ArticlePloS one2014
The usefulness of standardized uptake value in differentiation between benign and malignant thyroid lesions detected incidentally in 18F-FDG PET/CT examination.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Focal Thyroid Incidentalomas onFrontiers in endocrinology · 2021Pooled it
- Diagnostic performances of five US risk stratification systems for malignancy in focal [European radiology · 2025Article
- Diagnostic Challenges in a Case of Suspected Breast Cancer with Low FDG Uptake and an Incidental Thyroid Lesion: A Case Report and Literature Review.World journal of nuclear medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- AI may help to predict thyroid nodule malignancy based on radiomics features from [EJNMMI research · 2025Article
- Interference of COVID-19 Vaccination With PET/CT Leads to Unnecessary Additional Imaging in a Patient With Metastatic Cutaneous Melanoma-Case Report.Frontiers in oncology · 2021Article
- Prevalence of incidental thyroid malignancy on routineEuropean journal of hybrid imaging · 2020Article
- Indeterminate thyroid nodules. The role ofEndocrine · 2020Article
- Article
- Hounsfield unit value has null effect on thyroid nodules at 18F-FDG PET/CT scans.Archives of endocrinology and metabolism · 2018Article
- Evidence-based management of incidental focal uptake of fluorodeoxyglucose on PET-CT.The British journal of radiology · 2018Review
- Article
- The incidence of thyroid cancer in focal hypermetabolic thyroid lesions: an 18F-FDG PET/CT study in more than 6000 patients.Nuclear medicine communications · 2016Article
- VEGF-C Is a Thyroid Marker of Malignancy Superior to VEGF-A in the Differential Diagnostics of Thyroid Lesions.PloS one · 2016Article
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9 authors.
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Abstract
introductionIn the last decade, (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET and PET/CT) has become one of the major diagnostic tools used in oncology. A significant number of patients who undergo this procedure, due to non-thyroidal reasons, present incidental uptake of (18F-FDG) in the thyroid. The aim of the study was to compare the SUVmax (standardized uptake value) of thyroid focal lesions, which were incidentally found on PET/CT, in relation to the results of thyroid fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and/or histopathological evaluation. MATERIALS AND
methodsPatients referred for PET/CT examination, due to non-thyroidal illness, presented focal 18F-FDG uptake in the thyroid and were advised to undergo ultrasonography (US), hormonal evaluation, FNAB and/or total thyroidectomy at our institution.
results6614 PET/CT examinations performed in 5520 patients were analyzed. Of the 122 patients with focal thyroid 18F-FDG activity, 82 patients (67.2%) underwent further thyroid evaluation using FNAB. Benign lesions were diagnosed in 46 patients, malignant - in 19 patients (confirmed by post-surgical histopathology), while 17 patients had inconclusive results of cytological assessment. Mean SUVmax of benign lesions was 3.2±2.8 (median = 2.4), while the mean SUVmax value for malignant lesions was 7.1±8.2 (median = 3.5). The risk of malignancy was 16.7% for lesions with a SUVmax under 3, 43.8% for lesions with a SUVmax between 3 and 6, and 54.6% for lesions with a SUVmax over 6. In the group of malignant lesions, a positive correlation between the lesion's diameter and SUVmax was observed (p = 0.03, r = 0.57).
conclusionsSubjects with incidental focal uptake of 18F-FDG in thyroid are at a high risk of thyroid malignancy. A high value of SUVmax further increases the risk of malignancy, indicating the necessity for further cytological or histological evaluation. However, as SUVmax correlated with the diameter of malignant lesions, small lesions with focal uptake of 18F-FDG should be interpreted cautiously.
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