Pediatric Cancer Detection Improved with PET/CT
A recent study published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine indicates that imaging children with PET/CT has the highest rates of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy compared to conventional imaging for detecting malignancy.
A retrospective review study completed at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions evaluated 151 different FDG PET/CT studies from 55 children who had non-central nervous system malignancies. 108 evaluations were paired with conventional imaging procedures, either MRI or CT, for assessment. Studies were reviewed by two radiologists.
The research team noted that PET/CT is an ideal modality to detect smaller tumors in young children. For example, study findings indicated that PET/CT can identify malignancies in lymph nodes, including those that had been considered normal with other imaging modalities. This imaging approach provides additional information to guide clinicians, expanding the utility and applicability of PET/CT.
In addition, the tool appears to be useful in evaluating the nature of the tumor. In the study, it was noted that clinicians could rule out the presence of active disease, particularly soft tissue masses, following treatment. Current data validates use of this imaging for pediatric sarcomas and Hodgkin’s disease. It has yet to be thoroughly vetted for other malignancies.
Another study finding noted by the team is that differences in interpretation from two different modalities usually favor the interpretation based on the imaging completed with PET/CT. The PET/CT scans produced accurate results almost 90 percent of the time.
January 3, 2008 Related topics: Diagnostic, Imaging, Radiology, Pediatrics, Hematology & Oncology, Materials Management