A 5-year longitudinal evaluation in patients with mild cognitive impairment by 11C-PIB PET/CT: a visual analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the cerebral amyloid distribution in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), assessed by carbon-11-Pittsburgh compound B (C-PIB) PET/CT, after 5 years of follow-up. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten amnestic MCI (A-MCI) and four nonamnestic (NA-MCI) patients were studied by C-PIB PET/CT and re-evaluated 5 years later by a new C-PIB PET/CT. PET/CT scans were acquired 60-90 min after the administration of 555 MBq C-PIB and analyzed visually, to obtain a score of the cerebral cortical C-PIB retention in the frontal, basal ganglia (BG), temporoparietal (TP), occipital, posterior cingulate, and cerebellum areas. Initial and 5-year follow-up C-PIB retentions were compared. RESULTS: Initially, 9/10 A-MCI patients were C-PIB positive and one was C-PIB negative. All four NA-MCI patients were C-PIB negative. Of the C-PIB-positive A-MCI patients, seven progressed to Alzheimer's disease dementia (AD-D), one to mixed dementia and one remained as A-MCI. The C-PIB-negative A-MCI patient remained as A-MCI. Of the four C-PIB-negative NA-MCI, one progressed to semantic dementia. All changes in C-PIB retention were of low intensity. The A-MCI patients who progressed to AD-D (n=7) showed an increase in C-PIB retention in the frontal (5/7), BG (3/7), TP (3/7), occipital (1/7), and posterior cingulate (1/7) regions. The A-MCI patient who progressed to mix dementia showed an increase in C-PIB retention in the frontal region. The C-PIB-positive A-MCI patient who remained as A-MCI showed an increase in C-PIB retention in the frontal, BG, and TP areas. The amyloid deposition in the anterior part of the brain (frontal, TP, and BG) increased more than that in the posterior part (occipital and precuneus) (7/9 vs. 2/9; P<0.05). CONCLUSION: PIB retention increased predominantly in the frontal, BG, and TP areas. C-PIB-positive A-MCI patients mostly progressed to AD-D, showing similar topographic changes in their cerebral C-PIB pattern than the patient who remained as A-MCI.

Effect of positive carbon-11-choline PET/CT results in the therapeutic management of prostate cancer biochemical relapse.

OBJECTIVE: Carbon-11-(C)-choline PET/computed tomography (CT) has shown good results in re-staging of prostate cancer (PCa) with raised serum levels of prostate-specific antigen. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of positive C-choline PET/CT results in the therapeutic management of patients with PCa with biochemical relapse (BR) after curative intention treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 112 patients with PCa BR and positive C-choline PET/CT were retrospectively evaluated. PET/CT was acquired 20 min after intravenous administration of 555-740 MBq of C-choline. The therapeutic management after C-choline PET/CT was obtained from the clinical records. The minimum follow-up time was 18 months. RESULTS: In 80 (71.4%) of 112 patients, C-choline PET/CT showed local recurrence of PCa; in 17 (15.2%) patients, distant recurrence; and in 15 (13.4%) patients, local plus distant recurrence. A second malignancy was detected in five (4.5%) patients. The planned therapeutic management was changed as per positive C-choline PET/CT result in 74 (66.1%) patients and were treated as follows: 31 (27.7%) patients with HT, combined with other treatments in eight (7.1%), 17 (15.2%) with BT, 13 (11.6%) with external beam radiotherapy, one (0.9%) with RP, and four (3.6%) with chemotherapy. Treatment approach was not modified in 37 (33%) patients. No data was available from one (0.9%) patient. CONCLUSION: Positive C-choline PET/CT result had an important effect in the therapeutic management of patients with PCa and BR, leading to a change in the planned approach in two (66.1%) out of three patients. In addition, in 4.5% of the patients, the C-choline PET/CT allowed the detection of a second malignancy.

[18FDG-PET in patients with in situ breast carcinomas. A cause of false negative results]. / Tomografía por emisión de positrones con 18F-fluorodesoxiglucosa en pacientes con carcinomas in situ mamarios. Una causa de falsos negativos.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To study the behaviour of 18F-FDG-PET in patients with in situ breast carcinomas. PATIENTS AND METHOD: The study group included 19 women with a tumor size between 0.8 and 2.2 cm. An uptake in breast with a SUV > 1.9 was considered as positive. RESULTS: 18F-FDG-PET was positive in 8 patients (SUV; range 0.6-2.8; 1.64 [0.59]) and only when the tumor size was higher than 1 cm. Likewise, only in the PET-positive tumors, an inverse (r = -0.637) and positive (p < 0.05) correlation between SUV and weight of patients was observed. When we compared the results with those obtained in 28 patients having infiltrating ductal carcinomas of the breast, we observed that the 18F-FDG-PET was positive only in tumors > 1 cm also, but the percentages of positives (89%) were higher than those obtained in in-situ carcinoma, regardless of tumor size. CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of positive results of 18F-FDG-PET in in-situ breast carcinomas and the SUV are lower than those observed in infiltrating ductal carcinomas, regardless of tumor size. Those carcinomas can be a source of false negative results with such imaging technique.

