Sunday, December 1 | 9:00 a.m.-9:10 a.m. | S1-SSNMMI01-1 | Room S405
Gallium-68 (Ga-68) FAPI-PET/CT imaging appears superior to FDG-PET/CT for assessing hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). In a large prospective trial, the approach was more accurate – enough so that it could possibly replace FDG-PET/CT in the future, according to research in this session.
Sunanda Nimmalapudi, MD, of Guntur Medical College in Andhra Pradesh, India, will present a study of 850 patients who underwent both FDG-PET and Ga-68 FAPI-PET scans one day apart. The study was conducted between January 2015 and January 2024 and the researchers analyzed and compared maximum standard uptake values (SUVmax) – lesion radiotracer “avidity” – in tumors between the techniques. Of the group, 581 patients had lesions where the largest dimension was more than 5 cm, while 269 patients had the largest lesion dimension of less than 5 centimeters; 443 patients had background cirrhosis and 407 patients did not have chronic liver disease.
According to the findings, out of 850 patients who underwent FDG PET-CT, 781 lesions were FDG avid and 69 lesions did not show FDG uptake. Conversely, all 850 patients who underwent Ga-68 FAPI-PET/CT imaging showed lesion avidity. The mean SUVmax of HCCs among the 850 patients who underwent both imaging modalities was 4.39 for FDG and 12.29 for Ga-68 FAPI with a p-value < 0.05 (significant). The sensitivity of FDG in detection of HCC was 92% and that of Ga-68 FAPI was 100%.
Ultimately, HCC is one of the most common malignancies in India and is encountered across various age groups, Nimmalapudi noted.
“The core question to be answered in every case is whether the mass is benign or malignant and if malignant, then whether it is hepatocellular carcinoma or another malignancy such as cholangiocarcinoma,” the group stated. FAPI-PET/CT stands out in the diagnostic approach, they concluded.
Kick off the meeting in this Sunday morning session to learn all the details.
