ABSTRACT
Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Usually, the diagnosis of cancer at an early stage is important to facilitate proper treatment and survival. Nuclear medicine has been successfully used in the diagnosis, staging, therapy and monitoring of cancers. Single-photon emission computed tomography and PET-based companion imaging agents are in development for use as a companion diagnostic tool for patients with ovarian cancer. The present review discusses the basic and clinical studies related to the use of radiopharmaceuticals in the diagnosis and management of ovarian cancer, focusing on their utility and comparing them with other imaging techniques such as computed tomography and MRI.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial/diagnosis , Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial/pathology , Nuclear Medicine/methods , Ovarian Neoplasms/diagnosis , Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology , Animals , Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial , Humans , Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial/radiotherapy , Ovarian Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Positron-Emission Tomography/methods , Radiopharmaceuticals/therapeutic use , Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon/methods , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methodsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic value of vaginal discharge concentrations of ß human chorionic gonadotropin (ß-hCG), creatinine, and urea to identify premature rupture of membranes (PROM). METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted between 12 June, 2014, and 11 June, 2015, among 120 women who were admitted to an Iranian hospital at 28-41 weeks of pregnancy. Women with positive pooling and nitrazine test results were assigned to the PROM group (n=60), whereas those with negative test results were assigned to the control group (n=60). Samples of vaginal discharge were obtained. RESULTS: Mean concentrations of ß-hCG, urea, and creatinine were all higher in the PROM group than in the control group (all P=0.001). The diagnostic accuracies as defined by area under the curve for creatinine, urea, and ß-hCG were 0.891, 0.895, and 0.908, respectively. The corresponding optimal cutoff values were 20.33 µmol/L, 0.94 mmol/L, and 39.5 IU/L, respectively. CONCLUSION: The vaginal discharge concentrations of all three markers exhibited favorable predictive value for the diagnosis of PROM; however, ß-hCG showed greater diagnostic accuracy than either urea or creatinine.