Abstract:
Objective To evaluate the value of 18 fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG) positron emission tomography and computed tomography(PET/CT) for restaging metastasis of mediastinal lymph nodes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) after treatment.
Methods Of the 51 NSCLC patients(41 men and 10 women) at a mean age of 61 years(range 34-90 years) included in this study,29 had squamous carcinoma,20 had adenocarcinoma,and 2 had adenosquamous carcinoma.If the SUV threshold cutoff was >3.5 according to prior receiver operating characteristic analysis,the lymph nodes were defined as positive.
Results Mediastinal lymph nodes were detected in 45 of the 51 patients.The SUV value was >3.5 in 63%(79/125) lymph nodes,in 35%(28/79) lymph nodes less than 1cm in diameter,and in 65%(51/79) lymph nodes greater than 1cm in diameter,respectively.The positive rate of lymph nodes was 58%(46/79),41%(32/79),and 1%(1/79)in 20 patients with lung adenocarcinoma,in 29 patients with squamous carcinoma,and in 2 patients with adenosquamous carcinoma,respectively.No difference was found in the number of lymph nodes less or greater than 1cm in diameter between patients with lung adenocarcinoma and those with squamous carcinoma(
χ2=18.25,P<0.05).
Conclusion 18F-FDG PET/CT has a high predictive value for restaging metastasis of mediastinal lymph nodes in NSCL patients.