The renowned Lung Cancer medical journal recently reported the results of a mesothelioma study investigating the effectiveness of PET and CT scans in determining tumor responsiveness to chemotherapy. This study found that both CT and PET scans used after chemotherapy can help predict the survival rates of pleural mesothelioma patients.
This study adds valuable insight into the treatment of mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos. Because of the nature of mesothelioma progression, this cancer is very difficult to treat. This study aimed to better understand the value of PET and CT scans in revealing tumor response to chemotherapy, thereby predicting the survival of patients with plural mesothelioma.
This study was set up to evaluate several parameters of the PET and CT scans to determine whether they might assist in predicting survival rates. Each of the 41 pleural mesothelioma patients involved in this study were first treated with a combination pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy. Because there is no known cure for mesothelioma, such chemotherapy treatment is intended to be palliative rather than curative.
The researchers administered both CT and PET scans to all patients at baseline (before chemotherapy commenced) and following three cycles of chemotherapy. The researchers found that none of the baseline testing was predictive of survival for the patients studied. However, based on the PET scan following chemotherapy, 14 patients were deemed responsive to treatment. This scan also revealed stable disease in 23 patients and 4 patients as having progressive disease. Based on the CT scan following chemotherapy, 10 patients were deemed responsive to therapy, with 30 categorized as having stable disease and one having progressive disease.
Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that, after three rounds of chemotherapy, the CT-response was significantly predictive of overall survival rates. However, they reported that other parameters of the scans were not helpful in predicting overall survival rates for mesothelioma patients.
In conclusion, the researchers report that both PET and CT scans are helpful in predicting the overall survival of pleural mesothelioma patients following chemotherapy.
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