A Pilot Study of PET-CT in the Assessment of Pulmonary Nodules in Children With Malignant Solid Tumors
Summary
Because the management of children with solid tumors hinges on the extent of disease, it is crucial to identify metastatic sites. Helical chest computed tomography (CT) is the standard method of excluding pulmonary metastases. However, CT lacks molecular information regarding nodule histology and often biopsy is required to exclude malignancy. Biopsy procedures carry known risks including those associated with anesthesia and sedation, infection, pneumothorax,hemorrhage,pain and other post-procedure and post-operative complications and may also add unnecessary cost to the management of the patient.We found that the ability of three experienced pediatric radiologists to correctly predict nodule histology based on CT imaging features was limited (57%to 67% rate of correct classification).Also, there was only slight to moderate agreement in nodule classification between these reviewers.
Furthermore, of 50 children who have undergone pulmonary nodule biopsy at St.Jude in the last five years, 44% (22/50)had only benign nodules.
Adult studies have shown that a nuclear medicine scan called fluoro-deoxyglucose(FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and the fusion modality PET-CT are superior to diagnostic CT in distinguishing benign from malignant pulmonary nodules because FDG PET gives information about the metabolic activity of the nodule. Nodules that are malignant have more metabolic activity, hence more FDG uptake/intensity, than those that are benign. There has been little work done in children to determine the value of PET or PET-CT in the evaluation of pulmonary nodules.
Description
In this study, we seek to assess the feasibility of performing PET-CT for the evaluation of pulmonary nodules in children to obtain preliminary data for sample size determination for a larger multi-institutional trial. The primary objective of the multi-institutional trial will be to compare the accuracy of diagnostic CT alone to PET-CT in distinguishing benign from malignant nodules in children with solid malignancies. We are hopeful that PET-CT will allow us to better direct the clinical management of these patients and to reduce the number of invasive procedures performed to confirm the presence of benign disease.
Study Design
Observational Model: Cohort, Time Perspective: Cross-Sectional
Conditions
Pulmonary Nodules
Location
Mary E. McCarville
Memphis
Tennessee
United States
38105
Status
Recruiting
Source
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Results (where available)
Links
- Source: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00629460
- Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 15, 2010
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Multiple Pulmonary Nodules
A number of small lung lesions characterized by small round masses of 2- to 3-mm in diameter. They are usually detected by chest CT scans (COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY, X-RAY). Such nodules can be associated with metastases of malignancies inside or outside the lung, benign granulomas, or other lesions.
Pulmonary Heart Disease
Hypertrophy and dilation of the RIGHT VENTRICLE of the heart that is caused by PULMONARY HYPERTENSION. This condition is often associated with pulmonary parenchymal or vascular diseases, such as CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE and PULMONARY EMBOLISM.
Pulmonary Edema
Excessive accumulation of extravascular fluid in the lung, an indication of a serious underlying disease or disorder. Pulmonary edema prevents efficient PULMONARY GAS EXCHANGE in the PULMONARY ALVEOLI, and can be life-threatening.
Pulmonary Subvalvular Stenosis
Narrowing below the PULMONARY VALVE or well below it in the infundibuluar chamber where the pulmonary artery originates, usually caused by a defective VENTRICULAR SEPTUM or presence of fibrous tissues. It is characterized by restricted blood outflow from the RIGHT VENTRICLE into the PULMONARY ARTERY, exertional fatigue, DYSPNEA, and chest discomfort.
Pulmonary Valve Insufficiency
Backflow of blood from the PULMONARY ARTERY into the RIGHT VENTRICLE due to imperfect closure of the PULMONARY VALVE.
Clinical Trials
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PubMed Articles
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It has been proven that volumetric measurements could detect subtle changes in small pulmonary nodules in serial CT scans, and thus may play an important role in the follow-up of indeterminate pulmona...
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Pulmonary necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis in a patient with primary biliary cirrhosis.
HISTORY AND ADMISSION FINDINGS: A 53-year-old woman presented with recurrent episodes of cough and non-specific pulmonary symptoms. For many years she had been known to have primary biliary cirrhosis....
PURPOSE: To determine the frequency and significance of pulmonary nodules detected on thin-section CT in patients with extrapulmonary malignant neoplasms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The institutional revi...
Evaluation of Indeterminate Pulmonary Nodules with Dynamic MR Imaging.
Purpose: We prospectively assessed whether enhancement characteristics on dynamic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging could distinguish indeterminate pulmonary nodules. Methods: We evaluated 51 pulmonary...
