AUTHOR=Thuillier Philippe , Bourhis David , Roudaut Nathalie , Crouzeix Geneviève , Alavi Zarrin , Schick Ulrike , Robin Philippe , Kerlan Véronique , Salaun Pierre-Yves , Abgral Ronan TITLE=Diagnostic Value of FDG PET-CT Quantitative Parameters and Deauville-Like 5 Point-Scale in Predicting Malignancy of Focal Thyroid Incidentaloma JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine VOLUME=6 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2019.00024 DOI=10.3389/fmed.2019.00024 ISSN=2296-858X ABSTRACT=

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of FDG PET-CT metabolic parameters and Deauville-like 5 point-scale to predict malignancy in a population of patients presenting focal thyroid incidentaloma (fTI).

Design: This retrospective study included 41 fTI, classified according to cytological and histological data as benign (BL) or malignant lesion (ML). FDG PET-CT semi-quantitative parameters (SUVmax, SUVmean, SUVpeak, MTV, TLG), tumor to liver SUVmean ratio (TLRmax and TLRmean), tumor to blood-pool SUVmean ratio (TBRmax and TBRmean) were calculated. Each fTI was also classified on a Deauville-like 5-point scale (DS) currently used in lymphoma. Comparison between BL and ML was performed for each parameter and a ROC analysis was conducted.

Results: All quantitative PET metabolic parameters (SUV parameters, volume based parameters and SUV ratio) were higher in ML compared with BL, yet no significant difference was reported. fTI (uptake) malignancy rate according to DS grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 was, respectively, 25% (1 of 4), 28.6% (2 of 7), 8.3% (1 of 12), and 33.3% (6 of 18) with no significant difference between ML and BL groups. Results of ROC analysis showed that mean TBR had the highest AUC in our cohort (0.66 95%CI [0.41; 0.91]) with a cut-off value of 2.2. Specificity of MTV and TLG was 100% (cut-off values: MTV 9.6 ml, TLG 22.9 g) and their sensitivity was 30 and 40%, respectively.

Conclusion: Our study did not highlight any FDG PET/CT parameter predictor of fTI malignancy.