轉移性脈胳膜黑色素瘤是一種罕見但是危害極大的眼球癌癥，研究人員發現全身正電子放射/計算機斷層掃描(PET/CT)是用于診斷和定位這種癌癥的最有效診斷方法。

這項研究結果發表在2005年9月21日的《英國眼科學期刊》在線版上，是由紐約眼科和耳科醫院(New York, NY, USA; www.nyee.edu)的研究人員主持的，他們發現脈絡膜黑色素瘤已經轉移到肝臟的患者，傳統的轉氨酶檢測并不能夠發現，而“PET/CT掃描則能夠發現肝臟和肝臟外的轉移性黑色素瘤，”根據Paul T. Finger醫生的發現，他是該醫院眼睛腫瘤科的主任、該項研究的首席作者。

該項研究評估了52例脈絡膜黑色素瘤患者。這些患者接受全身PET/CT掃描、體檢、基線胸部x線檢查、以及肝功能檢查。結果發現52患者中的兩例在接受治療之前腫瘤就已經發生轉移。這兩例患者癌癥轉移到了肝臟。淋巴結、骨骼和腦組織同樣發現了轉移灶，但并不是兩個患者都發生了同樣的病變。

Finger醫生說：“我們現在建議將全身PET/CT掃描作為開始診斷時候的影像學工具?？雌饋磉@似乎比肝功能檢查更加敏感，在檢查肝臟外腫瘤方面表現的十分有效。”

PET/CT Identifies Eye Cancer Metastasis
 
Investigators have found that a whole body positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan is the most effective diagnostic method to identify and localize metastatic choroidal melanoma, a rare but potentially deadly cancer of the eye.

The study, published in the September 21, 2005, online issue of The British Journal of Ophthalmology, was conducted by researchers at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (New York, NY, USA; www.nyee.edu) who discovered that choroidal melanoma that had spread to the liver was not detected in patients by conventional liver enzyme assays, while the “PET/CT scan revealed both hepatic [liver] and extrahepatic metastatic melanoma,” according to Paul T. Finger, M.D., lead author of the study and director of Ocular Tumor Services at the Infirmary.

The study evaluated 52 patients with choroidal melanoma. They were examined with a full body PET/CT scan, along with a physical examination, a baseline chest x-ray, and liver function tests. Two of the 52 were found to have metastatic melanoma before treatment. Both of these patients had metastases to the liver. Lymph node, bone, and brain metastases were also found, but not it both patients.

“We currently recommend whole body PET/CT as an imaging tool for initial staging at the time of diagnosis. It appears to be more sensitive than liver function tests and is especially useful in the detection of extrahepatic tumors,” said Dr. Finger.