Role of Positron Emission Tomography Imaging in Metabolically Active Renal Cell Carcinoma

The clinical role of fluorine-18 fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still evolving. Use of FDG PET in RCC is currently not a standard investigation in the diagnosis and staging of RCC due to its renal excretion. This review focuses on the clinical role and current status of FDG PET and PET/CT in RCC.

Studies investigating the role of FDG PET in localized RCC were largely disappointing. Several studies have demonstrated that the use of hybrid imaging PET/CT is feasible in evaluating the extra-renal disease. A current review of the literature determines PET/CT to be a valuable tool both in treatment decision-making and monitoring and in predicting the survival in recurrent and metastatic RCC. PET/CT might be a viable option in the evaluation of RCC, especially recurrent and metastatic disease. PET/CT has also shown to play a role in predicting survival and monitoring therapy response.