title: Characterization of pulmonary lesions in patients with suspected lung cancer: computed tomography versus [¹⁸F] fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography.
abstract: Pulmonary nodules are of high clinical importance, given they may prove to be an early manifestation of lung cancer. Pulmonary nodules are small, focal, radiographic opacities that may be solitary or multiple. A solitary pulmonary nodule is a single, small (<-30 mm in diameter) opacity. Larger opacities are called masses and are often malignant. As imaging techniques improve and more nodules are detected, the optimal management of pulmonary nodules remains unclear. However, the question of malignancy of any given nodule remains the same. A standard contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan is often the first examination, followed by a number of other examinations. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical feasibility of CT versus integrated [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (PET)/low-dose CT scan in patients with suspected lung cancer and pulmonary lesions on CT. All results were controlled for reproducibility. We found that when used early in the work-up of the lesions, CT raised the prevalence of lung cancer in the population to the point where further diagnostic imaging examination could be considered futile. We also found that the overall diagnostic accuracy, as well as the classification probabilities and predictive values of the two modalities were not significantly different; the reproducibility of these results was substantial.
authors.affiliation: Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. stefhard@rm.dk
authors.forename: Stefan Walbom
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Harders
authors.forename: Hans Henrik
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hjorthaug
authors.forename: Anne Kirstine
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Arveschoug
authors.forename: Torben Riis
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meldgaard
authors.forename: Johanne Bach
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Hans Kristian
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Pilegaard
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hager
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rehling
authors.forename: Finn
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18