Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in clinical oncology: the referrer's perspective

From January 2000 to April 2002 a prospective audit based on a questionnaire was carried out concerning the attitudes and viewpoints of clinicians referring patients to fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) scanning. A standard and structured audit form was posted to each referring doctor with the formal clinical report issued by the nuclear medicine consultant. Three hundred and thirty evaluable forms were analysed, a return rate of approximately 22%, from a total of 1500 PET patients studied during this period. FDG PET scanning was deemed by the referring physician to have altered the staging of cancer patients in 39% of all cases. Twenty-five per cent of patients were upstaged with FDG PET and 14% of patients downstaged. Patient management was changed in 39% of cases whilst a change in treatment occurred in 10% of cases. The reported FDG PET study was judged as being helpful in over 75% of all cases. These data further support evidence of the increasing role of FDG studies in the investigation of patients with cancer.