ObjectiveTo explore the value of the ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging on the staging of gastric carcinoma and its influence on therapeutic schedule formulation.

MethodsA retrospective analysis on the ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT images of 46 patients with suspected clinical diagnosis of gastric cancer was performed through visual and semiquantitative evaluation by detecting the SUV_max and the maximum gastric wall thickness (T_max). Subsequently, the diagnostic efficiency of the ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging for lesions was assessed by comparing with the pathology obtained from gastroscopy or postoperative pathology. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between SUV_max and T_max.

ResultsThe sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging in detecting primary lesions were 94.4%, 40.0%, and 82.6%, respectively. The SUV_max of the primary lesions was positively correlated with the T_max (r=0.922, P=0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging were 76.9%, 90.0%, and 82.6% in detecting lymph node metastasis and 92.9%, 96.9%, and 95.7%, respectively, in recognizing distant metastasis.

Conclusions¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging showed high specificity and sensitivity in detecting primary foci, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis of gastric cancer. This technique is also remarkably important in accurate assessment of the clinical stage and therapeutic schedule formulation.