is lung cancer in men and breast cancer in women. The reason for hospital admission is usually shortness of breath. The main goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms and prevent recurrence. PET/CT is an imaging system that combines the metabolic properties of PET with the morphologic properties of computed tomography. The patient can be managed more rapidly if malignant effusion can be detected on PET/CT. In this study, we aimed to predict the diagnostic impact of metabolic uptake of fluid in patients with malignant pleural effusion.
Methods: In our study, we aimed to find the contribution of PET/CT to the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion by examining patients between 18 and 90 years of age who had malignancy as a result of pleural cytology and who underwent PET/CT with a primary diagnosis of malignancy. 26 patients were evaluated. The values analyzed were; the presence of PE FDG uptake, the presence of single or double uptake in PE, the presence of multiple pulmonary nodules, the presence of pleural thickness (PT) increase, PK diameter, the presence of FDG uptake in PK, primary pathology being lung or other organ, PE Standardized Uptake Value (SUV) max, PE SUVmax/ Med SUVmax, PE SUVmax/ Liver SUVmax, PE SUVmax/ primary tumor SUVmax, primary tumor SUV values.
Results: 6 of 26 patients had bilateral effusions and 12 patients had FDG uptake. 5 patients had pleural thickening and 4 of them had pleural uptake. In the ROC analysis, PE SUVmax, PE SUV / Med SUV, PE SUV / Liver SUV, and PE SUV / Primary tm SUV values were found to be significant in terms of predicting PE FDG uptake, while PT diameter was not significant.
Conclusions: Patients with malignant pleural effusion have a short life expectancy. Diagnosis and treatment management of patients should be performed effectively and rapidly. PET/CT can be used as a noninvasive diagnostic method for this purpose. Therefore, if further studies are performed, PET/CT in the diagnosis of MPE will contribute to patient management.
Keywords
malignant pleural effusion, PET/CT, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, cancer, pleural metastasis
Supporting Institution
none
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