Value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the differential diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and nasopharyngeal lymphoma / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the differential diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and nasopharyngeal lymphoma. Methods:A retrospective analysis including 100 patients (77 males, 23 females, age (51.0±12.4) years) with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and 107 patients(61 males, 46 females, age (52.3±18.2) years) with nasopharyngeal lymphoma after 18F-FDG PET/CT at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from October 2011 to December 2019 was performed. All patients were confirmed by pathology. Differences of clinical data, PET metabolic parameters and CT morphology between nasopharyngeal carcinoma group and nasopharyngeal lymphoma group were compared (independent-sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test). Multiple regression analysis and ROC curve analysis were used to evaluate the efficacy of the combined features in the differential diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and nasopharyngeal lymphoma. Results:As for nasopharyngeal carcinoma group and nasopharyngeal lymphoma group, there were statistically significant differences in SUV max (10.86±3.99 vs 14.81±7.24; t=-4.90, P=0.001), peak of SUV (SUV peak; 7.84±3.13 vs 10.86±5.66; t=-4.79, P=0.001), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG; 39.00(19.98, 62.56) vs 56.75(33.02, 102.06) g; z=-3.24, P=0.001). However, the diagnostic efficiencies were low (AUCs 0.657, 0.646, 0.636, respectively). Multiple regression model showed that SUV max combined with multiple morphological and clinical features (gender, lesion location, with or without involvement of surrounding structures, cervical lymph node metastasis, parapharyngeal involvement and spleen involvement) could improve the differential diagnosis efficiency significantly (AUC=0.900). Conclusion:18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameter SUV max combined with CT morphological and clinical features have high diagnostic efficiency in the differential diagnosis of nasopharyngeal malignant tumors.