PET-CT evaluation of malignant pleural mesothelioma

Learning Objectives 1. Provide a brief overview regarding malignant pleural mesothelioma. 2. Gain an understanding of the utility of imaging techniques in the diagnosis, staging and assessment of therapy of patients with mesothelioma. The emphasis will be on PET/CT. 3. Provide pertinent illustrative figures of PET/CT and CT for malignant pleural mesothelioma. 4. Discuss the advantages and limitations of PET/CT in diagnosis and assessment of therapy.

Uptake of tracer in 18F-FDG PET scans is a measure of the metabolic activity and, therefore, the viability of tumor cells. Mesothelioma is 18F-FDG avid, and tumor volume has been shown to correlate with patient survival. In addition, early response to chemotherapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) has been demonstrated using serial 18F-FDG PET scans. Our presentation will provide a comprehensive pictorial overview of diagnosing malignant pleural mesothelioma while emphasizing on the role of PET/CT in diagnosing, staging and follow up of mesothelioma patients. It will serve as a valuable review for technologists and physicians alike