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Clinical value of a combined multi-phase contrast enhanced DOPA-PET/CT in neuroendocrine tumours with emphasis on the diagnostic CT component

  • Oncology
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Abstract

Objective

To assess the clinical value of multi-phase, contrast-enhanced DOPA-PET/CT with emphasis on the diagnostic CT component in patients with neuroendocrine tumours (NET).

Methods

Sixty-five patients with NET underwent DOPA-cePET/CT. The DOPA-PET, multi-phase CT and combined DOPA cePET/CT data were evaluated and diagnostic accuracies compared. The value of ceCT in DOPA cePET/CT concerning lesion detection and therapeutic impact was evaluated. Sensitivities, specificities and accuracies were calculated. Histopathology and clinical follow-up served as the standard of reference. Differences were tested for statistical significance by McNemar’s test.

Results

In 40 patients metastatic and/or primary tumour lesions were detected. Lesion-based analysis for the DOPA-PET showed sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 66%, 100% and 67%, for the ceCT data 85%, 71% and 85%, and for the combined DOPA cePET/CT data 97%, 71% and 96%. DOPA cePET/CT was significantly more accurate compared with dual-phase CT (p < 0.05) and PET alone (p < 0.05). Additional lesion detection was based on ceCT in 12 patients; three patients underwent significant therapeutic changes based on the ceCT findings.

Conclusion

DOPA cePET/CT was significantly more accurate than DOPA-PET alone and ceCT alone. The CT component itself had a diagnostic impact in a small percentage but contributed to the therapeutic strategies in selected patients.

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Acknowledgements

This study was partly sponsored by Covidien, Mallinckrodt, Switzerland

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Author notes

  1. Patrick Veit-Haibach

    Present address: Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Lucerne, Switzerland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Rämistrasse 100, 8091, Zuerich, Switzerland

    Patrick Veit-Haibach, Jan Soyka, Klaus Strobel, Niklaus G. Schaefer, Rolf Hesselmann & Thomas F. Hany

  2. Department of Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Marc Schiesser & P.-A. Clavien

  3. Department of Oncology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Niklaus G. Schaefer

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  1. Patrick Veit-Haibach
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Correspondence to Patrick Veit-Haibach.

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Veit-Haibach, P., Schiesser, M., Soyka, J. et al. Clinical value of a combined multi-phase contrast enhanced DOPA-PET/CT in neuroendocrine tumours with emphasis on the diagnostic CT component. Eur Radiol 21, 256–264 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-010-1930-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-010-1930-4

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