Objective: To determine the usefulness of positron emission tomography with fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG-PET) in lung cancer.
Methods: From September 1999 to April 2003, patients with lung cancer or indeterminate lung lesions on chest CT scan were enrolled, and underwent FDG-PET scanning.
Results: Of 104 patients, 64 (60%) had malignancy and 40 (40%) had a benign process. The standard uptake ratio (SUV) in patients with lung cancer was significantly higher than that in patients with benign disease, 4.5 (1.2 - 11.7) and 1.0 (0 - 7.7) respectively. The SUV was not related with histologic type, differentiation, staging and the size of lesion. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of PET imaging for lung cancer were 88%, 85% and 87% respectively, and the diagnostic specificity and accuracy for lung cancer with PET were significant higher than those with CT scan. The specificity and accuracy of lung lesions with a diameter >or= 1.5 cm with SUV method was better than that of lesions with a diameter < 1.5 cm. In 6 false positive patients, 4 were tuberculosis, 1 fungal infection and 1 organic pneumonia. Both PET and CT scan were poorly sensitive and specific for detecting local lymph node metastasis.
Conclusions: PET had advantages in evaluation of lung lesions, and integrated PET and CT were recommended for detecting local lymph node metastasis.