PET Scan for Melanoma - Overview & Techniques

Archer Radiology offers a PET scan for melanoma.

PET imaging is not generally useful in the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer. But for the patient who has just been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the PET scan is invaluable. Some melanomas spread quickly to other parts of the body, with a high mortality rate, and the spread of the disease may not be detected until long after the original melanoma has been removed. A PET scan is the quickest and most sensitive test available for determining whether the melanoma has spread. PET can detect small deposits of metastatized tumor that other scans cannot. The earlier the tumor is detected, the greater the chance that it is curable.

PET Scan for Melanoma - Alternative Names & Explanations

• PET scan, PET scan for melanoma, melanoma PET scan, metastatic melanoma staging

PET Scan for Melanoma - Benefits

Accurately detecting melanoma skin cancer

After you are diagnosed with malignant melanoma, seeing if the cancer may have spread to the lymphatic and blood systems, which it can do quickly

Melanoma PET Scan - Images

Melanoma PET Scan - Common Indications & Positive Findings

• Melanoma of the nose
• Bone metastases
• Melanoma metastases to the spleen
• Melanoma metastases to the brain
• Brain metastases
• Soft tissue FDG avid lesions in abdomen
• Increased metabolic activity in hilium
• Irregular activity within spine
• Abnormal FDG uptake corresponding to mass in gall bladder
• Increased FDG uptake in lobe pulmonary nodule
• Hypermetabolic back and axillary focal activity

Melanoma PET Scan - References & Links

• 18-FDG PET scan in the staging of recurrent melanoma: additional value and therapeutic impact. Stas M, Stroobants S, Dupont P, Gysen M, Hoe LV, Garmyn M, Mortelmans L, Wever ID. Melanoma Res. 2002 Oct;12(5):479-90.
  Abstract:  Staging of melanoma patients by means of whole body functional imaging in a single evaluation session using positron emission tomography (PET) with fluorine-18- labelled deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) as a metabolic tracer has created much interest over the last decade. After enthusiastic pilot studies, more attention has been paid to the false-negative and false-positive results of this technique than to its true therapeutic impact. This study aimed to evaluate (1) the sensitivity and specificity of this technique at a single lesion level compared with conventional screening procedures (CSP) - both of these accompanied by careful clinical examination; and (2) the additional value of the PET scan at the level of the individual patient and its therapeutic impact for different types of melanoma recurrence. A consecutive series of 100 PET scans performed on 84 melanoma patients with regional or distant recurrence according to CSP (89 PET scans) or suspicion of recurrence, i.e. inconclusive CSP (11 PET scans), were retrospectively analysed and compared with the CSP results. At the single lesion level, PET scan and CSP showed a sensitivity of 85 and 81%, a specificity of 90 and 87% and an accuracy of 88 and 84%, respectively. PET provided false-negative results for small skin metastases and brain involvement; false-positive results were associated with unrelated benign or malignant tumours and peripheral soft tissue and bone uptake. PET scan showed an additional value over and above CSP at the individual patient's level by true upstaging in 10 cases, true downstaging in 24 cases and depiction of more lesions within the same stage of disease in 15 cases. The overall therapeutic impact reached 26%: 17 out of 71 (24%) cases with regional recurrence, one out of 18 cases (5.5%) with distant metastasis and eight out of 11 cases (73%) with suspicion of recurrence where CSP remained doubtful. However, in 19 cases comparison between CSP and PET resulted in discordant findings, suggesting upstaging in one area and downstaging at another site within the same patient. In conclusion, PET scan has an additional value in the staging of recurrent melanoma, providing it is accompanied by careful clinical examination and specific brain imaging. However, in the absence of evidence of metastasis or unrelated conditions at the same site on CSP, PET spots may represent false-positive images, which would falsely upgrade a patient to an incurable state, or they may be early true-positive findings, which will become evident during close follow-up.
• Pulmonary metastatic melanoma — the survival benefit associated with positron emission tomography scanning.  MJR Dalrymple-Hay, PD Rome, C Kennedy, M Fulham, BC McCaughan. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2002;21:611-615
• Metastatic melanoma: Comparative analysis of imaging modalities. EA Kelley, AD Singh, V Dogra. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2003;44: E-Abstract 3650

Contact us today to schedule your PET scan for melanoma.

• If you are looking for professional radiology services at your imaging site/center, call us at 1-800-626-8315 or use our contact form and contact us for a consultation.

• If you live in Los Angeles Mid-Wilshire, Beverly Hills, or Glendale and need to schedule a radiology examination such as a MRI, CT Scan, Ultrasound, X ray, or PET scan, contact us to schedule an appointment.

• If you are in search of other things, we're surprisingly resourceful.  Call us at 1-800-626-8315 or contact us via our contact form.

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• PET scan, PET scan for melanoma, melanoma PET scan
• PET scan for melanoma informational page. Los Angeles radiology. Schedule a melanoma PET scan in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, or Glendale.
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