RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Impact of PET on the Management of Lung Cancer: The Referring Physician’s Perspective
JF Journal of Nuclear Medicine
JO J Nucl Med
FD Society of Nuclear Medicine
SP 752
OP 756
VO 43
IS 6
A1 Marc A. Seltzer
A1 Cecelia S. Yap
A1 Daniel H. Silverman
A1 Joubin Meta
A1 Christiaan Schiepers
A1 Michael E. Phelps
A1 Sanjiv S. Gambhir
A1 Jyotsna Rao
A1 Peter E. Valk
A1 Johannes Czernin
YR 2002
UL http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/43/6/752.abstract
AB 18F-FDG PET is a molecular whole-body imaging modality that is increasingly being used for diagnosing, staging, and restaging cancer. The objective of this study was to determine referring physicians’ perspectives on the impact of 18F-FDG PET on staging and management of lung cancer. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to the 292 referring physicians of 744 consecutive patients with known or suspected lung cancer who were evaluated with PET. Questionnaires on 274 patients were returned (response rate, 37%). Management changes were categorized as intermodality (e.g., surgery to medical, surgery to radiation, and medical to no treatment) or intramodality (e.g., altered medical, surgical, or radiotherapy approach). Results: The primary reasons for PET referral were staging of lung cancer in 61% of patients, diagnosis in 20%, and monitoring of therapy or the course of disease in 6%. Physicians reported that PET caused them to change their decision on clinical stage in 44% of all patients: The disease was upstaged in 29% and downstaged in 15%. PET resulted in intermodality management changes in 39% of patients, whereas 15% had an intramodality change. Conclusion: This survey-based study of referring physicians suggests that PET has a major impact on staging and management of lung cancer.