The Focused Assessment with Sonography in Cancer (FASC) Examination

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Imaging
• Diagnostic Ultrasound

Background:

• Malignant effusions (pleural, pericardial, ascites) are frequent complications in cancer patients.
• Accurate and timely diagnosis of effusions is crucial for patient management and treatment.
• Current diagnostic methods may not always be rapid enough for point-of-care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) protocol for the rapid identification of malignant effusions.
• To describe the Focused Assessment with Sonography in Cancer (FASC) examination protocol.
• To facilitate widespread adoption by clinicians managing cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Development of a standardized POCUS protocol named FASC.
• The protocol employs six specific sonographic positions.
• Focuses on identifying fluid in common anatomical spaces (pleural, pericardial, peritoneal).

Main Results:

• The FASC protocol enables rapid identification of pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, and ascites.
• The six-position approach systematically covers relevant anatomical areas.
• Demonstrates feasibility for point-of-care application.

Conclusions:

• The FASC protocol offers a rapid and effective POCUS method for detecting malignant effusions.
• This standardized approach can be readily integrated into the clinical workflow of oncologists and other cancer care providers.
• FASC has the potential to improve the diagnostic efficiency for effusions in cancer patients.