The effectiveness of dual-phase (18)F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of epithelial ovarian carcinoma: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study is to establish the potential role of dual-phase (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography / computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in patients presenting ovarian masses with diffuse peritoneal infiltration for differentiating benign from malignant lesions. METHODS: Twenty patients (13 with ovarian cancers and 7 with benign lesions) were evaluated preoperatively by dual-phase (18)F-FDG-PET/CT performed 1 h and 2 h after injection of (18)F-FDG. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)) for both time points SUV(max1) and SUV(max2) were determined, respectively, and the retention index (RI) was calculated by subtracting the SUV(max1) from the SUV(max2) and dividing by SUV(max1). RESULTS: The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of SUV(max1) and SUV(max2) were 0.753 (P = 0.062, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.512–0.915) and 0.835 (P = 0.001, 95% CI = 0.604–0.961), respectively. The AUC of the RI was 0.901 (P < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.684–0.988). Using pairwise comparisons, the AUC of SUV(max2) was significantly higher than that of SUV(max1) (P = 0.032). The AUC of the RI was higher than those of SUV(max1) and SUV(max2), but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Dual-phase (18)F-FDG PET/CT might be considered when preoperative imaging is indeterminate. A larger-scaled, prospective study is needed to verify these results.