2008 Volume 57 Issue 1 Pages 25-31
Multi-center survey has been conducted to evaluate a diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography using fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) for gastric cancer (n=173), duodenal ampullary cancer (n=10), and GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumor, n=15). For the diagnosis of gastric cancer, FDG-PET was superior in47.4% (82/173), similar in 45.1% (78/173) and inferior in7.5% (13/173), as compared to conventional morphological imaging modalities such as X-ray CT and MRI. FDG-PET was superior in20% (2/10), similar in70% (7/10) and inferior in10% (1/10) for the diagnosis of duodenal ampullary cancer, and was superior in40% (6/15), similar in46.7% (7/15) and inferior in13.3% (2/15) for the diagnosis of GIST, as compared to the conventional imaging modalities. FDG-PET was highly useful for the detection of primary tumor and moderately useful for the diagnosis of metastatic and recurrent diseases. The diagnostic result was better for primary tumor probably because most of patients had advanced gastric cancers. In patients with suspected metastasis or recurrence, FDG-PET was able to detect foci of diseases, which were not evident by morphological imaging modalities. Thus, FDG-PET may have a potential to afford important information for the management of such patients and yield cost-effectiveness by obviating unnecessary surgery.
