PET/CT扫描可以鉴别眼球转移癌

 
转移性脉胳膜黑色素瘤是一种罕见但是危害极大的眼球癌症，研究人员发现全身正电子放射/计算机断层扫描(PET/CT)是用于诊断和定位这种癌症的最有效诊断方法。

这项研究结果发表在2005年9月21日的《英国眼科学期刊》在线版上，是由纽约眼科和耳科医院(New York, NY, USA; www.nyee.edu)的研究人员主持的，他们发现脉络膜黑色素瘤已经转移到肝脏的患者，传统的转氨酶检测并不能够发现，而“PET/CT扫描则能够发现肝脏和肝脏外的转移性黑色素瘤，”根据Paul T. Finger医生的发现，他是该医院眼睛肿瘤科的主任、该项研究的首席作者。

该项研究评估了52例脉络膜黑色素瘤患者。这些患者接受全身PET/CT扫描、体检、基线胸部x线检查、以及肝功能检查。结果发现52患者中的两例在接受治疗之前肿瘤就已经发生转移。这两例患者癌症转移到了肝脏。淋巴结、骨骼和脑组织同样发现了转移灶，但并不是两个患者都发生了同样的病变。

Finger医生说：“我们现在建议将全身PET/CT扫描作为开始诊断时候的影像学工具。看起来这似乎比肝功能检查更加敏感，在检查肝脏外肿瘤方面表现的十分有效。”

PET/CT Identifies Eye Cancer Metastasis
 
Investigators have found that a whole body positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan is the most effective diagnostic method to identify and localize metastatic choroidal melanoma, a rare but potentially deadly cancer of the eye.

The study, published in the September 21, 2005, online issue of The British Journal of Ophthalmology, was conducted by researchers at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (New York, NY, USA; www.nyee.edu) who discovered that choroidal melanoma that had spread to the liver was not detected in patients by conventional liver enzyme assays, while the “PET/CT scan revealed both hepatic [liver] and extrahepatic metastatic melanoma,” according to Paul T. Finger, M.D., lead author of the study and director of Ocular Tumor Services at the Infirmary.

The study evaluated 52 patients with choroidal melanoma. They were examined with a full body PET/CT scan, along with a physical examination, a baseline chest x-ray, and liver function tests. Two of the 52 were found to have metastatic melanoma before treatment. Both of these patients had metastases to the liver. Lymph node, bone, and brain metastases were also found, but not it both patients.

“We currently recommend whole body PET/CT as an imaging tool for initial staging at the time of diagnosis. It appears to be more sensitive than liver function tests and is especially useful in the detection of extrahepatic tumors,” said Dr. Finger.