The added value of 18F-FDG PET/CT for evaluation of patients with esthesioneuroblastoma.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in esthesioneuroblastoma staging and restaging and quantify the additional benefit of PET/CT to conventional imaging.

METHODS: A retrospective review was performed with institutional review board approval for patients with a diagnosis of esthesioneuroblastoma who underwent PET/CT from 2000 to 2010. PET/CT results were retrospectively reviewed by 2 radiologists who were unaware of the clinical and imaging data. Positive imaging findings were classified into 3 categories: local disease, cervical nodal spread, and distant metastasis. All conventional imaging performed in the 6 mo preceding PET/CT, and the medical records, were reviewed to determine the potential added value.

RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients (mean age, 52.3 ± 10 y; range, 23-81 y) were identified who underwent a total of 77 PET/CT examinations. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was 8.68 ± 4.75 (range, 3.6-23.3) for the primary tumor and 8.57 ± 6.46 (range, 1.9-27.2) for the metastatic site. There was no clear association between primary tumor SUVmax and tumor grade (P = 0.30). Compared with conventional imaging, PET/CT changed disease stage or altered clinical management in 11 (39%) of 28 esthesioneuroblastoma patients. Of these, 10 (36%) of 28 were upstaged on the basis of their PET/CT studies. Cervical nodal metastases were found in 5 (18%) of 28, local recurrence in 2 (7%) of 28, cervical nodal and distant metastases in 2 (7%) of 28, and distant metastases in 1 (4%) of 28. One patient (4%) was downstaged after negative findings on PET/CT.

CONCLUSION: PET/CT is a useful adjunct to conventional imaging in the initial staging and restaging of esthesioneuroblastoma by detecting nodal and distant metastatic disease not demonstrated by conventional imaging and identifying local recurrence hidden by treatment changes on conventional imaging.