Prognostic value of thoracic FDG PET imaging after treatment for non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: We determined the prognostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) for patients with treated lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined patients who underwent FDG PET after first-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. FDG PET results were correlated with survival rates to determine whether FDG PET findings were predictive of outcomes. RESULTS: After initial therapy, 113 patients with non-small cell lung cancer underwent FDG PET. One hundred patients had positive FDG PET results and a median survival of 12 months (95% confidence interval, 9.2-15.4). Thirteen patients had negative FDG PET results, and 11 (85%) of these patients are still living at a median follow-up of 34 months. The difference in survival for patients with positive and negative FDG PET results was statistically significant (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: FDG PET has prognostic value and strongly correlates with survival rates of patients with treated lung cancer. Patients with positive FDG PET results have a significantly worse prognosis than patients with negative results. Additionally, FDG PET may be helpful in guiding therapeutic treatments.

Duke Scholars

Author Edward F. Patz Jr. Radiology, Cardiothoracic Imaging

Author James Emmett Herndon II Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics