Positron emission tomography in merkel cell carcinoma
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine skin malignancy usually arising as a nonspecific nodule on sun-exposed areas of the head and neck. Given the poor prognosis of this aggressive tumor, assessment of disease burden in pre- and post-treatment care may ensure an optimal management wit...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
9 October 2020
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| In: |
Cancers
Year: 2020, Volume: 12, Issue: 10 |
| ISSN: | 2072-6694 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/cancers12102897 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12102897 Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/12/10/2897 
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| Author Notes: | Christos Sachpekidis, Polytimi Sidiropoulou, Jessica C. Hassel, Nikolaos Drakoulis and Antonia Dimitrakopoulou-Strauss |
| Summary: | Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine skin malignancy usually arising as a nonspecific nodule on sun-exposed areas of the head and neck. Given the poor prognosis of this aggressive tumor, assessment of disease burden in pre- and post-treatment care may ensure an optimal management with significant implications for patient surveillance and prognosis. Although imaging has established its role in locally advanced or distant metastatic MCC, a standard imaging algorithm is yet to be determined and respective recommendations are mainly based on melanoma. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is increasingly evolving as a valuable imaging tool in metastatic or unresectable MCC, mostly utilizing the glucose analogue 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) as a radiotracer. Despite being inferior in detecting the disease in its early stages compared to the “gold standard” of sentinel lymph node biopsy, recent evidence suggests an important role for 18F-FDG PET/CT in the routine workup of localized MCC. Moreover, 68Ga-labeled somatostatin analogues have been employed as PET tracers in the field of MCC with promising, yet comparable to 18F-FDG, results. This article provides a structured literature review of the most important studies investigating the role of PET or PET/CT in the clinical practice of MCC. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 24.11.2020 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 2072-6694 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/cancers12102897 |