Tumor size alone not always best for gauging treatment response
Posted by Administrator (admin) on Mar 13 2006
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Tumor size alone not always best for gauging treatment response

Both PET and CT useful for judging biologic changes

Not only can positron emission tomography (PET) help evaluate treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) by revealing biologic changes such as how the tumor processes the fuel that makes it grow, but CT can indirectly reveal biologic changes as well by analyzing the tumor's density, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

For the study, researchers evaluated 173 GISTs--tumors that usually begin in the wall of the GI tract--in 36 patients who had undergone a protein enzyme inhibitor treatment, 29 of which underwent both CT and PET. In those 29 patients, the researchers found a high correlation between the tumor responses based on tumor density and changes in internal characteristics of the tumors shown on CT and the changes in glucose metabolism of the tumors shown on PET.

Full Text at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-12/arrs-tsa120604.php

 

Last changed: Mar 13 2006 at 11:50 AM

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