TITLE:
Adequate Diagnostic Performance of Combined [18F]-Fluormethylcholine PET-CT with Diffusion-Weighted MRI in Primary Staging of High Risk Prostate Cancer
AUTHORS:
Pieter L. Jager, R. Jorn Beukinga, Tjard D. de Haan, Martijn F Boomsma, Ben E. Laddé, Miranda van t Veer-ten Kate, Ad H. J. Oostdijk, Martijn G. Steffens
KEYWORDS:
Positron Emission Tomography, Diffusion-Weighted Imaging, Fluor-Methyl-Choline, Prostate Cancer, Primary Staging
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Molecular Imaging,
Vol.6 No.1,
April
28,
2016
ABSTRACT: Introduction: [18F]-fluoro-methylcholine (FCH)
PET/CT and MRI with diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) have insufficient
performance in lymph node staging of primary prostate cancer by themselves, but
the combination may perform better. We aim to prospectively determine the diagnostic
performance of combined FCH PET and MRI for lymph node staging. Methods: This
was a single site study of diagnostic accuracy in a well-defined group of 21
consecutive high-risk primary prostate cancer patients (>30% chance of lymph
node metastases) in a large community hospital. We performed FCH PET/CT and MRI
with DW-MRI prior to endoscopic extended pelvic lymph node dissection (EPLND).
PET was fused and interpreted together with various MRI image sets (T1, T2, DWIBS)
and was only scored positive when a lymph node seen on MRI coincided with increased
focal FCH uptake on PET. Findings were compared with detailed histological
evaluation, on a per-patient and per-region level. We calculated sensitivity,
specificity, positive and negative predictive value of combined PET-MRI. Results:
14 out of 21 patients had metastatic lymph nodes with 37 out of 164 evaluable
regions harboring metastases. On a per-patient analysis, PET-MRI had a
sensitivity/specificity of 79/100% with a PPV/NPV of 100/77%. On a per-region
analysis (n = 164) these figure were 65/99% and 96/91%, respectively. Conclusions:
Combined DW-MRI and FCH PET/CT has a very high positive predictive value in
high risk prostate cancer patients. If confirmed in larger series a positive
combined scan may safely allow cancellation of surgical staging in selected
patients, depending on local protocols in N1 M0 patients.