title: PET: other thoracic malignancies.
abstract: The vast majority of esophageal cancers are fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) avid; the primary use for positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with esophageal cancer is in the detection of distant metastases, because known distant metastatic disease precludes surgical resection. High standardized uptake values (SUVs) may be predictive of poor prognosis. PET findings may be used to assess therapy response and evaluate for esophageal tumor recurrence after treatment. PET findings may be non-specific in different types of thymic lesions, although thymic carcinomas tend to be extremely FDG avid. PET can be helpful in detecting distant spread from invasive thymomas and thymic carcinomas. Similarly, PET may be used to assess the extent of disease in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, thereby facilitating optimal therapy approaches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. lequint@med.umich.edu
authors.forename: Leslie E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Quint
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000191:economics; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D013945:Thymoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18