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Comparing CAT scans to PET scans for staging of patients with Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma

Neil Shear, MD, Toronto Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre Clinical Trials Department

This study is designed to compare two radiology tools to help stage (or find out the extent of disease) in patients with Cutaneous T cell Lymphomas or Mycoses Fungoides. CT (CAT) scans are advanced Xray technology that can find enlarged lymph nodes or masses in organs. PET scans are functional scans that can pick up areas that are highly metabolically active and therefore suspicious for the presence of cancer. By using both types of scans in the initial staging of Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma patients we hope to describe which tool is more sensitive in picking up disease outside of the skin. We also want to see if the results of these scans change while patients are on treatment, and whether or not they can help predict how well patients will do with their disease in the long term since CTCL is a disease that can behave very differently in different patients. We plan to use both types of scans in all patients presenting to our Dermatology and Hematology/Oncology clinics with proven CTCL, and follow them for two years while on treatment or observation with repeat CT and PET scans every 6 months. We hope the results of this study will help us to find patients who have more aggressive disease earlier so that we can offer them treatments more appropriate to their disease in hopes of improving their long-term outcomes. During this study all patients will be offered various treatment options for their CTCL based on the stage of their disease.

©2007