[Impact of (18)F-FDG PET/CT on the therapeutic management in the initial staging of the esophageal cancer].
OBJECTIVE
The incidence of esophageal cancer has increased considerably over recent years, it now being the 6th most frequent cause of cancer-related death. Our study has aimed to compare the clinical value of PET/CT and CT scan in the initial staging of patients with esophageal cancer.


METHODS
Fifty nine patients (6 women) diagnosed of esophageal cancer were assessed retrospectively. All patients underwent diagnostic CT scan and PET/CT for initial staging within 3 to 15 days following clinical diagnosis.


RESULTS
PET/CT showed intracellular (18)F-FDG entrapment having pathological significance in all the tumors (100%), signs of locoregional lymph node infiltration (N1) in 34 and a total of 19 lesions consistent with metastasis (M1) in 14 patients (23.72%). The CT scan detected malignancy in 57 patients (96.6%), abnormal lymph node in 32 patients and 17 N1 in 12 patients (20.33%). In three cases, CT- PET detected synchronous esophageal lesion in staging studies for other neoplastic processes (lung and ear-nose-throat).


CONCLUSIONS
PET/CT showed a higher detection rate of primary malignant lesions, abnormal lymph nodes and distant metastases. A change in stage was only observed in two patients.
Pifarré-Montaner
P
P
Unidad de PET, IDI, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, Barcelona, España. paloma.pifarre@crccorp.es
Fernández-León
A
A
de Juan
R
R
del Ama-Salvador
M E
ME
Galán
M
M
Gámez-Cenzano
C
C
Sans
M
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D019090:Case Management; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18