Impact of FDG PET in optimizing patient selection for cytoreductive surgery in recurrent ovarian cancer

Purpose To investigate the impact of PET and PET/CT scanning on decision-making in management planning and to identify the optimal setting for selecting candidates for surgery in suspicious recurrent ovarian cancer. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed in patients with possible recurrent ovarian cancer after primary optimal cytoreduction and taxane/carboplatin chemotherapy who had undergone FDG PET or FDG PET/CT scans from July 2002 to August 2008 to help make treatment decisions. The analysis included 44 patients who had undergone a total of 89 PET scans. The positive PET scans were classified as follows. (1) localized (one or two localized sites of FDG uptake), (2) multiple (three or more sites of FDG uptake), (3) diffuse (extensive low-grade activity outlining serosal and peritoneal surfaces). Results Of the 89 PET scans, 52 (58.4 %) led to a change in management plan. The total number of patients in whom cytoreductive surgery was selected as the treatment of choice increased from 12 to 35. Miliary disseminated disease, which was not detected by PET scan, was found in 22.2 % of those receiving surgery. Miliary disseminated disease was detected in 6 of the 12 patients with recurrent disease whose treatment-free interval (TFI) was <12 months, whereas none of those with a TFI of >= 12 months had such disease (P = 0.0031). Conclusion PET or PET/CT is useful for selecting candidates for cytoreductive surgery among patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. To avoid surgical attempts in those with miliary dissemination, patients with a TFI of >= 12 months are the best candidates for cytoreductive surgery.