ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Chirurgia 2006 June;19(3):189-91

Copyright © 2006 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

18Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging versus sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in the staging of cutaneous melanoma in AJCC stage I and II

Cordova A. ¹, Napoli P. ¹, Costa R. ², Giambona C. ¹, Tripoli N. ¹, Moschella F. ¹

¹ Cattedra di Chirurgia Plastica Dipartimento di Discipline Chirurgiche e Oncologiche Università di Palermo, Italia 2 U.O. di Medicina Nucleare Azienda Universitaria Ospedaliera Policlinico Palermo, Italia

Aim. In the present study, 18Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-Glucose- Positron Emission Tomography(FDG-PET) findings were compared with histopathological results of sentinel lymph-node biopsy (SNLB). The purpose was to determine the value of FDG-PET in predicting regional lymph-node involvement in patients with primary melanoma stage I and II.
Methods. Twenty five consecutive patients with primary cutaneous melanoma, stage I and II, underwent FDG-PET scans , preoperative lymphoscintigraphy, and SNLB. The sentinel node detection was sistematically performed within the week following the PET scanning.
Results. The FDG-PET and SNLB results were interpreted independently of each other and then compared.
Conclusions. SNLB remains the technique of choise for evaluating the histological status of lymph-node basins and is the only reliable method for identifying micrometastatic disease in the regional draining node; FDG-PET appears insufficiently sensitive to identify microscopic nodal metastases and cannnot be expected to give additional information of stage I-II patients. Based on our results and data from literature, the Authors not recommend 18-FDG-PET as a first line imaging strategy for staging with a AJCC stage I or II primary disease.