The Effectiveness of 18F FDG PET in the Differential Diagnosis of Lung Cancer and Granulomatous Diseases Using Dual phase and Dynamic Scanning
The aim of the study is to evaluate effectiveness of dual phase 18F FDG PET in the differential diagnosis of lung can cer and granulomatous diseases using three quantitative criteria. Materials and methods. Dual phase 18F FDG PET was performed in 80 patients with lung cancer and 46 patients with various granulomatous diseases. The first and second phase PET images were obtained in 100 and 200 minutes after radiopharmaceutical administration. Three quantitative criteria was used to evaluate the PET data. Results. First and second phase PET images showed 18F FDG uptake foci in the pulmonary nodules in all 126 patients by visual analysis. The SUV increase was detected in majority of patients with lung cancer and inflammatory granulomatous diseases both in the first and second phase PET scans. The dynamic PET data were also found the similarity of the metabolic processes in these diseases. Conclusion. Our data show the low efficiency of dual phase 18F FDG PET for differential diagnosis between lung cancer and granulomatous lung diseases.