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Diagnostic potential of PET/CT using a 68Ga-labelled prostate-specific membrane antigen ligand in whole-body staging of renal cell carcinoma: initial experience

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European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the diagnostic potential of whole-body PET/CT using a 68Ga-labelled PSMA ligand in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Methods

Six patients with histopathologically proven RCC underwent 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT. Each PET/CT scan was evaluated in relation to lesion count, location and dignity. SUVmax was measured in primary tumours and PET-positive metastases. Tumour-to-background SUVmax ratios (TBRSUVmax) were calculated for primary RCCs in relation to the surrounding normal renal parenchyma. Metastasis-to-background SUVmax ratios (MBRSUVmax) were calculated for PET-positive metastases in relation to gluteal muscle.

Results

Five primary RCCs and 16 metastases were evaluated. The mean SUVmax of the primary RCCs was 9.9 ± 9.2 (range 1.7 – 27.2). Due to high uptake in the surrounding renal parenchyma, the mean TBRSUVmax of the primary RCCs was only 0.2 ± 0.3 (range 0.02 – 0.7). Eight metastases showed focal 68Ga-PSMA uptake (SUVmax 9.9 ± 8.3, range 3.4 – 25.6). The mean MBRSUVmax of these PET-positive metastases was 11.7 ± 0.2 (range 4.4 – 28.1). All PET-negative metastases were subcentimetre lung metastases.

Conclusion

68Ga-PSMA PET/CT appears to be a promising method for detecting RCC metastases. However, no additional diagnostic value in assessing the primary tumour was found.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Faculty, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Dusseldorf, Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Dusseldorf, Germany

    Lino M. Sawicki, Christian Buchbender, Johannes Boos & Gerald Antoch

  2. Medical Faculty, Department of Urology, University Dusseldorf, 40225, Dusseldorf, Germany

    Markus Giessing

  3. Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-5: Nuclear Chemistry, Juelich Research Center, 52425, Juelich, Germany

    Johannes Ermert

  4. Medical Faculty, Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Dusseldorf, 40225, Dusseldorf, Germany

    Christina Antke & Hubertus Hautzel

Authors
  1. Lino M. Sawicki
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  2. Christian Buchbender
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  3. Johannes Boos
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  4. Markus Giessing
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  5. Johannes Ermert
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  6. Christina Antke
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  7. Gerald Antoch
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  8. Hubertus Hautzel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lino M. Sawicki.

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Ethical approval

All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the principles of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Sawicki, L.M., Buchbender, C., Boos, J. et al. Diagnostic potential of PET/CT using a 68Ga-labelled prostate-specific membrane antigen ligand in whole-body staging of renal cell carcinoma: initial experience. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 44, 102–107 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-016-3360-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-016-3360-2

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