Ct imaging in evaluating response to therapy

Ct imaging in evaluating response to therapy
printed reports have shown mixed results concerning the usefulness
of ct in evaluating for tumor response to therapy. a study
of 21 patients who were treated with neoadjuvant concurrent
chemoradiotherapy followed by dissection found that ct findings
within the primary tumor and mediastinal lymph nodes were not
helpful in evaluating tumor response. 220 a a lot of recent study
of 57 patients receiving chemotherapy for nsclc reported
that early restaging ct scans ( among one month when treatment )
identified six patients with tumor progression, thereby allowing
a modification to a lot of appropriate therapy. 221 but, one
neoadjuvant chemotherapy study noted that ct findings underestimated
the frequency of pathologic complete response. 222
moreover, another little study concluded that the therapeutic
impact on tumors is usually underestimated using ct size criteria
when chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy ; these authors
urged that ct criteria for response ought to embody change
in form ( from spherical to oval or irregular ) and disappearance
of contrast enhancement. 223 alternative studies have urged that
serial ct scans obtained early throughout radiation therapy could accurately
predict final tumor volume ; but, the clinical significance
of tumor volume reduction is uncertain, as a result of it does
not essentially indicate histologic tumor clearance. 224, 225 the
bottom line looks to be that posttherapeutic increase in tumor
size at ct indicates lack of tumor response. decrease in tumor
size is consistent with tumor response, other then doesn't necessarily
either indicate or exclude complete pathologic response.