18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in evaluation of germ cell tumor after chemotherapy

Abstract

To evaluate the role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in the assessment of germ cell tumors after chemotherapy. We reviewed patients' records for the histologic findings and clinical outcome. 18F-FDG PET results were correlated with tissue histologic features where available; and if not available, the correlation was with the clinical outcome. A total of 45 PET studies were performed on 38 patients (age range 19 to 64 years, median 31). All patients had received chemotherapy. In the nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT) group, of the 31 patients with one scan, 18 PET scans were reported as positive, with only 2 not having active disease. Of the 12 neg..