11C-Methionine PET/CT Imaging in Patients Affected by Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM)

Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of 11C-Methionine PET/CT Imaging in Patients Affected by Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) and Candidate to Pleurodesis

Prospective exploratory study specifically investigating the role of 11C-Methionine PET/CT imaging in patients affected by Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) and candidate to pleurodesis.

This is a single-center, open-label study, lasting 36 months including an estimated period of 24 months for the enrollment and max 12 months of follow-up. All patients affected by MPM and referred to our Institution eligible for therapeutic pleurodesis and subsequent platinum- and pemetrexed-based chemotherapy will be enrolled. In all cases patients will be investigated with 11C-Methionine PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT before talc pleurodesis, one week after and at the end of three cycles of chemotherapy.

A minimum number of 20 patients will be considered for the analysis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients with an histological diagnosis of MPM eligible for pleurodesis and scheduled to undergo platinum- and pemetrexed-based chemotherapy.
• obtained informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients age <18 years
• pregnancy or breast-feeding;
• patients affected by other malignancies within the last 3 years;