PET Scan Combined With CT Scan in Evaluating Treatment Response in Patients Undergoing Treatment for Bone Cancer or Soft Tissue Sarcoma

OBJECTIVES:

- Determine whether an FDA-approved device that combines fludeoxyglucose ^18F
positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET) and CT scanning (FDG-PET/CT) can accurately
locate and determine the extent of disease in patients who are undergoing treatment for
bone or soft tissue sarcoma.

- Determine whether FDG-PET/CT scanning is effective in evaluating the response of
sarcoma to treatment.

- Determine whether the new FDG-PET/CT device improves the ability to evaluate treatment
response early and accurately.

- Correlate changes in glucose metabolic activity early and late after treatment with
overall and progression-free survival.

- Correlate changes in glucose metabolic activity early and late after treatment with
degree of tumor necrosis at the time of surgery.

OUTLINE: This is a prospective, pilot study. Patients are stratified according to disease
(high-grade soft tissue sarcoma vs low-grade soft tissue sarcoma vs osteosarcoma).

Patients undergo fludeoxyglucose ^18F positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET)/CT scanning at
baseline and then within 2 weeks and 12 weeks after the start of treatment (total of 3
scans).

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 120 patients will be accrued for this study.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Histologically or cytologically confirmed bone or soft tissue sarcoma

- Scheduled to undergo treatment (i.e., chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy) for sarcoma

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- Not claustrophobic

- Able to lie supine for 1 hour

- Patients with diabetes mellitus allowed provided serum glucose levels ≤ 200 mg/dL

Exclusion Criteria:

- pregnant

- other malignancies within the past 5 years (except completely resected cervical or
nonmelanoma skin cancer) unless the malignancy was curatively treated and is at low
risk for recurrence