Tomografía por emisión de positrones con 18F-fluorodesoxiglucosa en pacientes con carcinomas in situ mamarios. Una causa de falsos negativos / 18FDG-PET in patients with in situ breast carcinomas. A cause of false negative results

Fundamento y objetivo: Analizar el comportamiento de la tomografía por emisión de positrones (PET) con 18F-fluorodesoxiglucosa (18F-FDG) en los carcinomas mamarios in situ. Pacientes y método: Incluimos a 19 mujeres con un tamaño tumoral comprendido entre 0,8 y 2,2 cm. Se consideró positivo toda acumulación con un valor de captación estándar (SUV, del inglés standardized uptake value) > 1,9. Resultados: La PET fue positiva en 8 casos (SUV; intervalo, 0,6-2,8; 1,64 [0,59]) y cuando el tamaño fue > 1 cm. Asimismo, sólo en ellos, la SUV se correlacionó positivamente e inversamente (r = ­0,637) con el peso de la paciente. Cuando comparamos los resultados con los obtenidos en 28 carcinomas ductales infiltrantes, pudimos ver que la PET también fue, en estos últimos, positiva a partir de 1 cm, pero tanto los porcentajes de positividades (89%) como los valores de SUV fueron mayores en los infiltrantes que en los in situ, independientemente del tamaño. Conclusiones: En los carcinomas in situ, el porcentaje de positividad de la 18F-FDG-PET y la actividad metabólica (SUV) son menores que en los invasivos, independientemente del tamaño, por lo que aquéllos pueden ser causa de falsos negativos

Background and objective: To study the behaviour of 18F-FDG-PET in patients with in situ breast carcinomas. Patients and method: The study group included 19 women with a tumor size between 0.8 and 2.2 cm. An uptake in breast with a SUV > 1.9 was considered as positive. Results: 18F-FDG-PET was positive in 8 patients (SUV; range 0.6-2.8; 1.64 [0.59]) and only when the tumor size was higher than 1 cm. Likewise, only in the PET-positive tumors, an inverse (r = ­0.637) and positive (p < 0.05) correlation between SUV and weight of patients was observed. When we compared the results with those obtained in 28 patients having infiltrating ductal carcinomas of the breast, we observed that the 18F-FDG-PET was positive only in tumors > 1 cm also, but the percentages of positives (89%) were higher than those obtained in in-situ carcinoma, regardless of tumor size. Conclusions: The percentage of positive results of 18F-FDG-PET in in-situ breast carcinomas and the SUV are lower than those observed in infiltrating ductal carcinomas, regardless of tumor size. Those carcinomas can be a source of false negative results with such imaging technique

Valor actual de la tomografía por emisión de positrones durante el seguimiento del cáncer de próstata / Current value of positron emission tomography for prostate cancer follow-up

La Tomografía por Emisión de Positrones (PET) es una técnica de medicina nuclear, no invasiva,que utiliza radiofármacos y cámaras de detecciónde radiaciones algo diferentes a las empleadas en otras exploraciones isotópicas. La mayoría de las indicaciones son oncológicas, si bien, en nefrourología su uso ha sido menor debido a las características del radiofármaco hasta ahora más comúnmente usado, la 18F-FlúorDeoxiGlucosa (18F-FDG), un análogo de la glucosa que se elimina por vía renal, lo que dificulta su interpretación en las patologías urológicas tumorales. Un fármaco prometedor en este momento es la 18F-colina, tanto en estadificación como reestadificación, especialmente si se usan equipos híbridos PET/TAC. La evolución de la PET en el carcinoma de próstata pasa por la utilización de otros radiofármacos que darán información sobre otros aspectos más específicos que modificarán las terapias y seguimiento del paciente

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a non-invasive nuclear medicine technology which uses radiotracers and cameras slightly different from the ones used in other nuclear medicine tests. Most current indications are for oncological diseases; in nephrology-urology its use has been reduced because of the characteristics of the most commonly used radiotracer,18F-fluor deoxiglucose (18F-FDG, a glucose analogue), which is excreted by the kidney, limiting the interpretation of the study in urologic malignancies. Currently, 18F-choline is a promisingradiotracer for both staging and restaging, especially if hybrid PET/CT scan devices are used. New radiotracers will be needed in the evolution of PET to obtain information about more specific aspects of prostate carcinoma that will modify therapy and follow-up

[Current value of positron emission tomography for prostate cancer follow-up]. / Valor actual de la tomografía por emision de positrones durante el seguimiento del cáncer de próstata.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a non-invasive nuclear medicine technology which uses radiotracers and cameras slightly different from the ones used in other nuclear medicine tests. Most current indications are for oncological diseases; in nephrology-urology its use has been reduced because of the characteristics of the most commonly used radiotracer, 18F-fluor deoxiglucose (18F-FDG, a glucose analogue), which is excreted by the kidney, limiting the interpretation of the study in urologic malignancies. Currently, 18F-choline is a promising radiotracer for both staging and restaging, especially if hybrid PET/CT scan devices are used. New radiotracers will be needed in the evolution of PET to obtain information about more specific aspects of prostate carcinoma that will modify therapy and follow-up.