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Review
. 2011;16(4):458-66.
doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2010-0256. Epub 2011 Mar 4.

The role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in thyroid neoplasms

Brian Hung-Hin Lang  1 , Tsz Ting Law
Affiliations
Review

The role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in thyroid neoplasms

Brian Hung-Hin Lang et al. Oncologist. 2011.

Abstract

(18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has established itself as an important imaging modality in many oncological and nononcological specialties and, as a consequence, it is increasingly being used in clinical practice. Since the first report of FDG being taken up by metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) cells >20 years ago, various groups of investigators have explored the potential role of FDG-PET scanning in patients with benign and malignant thyroid neoplasms. With the increasing demand for FDG-PET scanning, clinicians are faced with the challenge of managing an increasing number of FDG-PET-detected thyroid incidentalomas because their significance remains unclear. The aims of this review are to address some of these issues, specifically, the clinical significance of FDG-PET-detected thyroid incidentalomas, the ability of FDG-PET to characterize thyroid nodules, especially those with indeterminate fine needle aspiration cytology results, and the role of FDG-PET in patients with confirmed primary DTC and with suspected recurrent DTC, by reviewing the current literature.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures

Brian Hung-Hin Lang: None; Tsz Ting Law: None.

Section Editor Stan Sidhu discloses no financial relationships.

Section Editor Herbert Chen discloses research funding received from Novartis.

Reviewer “A” discloses no financial relationships.

The content of this article has been reviewed by independent peer reviewers to ensure that it is balanced, objective, and free from commercial bias. On the basis of disclosed information, all conflicts of interest have been resolved.

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