Search
Mesothelioma Treatment Options
Conventional Treatments Surgery Radiation Chemotherapy Alternative Treatments Experimental Treatments Treatment by Stage Leading Doctors Mesothelioma Clinics Clinical Trials Ask Your Doctor Articles & Abstracts Review Studies Case Studies Etiological Studies Diagnostic Studies Therapy Studies Resources Mesothelioma Alerts
Asbestos Exposure News Veterans And Mesothelioma About ELSS FREE Case Evaluation Top Mesothelioma Doctors

Cesar Moran, M.D.
Dr. Cesar Moran is a recognized specialist and researcher for mesothelioma at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Robert N. Taub, M.D.
Dr. Robert Taub serves as director of Columbia’s Mesothelioma Center, where he is developing combined chemotherapeutic and surgical techniques that are highly effective in combating mesothelioma.

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

Free Mesothelioma Information Packet

Enter your information to receive a comprehensive mesothelioma packet free of charge at your doorstep within 24 hours.

Yes   No

Prognostic value of FDG PET imaging in malignant pleural mesothelioma

J Nucl Med 1999 Aug;40(8):1241-5
Benard F, Sterman D, Smith RJ, Kaiser LR, Albelda SM, Alavi A
Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, USA.

Despite several attempts at treating malignant pleural mesothelioma with various modalities, mortality remains high, with median survival between 12 and 18 mo. This disease may have a highly variable clinical course, with occasional long-term survivors. The purpose of this study was to assess whether tumor metabolic activity, as assessed by fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET imaging, correlates inversely with survival.

METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with suspected mesothelioma underwent FDG PET scanning between September 1995 and May 1997. A diagnosis of mesothelioma was confirmed in 22. Fully corrected scans with attenuation correction of the entire chest were available in 17 patients with sufficient follow-up for survival analysis. Standardized uptake values (SUVs) were determined from the most active tumor site in each patient.

RESULTS: Seven patients died during follow-up, at a median period of 5.3 mo after FDG PET scanning. Follow-up information was available on the remaining 10 patients for a median period of 15.6 mo after the PET study. The mean SUV of the deceased patients was 6.6+/-2.9, compared with 3.2+/-1.6 among the combined survivors. The deceased patients had tumor SUVs that were highly correlated with duration of survival after the PET study (r = 0.87, P less than 0.05). The cumulative survival estimate by the Kaplan-Meier product limit method was 0.17 at 12 mo for the patients with tumor SUVs greater than the median value and 0.86 for those with lower SUVs. The survival distribution of the high SUV group showed significantly shorter survivals compared with the low SUV group (P less than 0.01).

CONCLUSION: Patients with highly active mesotheliomas on FDG PET imaging have a poor prognosis. High FDG uptake in these tumors indicates shorter patient survival.

Source

PMID: 10450672
Click here to order or save article

If you have any questions regarding treatment options or your legal rights, please contact us.