OncoPET_DB: A Freely Distributed Database of Realistic Simulated Whole Body 18F-FDG PET Images for Oncology

The purpose of this paper is to generate and distribute a database of simulated whole body 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) oncology images. As far as we know, this database is the first addressing the need for simulated 18F-FDG PET oncology images by providing a series of realistic whole-body patient images with well-controlled inserted lesions of calibrated uptakes. It also fulfills the requirements of detection performance studies by including normal and pathological cases. The originality of the database is based on three points. First, we built a complex model of 18F-FDG patient based on the Zubal phantom in combination with activity distributions in the main organs of interest derived from a series of 70 clinical cases. Secondly, we proposed a model of lesions extent corresponding to real lymphoma patients. The lesion contrast levels were derived from a human observer detection study so as to cover the entire range of detectability. Lastly, the simulated database was generated with the PET-SORTEO Monte Carlo simulation tool that was fully validated against the geometry of the ECAT EXACT HR+ (CTI/Siemens Knoxville). The oncoPET_DB database is composed of 100 whole-body PET simulated images, including 50 normal cases coming from different realizations of noise of the healthy model and 50 pathological cases including lesions of calibrated uptakes and various diameters. Such a database will be useful to evaluate algorithms that may impact quantification or contrast recovery, to perform observer studies or to assess computer-aided diagnosis methods. Perspectives include enriching the present database with new pathological and normal cases accounting for interindividual variability of anatomy and FDG uptake.