medwireNews: ASCO has published guidelines on the use of follow-up imaging for patients with stage I–III lung cancer who have undergone treatment with curative intent and are free from recurrence.
An expert panel used data from 14 studies to determine the optimal frequency and type of imaging for surveillance of non-small-cell and small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC/SCLC) patients, and the potential use of circulating biomarkers in this role.
The key recommendations are that patients who are willing and able to undergo further potential treatment should receive:
Surveillance for recurrence every 6 months for 2 yearsSurveillance annually thereafter for new primary lung cancersChest CT including the adrenals with or without contrast within 2 years of treatmentLow-dose CT thereafter
In addition, brain MRI surveillance is recommended for up to 2 years for SCLC patients who did not receive prophylactic cranial irradiation, and should be considered for those who did receive this treatment. However, this form of surveillance is not recommended for NSCLC patients.
The expert panel also advises against the use of 18F-FDG-PET surveillance for lung cancer patients.
The guidelines are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology
medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare. © 2020 Springer Healthcare part of the Springer Nature group