Whole-body 18F FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography evaluation of patients with uveal metastasis

To investigate the value of whole-body positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) as a screening tool for patients with uveal metastasis.

Retrospective observational case series.

setting: Clinical practice. study population: Eighteen patients with uveal metastatic tumors were evaluated. Patients had no history of malignancy or a past medical history of malignancy without known active metastasis or known systemic cancer. intervention: Whole-body PET/CT was used as a screening tool to evaluate the intraocular tumor, to evaluate for multi-organ metastatic disease, and for cancer staging. main outcome measures: Detection and PET/CT uptake of primary tumors and metastatic disease.

PET/CT imaging uncovered previously occult primary nonocular cancers (11/18, 61%), revealed progression of known primary systemic cancer (7/18, 39%), and confirmed multi-organ metastases in all cases (18/18, 100%). PET/CT findings were used to direct nonocular, confirmatory biopsy in 67% of cases (12/18). No uveal biopsies were required. PET/CT revealed lymph nodes and bone as the most common metastatic sites. The intraocular tumor was detectable in 28% of cases. Small, non-avid tumors and those within the hypermetabolic, PET-avid brain were falsely negative.

This study suggests that whole-body PET/CT can be useful for clinical evaluation of patients with uveal metastases. It allowed for screening of the entire body and directed extraocular biopsy. Commonly used for tumor staging, PET/CT aided in the detection of the primary cancer in patients with metastatic uveal tumors.