| Conventional staging modalities for the preoperative work-up of oesophageal and gastro-oesophageal (GE) junction tumors lack considerable accuracy by missing a significant number of metastases only detected at explorative laparotomy. Some evidence exists for improved preoperative staging of oesophageal cancer with 18 FDG PET. Variable uptake of 18 FDG has been noticed in PET studies of esophageal cancer patients. Biopsy proven adenocarcinomas recurrently show low 18 FDG uptake. The aim of the project is to investigate biological parameters involved in 18 FDG uptake in esophageal adenocarcinoma to select those with increased 18 FDG uptake and to predict in which patients, 18 FDG PET could be of prognostic value (Westerterp M, Sloof GW, Hoekstra OS, ten Kate FJW, Meijer GA, Reitsma JB, Boellaard R, van Lanschot JJB, Molthoff CFM. 18FDG uptake in esophageal cancer: linking biology and outcome, in press). |
