Scans Can Take Risky Operations Out of the Cancer Equation

Head and neck tumors strike an estimated 50,000 Americans each year. Approximately 11,000 die from the disease. For those who are diagnosed, aggressive treatments are typically followed by diagnostic surgery to ensure tumor growth has been tackled. Although once critical for ensuring cancer had been beaten back, the surgery involved is risky. There may now be a better way to achieve the goal and take surgery out of the equation.

A recent study of 564 patients with head and neck cancer found that a vast majority of patients can be spared the scalpel when positron emission tomography-computed tomography PET-CT scans are used instead. This combination scan that pairs a PET with a CT allows a more in-depth look inside the body. Using radioactive tracers, this type of scan is able to illuminate cancerous cells and often can show very effectively if treatments are working or not.

To vet the effectiveness of the PET/CT scan, researchers tracked the patients involved in the study. It was found that an estimated 80 percent could be spared the risks for surgery by simply undergoing the scans. The other 20 percent did require the additional step.

The findings are rather significant to those who undergo chemo and/or radiation treatments only to find they must also submit to rather risky surgical procedures. Head and neck cancer surgery is a long process that generally takes about three hours to complete. Patients also require hospitalization for about week. While the hospitalization itself is an inconvenience, the surgery can be rather risky. Considering the location where head and neck cancers develop, this type of surgery can pose a number of long-term risks. Possible risks include disfigurement and nerve damage, among others. These go along with the inherent risks associated with any surgical procedure.

During the course of the study, researchers found that survival rates were similar for those who underwent screening and those who had surgery. While scanning may prompt the need to undergo surgery if cancerous growths are found, the need to jump straight to surgery may not be present when PET/CT scans are used, researchers found.

Whether the findings will lead to more widespread use of PET/CT scans in place of or to determine the real need for surgery remains unclear. Further study will likely be required before the practice is adopted on a regular basis. In the meantime, the initial results show the promise that combined PET/CT technology has in sparing some patients from what may be unnecessary and rather invasive surgical procedures.