Abstract
Background: The standard treatment for patients with advanced germ cell tumor is 3–4 cycles of chemotherapy. Post therapy a significant number of patients have residual radiographic abnormalities. Resection of this mass depends on the histology. Those patients with viable cancer will require additional chemotherapy. An imaging study that may identify viable cancer in residual tumor is being evaluated with a Fluro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) scan. Methods: Thirteen patients with metastatic germ cell tumors who were treated with chemotherapy who had residual abnormalities on CT scan were evaluable. They underwent a PET scan and had surgical resection. The pathological specimens were correlated with the findings on the PET scan. Results: Five patients had a positive PET scan, and eight had no uptake on a PET scan. Ten patients had pathological tissue available for correlation. The overall sensitivity and specificity of a PET scan in evaluating residual masses were 62 and 100%, respectively. Conclusion: PET imaging has limited utility in the management of patients with residual germ cell tumors.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
