The usefulness of XXXX -PET/CT in discriminating benign from malignant @entity43 .

@entity43 @entity1 @entity419 @entity5 @entity10224 @entity44
BACKGROUND: The present study investigates the usefulness of @entity419 -PET/CT (PET/CT) in distinguishing between benign and malignant @entity43 . METHODS: This study includes 4 mature teratomas (MTs) with malignant transformation, 8 @entity44 teratomas (ITs), and 16 MTs that were diagnosed after surgical resection. @entity5 marker values, MRI findings, PET/CT SUVmax values, and other clinical parameters were retrospectively compared with those of 14 @entity1 who had MTs. RESULTS: The median @entity10224 was significantly higher for ITs than for MTs (P  =  0.04). The median AFP was significantly higher for ITs than for MTs (P  =  0.0034). The median SUVmax values for MTs with malignant transformation, ITs, and MTs were 18.3 (5.3-23.3), 6.0 (3.6-22.6), and 1.1 (1.0-15.5), respectively. SUVmax was significantly higher in MTs with malignant transformation and ITs than in MTs (P  =  0.004, P  =  0.0007). With a cut-off SUVmax of 3.6 to distinguish between benign and malignant MTs, sensitivity was 100  %, specificity was 81  %, positive predictive value was 80  %, negative predictive value was 100  %, and diagnostic accuracy was 89  % (AUC 0.94). However, one @entity1 with an MT had a high SUVmax corresponding to values in the central nervous system (CNS). CONCLUSIONS: @entity419 -PET/CT has a high diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing between benign and malignant @entity43 . Thus, PET/CT may be useful in cases where the diagnosis is unclear on MRI and other clinical findings. However, some MTs with abundant CNS tissue may have a high SUVmax. Therefore, the diagnosis of a benign or malignant lesion should be made carefully in conjunction with other clinical findings.
