Radiographics 2003 Mar-Apr;23(2):315-40
Clinical Role of FDG PET in Evaluation of Cancer Patients.
Kostakoglu L, Agress H Jr, Goldsmith SJ.
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a diagnostic imaging technique that allows
identification of biochemical and physiologic alterations in tumors. Use of PET
performed with 2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) significantly
improves the accuracy of tumor imaging. In terms of oncologic applications, FDG
PET has already gained widespread acceptance in the initial staging of cancer,
management of recurrent cancer, and monitoring the response to therapy. With
conventional imaging modalities, size criteria are used to distinguish between
benign and malignant disease in lymph nodes; conversely, FDG PET is based on
identification of fundamental aspects of tumor metabolism. FDG uptake in tumors
is proportional to the metabolic rate of viable tumor cells, which have an
increased demand for glucose. The high sensitivity and high negative predictive
value of FDG PET in most malignant tumors enable this technique to play an even
greater role in tumor management at initial staging and follow-up. Copyright
RSNA, 2003
