PET Scans Key for Lung Cancer Patients

PET Scans Key in Determining Whether Lung Cancer Patients Should Undergo Radiation Therapy

Contact:Katherine Egan Bennett703-227-0156[email protected]

Lesley Nevers703-227-0141[email protected]

February 1, 2002, Fairfax, Va. -- Before undergoing radiation therapy for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer, patients should first undergo a PET scan to see if the radiation is more likely to be effective in curing the disease, according to a new study published in the February 2002 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology and Physics.

In a study conducted at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, under the leadership of Michael P. Mac Manus, M.D., researchers found that non-small-cell lung cancer patients selected to receive radical radiation therapy (RRT) after positron emission tomography (PET) had lower early death rates from cancer than patients selected to undergo RRT using conventional imaging.

The use of platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with RRT has been an important advance in the management of inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), leading to significant improvements in survival. It has also been theorized that staging with PET will prove to be a major advance in the management of inoperable NSCLC through better selection of patients who are likely to derive the maximum benefit from RRT.

Researchers analyzed the survival of patients from two cohorts -- one that underwent PET staging and another that did not undergo the imaging. Eighty and 77 eligible patients comprised the PET and non-PET groups respectively. The median survival was 31 months for PET patients and 16 months for non-PET patients. Mortality from NSCLC and other causes in the first year was 17 percent and 8 percent for PET patients and 32 percent and 4 percent for non-PET patients respectively.

"Patients selected for radiation therapy after a PET scan have a lower early cancer death rate than those selected using conventional imaging," said Dr. Mac Manus. "This study adds further weight to the case for routine PET scanning before aggressive therapies with curative intent for non-small-cell lung cancer. Failure to use PET will lead to patients with an incurable disease receiving futile, toxic and expensive therapies."

To arrange an interview with the lead author of the study, Michael P. Mac Manus, M.D., please contact him at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center at 61-3-96561004 or e-mail Dr. Mac Manus at [email protected]. For more information, please call Lesley Nevers at (703) 227-0141 or e-mail her at [email protected].

The International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology and Physics is the official journal of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with 7,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the society's goals are to advance the scientific base of radiation therapy and to extend the benefits of radiation therapy to those with cancer and other diseases.

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