ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a poor prognosis even for early stages of the disease (stage I and II). We studied the prognostic value of PET FDG in patients with completely resected stage I and II NSCLC. METHODS: Retrospective study of 96 patients with NSCLC whose staging included 18F-FDG PET (fluoro deoxy glucose positron emission tomography). Histopathological stage was either stage I (75) or stage II (n=21). FDG uptake was measured as maximal standardized uptake value for body weight (SUVmax). Mean follow-up was 45+/-30 months (1-142 months). Overall and cancer-free survival rates were recorded. RESULTS: SUVmax were higher for stage II than for stage I (10.5+/-4.5 vs 8.5+/-5, p=0.04). Mean tumor volumes were equivalent for both stages (33 cm3, p=0.18), excluding a partial volume effect. The median SUVmax in the whole study population was 7.8. The median survival was significantly longer in patients with a lower (SUVmax