PET is more accurate than conventional imaging in identifying esophageal cancer patients who have good responses to chemotherapy and radiation treatment, according to a report in next month's Annals of Surgery (April 2006, Vol. 234:4, pp. 472-478).
The study of 64 patients with esophageal cancer was conducted at Wake Forest University School of Medicine Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, between 2000 and 2004 in patients whose cancer had not spread beyond the esophagus and lymph nodes. Patients had a PET scan both before and after chemoradiation therapy.
The surgical pathology reports from 41 patients were compared to PET results; PET was found to be 88% accurate at correctly identifying patients without disease. According to the study authors, their evidence suggests the potential for PET to change clinical practice, perhaps helping some patients avoid surgery.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
March 23, 2006
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