TY - JOUR AU - Simianu, Vlad V. AU - Varghese Jr, Thomas K. AU - Flanagan, Meghan R. AU - Flum, David R. AU - Shankaran, Veena AU - Oelschlager, Brant K. AU - Mulligan, Michael S. AU - Wood, Douglas E. AU - Pellegrini, Carlos A. AU - Farjah, Farhood PY - 2015 TI - Positron emission tomography for initial staging of esophageal cancer among medicare beneficiaries JF - Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology; Vol 7, No 3 (June 01, 2016): Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology Y2 - 2015 KW - N2 - Background: The role of positron emission tomography (PET) in the initial staging of esophageal cancer is to detect occult metastases, but its ability to do so has not been evaluated at the population-level. In 2001, Medicare approved reimbursement of PET for esophageal cancer staging. We hypothesized rapid adoption of PET after 2001 and a coincident increase in the prevalence of stage IV disease. Methods: A retrospective cohort study [1997-2009] was conducted of 12,870 Medicare beneficiaries with esophageal cancer using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results (SEER)-Medicare database. Results: PET use increased from Conclusions: The increasing frequency of PET use and stage IV disease over time is more likely explained by improved documentation rather than PET’s ability to detect occult metastases. The absence of compelling population-level impact compliments previous studies, revealing an opportunity to increase value through selective use of PET. UR - https://jgo.amegroups.org/article/view/5636