[Comparison between PET(-FDG) and computed tomography in the staging of lung cancer. Consequences for operability in 94 patients].
BACKGROUND
Lung cancer, a major application of FDG/PET-CT, has recently been introduced in daily practice in France. The authors retrospectively studied its impact on the management of this disease.


METHODS
The results of PET-CT and conventional assessment (brain imaging, chest and abdominal CT and possibly bone scintigraphy) were compared in 94 patients, referred for the staging of non-small cell lung cancer, or the assessment of a solitary lung lesion. The impact of thoracic lymph node involvement on the operability of patients was studied in 44 patients.


RESULTS
PET-CT revealed metastases in 20% of the patients without metastases found by conventional imaging and modified the stage of the disease in 28% of the cases. It changed the indication of surgical treatment in 19% of the cases and led to induction chemotherapy in two patients. In addition, two synchronous cancers were discovered. Regarding lymph node involvement, PET-CT remains of diagnostic value regardless of the scanner results.


CONCLUSIONS
The impact of PET-CT in assessing non-small cell lung cancer was confirmed in the authors' practice. Its interest and the consequences in some patients misclassified with conventional assessment have been demonstrated.
Prévost
A
A
Département d'oncologie médicale, institut Jean-Godinot, 1, rue du Général-Koenig, BP 171, 51056 Reims cedex, France. alain.prevost@reims.fnclcc.fr
Papathanassiou
D
D
Jovenin
N
N
Menéroux
B
B
Cuif-Job
A
A
Bruna-Muraille
C
C
Domange-Testard
A
A
Liehn
J-C
JC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011379:Prognosis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18