Nuclear Medicine Division, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Policlinico di S. Orsola, Via Albertoni 15, Bologna, Italy.
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
J Endocrinol Invest. 2024 Oct;47(10):2383-2396. doi: 10.1007/s40618-024-02400-8. Epub 2024 Jun 5.
In recent years, nuclear medicine imaging methods have proven to be of paramount importance in a wide variety of diseases, particularly in oncology, where they are crucial for assessing the extent of disease when conventional methods fall short. Moreover, nuclear imaging modalities are able to better characterize lesions using target agents related to specific pathways (e.g. glucose metabolism, cellular proliferation, amino acid transport, lipid metabolism, specific receptor ligands). The clinical presentation of endocrine diseases encompasses a broad spectrum of sign and symptoms. Moreover, endocrine tumors show varying degrees of aggressiveness from well differentiated and indolent to highly aggressive cancers, respectively.
With the application of new medicinal radio-compounds and increasingly advanced tomographic imaging technology, the utility of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) in the field of endocrine diseases is expanding.
This review aims to analyze and summarize the primary indications of PET/CT, providing a practical approach for clinicians. A comprehensive literature search on PubMed was conducted to provide an updated overview of the available evidence regarding the use of PET/CT in endocrinology. Within this review, we will discuss the applications of PET/CT, compare different radiopharmaceuticals and highlight the uptake mechanism, excluding neuroendocrine carcinomas from discussion.
PET/CT is a valuable tool in diagnosing and managing endocrine disorders due to its capacity to furnish both functional and anatomical information, facilitate early lesion detection, guide treatment decisions, and monitor treatment response. Its non-invasive nature and precision make it an integral component of modern endocrine healthcare. This review aims to provide physicians with a clear perspective on the role of PET/CT imaging, discussing its emerging opportunities and appropriateness of use in endocrinological diseases.
近年来，核医学成像方法已被证明在各种疾病中至关重要，特别是在肿瘤学中，在常规方法不足的情况下，这些方法对于评估疾病的范围至关重要。此外，核成像方式能够使用与特定途径相关的靶向剂更好地对病变进行特征描述（例如葡萄糖代谢、细胞增殖、氨基酸转运、脂质代谢、特定受体配体）。内分泌疾病的临床表现涵盖了广泛的体征和症状。此外，内分泌肿瘤的侵袭性程度各异，从高分化和惰性到高度侵袭性癌症不等。
随着新型放射性药物的应用和日益先进的断层成像技术，正电子发射断层扫描/计算机断层扫描（PET/CT）在内分泌疾病领域的应用不断扩大。
本综述旨在分析和总结 PET/CT 的主要适应证，为临床医生提供实用方法。我们在 PubMed 上进行了全面的文献检索，以提供有关 PET/CT 在内分泌学中应用的最新证据概述。在本综述中，我们将讨论 PET/CT 的应用，比较不同放射性药物并强调摄取机制，不包括神经内分泌癌的讨论。
由于 PET/CT 能够提供功能和解剖信息，有助于早期发现病变，指导治疗决策，并监测治疗反应，因此在诊断和管理内分泌疾病方面是一种有价值的工具。其非侵入性和精确性使其成为现代内分泌保健的重要组成部分。本综述旨在为医生提供关于 PET/CT 成像作用的清晰视角，讨论其在内分泌疾病中的新兴机会和适当用途。
