Advantages and disadvantages of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in carcinoma of unknown primary

Abstract

Carcinoma of unknown primary is a type of malignant disease where the primary carcinoma cannot be identified by conventional examination, which presents challenges in diagnosis and therapy. This study aims to evaluate the detailed clinical value and indications of using fluorine-18-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18 FDG PET/CT) in a large sample. A total of 449 patients who were selected under strict standards were retrospectively included in this study. F-18 FDG PET/CT accurately detected the primary carcinoma in 115 of 449 patients whose primaries could not be detected by conventional examination (25.6%), with additional 27 false-positive patients. The most common primary site was the lung (34.8%). In addition, except for in metastatic melanoma (1/19, 5.3%) and axillary metastasis patients (2/49, 4.1%), F-18 FDG PET/CT had a comparative performance in detecting primary carcinoma in other pathological types and anatomical locations. The scan is able to guide treatment strategy modifications to some extent (130/449, 29.0%). We strongly recommend the use of F-18 FDG PET/CT in the early phase of examination. It is also recommended as a supplementary radiological method, and certain patients may benefit from its application in cases where regular examination is inconclusive. However, in metastatic melanoma or axillary metastasis patients where the primary site cannot be identified by routine examination, regular application of F-18 FDG PET/CT for the sole purpose of detecting the primary carcinoma should not be encouraged.