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Updated: Feb 9, 2026

Establishment of a Primary Culture of Patient-derived Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Published on: April 11, 2018
Is FDG-PET/CT Useful for Diagnosing Pulmonary Metastasis in Patients with Soft Tissue Sarcoma?
Tomohito Hagi1, Tomoki Nakamura2, Yuichi Sugino3
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.
Background/Aim:
In patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS), distinguishing small metastatic pulmonary nodules from benign ones remains difficult. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in detecting pulmonary metastasis and identify factors affecting sensitivity with STS.
Materials And Methods:
The clinical records and chest CT and FDG-PET/CT scans of 102 patients with STS were reviewed to determine the presence of pulmonary nodules.
Results:
A significant relationship was observed between nodule size and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). For nodules smaller than 5 mm, only 10 out of 76 metastatic pulmonary nodules exhibited FDG accumulation, showing a weak correlation between nodule size and SUVmax Conclusion: The role of FDG-PET/CT in differentiating metastatic from benign pulmonary nodules was unsatisfactory, especially for small nodules. Careful follow-up using CT scan may still be appropriate for diagnosing pulmonary nodules smaller than 5 mm.
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