Department of Biomedicine Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics, Neurosurgical Clinic, AOUP "Paolo Giaccone", School of Medicine, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Garibaldi Hospital, Catania, Italy.
J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2024 Jul 25;150(7):368. doi: 10.1007/s00432-024-05891-3.
This systematic review aims to investigate the role of nuclear imaging techniques in detecting incidentalomas and their impact on patient management.
Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted from February to May 2022. Studies in English involving patients undergoing nuclear medicine studies with incidental tumor findings were included. Data on imaging modalities, incidentaloma characteristics, management changes, and follow-up were extracted and analyzed.
Ninety-two studies involving 64.884 patients were included. Incidentalomas were detected in 611 cases (0.9%), with thyroid being the most common site. PET/CT with FDG and choline tracers showed the highest incidentaloma detection rates. Detection of incidentalomas led to a change in therapeutic strategy in 59% of cases. Various radiotracers demonstrated high sensitivity for incidentaloma detection, particularly in neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer.
Nuclear imaging techniques play a crucial role in detecting incidentalomas, leading to significant changes in patient management. The high sensitivity of these modalities highlights their potential in routine oncology follow-up protocols. Future directions may include enhancing spatial resolution and promoting theranostic approaches for improved patient care.
本系统评价旨在探讨核医学成像技术在检测偶发瘤及其对患者管理的影响中的作用。
根据 PRISMA 指南，我们于 2022 年 2 月至 5 月进行了全面的文献检索。纳入了涉及接受核医学研究且偶然发现肿瘤的患者的英文研究。提取并分析了有关成像方式、偶发瘤特征、管理变更和随访的数据。
共纳入 92 项研究，涉及 64884 例患者。在 611 例（0.9%）患者中发现了偶发瘤，甲状腺是最常见的部位。FDG 和胆碱示踪剂的 PET/CT 显示出最高的偶发瘤检出率。在 59%的病例中，偶发瘤的发现导致了治疗策略的改变。各种放射性示踪剂对偶发瘤的检测具有很高的敏感性，尤其是在神经内分泌肿瘤和前列腺癌中。
核医学成像技术在检测偶发瘤方面发挥着重要作用，导致患者管理发生重大变化。这些方法的高灵敏度突出了它们在常规肿瘤学随访方案中的潜在应用。未来的方向可能包括提高空间分辨率和促进治疗诊断方法，以改善患者的治疗效果。
