New Technology Detects Cancer
Published: August 1, 2005
According to a new study a whole body PET/CT scan may be highly accurate in the spread and recurrence of head and neck cancer.
A PET/CT scan is the combination of positron emission tomography and computed tomography . The PET detects the metabolic signal of actively growing cancer cells in the body, while the CT component provides a detailed image that reveals the size any shape of cancerous growths. When used separately each test has limitations.
During a PET/CT scan a patient lies on a table and is moved through a tunnel twice. This obtains the PET data and then the CT data.
“PET/CT is very helpful in determining where we should pinpoint our biopsies for recurrent disease,” says Carol Shores, M.D., assistant professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. “We can pick up cancer where we thought none existed. The new scans are so precise that in some cases, cancer had been detected that probably would not have been through any other noninvasive imaging exam.”
The PET/CT scan has detected tumorous cancers in the breast, esophagus, cervix, lung, colon and ovaries, as well as melanoma and lymphoma.
“Until now, no published study has specifically evaluated clinical outcomes with PET/CT for head and neck tumors, including its accuracy, use, and implications for patient care,” Dr. Shores says.
In a study involving 100 patients at UNC, researchers wanted to determine which method detected cancer most accurately. Researchers found the PET/CT scan was 80-percent accurate in detecting the spread of head and neck cancer to the lungs and more than 70-percent accurate in evaluating cancer recurrence.
According to Dr. Shores, future PET/CT scans at UNC will sharpen accuracy. “We’ll get more useable correct information because we now have a good idea of where we are most accurate.”
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