Table 1.
Overall and adjusted PET utilization in cohorts
| All scans | Lung | Esophageal |
|---|---|---|
| Total PET studies | 100 479 | 6162 |
| Mean scans/patient | 1.03 | 1.39 |
| Patients receiving, No. (%) | ||
| 0 scans | 50 699 (52.2) | 1805 (40.5) |
| 1 scan | 24 784 (25.5) | 1225 (27.6) |
| 2 scans | 9873 (10.2) | 597 (13.4) |
| 3 scans | 4652 (4.8) | 325 (7.3) |
| >3 scans | 7144 (7.4) | 494 (11.1) |
| Total scans by AJCC stage, No. (%) | ||
| I | 27 810 (27.7) | 1108 (17.9) |
| II | 7032 (7.0) | 1569 (25.5) |
| III | 28 779 (28.6) | 1416 (23.0) |
| IV | 28 161 (28.0) | 1345 (21.8) |
| Mean scans/person-year by AJCC stage, No. (SD) | ||
| I | 0.86 (1.60) | 1.14 (0.54) |
| II | 1.28 (1.93) | 1.57 (2.33) |
| III | 1.33 (2.43) | 1.85 (2.05) |
| IV | 1.36 (3.43) | 1.81 (2.96) |
| Adjusted results following exclusion of “appropriate use” scans* | ||
| Total PET studies | 49 471 | 3160 |
| Mean scans/patient | 0.51 | 0.71 |
| Patients receiving, No. (%) | ||
| 0 scans | 75 598 (77.8) | 3060 (68.8) |
| 1 scan | 11 044 (11.4) | 666 (15.0) |
| 2 scans | 4350 (4.5) | 297 (6.7) |
| 3 scans | 2416 (2.5) | 187 (4.2) |
| >3 scans | 3744 (3.9) | 236 (5.3) |
| Total scans by AJCC stage, No. (%) | ||
| I | 13 982 (28.3) | 560 (17.7) |
| II | 3672 (7.4) | 842 (26.6) |
| III | 14 612 (29.5) | 752 (23.8) |
| IV | 12 751 (25.8) | 639 (20.2) |
| Mean scans/person-year by AJCC stage, No. (SD) | ||
| I | 0.32 (0.72) | 0.36 (0.73) |
| II | 0.47 (0.99) | 0.58 (0.98) |
| III | 0.43 (1.04) | 0.68 (1.07) |
| IV | 0.30 (1.05) | 0.52 (1.25) |
* Excluded first scan within three months of diagnosis (staging) and scans performed within 30 days after computed tomography (CT) scan (follow-up of CT finding). AJCC = American Joint Committee on Cancer; PET = positron emission tomography.