The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of coincidence PET imaging as compared with dedicated PET/CT in cancer staging.
Patients and methods: Sixteen patients with thoracic malignancies referred to a PET/CT examination accepted to repeat the acquisition with a coincidence PET system. One experienced nuclear medicine physician compiled a report from the PET/CT examinations and the coincidence PET images. The reports were compared and evaluated according to the degree of agreement: no agreement, unsatisfactory, acceptable or satisfying agreement.
Results: Satisfying or acceptable agreement between the PET/CT and the coincidence PET examination was found in 14 out of 16 patients (88%). The main issue for the examining physician was to anatomically locate the FDG uptake in the mediastinum in the coincidence PET images.
Conclusion: The data from this small study imply that the staging results obtained with coincidence PET are in most cases concordant with those obtained with dedicated PET/CT.