The Efficacy of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Scan (PET CT Scan) in the Diagnosis of Local Recurrence and Metastases in Surgical Patients with Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Last 5 Years (2020–2024)

2024

The Role of PET/CT Scans in Diagnosing Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma

Sample size: 218 publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Papadopoulos Konstantinos, Iakovou Ioannis, Mantalovas Stylianos, Kosmidis Christoforos S., Laskou Stiliani, Karakousis Vasileios Alexandros, Sevva Christina, Dagher Marios, Roulia Panagiota, Kountouri Ismini, Kesisoglou Isaak, Sapalidis Konstantinos

Primary Institution: University General Hospital of Thessaloniki “AHEPA”, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Hypothesis

How effective is PET/CT scanning in detecting local recurrence and metastases in surgical patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma?

Conclusion

PET/CT scanning is highly sensitive and specific for diagnosing local recurrence and metastases in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Supporting Evidence

PET/CT scanning has a sensitivity of 82.8% and specificity of 91.5%.
The confidence intervals for sensitivity and specificity indicate high diagnostic precision.
Comparative analysis shows no significant differences between Ga68-DOTATATE and 18-FDG methods.
Statistical testing supports the effectiveness of PET/CT in detecting medullary thyroid carcinoma.
Calcitonin levels alone are insufficient for diagnosing recurrence or metastases.

Takeaway

Doctors use special scans called PET/CT to find out if a type of thyroid cancer has come back or spread, and these scans are really good at it.

Methodology

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using data from three databases, focusing on the sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT scans in detecting recurrence and metastases in surgical patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma.