title: A prospective study of PET/CT in initial staging of small-cell lung cancer: comparison with CT, bone scintigraphy and bone marrow analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 15%-20% of all lung cancer cases. Accurate and fast staging is mandatory when choosing treatment, but current staging procedures are time consuming and lack sensitivity.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was designed to examine the role of combined positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) compared with standard staging (CT, bone scintigraphy and immunocytochemical assessment of bone marrow biopsy) of patients with SCLC. Thirty-four consecutive patients were included. Twenty-nine patients received initial PET/CT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PET/CT caused change of stage in 5/29 (17%). Excluding patients with unconfirmed findings or pleural effusion, the sensitivity for accurate staging of patients with extensive disease was the following: for standard staging 79%, PET 93% and PET/CT 93%. Specificity was 100%, 83% and 100%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results from this first study on PET/CT in SCLC indicates that PET/CT can simplify and perhaps even improve the accuracy of the current staging procedure in SCLC. A larger clinical trial, preferably with consequent histological confirmation in case of discordance, however, is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. malene.fischer@rh.dk
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loft
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Berthelsen
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Daugaard
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lassen
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology*; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18