title: Value of positron emission tomography in full-thickness chest wall resections for malignancies.
abstract: Preoperative imaging for resection of chest wall malignancies is generally performed by computed tomography (CT). We evaluated the role of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in planning full-thickness chest wall resections for malignancies. We retrospectively included 18 consecutive patients operated from 2004 to 2006 at our institution. Tumor extent was measured by CT and PET, using the two largest perpendicular tumor extensions in the chest wall plane to compute the tumor surface assuming an elliptical shape. Imaging measurements were compared to histopathology assessment of tumor borders. CT assessment consistently overestimated the tumor size as compared to PET (+64% vs. +1%, P<0.001). Moreover, PET was significantly better than CT at defining the size of lesions >24 cm(2) corresponding to a mean diameter >5.5 cm or an ellipse of >4 cm x 7.6 cm (positive predictive value 80% vs. 44% and specificity 93% vs. 64%, respectively). Metabolic PET imaging was superior to CT for defining the extent of chest wall tumors, particularly for tumors with a diameter >5.5 cm. PET can complement CT in planning full-thickness chest wall resection for malignancies, but its true value remains to be determined in larger, prospective studies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland. david.petermann@bluewin.ch
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Petermann
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Allenbach
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Letovanec
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christodoulou
authors.forename: Angelika Bischof
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Delaloye
authors.forename: Hans-Beat
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Ris
authors.forename: John O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Prior
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures; D035441:Thoracic Wall / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18