PET/CT imaging

Clinical case - Assessment of treatment response efficiency

   
 
     
  Who we are  
 
 
  Professor Juhani Knuuti
Director

Adj. Prof. Marko Seppänen
Diagnostic Service Manager

Turku PET Centre
Turku, Finland

As a Finnish National Research Institute, Turku PET Centre led by Professor J. Knuuti, promotes the use of PET in the medical research field. The Centre was founded in 1974 by the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University and the Turku University Hospital. The Centre integrates top scientific expertise with excellent facilities and equipments. Fruitful interaction and collaboration between basic scientists and clinical investigators is a long-standing tradition.

The latest imaging technology is available, some unique in Europe. The Centre provides several tracers for routine and research clinical imaging in Oncology, Neurology and Cardiology, using the Europe's first 64 slices PET/CT system. With its excellent cyclotron and radiochemistry laboratories, Turku PET Centre develops and produces the latest PET tracers for clinical imaging.

  
  Turku Medical Cyclotron Project  
     
     
  Patient History  
 
 
 

Male - 38 years old – 176cm - 77kg

 
 

In March 2007: operated for a rectum carcinoma, histopathologically confirmed as adenoma carcinoma gradus II.

Postoperative follow-up showed a raising CEA.

Patient refers to 18F-FDG scan for recurrence assessment.

 
 

 

  
     
  Acquisition  
 
 
 

Scanner: GE Discovery VCT

  
     
  PET acquisition: Whole-body 18F-FDG acquisition  
 
– 3D acquisition reconstructed with VUE Point HD & analysed with PETVCAR™
– Acquisition time: 12 min
– Post-injection time: 50 min
– Dose: June 2008: 382 MBq & August 2008: 368 MBq
 
     
  CT acquisition:  
 
– Rotation speed: 0.8 second
– FOV: 70 cm
– Pitch: 1.375 mm/rot
– Slice thickness: 3.75 mm
– Smart mA, NI: 25, kVp: 140, mA: 80
 
 
 
     
  Findings  
 
 
  Coronal whole-body PET image confirming liver recurrence Arrow Coronal whole-body PET image showing a significant partial response to therapy  
  June 2008
Coronal whole-body PET image confirming liver recurrence		   August 2008
Coronal whole-body PET image showing a significant partial response to therapy		  
         
 

June 2008:

The 18F-FDG PET scan reveals a disease recurrence. A highly hypermetabolic lesion is found in the caudate (segment 1) of liver. The patient is treated with chemotherapy.

August 2008:

The patient is scanned for treatment response evaluation. The PET scan shows a significant partial response. A resection of the liver can now be considered by the surgeon.

 
         
     
  Conclusion  
 
 
 

Early treatment to response evaluation with integrated PET/CT may also be a valuable approach in patients with solid tumors and its clinical role may rise in the future when optimizing treatment protocols of these patients.

PET VCAR™ is a strong new tool for follow up studies, enabling a more effective interpretation of patient data.

  
 

 

  
     
     
 
liver recurrence before
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
     
Who we are  
Patient History  
Acquisition  
Findings  
Conclusion  
     
Click to watch the videos:
Before / After