[Positron emission tomography in tumor pathology]

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Oncology
• Radiology

Background:

• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is an imaging technique utilizing Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG).
• The application of PET, particularly with FDG, has been extensively evaluated globally, with a focus on tumoral pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the global results of PET centers, with detailed insights from European units.
• To highlight the utility of PET in cancer diagnosis, staging, and metastasis detection, excluding neurology and cardiology.

Main Methods:

• Review of numerous PET centers' results worldwide, with emphasis on European findings.
• Focus on studies related to tumoral pathology, assessing sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET.

Main Results:

• FDG-PET demonstrates high sensitivity for localizing tumoral tissue, evaluating lymphatic spread, and detecting metastases.
• Specificity is limited, as non-tumoral lesions (e.g., inflammatory, tuberculosis) can also show FDG uptake.
• PET contributes to precise TNM staging, particularly for pulmonary neoplasms, and shows positive results for digestive tract neoplasms and lymph node diseases.

Conclusions:

• FDG-PET is a valuable tool for cancer staging and metastasis detection, despite limitations in specificity.
• The limited availability of PET units, primarily due to economic reasons, hinders its widespread adoption.
• Future developments in PET imaging are contingent on the discovery of novel tracers, given its nature as a functional imaging method.