Accuracy of FDG-PET Scanning to Diagnose Malignant Thyroid Nodules

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Thyroid Neoplasms

In brief

The main purpose of this study is to see how well FDG-PET scans can determine the malignancy of thyroid nodules that have already been tested (and come back positive) by fine needle aspiration.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00537797

Run by

Washington University School of Medicine

People needed

84

Starts

2004-08-01

Expected to finish

2014-02-01

Last updated by the study team

2014-09-22

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Documented history of a solitary thyroid nodule or a dominant nodule within multinodular disease, with fine needle aspiration demonstrating a follicular or indeterminate cytologic examination. If a core needle biopsy was performed instead of a fine needle aspiration, demonstrating follicular or indeterminate cytology, the patient is eligible if the biopsy procedure was felt to be minimally disruptive to the nodule architecture, based on a review by the PI or nuclear medicine investigator.
• Thyroid nodule must be palpable on physical examination or have a minimum size of 1 cm in diameter by ultrasonography, CT or MRI. The minimum size criterion was established to address the spatial resolution limitations of PET/CT imaging.
• Scheduled for surgical excision of thyroid nodules within 3 months of the date of the FDG-PET/CT scan.
• Ability to tolerate lying supine for a FDG-PET/CT examination.
• Age >/= 18 and </= 105 (This disease is rare in children and therefore the study will be limited to adults.)
• Willing to participate in all aspects of the study (patient may opt out of the tissue collection portion.)
• Patient must be euthyroid with a serum TSH or a free T4 level within the institutional upper and lower limits of normal, measured within 6 months of registration. NOTE: mild deviations from the institutional normal limits may be considered acceptable if the patient has achieved a clinically euthyroid state with medication at a stable dose for >3 months, and the TSH is considered to be at target by the patient's treating physician. In patients with hyperthyroidism requiring treatment, this euthyroid state may be achieved with administration of a thionamide such as propylthiouracil prior to FDG-PET/CT exam. Patients with hyperthyroid inflammatory conditions such as thyroiditis and toxic multinodular goiter often exhibit increased glucose uptake resulting in diffuse uptake of FDG which may obscure visualization of a thyroid tumor.
• If female, patient must have a negative pregnancy test at the time of registration, be post-menopausal (with no period in the last twelve months), have had a tubal ligation at least twelve months ago, or have had a hysterectomy.
• In patients with multinodular disease and a dominant nodule, the nuclear medicine physician responsible for FDG-PET/CT scan interpretation must determine whether the indeterminate nodule can be discriminated on FDG-PET/CT imaging prior to enrollment.
• A signed and dated written informed consent obtained from the patient or the patient's legally acceptable representative prior to study participation.

You may not qualify if…

• Patient has a fasting glucose level > 200 mg/dL at the time of the PET/CT scan
• Patient has had prior neck surgery or radiation that in the opinion of the investigator has disrupted tissue architecture of the thyroid
• Patient has evidence of infection localized to the neck in the 14 days prior to the FDG-PET/CCT scan
• Patient does not meet any of the inclusion criteria

Where it is running

• Washington University School of Medicine — St Louis, Missouri, United States
• St. Louis University School of Medicine — St Louis, Missouri, United States
• VAMC — St Louis, Missouri, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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