Abstract
Objectives: To test the notion that positron emission tomography (PET) can detect all kinds of cancers, the current status of PET dock in cancer screening was reviewed. The results wese expected to be enlightening and validate the role of PET in cancer screening. Methods: PET images from 1930 patients, consecutively examined at Wajiro Medical Imaging Clinic, from April to December,2004, were reviewed. Results: Of these, abnormal FDG accumulation was seen in 120 patients (6.2%). Ninety seven of these 120 patients (80.8%) received other tests to confirm the diagnoses. Overall, cancer was detected in 29patients (1.5%), and, in 17 patients (0.9%), cancer was affirmed by PET alone (thyroid: 6; colon: 4; lung, liver and malignant lymphoma: 2 each; and stomach: 1). In contrast, cancer was not detected with PET alone in 12 patients(0.6%): stomach: 5; prostate: 3; breast: 2; colon: 1; and uterine: 1. Conclusion: PET was shown to improve the overall detection rate in cancer screening. Compared with the published data, the sensitivity of PET in detecting cancer lesions appeared to be rather low, purportedly reflecting the younger age of patients in the present study ( avg.54.2 years old, ranging from 28 to 83 years). PET is a powerful tool, but not a panacea in cancer detection, as believed by some people. It is important to inform the general public of the pros and cons of PET for its proper application in cancer screening.
