A study recently published in the medical journal Radiation Oncology compared the use of imaging scans for their effectiveness at improving radiation therapy planning in pleural mesothelioma patients. Researchers found that co-registered PET and CT scans produced better results than CT scans alone.
Both CT (computed tomography) and PET (positron emission tomography) scans are helpful in diagnosing and staging malignant mesothelioma, and they can also provide detailed images and accurate target volume delineation (depiction of the tumor’s volume) to improve the application and effectiveness of radiation therapy.
The researchers explained, “When combined with adequate tumoricial [anticancer] doses, accurate target volume delineation remains to be one of the most important predictive factors for radiotherapy (RT) success in locally advanced or medically inoperable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patients.”
With the goal of improving their understanding of accurate target volume delineation, the researchers sought to compare regular CT scans with co-registered PET-CT scans, which are a fusion of both PET and CT images. The co-registered PET-CT scans produce a more detailed image and thus a better understanding of the tumor, which improves the approach and effect of radiation therapy.
Researchers concluded, “This study demonstrated the usefulness of PET-CT-based target volume delineation in patients with MPM. Co-registration of PET and CT information reduces the likelihood of geographic misses, and additionally, significant reductions observed in target volumes may potentially allow escalation of RT dose beyond conventional limits.”
The study showed that radiation therapy may be improved with the use of co-registered PET-CT scans that produce more accurate target volume depictions. Researchers discovered promising results in this study and feel future research in this treatment approach is warranted.
Thankfully, mesothelioma research studies like this clinical trial are being conducted throughout the globe and these studies help improve prognosis for mesothelioma patients worldwide.
Additional information about mesothelioma may be found through the mesothelioma Center.