Source: Elsevier Global Medical News. 2012 Feb 23, D McNamara MIAMI BEACH (EGMN) - Using PET scans to diagnose distant metastasis in patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma does not significantly prolong life expectancy, compared with other imaging techniques, according to a retrospective study. Palliative chemotherapy did make a difference, however, significantly increasing life expectancy by 215 days in patients who received it, Dr. Matthew E. Spector and colleagues from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, reported at a meeting of the Triological Society. "Over 90% of patients at University of Michigan have at least one PET scan at some point in their treatment," Dr. Spector said. Increased sensitivity is one reason for such widespread adoption of the imaging technique. "We were wondering, while it may be more sensitive to identify distant metastatic disease, was it changing what we were doing?" In a retrospective look at 170 patients with such cancers at their institution, researchers found no significant difference in median survival between patients who had a PET scan (168 days) and those who did not (193 days). Determination of any survival difference was a primary aim of the study. "A lot of studies have looked at PET scans, and we know in up to one-third of cases it may change our decisions," Dr. Spector said. For example, a negative PET scan might mean definitive treatment, whereas a positive PET finding might lead to palliative therapy. However, "no one has looked at the impact of the PET findings on the life expectancy after diagnosis." All patients in the study had a distant metastasis diagnosis. "We found PET was more [...]