TR
EN
Evaluation of the Role of Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Differential Diagnosis of Pleural Lesions
Öz
Objective: To retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic performance of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in differentiating benign versus malignant pleural thickening/effusion in patients without a known malignancy, to determine the optimal cutoff for maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), and to assess the added value of clinical–radiologic variables for diagnostic accuracy.
Methods: Seventy-eight patients who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT for pleural thickening between January 2018 and October 2023 and had no diagnosis of malignancy were included. SUVmax values of pleural thickening and effusion, thickening pattern, asbestos exposure, and smoking history were analyzed retrospectively.
Results: For distinguishing benign from malignant pleural thickening based on SUVmax, sensitivity was 77.27% and specificity was 73.53%, which was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Among 63 patients with pleural effusion, the sensitivity and specificity of an SUVmax-based distinction were 68.8% and 55.3%, respectively, and were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The optimal SUVmax cutoff was 3.58 for pleural thickening and 1.62 for effusion. FDG uptake was higher in diffuse thickening than in focal thickening (diffuse mean SUVmax 6.38 ± 4.85; focal mean SUVmax 3.95 ± 3.55). Asbestos exposure was significant only in the malignant mesothelioma group (p < 0.05). There was no significant association between malignancy and thickening pattern or smoking history (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET/CT is valuable for the differential diagnosis of malignancy in patients with pleural thickening and/or effusion. An SUVmax cutoff of 3.58 provides diagnostic contribution for pleural thickening, whereas evaluation of effusion shows limitations. External validation in larger cohorts is required.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Etik Beyan
Ethics approval for this study was obtained from the Eskişehir Osmangazi University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee with the decision dated 18.01.2024 and numbered 45425468-03. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Kaynakça
- 1.Karkhanis VS, Joshi JM. Pleural effusion: diagnosis,treatment, and management. Open Access EmergMed 2012; 4: 31-52.
- 2.Orlandi R, Cara A, Cassina EM, et al. Malignantpleural effusion: diagnosis and treatment-up-to-date perspective. Curr Oncol 2024; 31: 6867-78.
- 3. Treglia G, Sadeghi R, Annunziata S, et al. Diagnosticaccuracy of 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT in thedifferential diagnosis between malignant andbenign pleural lesions: a systematic review andmeta-analysis. Acad Radiol 2014; 21: 11-20.
- 4.Porcel JM, Hernández P, Martínez-Alonso M, et al.Accuracy of fluorodeoxyglucose-PET imaging fordifferentiating benign from malignant pleuraleffusions: a meta-analysis. Chest 2015; 147: 502-12.
- 5.Fjaellegaard K, Petersen JK, Reuter S, et al.Positron emission tomography-computedtomography (PET-CT) in suspected malignantpleural effusion: an updated systematic review andmeta-analysis. Lung Cancer 2021; 162: 106-18.
- 6. Yang MF, Tong ZH, Wang Z, et al. Development andvalidation of the PET-CT score for diagnosis ofmalignant pleural effusion. Eur J Nucl Med MolImaging 2019; 46: 1457-67.
- 7.Li Y, Mu W, Li Y, et al. Predicting the nature ofpleural effusion in patients with lungadenocarcinoma based on 18F-FDG PET/CT.EJNMMI Res 2021; 11: 108.
- 8.Bossuyt PM, Reitsma JB, Bruns DE, et al. STARD2015: an updated list of essential items for reportingdiagnostic accuracy studies. BMJ 2015; 351: h5527.
Ayrıntılar
Birincil Dil
İngilizce
Konular
Sağlık Kurumları Yönetimi, Tıp Eğitimi, Sağlık Hizmetleri ve Sistemleri (Diğer)
Bölüm
Araştırma Makalesi
Yayımlanma Tarihi
5 Haziran 2026
Gönderilme Tarihi
6 Ekim 2025
Kabul Tarihi
25 Mart 2026
Yayımlandığı Sayı
Yıl 2026 Cilt: 53 Sayı: 2
APA
Ateş, M., Entok, E., Yildirim, H., & Dündar, E. (2026). Evaluation of the Role of Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Differential Diagnosis of Pleural Lesions. Dicle Medical Journal, 53(2), 273-283. https://doi.org/10.5798/dicletip.1963833
AMA
1.Ateş M, Entok E, Yildirim H, Dündar E. Evaluation of the Role of Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Differential Diagnosis of Pleural Lesions. diclemedj. 2026;53(2):273-283. doi:10.5798/dicletip.1963833
Chicago
Ateş, Mehmet, Emre Entok, Huseyin Yildirim, ve Emine Dündar. 2026. “Evaluation of the Role of Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Differential Diagnosis of Pleural Lesions”. Dicle Medical Journal 53 (2): 273-83. https://doi.org/10.5798/dicletip.1963833.
EndNote
Ateş M, Entok E, Yildirim H, Dündar E (01 Haziran 2026) Evaluation of the Role of Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Differential Diagnosis of Pleural Lesions. Dicle Medical Journal 53 2 273–283.
IEEE
[1]M. Ateş, E. Entok, H. Yildirim, ve E. Dündar, “Evaluation of the Role of Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Differential Diagnosis of Pleural Lesions”, diclemedj, c. 53, sy 2, ss. 273–283, Haz. 2026, doi: 10.5798/dicletip.1963833.
ISNAD
Ateş, Mehmet - Entok, Emre - Yildirim, Huseyin - Dündar, Emine. “Evaluation of the Role of Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Differential Diagnosis of Pleural Lesions”. Dicle Medical Journal 53/2 (01 Haziran 2026): 273-283. https://doi.org/10.5798/dicletip.1963833.
JAMA
1.Ateş M, Entok E, Yildirim H, Dündar E. Evaluation of the Role of Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Differential Diagnosis of Pleural Lesions. diclemedj. 2026;53:273–283.
MLA
Ateş, Mehmet, vd. “Evaluation of the Role of Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Differential Diagnosis of Pleural Lesions”. Dicle Medical Journal, c. 53, sy 2, Haziran 2026, ss. 273-8, doi:10.5798/dicletip.1963833.
Vancouver
1.Mehmet Ateş, Emre Entok, Huseyin Yildirim, Emine Dündar. Evaluation of the Role of Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Differential Diagnosis of Pleural Lesions. diclemedj. 01 Haziran 2026;53(2):273-8. doi:10.5798/dicletip.1963833