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PET/CT scan could be valuable noninvasive tool for determining stages of ovarian cancer
June 17, 2008Safer alternative could reduce number of unnecessary surgeries, according to researchers at the SNM 55th Annual Meeting, June 14-18 in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS, La.-Combined positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) scanning of patients in the early stages of ovarian cancer can enable physicians to determine whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes without having to perform surgery, according to researchers at the SNM's 55th Annual Meeting. As a result, unnecessary surgeries could be reduced, which would also lower morbidity rates and postoperative complications for ovarian cancer patients.
"Our preliminary research indicates that using PET/CT scanning in this way could greatly improve quality of life for many patients with ovarian cancer," said Luca Guerra, doctor of nuclear medicine, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy, and lead researcher of the study, 18F-FDG PET/CT Usefulness in Initial Staging of Ovarian Cancer. "PET/CT scans could allow many women to forego major abdominal surgery to determine whether their cancer has spread. It's a much safer alternative for determining the stages of ovarian cancer."
More than 20,000 U.S. women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year, according to recent estimates, and more than 15,000 women will die from it. Unlike many other types of cancer, there is currently no reliable screening test to determine whether a woman has ovarian cancer. Physicians usually perform surgery to diagnose and stage ovarian cancer. Although CT and MRI technologies are useful in determining surgery in advanced cases of the disease, both have limited accuracy in determining stages of ovarian cancer.
While systematic lymphadenectomy-surgically removing all of the lymph nodes for testing rather than sampling a small number of the lymph nodes-is more accurate in determining whether the cancer has spread, the surgery takes longer, often requires blood transfusions and can result in life-threatening complications. If all early-stage ovarian cancer patients underwent lymphadenectomy, approximately 75 percent of the surgeries would prove unnecessary.
In their research, Guerra and his team examined results of 30 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer who underwent PET/CT scanning before surgery to determine the stage of their disease. The results indicated that PET/CT staging was correct in 67 percent of patients and more than 98 percent accurate in scanning the lymph nodes of stage I and stage II ovarian cancer patients. These very promising results need to be confirmed in a larger patient population.
While most previous studies that examined the potential of PET technologies have not indicated a definite role in the staging of ovarian cancer, many of the studies involved very small groups of women, and the scanners used were simple PET scanners rather than state-of-the-art, combined PET/CT scanners.
Society of Nuclear Medicine
More than 20,000 U.S. women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year, according to recent estimates, and more than 15,000 women will die from it. Unlike many other types of cancer, there is currently no reliable screening test to determine whether a woman has ovarian cancer. Physicians usually perform surgery to diagnose and stage ovarian cancer. Although CT and MRI technologies are useful in determining surgery in advanced cases of the disease, both have limited accuracy in determining stages of ovarian cancer.
While systematic lymphadenectomy-surgically removing all of the lymph nodes for testing rather than sampling a small number of the lymph nodes-is more accurate in determining whether the cancer has spread, the surgery takes longer, often requires blood transfusions and can result in life-threatening complications. If all early-stage ovarian cancer patients underwent lymphadenectomy, approximately 75 percent of the surgeries would prove unnecessary.
In their research, Guerra and his team examined results of 30 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer who underwent PET/CT scanning before surgery to determine the stage of their disease. The results indicated that PET/CT staging was correct in 67 percent of patients and more than 98 percent accurate in scanning the lymph nodes of stage I and stage II ovarian cancer patients. These very promising results need to be confirmed in a larger patient population.
While most previous studies that examined the potential of PET technologies have not indicated a definite role in the staging of ovarian cancer, many of the studies involved very small groups of women, and the scanners used were simple PET scanners rather than state-of-the-art, combined PET/CT scanners.
Society of Nuclear Medicine
Ovarian Cancer Current Events and Ovarian Cancer News RSSFDA approved leukemia drugs shows promise in ovarian cancer cells
The drug Sprycel, approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, significantly inhibited the growth and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells and also promoted their death, a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found.
American Dietetic Association Releases Updated Position Paper Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding
The American Dietetic Association has released an updated position paper on breastfeeding that details health benefits for both infants and mothers and encourages promotion of breastfeeding whenever possible.
Metals could forge new cancer drug
Drugs made using unusual metals could form an effective treatment against colon and ovarian cancer, including cancerous cells that have developed immunity to other drugs, according to research at the University of Warwick and the University of Leeds.
Breast cancer patients with high risk gene diagnosed 6 years earlier than generation before
Women with a deleterious gene mutation are diagnosed with breast cancer six years earlier than relatives of the previous generation who also had the disease and/or ovarian cancer, according to new research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Cancer Predisposition From Gene Variant Shows Strong Gender Bias
Cancer predisposition resulting from the presence of a specific gene variant shows a strong gender bias, researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have demonstrated.
Medications Effective in Reducing Risks for Breast Cancer Can Also Cause Serious Side Effects
Three drugs that reduce a woman's chance of getting breast cancer also have been shown to cause adverse effects, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Scientists from University of Hawaii at Manoa find genetic marker
A new genetic marker associated with ovarian cancer risk was recently discovered by an international research group, led by scientists from the Cancer Research Genetic Epidemiology Unit in the United Kingdom.
New treatment in sight for ovarian cancer
In the future, women with metastatic ovarian cancer could be treated with a radioactive substance that can seek and destroy tumour cells.
Young early stage ovarian cancer patients can preserve fertility
A new study finds that young women with early-stage ovarian cancer can preserve future fertility by keeping at least one ovary or the uterus without increasing the risk of dying from the disease.
Estrogen-Dependent Switch Tempers Killing Activity of Immune Cells
The sex hormone estrogen tempers the killing activity of a specific group of immune cells, the cytotoxic T cells (CTLs), which are known to attack tumor cells and cells infected by viruses.
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