Objective: To investigate the clinical value of dual-phase (18)F-FDG PET/CT with oral diuretics in preoperative staging of bladder cancer.
Methods: The imaging data were analyzed of 73 patients with bladder cancer undergoing preoperative dual-phase (18)F-FDG PET/CT with oral diuretic between May, 2003 and May, 2012. All the patients underwent whole-body PET/CT scan 60 min after intravenous injection of 270-350 MBq of (18)F-FDG. Additional delayed pelvic PET/CT images were acquired after forced diuresis using oral furosemide (40 mg). All the patients underwent subsequent radical cystectomy, and (18)F-FDG PET/CT findings were compared with the histopathologic results to evaluate the value of dual-phase (18)F-FDG PET/CT in preoperative staging.
Results: The concordance rate of dual-phase FDG PET/CT-based bladder cancer staging with the histopathologic results was 63.0% in the 73 patients, and was 100% (7/7) for pT4 bladder cancers. With dual-phase FDG PET/CT, the detection rate was 75.0% (6/8) for lymph node metastases, 100% (4/4) for distant metastases, and 100% (4/4) for other concurrent primary malignancies.
Conclusion: Though with limited accuracy in T-staging of pTa, pT1, pT2, and pT3 bladder cancer, dual-phase FDG PET/CT has important clinical value in staging of pT4 bladder cancer and in N-staging, M-staging and detection of other concurrent primary malignancies.