PET scan for 5 y/o

[Annie_777]

Hi, I have a 5 y/o son who has an acral skin lesion highly suspicious for melanoma (ALM).  He will need a total excisional biopsy for final diagnosis.  I heard that PET scan is the only best way for cancer staging.  My questions are:
1) In US/California, can a PET scan be ordered prior to a final pathology report is produced?
2) Can PET scan be done only on certain localized body parts?  If so, will that reduce the amount of radiation that my son will be exposed to?
Thank you in advance for your reply!

Annie

[Jumong]

I suggest you forget about the PET scan and wait until the biopsy results come in. If necessary, lymphoscintigraphy will be performed.
And don't forget to always discuss your choices with the oncologist first.

[maatson]

Compared with sentinel lymph node histology, we found that FDG-PET scans were insensitive for the detection of occult lymph node metastases.15 This interim report raised doubts whether PET scans could impact significantly patient care in patients with early-stage melanoma.
Inefficacy of F-18 fluorodeoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography scans for initial evaluation in early-stage cutaneous melanoma†

Jeffrey D. Wagner M.D.1,‡,*, Donald Schauwecker M.D., Ph.D.2, Darrell Davidson M.D., Ph.D.3, Theodore Logan M.D.4, John J. Coleman III M.D.1, Gary Hutchins Ph.D.2, Charlene Love R.N.1, Stacie Wenck M.S.N.1, Joanne Daggy M.S.5
Article first published online: 23 JUN 2005

DOI: 10.1002/cncr.21189

Copyright © 2005 American Cancer Society
Issue
Cancer
Volume 104, Issue 3, pages 570–579, 1 August 2005