Whole Body ¹⁸FDG-PET and the Response of Esophageal Cancer to Induction Therapy: Results of a Prospective Trial

Abstract

Compared with conventional imaging, PET detects additional sites of metastatic disease at initial evaluation. After induction therapy, PET did not add to the estimation of loco-regional resectability and did not detect new distant metastases. However, changes in [18F]FDG PET may predict disease-free and overall survival after induction therapy and resection in patients with esophageal cancer. Further evaluation in larger trials is warranted.