Abstract
PET/CT is useful for investigation of neutropenic fever (NF) and potential invasive fungal infection (IFI) in those with hematological malignancies (HM). An online survey evaluating the utility and current practices regarding PET/CT scanning for investigation of NF was distributed to infectious diseases (ID) clinicians and hematologists via email lists hosted by key professional bodies. One-hundred and forty-five clinicians responded (120 ID; 25 hematologists). Access to PET/CT was fair but timeliness of investigation was limited (within 3 days in 35% and 46% of ID and hematology respondents, respectively). Among those with experience with PET/CT for infection (n = 109), 40% had utilized PET/CT for prolonged NF and 20% for diagnosing IFI. The majority of respondents indicated the desire to utilize PET/CT more frequently for infection indications. There is a strong desire among surveyed Australian clinicians to use PET/CT for prolonged NF and potential IFI. However, access to PET/CT is a current barrier to uptake.
Acknowledgments
We thank Professor Sharon Chen, and Dr Alan Street and Dr Louise Cooley for their contributions to the survey. We also thank the Australasian Leukemia and Lymphoma Group and the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand for their kind distribution of the survey.
Potential conflict of interest
Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2019.1590571.