ArticleJournal of clinical pathology2003
How morphometric analysis of metastatic load predicts the (un)usefulness of PET scanning: the case of lymph node staging in melanoma.
Article in Journal of clinical pathology, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
- Preoperative FDG-PET/CT Is an Important Tool in the Management of Patients with Thick (T4) Melanoma.Dermatology research and practice · 2012Article
- A review of imaging agent development.The AAPS journal · 2009Review
- Direct comparison of [18F]FDG PET/CT with PET alone and with side-by-side PET and CT in patients with malignant melanoma.European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2007Article
- Positron emission tomography using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) in the clinically negative neck: is it likely to be superior?European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2004Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn primary cutaneous melanoma, the sentinel node (SN) biopsy is an accurate method for the staging of the lymph nodes. Positron emission tomography (PET) has been suggested as a useful alternative. However, the sensitivity of PET may be too low to detect SN metastases, which are often small.
aimTo predict the value of PET for initial lymph node staging in melanoma based on morphometric analysis of SN metastatic load, without exposing patients to PET. MATERIALS AND
methodsIn 59 SN positive patients with melanoma, the sizes of tumour deposits in the SNs and subsequent dissection specimens were measured by morphometry and correlated with the detection limits of current and future PET scanners.
resultsThe median tumour volume within the basin was 0.15 mm(3) (range, 0.0001-118.86). Seventy per cent of these deposits were smaller than 1 mm(3). State of the art PET scanners that have a resolution of about 5 mm would detect only 15-49% of positive basins. Logistic regression analysis revealed no pretest indicators identifying patients expected to have a positive PET. However, the SN tumour load was a significant and single predictor of the presence of PET detectable residual tumour.
conclusionMorphometric analysis of metastatic load predicts that PET scanning is unable to detect most metastatic deposits in sentinel lymph nodes of patients with melanoma because the metastases are often small. Therefore, the SN biopsy remains the preferred method for initial regional staging.
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