Background and objectives: PET-CTs are being increasingly utilized in sarcoma care. This study sought to investigate the impact of PET-CT acquisition on time to treatment initiation.
Methods: The records of bone and soft tissue sarcoma patients treated at our institution were reviewed. Dates of initial presentation to a sarcoma-treating physician and dates of treatment initiation were recorded.
Results: Time to treatment was greater in patients (p < 0.001) with median time to treatment of 26 days (IQR 17, 36) and 20 days (IQR 12, 29) for those who did and did not undergo PET-CT, respectively. Those who underwent PET-CT in addition to a plain chest CT also had significantly increased time to treatment (p < 0.001) with median time to treatment of 27 days (IQR 17, 36) and 20 days (IQR 13, 28) for those who underwent both studies and those who underwent plain CT alone, respectively.
Conclusions: Despite a statistically significant increase in time to treatment with the acquisition of a PET-CT scan, the added time is likely clinically insignificant. Additionally, PET-CT may offer additional benefits in potentially more accurate staging.
Keywords: Bone sarcoma; PET-CT; Soft tissue sarcoma; Staging; Surveillance.
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