Nucl Med Mol Imaging.  2007 Jun;41(3):185-193.

Use of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Second Primary Cancer

• Choi JY
• Kim BT

Abstract

This review focuses on the use of 18F-FDG PET/CT to evaluate second primary cancers. The emergence of a second primary cancer is an important prognostic factor in cancer patients. The early detection of a second primary cancer and the appropriate treatment are essential for reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with these tumors. Integrated 18F-FDG PET/CT, which can provide both the metabolic and anatomic information of a cancer, has been shown to have a better accuracy in oncology than either CT or conventional PET. The whole body coverage and high sensitivity of 18F-FDG PET/CT along with its ability to provide both metabolic and anatomic information of a cancer make it suitable for evaluating a second primary cancer in oncology. Whole body 18F-FDG PET/CT is useful for screening second primary cancers with a high sensitivity and good positive predictive value. In order to rule out the presence of a second primary cancer or an unexpected metastasis, further diagnostic work-up is essential when abnormal findings indicative of a second primary cancer are found on the PET/CT images. PET/CT is better in detecting a second primary tumor than conventional PET.

Keyword

second primary cancer; staging; 18F-FDG; PET; PET/CT

MeSH Terms

Fluorodeoxyglucose F18*
Humans
Mass Screening
Mortality
Neoplasm Metastasis
Neoplasms, Second Primary*
Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography*
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18