Can hybrid FDG-PET/CT detect subclinical lymph node metastasis of esophageal cancer appropriately and contribute to radiation treatment planning?
The detection rate of subclinical lymph node metastasis did not improve with the use of PET-CT, for either the cervical and supraclavicular, mediastinal, or abdominal regions. It is not recommended to use FDG-PET or PET-CT alone as a diagnostic tool to determine CTV if pathologically involved lymphatic regions are to be included in the CTV in the treatment protocol. The accuracy of PET-CT must be further improved in order to better detect positive nodes and improve the definition of the CTV.
The frequency of alpha 1AT deficiency (PiZ) was not increased in our series of patients with AAA and patients in whom the two disorders coexisted did not appear to have different clinical characteristics except for the lower occurrence of ischaemic heart disease among the PiZ-carriers.