Diagnostic value of combining ¹¹C-choline and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in hepatocellular carcinoma

In this prospective study, our goal was to emphasize the diagnostic value of combining (11)C-choline and (18)F-FDG PET/CT for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic liver disease.

Thirty-three consecutive patients were enrolled. All patients were suspected to have HCC based on CT and/or MRI imaging. A final diagnosis was obtained by histopathological examination or by imaging alone according to American Association for the Study of Liver Disease criteria. All patients underwent PET/CT with both tracers within a median of 5 days. All lesions showing higher tracer uptake than normal liver were considered positive for HCC. We examined how tracer uptake was related to biological (serum α-fetoprotein levels) and pathological (differentiation status, peritumoral capsule and vascular invasion) prognostic markers of HCC, as well as clinical observations at 6 months (recurrence and death).

Twenty-eight HCC, four cholangiocarcinomas and one adenoma were diagnosed. In the HCC patients, the sensitivity of (11)C-choline, (18)F-FDG and combined (11)C-choline and (18)F-FDG PET/CT for the detection of HCC was 75 %, 36 % and 93 %, respectively. Serum α-fetoprotein levels >200 ng/ml were more frequent among patients with (18)F-FDG-positive lesions than those with (18)F-FDG-negative lesions (p < 0.05). Early recurrence (n=2) or early death (n=5) occurred more frequently in patients with (18)F-FDG-positive lesions than in those with (18)F-FDG-negative lesions (p < 0.05).

The combined use of (11)C-choline and (18)F-FDG PET/CT detected HCC with high sensitivity. This approach appears to be of potential prognostic value and may facilitate the selection of patients for surgical resection or liver transplantation.