application of [18]f-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in assessment of patients with prostate cancer after initial treatment

There is a significant risk of prostate cancer recurrence after therapy. The aim of this study is to assess the use of [18]F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography [[18]f-FDG PET] in the detection of local recurrence and distant metastases after initial treatment of patients with prostate cancer. Thirty patients with histologically proven prostatic adenocarcinoma were studied within 24 months [mean: 15 months] after their initial treatment. They were assessed by serum total prostate specific antigen [t-PSA], chest and abdomino-pelvic computerized tomography [CT], bone scintigraphy and [18]f-FDG PET. Local recurrence was diagnosed by pelvic CT and FDG-PET in 4/13 cases who had performed radical prostatectomy. Their mean standardized uptake value [SUV] calculated by FDG-PET was 3.1. This local recurrence was confirmed by pathological analysis of transrectal ultrasonography [TRUS] guided needle biopsies. Bone metastases were diagnosed by bone scintigraphy and FDG-PET in 18/30 patients, where their mean SUV was 5.6. While para aortic and/or pelvic lymph node metastases were diagnosed by abdomino-pelvic CT and FDG-PET in 10/30 cases with their mean SUV 4.7. The diagnosis of para aortic lymph node metastases was confirmed by the pathological analysis of abdominal CT guided needle biopsies in 3/10 cases. The metastases in the lung was diagnosed by chest CT and FDG-PET in 5/30 patients with their mean SUV 4.5. [18]F-FDG PET can be applied to complement other conventional studies for diagnosis of local recurrence and distant metastases in patients with cancer prostate