Unlocking the secrets of tumour thrombus: Our journey in molecular imaging

Tumour thrombus, the presence of tumor cells within vessels, poses a significant clinical challenge. This abstract presents a retrospective analysis of PET/CT scans performed over the past six years at our institution, focusing on the detection and characterization of tumor thrombus in a spectrum of malignancies, including Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC), Hepatocellular Carcinoma HCC), Testicular Seminoma, Lung Carcinoma, Jugular Foramen Paraganglioma etc. We conducted a comprehensive review of PET/CT scans performed. All the PET-CT reports of aforementioned duration were searched with keywords'Tumour Thrombus'. A total of 25 reports of 21 patients were found to have mention of the keywords. 17 patients underwent single PET-CT scan whereas 4 patients had undergone a repeat scan for response assessment or follow up. Our study revealed the presence of tumor thrombus in various locations, including the IVC, renal veins, hepatic veins, portal veins, SVC, IJV etc. Furthermore, standardized uptake values SUVmax) ranged from 3.4 to 30.1 with a mean SUV max of 10.8 as compared to mean activity of 1.9 of mediastinal blood pool. Our retrospective analysis of PET/CT scans performed over the past six years demonstrates the utility of this imaging modality in detecting and characterizing tumor thrombus in a variety of malignancies. This information is invaluable for treatment planning and surgical decision making. Further research is warranted to establish the correlation between the presence of tumor thrombus and patient outcomes