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Early experience with PET scanning in thoracic tumours.
C A Kutlu1, U Pastorino, M Maisey
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK. cakutlu@turk.net
The Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery
|June 9, 2001
Summary
Positron emission tomography (PET) scans are valuable for diagnosing thoracic tumors. This imaging technique accurately identifies malignancy, though infection can cause false positives.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Nuclear Medicine
- Radiology
Background:
- Positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging technique utilizing the metabolic properties of lesions.
- This study assesses the utility of PET scans in diagnosing thoracic malignancies, particularly in cases with multiple lesions or unclear diagnoses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the contribution of PET scans in identifying and characterizing thoracic malignancies.
- To assess the accuracy of PET scans in staging known intrathoracic tumors and identifying metastatic spread.
Main Methods:
- PET scans using 2-18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) were performed on 41 patients.
- Patients were categorized into groups based on diagnosis: primary intrathoracic malignancy, evaluation of lung metastases, characterization of undiagnosed chest pathology, and assessment of extrathoracic spread.
Main Results:
- PET demonstrated a sensitivity of 81.2% and specificity of 92.3% for primary thoracic malignancy.
- The accuracy of PET in confirming metastatic disease to the chest was 73%.
- PET accurately characterized unknown pathology but yielded a false positive in a case of chronic inflammatory disease.
Conclusions:
- PET is a valuable imaging tool for evaluating patients with thoracic tumors.
- While infection can lead to false positive results, PET's diagnostic capabilities for thoracic malignancy are significant.