PET eliminates approximately 50% of unnecessary surgeries in lung cancer patients

Source: Medimoon.com

 

New quantitative data suggests that 30 percent of the surgeries performed for non-small cell lung cancer patients in a community-wide clinical study were deemed unnecessary. Additionally, positron emission  tomography (PET) was found to reduce unnecessary surgeries by 50 percent, according to research published in the March issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

PET imaging prior to surgery helps stage a patient's disease by providing functional images of tumors throughout the body, especially areas where cancer has spread, otherwise known as metastasis. Few studies have been able to pin down exactly what impact preoperative PET has on clinical decision-making and resulting treatment. Preliminary review of the data from this long-term, observational study of an entire community of veterans was inconclusive about the utility of PET, but after a more thorough statistical analysis accounting for selection bias and other confounding factors, the researchers were able to conclude that PET imaging eliminated approximately half of unnecessary surgeries.

"It has become standard of care for lung cancer patients to receive preoperative PET imaging," said Steven Zeliadt, PhD, lead author of the study conducted at VA Puget Sound Health Care System and associate professor for the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash. "The prevailing evidence reinforces the general understanding within the medical community that PET is very useful for identifying occult metastasis and that it helps get the right people to surgery while avoiding unnecessary surgeries for those who would not benefit."  More here.

Reblogged from NewsMedical

Keep Reading:

• GPS-Like Technology in College Station Helps Diagnose Lung Cancer
• USPSTF Recommends Lung CA Screening for High-Risk Adults
• Many Patients With Incurable Lung Cancer Think Palliative Radiation Will Cure Their Disease