18F-DOPA-PET/computed tomography (CT) role in medullary thyroid cancer patients with biochemical incomplete response
Authors' conclusion
18F-DOPA-PET/CT demonstrates good diagnostic accuracy for identifying structural disease in MTC patients with BiR, particularly when indeterminate lesions are present on neck US and CT. However, in most BiR patients, the results of 18F-DOPA-PET/CT did not change their management.
Study context
- Population
- Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) patients with biochemical incomplete response (BiR) after surgery, without evidence of structural disease or with indeterminate lesions on neck ultrasound (US) and total-body CT
- Participants
- 91 patients
- Comparison
- 18F-DOPA-PET/CT in MTC with biochemical incomplete response
- CT-negativen = 37
- CT-indeterminaten = 54
- Outcome
- Capability of 18F-DOPA-PET/CT to identify structural disease
Performance
As reported in the abstract
Pathological 18F-DOPA-PET/CT uptake
Further findings
Agreement of PET/CT uptake with CT indeterminate lesions (CT-indeterminate, PET-positive)
- Concordance
- 23/43 (53.5%)
- Discordance
- 4/43 (9.3%)
- Partial concordance
- 16/43 (37.2%)
Pathological uptake in cervical lymph nodes
- Cervical lymph node uptake
- 33/91 (36.3%)
- Of these, no lesions at neck US
- 9 (27.3%)
- Of these, indeterminate findings at neck US
- 24 (72.7%)
Calcitonin (CTN) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)
- Higher median CTN and CEA in patients with positive 18F-DOPA-PET/CT
Management change
- Management of PET-positive patients did not change, except for those with bone metastases
Original publication
18F-DOPA-PET/CT role in medullary thyroid cancer patients with biochemical incomplete response. Eur J Endocrinol. Published 12 May 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →