Using PET/CT to Find Recurrence of Stomach Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): Sim Sung Hoon, Kim Yu Jung, Oh Do-Youn, Lee Se-Hoon, Kim Dong-Wan, Kang Won Jun, Im Seock-Ah, Kim Tae-You, Kim Woo Ho, Heo Dae Seog, Bang Yung-Jue
Primary Institution: Seoul National University Hospital
Hypothesis
The study aims to evaluate the efficacy and usefulness of PET/CT for detecting recurrence of gastric cancer after curative resection.
Conclusion
PET/CT was as sensitive and specific as contrast CT in detecting recurred gastric cancer except for peritoneal seeding.
Supporting Evidence
- The sensitivity of PET/CT was 68.4% and specificity was 71.4%.
- Contrast CT was more sensitive than PET/CT for detecting peritoneal seeding.
- Among 13 patients with discordant findings, treatment decisions were made based on PET/CT in 7 cases.
Takeaway
Doctors used a special scan called PET/CT to check if stomach cancer came back after surgery, and it worked almost as well as the regular scan.
Methodology
The study analyzed 52 patients who underwent PET/CT and contrast CT for surveillance of gastric cancer recurrence, validating recurrence through histologic confirmation or serial contrast CT follow-up.
Potential Biases
The validation of recurrence by contrast CT may have led to overestimation of its detection rate.
Limitations
The study is retrospective with a small sample size and not all recurred cases were confirmed by pathologic diagnosis.
Participant Demographics
The median age of participants was 62, with 82.6% male and 17.3% female.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.039
Statistical Significance
p = 0.057
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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