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Oncology |
Positron Emission Tomography
(PET) is a non-invasive diagnostic imaging
procedure that can provide unique information
for accurate TNM staging. Many cancers exhibit
increased glucose metabolic rates which can
be identified with PET via the radiopharmaceutical
18F-FDG. Since changes in glucose metabolism
often occur before changes in anatomy (e.g.
tumor growth), PET can often identify the presence
of disease earlier than other anatomic imaging
techniques. Early disease identification is
particularly critical during the assessment
of nodal involvement or the determination of
the presence of metastatic disease.
PET technology is primarily used in treating the following types of cancer:
- Breast Cancer
- Colorectal Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Head & Neck Cancer
- Lung Cancer
- Lymphoma
- Melanoma
- Thyroid Cancer
- Cervical Cancer
In general, the diagnostic accuracy of PET is superior to that of other
complementary diagnostic exams. |
| |
| Diagnostic
Accuracy1 |
| Cancer
Type |
Conventional
Imaging |
PET |
| Breast |
67% |
89% |
| Colorectal |
80% |
94% |
| Gastro-Esophageal |
68% |
83% |
| Head and Neck |
65% |
87% |
| Liver |
81% |
93% |
| Lung |
68% |
82% |
| Lymphoma |
64% |
88% |
| Melanoma |
80% |
91% |
| Pancreatic |
65% |
81% |
| Testicular |
68% |
92% |
| Uterine/Cervical |
43% |
87% |
1Source: The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Supplement, Volume
42, Number 5, May 2001 and UCLA |
In addition, PET often demonstrates a higher
sensitivity and specificity as compared to CT alone.
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