MALIGNANT-MELANOMA - STAGING WITH WHOLE-BODY POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY AND 2-[F-18]-FLUORO-2-DEOXY-D-GLUCOSE

PURPOSE: To evaluate whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) wit h 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) in the detection of m etastasis from melanoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Whole-body PET was per formed in 33 patients with either known metastatic or newly diagnosed melanoma. Patients with suspected metastases also underwent computed t omography, magnetic resonance imaging, or both. Diagnoses were confirm ed with histologic examination or with at least one imaging modality i n addition to PET. Blinded interpretations of PET scans were performed . RESULTS: Forty of 53 lesions evaluated proved to be melanoma metasta ses. Whole-body PET correctly depicted 37 sites of metastases. Three c utaneous metastases (<3 mm) were missed. PET correctly excluded malign ancy in 10 cases where suspicious lesions were found with conventional cross-sectional imaging modalities but later ruled out with fine-need le biopsy. In six patients, PET depicted new metastases. The sensitivi ty for the detection of malignant lesions was 92%; the specificity for reading the PET images without clinical information was 77% and with clinical information was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that whole-body FDG PET is an effective imaging modality to screen for met astases from malignant melanoma.