PET Scans Could Boost Lung Cancer Diagnosis

PET Scans Could Boost Lung Cancer Diagnosis
TUESDAY, Nov. 27 (HealthDay News) -- The use of PET imaging mayimprove the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, say Canadianresearchers who reviewed several recent studies.
Tumor imaging is frequently used to diagnosis lung cancer and to maketreatment decisions. Imaging technologies such as MRI and CT detectanatomical changes, while PET is based on biochemical processes that mayalert doctors to the presence of disease before any anatomical changesoccur, the researchers noted.
In this review, a team led by Dr. Yee Ung of the Odette Cancer Centerin Toronto concluded that PET can accurately distinguish between benignand malignant tumors as small as one centimeter. In addition, theavailable data suggests that PET can accurately differentiate betweenlimited and extensive disease and appears to be better than CT for makingtreatment decisions for non-small-cell lung cancer.
"Further research is needed to determine not only if PET should beintegrated into the standard staging and diagnostic processes of lungcancer but also how PET would be incorporated into the staging algorithm,"Ung and colleagues wrote.
The review appears online Nov. 27 in the Journal of the NationalCancer Institute.
In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Giuseppe Giaccone of the U.S.National Cancer Institute wrote that PET imaging "is being increasinglyused in lung cancer and has acquired a relevant role in staging patients,assessing treatment strategies, and monitoring treatment effects. Although(PET) has not replaced more accurate and invasive procedures, improvementsin the integration of (PET) with other imaging modalities are promisingand likely to affect the management of patients with lung cancer in thefuture."
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about lungcancer.