New
Service for TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com
readers...roll mouse over, click on
highlighted links in stories to review items
from Amazon
Now, keep up to date
with daily feeds of newly posted stories
about America's Seniors...click on the box
to the left
Has Cancer Spread? Research identifies best
way to find answers
Newswise — For patients with head and neck
cancer, accurately determining how advanced
the cancer is and detecting secondary
cancers usually means undergoing numerous
tests – until now.
New Saint Louis University research has
found that the PET-CT scanner can be used as
a stand-alone tool to detect secondary
cancers, which occur in 5 to 10 percent of
head and neck cancer patients.
The study findings, which were presented on
Tuesday, July 22 at the 7th International
Conference on Head and Neck Cancer in San
Francisco, Calif., will streamline care for
head and neck cancer patients allowing them
to begin treatment earlier, says Michael
Odell, M.D., assistant professor of
otolaryngology at Saint Louis University
School of Medicine.
“There has been a lot of confusion about the
best ways to evaluate head and neck cancer
patients to see if their cancer has spread,”
said Odell, the study’s primary author.
“Traditionally, doctors used many different
tests, such as chest X-rays, CT scans,
ultrasounds, bone scans and blood work.
Patients went through too many unnecessary
procedures because there was no real
consensus on the best way to evaluate them.”
According to Odell, when choosing the
appropriate treatment plan for head and neck
cancer patients, it is critical to
accurately stage the primary cancer and
detect secondary cancers. Odell’s research
shows PET-CT scanning can replace all the
other traditional tests.
Using the PET-CT scanner is not just a time
saver, though; it also can be a life-saver.
“We all know that the time from when your
doctor sees you to the time when you
initiate treatment is important to
outcomes,” Odell explained.
“So minimizing the number of tests is
definitely important from an outcome
standpoint.”
To determine if PET-CT scans were as
effective as the tradition tests, Odell and
his colleagues evaluated the scans of 77
patients and found four to contain secondary
cancers and one to have an additional
primary cancer.
The study’s rate of detection – 7 percent –
was inline with the results of previous
studies, which range from 5 to 10 percent.
The PET-CT, which is an acronym for position
emission tomography/computed tomography,
combines two the benefits of both tests to
offer unsurpassed diagnostic capabilities in
pinpointing cancer.
The PET scan is a highly sensitive scan that
detects the growth of cancer cells, while
the CT scan provides a detailed picture of
the internal anatomy and the location of the
growth.
While the current study focused exclusively
on head and neck cancer patients, Odell says
that it is likely that it will be applicable
to other cancers.
Established in 1836, Saint Louis University
School of Medicine has the distinction of
awarding the first medical degree west of
the Mississippi River.
The school educates physicians and
biomedical scientists, conducts medical
research, and provides health care on a
local, national and international level.
Research at the school seeks new cures and
treatments in five key areas: cancer, liver
disease, heart/lung disease, aging and brain
disease, and infectious disease.
...
...
...