| Theme | Current Topics on The Treatment for Esophageal Cancer | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Clinical Significance of Positron Emission Tomography for Esophageal Cancer | |
| Publish Date | 2003/10 | |
| Author | Hiroyuki Kato | Department of Surgery I, Gunma University Faculty of Medicine |
| Author | Hiroyuki Kuwano | Department of Surgery I, Gunma University Faculty of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] | Positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluor odeoxyglucose (FDG) provides physiological information that enables a cancer diagnosis to be based on altered tissue metabolism. The role and potential value of PET scanning in certain tumors, including in esophageal carcinoma, has been widely investigated in recent years. It has heen suggested that FDG-PET imaging can facilitate diagnosis in patients with malignant diseases by helping to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors, assess the extent of the disease, detect tumor recurrence, and monitor response to therapy. Conventional anatomical imaging procedures, in cluding computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and endoscopic ultrasound(EUS), have receintly become available for the initial staging of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), predicting response to therapy, and the postoperative diagnosis of recurrent disease. In this paper, we reported on the clinical performance of FDG-PET imaging for esophageal carcinoma. FDG-PET imaging is a useful tool for evaluating the initial stages of esophageal SCC. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of lymph node staging were higher with FDG-PET, particularly in the neck and upper thoracic regions, compared with computed tomography. We also suggested FDG-PET imaging may be of considerable value in predicting the pathological response of esophageal SCC to preoperative therapy, and for the diagnosis of recurrent esophageal carcinoma. |
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