SPECT-CT in the diagnosis of metastatic skeletal lesion

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic capabilities of SPECT-CT and planar osteoscintigraphy with 99m-Tc-labeled phosphates in cancer patients. There were examined 227 patients with various primary malignancies (mean age 57 years). Depending on the identified changes in the planar study patients were divided into four groups: I - no abnormalities (n = 62), II - benign changes (n = 67), III - suspected metastatic lesion (n = 41), IV - metastatic lesion (n = 57). The use of SPECT-CT in group I revealed metastatic lesion in 7 (11%) patients, in 15 (24%) patients there were additionally found benign focal changes in the skeleton. In group II metastases were found in 4 (6%) patients; it was not possible to exclude secondary lesion in 3 (4%) patients. In group III suspected metastatic lesion was excluded in 29 (71%) and confirmed in 7 (17%) patients. In group IV in 14 (25%) patients there were found non-tumor changes, the nature of the changes has not been found in 2 (4%) patients. As a result, SPECT-CT with 99m-Tc-labeled phosphates is more informative method of diagnosis of metastatic skeletal lesion than planar osteoscintigraphy. SPECT-CT application resulted in changes of conclusions of the planar scintigraphy about the nature of bone pathology in 67 (30%) cancer patients. However, in 4% the recognition of the nature of changes in the skeleton was failed.