ReviewThe British journal of radiology2018
Evidence-based management of incidental focal uptake of fluorodeoxyglucose on PET-CT.
Review in The British journal of radiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Prostatic incidental uptake on PET/CT: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and malignancy risk.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Focal Thyroid Incidentalomas onFrontiers in endocrinology · 2021Pooled it
- Clinical significance of suspicious incidental FDG uptake: a comparison between digital PET/CT and conventional PET/CT.Annals of nuclear medicine · 2026Article
- Focal Thyroid Incidentalomas on PET/CT Among Breast Cancer Patients: Referral Patterns and Diagnostic Outcomes.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Incidental esophageal and gastroesophageal junction uptake on ¹Abdominal radiology (New York) · 2026Article
- Definitions of Incidental [Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- FAPI PET uptake patterns after invasive medical interventions: a single center retrospective analysis.European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2024Article
- Clinical implications of non-breast cancer related findings on FDG-PET/CT scan prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2024Article
- Polymer clip granuloma mimicking lymph node recurrence: a case report.Surgical case reports · 2024Article
- Non-oncologic incidental uptake on FAPI PET/CT imaging.The British journal of radiology · 2023Review
- Focal Nasopharyngeal Activity Detected on [Nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2022Article
- Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Incidental FocalMolecular imaging and radionuclide therapy · 2022Article
- Parotid gland metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma identified on surveillanceBMJ case reports · 2022Article
- Diagnostic Performance of [Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Correlation of 18F-FDG PET/CT uptake with severity of MRI findings and epidural steroid injection sites in patients with symptomatic degenerative disease of the lumbar spine: a retrospective study.Diagnostic and interventional radiology (Ankara, Turkey) · 2021Article
- Incidentally Detected Celiac Disease with Splenomegaly onAsia Oceania journal of nuclear medicine & biology · 2021Article
- Adrenal Incidentaloma.Endocrine reviews · 2020Review
- Prevalence of incidental thyroid malignancy on routineEuropean journal of hybrid imaging · 2020Article
- Incidental analWorld journal of clinical cases · 2020Article
- Prevalence of focal incidental breast uptake on FDG-PET/CT and risk of malignancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of hybrid imaging · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Focal incidental uptake, with or without CT abnormalities, is a common finding on fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT and evidence-based management for this type of uptake is lacking. This article reviews the evidence on focal incidental uptake including the incidence of malignancy, differential diagnosis and imaging criteria which can be used to further characterize it. The article focusses on PET rather than CT criteria. The strength of the evidence base is highly variable ranging from systematic reviews and meta-analyses to a virtual absence of evidence. Caution needs to be used when using standardized uptake values (SUVs) reported in other studies due to interpatient and institution observed variation in SUVs. There is sufficient evidence to permit specific suggestions on how to interpret the foci and recommend further management in the: pituitary (investigate when SUVmax >4.1), thyroid (investigate all), breast (investigate all), lung parenchyma (if focus of fluorodeoxyglucose without a CT nodule, no further investigations), colon (investigate all foci with SUVmax >5.9, urgently if SUVmax >11.4), adrenals (criteria depend on if patient has cancer) and prostate gland (investigate in males aged >50 years or >40 years if peripheral uptake or patient has other risk factors). There is some evidence to guide further management for the parotid gland, naso-orophaynx, oesophagus, pancreas, uterus and ovaries. There is insufficient evidence to guide management for the liver, spleen, kidneys, gallbladder, testis and bone, for these organs patient characteristics and other guidelines will likely be of more use in determining further management.
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