PURPOSE

Several studies have demonstrated that Ga-FAPI PET/CT shows high intratumoral tracer uptake and low normal tissue uptake, allowing for excellent visualization of cancer. The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of Ga-FAPI and F-FDG PET/CT for the evaluation of newly diagnosed NSCLC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A prospective analysis of 28 individuals with histopathologically newly confirmed NSCLC that underwent Ga-FAPI and F-FDG PET/CT was conducted. The performance of two imaging modalities was compared based upon visual assessment, rates of cancer detection, and semi-quantitative parameters (target-to-background ratio [TBR], maximum standard uptake value [SUVmax]) for both primary tumors and metastases.

RESULTS

In total, this study enrolled 28 participants (13 male, 15 female; median age: 60.5 years, range: 34 - 78 years. The SUVmax and TBR values for Ga-FAPI were substantially superior to those for F-FDG in lymph node, pleural, and bone metastases. While the SUVmax for these two imaging approaches was comparable for hepatic metastases, Ga-FAPI exhibited a significantly higher TBR in relation to that of F-FDG. In addition, Ga-FAPI PET/CT demonstrates excellent N (80% [8/10]) and M (92.9% [26/28]) staging accuracy in NSCLC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Ga-FAPI PET/CT as an examination modality is excellent for evaluation of newly diagnosed NSCLC. Ga-FAPI PET/CT improves the detection rates of most metastases and facilitating the superior staging of patients with newly diagnosed NSCLC, relative to that achieved by F-FDG PET/CT.