Portable PET probes are a novel tool for intraoperative localization of tumor deposits
2009

Portable PET Probes for Tumor Detection During Surgery

Sample size: 10 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Vivian E. Strong, Charles J. Galanis, Christopher C. Riedl, Valerie A. Longo, Farhad Daghighian, John L. Humm, Steven M. Larson, Yuman Fong

Primary Institution: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Hypothesis

If shorter range beta emissions are detectable with this novel device, then gamma emissions detected by a hand-held gamma probe should correlate directly with beta emissions from a hand-held beta probe.

Conclusion

The study shows that beta counts may offer superior real-time localization of tumor deposits compared to gamma emissions.

Supporting Evidence

  • The portable PET probes detected high-energy gamma and beta emissions from all tumors evaluated.
  • There was a strong positive correlation (R = 0.8) between gamma and beta counts.
  • Beta emission showed a stronger correlation than gamma emission with overall tissue radioactivity.

Takeaway

This study found a new tool that helps doctors find tumors during surgery by detecting special signals from cancer cells.

Methodology

Mice were injected with tumor cells and imaged using micro-PET; portable PET probes measured gamma and beta emissions.

Limitations

The study has yet to establish the lowest detectable limit in vivo.

Participant Demographics

Six-to-eight-week-old athymic female mice were used in the study.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1750-1164-3-2

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