Cross-modality PET/CT and contrast-enhanced CT imaging for pancreatic cancer

AIM:To explore the diagnostic value of the crossmodality fusion images provided by positron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET/CT) and contrast-enhanced CT(CECT) for pancreatic cancer(PC).METHODS:Data from 70 patients with pancreatic lesions who underwent CECT and PET/CT examinations at our hospital from August 2010 to October 2012were analyzed.PET/CECT for the cross-modality image fusion was obtained using Ture D software.The diagnostic efficiencies of PET/CT,CECT and PET/CECT were calculated and compared with each other using aχ2 test.P<0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.RESULTS:Of the total 70 patients,50 had PC and 20had benign lesions.The differences in the sensitivity,negative predictive value(NPV),and accuracy between CECT and PET/CECT in detecting PC were statistically significant(P<0.05 for each).In 15 of the 31patients with PC who underwent a surgical operation,peripancreatic vessel invasion was verified.The differences in the sensitivity,positive predictive value,NPV,and accuracy of CECT vs PET/CT and PET/CECT vs PET/CT in diagnosing peripancreatic vessel invasionwere statistically significant(P<0.05 for each).In 19of the 31 patients with PC who underwent a surgical operation,regional lymph node metastasis was verified by postsurgical histology.There was no statistically significant difference among the three methods in detecting regional lymph node metastasis(P>0.05for each).In 17 of the 50 patients with PC confirmed by histology or clinical follow-up,distant metastasis was confirmed.The differences in the sensitivity and NPV between CECT and PET/CECT in detecting distant metastasis were statistically significant(P<0.05 for each).CONCLUSION:Cross-modality image fusion of PET/CT and CECT is a convenient and effective method that can be used to diagnose and stage PC,compensating for the defects of PET/CT and CECT when they are conducted individually.