The value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the management of patients with lung cancer

Objectives PET/CT method has been found to be superior to CT in terms of sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis, staging, and restaging of lung cancer. The purpose of the study was to test the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of 18F-FDG PET/CT in our patients with lung cancer.

Methods Six hundred sixty six studies were performed in 650 patients between May 2006 and April 2009. There were 329 female and 321 male patients with mean age of 61 years (range, 23-82ys). 18F-FDG PET/CT studies were performed with indication of metabolic characterization of SPN (n=310), preoperative staging (n=245), and restaging (n=111) of patients with primary lung carcinoma. The results of PET/CT studies were analyzed retrospectively and compared to the radiologic and clinical follow-up data.

Results The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 18F-FDG PET/CT was 93%, 84%, 89%, and 94%, respectively.

Conclusions The optimal therapy requires precise diagnosis. Therefore, the most effective and optimal diagnostic methods are recommended for selection of patients with lung cancer for the most appropriate therapy. PET/CT has a high clinical impact on the management of patients with lung cancer by improving dramatically the sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy compared to the conventional imaging techniques. However, it is of high importance that positive findings have to be analyzed thorough due to the relatively low specificity of the method, especially following therapeutic interventions