title: Comparison of computed tomography and 57Co-bleomycin scintigraphy in staging the mediastinal lymph nodes of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
abstract: The value of computed tomography (CT) and of 57Co-bleomycin scintigraphy (57Co-BLM) in staging the mediastinal lymph nodes was compared in 28 patients suffering from non-small-cell lung cancer. The results were assessed against the pathological findings obtained during thoracotomy or mediastinoscopy. CT staging of the mediastinum had a sensitivity of 75%, a specificity of 80%, an accuracy of 79%, a positive predictive index of 60% and a negative predictive index of 89%. 57Co-BLM scintigraphic staging had a sensitivity of 43%, a specificity of 94%, an accuracy of 80%, a positive predictive index of 75% and a negative predictive index of 81%. In this small series these differences were not statistically significant; it thus appears that CT and 57Co-BLM are of equal value in staging the mediastinum. Mediastinoscopy is not contributory in case of a negative CT or 57Co-BLM. A positive CT or 57Co-BLM, however, indicates the need for histological verification of the mediastinal findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Roman Catholic Hospital, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: van der Laan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van den Brink
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: de Boer
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Piers
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beekhuis
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kengen
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D002283:Carcinoma, Bronchogenic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes; C030187:cobalt bleomycin; D001761:Bleomycin