ABSTRACT

It was concluded that FDG PET/CT is a valuable tool in staging and therapeutic management of CMM patients. (Gazi Med J 2012; 23: 62-5)

In 7 of the patients, distant metastases were ruled out by PET/CT scanning. In 25 patients, additional lesions which could not be detected by other imaging techniques were reported by PET/CT. In 9 patients, PET/CT results correlated with the findings in previous imaging studies in respect to the metastatic sites. In a total of 32 patients (78%) PET/CT contributed to staging and led to treatment changes in 24 patients (59%); in 11 patients the planned operative procedure was cancelled and chemotherapy/radiation therapy was planned, in 4 patients an additional operation was performed, chemotherapy after surgery was planned in 2 patients and followed-up without any therapy in 7 patients.

We compared true whole body (from vertex to feet) PET/CT scanning results of 41 CMM patients (23 M, 18 F, mean age: 52 years) with the results of other diagnostic studies . All of the patients had intermediate-high risk (stage II,III) CMM with clinical-radiological suspicion of metastasis. In all patients, the histopathological CMM diagnosis was confirmed by excisional biopsy, and the primary lesions were removed.

Cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) is a skin cancer with high mortality and can metatasize to unexpected sites. Accurate assessment of the extent of metastatic disease affects the management strategy. In this retrospective study, we investigated the contribution of PET /CT to conventional diagnostic studies in assessment of the extent of disease and management strategy in intermediate-high risk CMM patients.