18F-FDG PET/CT Findings in Esophageal Ca Staging: A Retrospective Analysis

Aim: We aimed to retrospectively analyze and present the findings of patients diagnosed with esophageal
cancer and staged using 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) Positron Emission Tomography/Computed
Tomography (PET/CT) imaging.
Patients and Methods: Thirty-seven patients diagnosed with esophagus who were staged with 18F-FDG
PET/CT in our hospital between February 2015 and February 2020 were included in this study. Patients'
age, gender, localization of the primary tumor and 18F-FDG PET/CT maximum standardized uptake value
(SUVmax), findings of metastases to mediastinal, abdominal and cervical lymph nodes, lung, liver, bone and
other areas were retrospectively evaluated as.
Results: The meanage of the patients was 66,97 ± 14,54 years. 20 patients (54%) were male, 17 patients
(46%) were female. 10 patients (27%) had upper esophagus tumors, 23 patients (62%) had lower esophagus
tumors, 4 patients had middle esophageal tumors (11%). The pathological diagnosis of 23 patients was
squamous cell ca, 14 patients were adeno ca. The mean of primary tumor SUV max was measured as 14,09
± 6,36 in all patients. The mean primary tumor SUVmax of the patients diagnosed with squamous ca was
14,51 ± 6,63, and the mean of primary tumor SUV max of the patients diagnosed with adeno ca was found to
be 13,40 ± 6,03. Progression was observed in 7 of 9 patients whose treatment and follow-ups were continued
in our hospital, and regression was observed in 2 of them.
Conclusion: In the initial staging of patients diagnosed with esophageal ca, 18F-FDG PET/CT is an
increasingly useful imaging method. Our study supports this.