New Imaging Technology Better at Detecting Ovarian Cancer Recurrence

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Women with ovarian cancer may want to opt for a new imaging technology when undergoing tests to see whether their disease has recurred, according to research presented today at the American Roentgen Ray Society Annual Meeting in Vancouver.

The new study, conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, showed PET-CT is significantly more accurate in pinpointing a recurrence of the disease than either PET or CT scans alone.

"We undertook this study because PET-CT is a hot and emerging imaging technique, and its use continues to be evaluated for many indications in the abdomen and pelvis," says study author Sunit Sebastian, M.D., who is now at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

The investigation was conducted among 53 ovarian cancer patients. Results showed PET-CT accurately gauged recurrence in 49 of the women, compared to 44 for CT and 41 for PET.

Dr. Sebastian and his fellow investigators believe use of the combined technology will help lead to earlier detection of cancer recurrences, which should translate to better treatment for patients. "When you combine the advantages of the excellent anatomical depiction that CT gives us and the amount of functional information that PET give us, doctors are better able to monitor cancer patients and manage their treatment accordingly," he says.

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SOURCE: The American Roentgen Ray Society Annual Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, April 30-May 2, 2006