Prognostic value of [¹⁸F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomographic scanning in patients with thyroid cancer

Poorly differentiated thyroid cancer lesions often lose the ability to concentrate radioactive [¹³¹I]iodine (RAI) and exhibit increased metabolic activity, as evidenced by enhanced glucose uptake. We incorporated [¹⁸F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scanning into the routine follow-up of a cohort of thyroid cancer patients undergoing annual evaluations. One hundred and twenty-five patients who had previous thyroidectomies were included. They had diagnostic RAI whole body scans, serum thyroglobulin measurements, and additional imaging studies as clinically indicated. During 41 months of follow-up, 14 patients died. Univariate analysis demonstrated that survival was reduced in those with age over 45 yr, distant metastases, PET positivity, high rates of FDG uptake, and high volume of the FDG-avid disease (>125 mL). Survival did not correlate with gender, RAI uptake, initial histology, or grade. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the single strongest predictor of survival was the volume of FDG-avid disease. The 3-yr survival probability of patients with FDG volumes of 125 mL or less was 0.96 (95% confidence interval, 0.91, 1.0) compared with 0.18 (95% confidence interval, 0.04, 0.85) in patients with FDG volume greater than 125 mL. Only 1 death (of leukemia) occurred in the PET-negative group (n = 66). Of the 10 patients with distant metastases and negative PET scans, all were alive and well. Patients over 45 yr with distant metastases that concentrate FDG are at the highest risk. Once distant metastases are discovered in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma, FDG-PET can identify high and low risk subsets. Subjects with a FDG volume greater than 125 mL have significantly reduced short term survival.