Positron emission tomographic scanning in the diagnosis and staging of non-small cell lung cancer 2 cm in size or less

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2005.07.014 Byline: Jeffrey L. Port, Rafael S. Andrade, Matthew A. Levin, Robert J. Korst, Paul C. Lee, David E. Becker, Nasser K. Altorki Abbreviations: BAC, bronchioloalveolar carcinoma; CT, computed tomography; FDG, fluorodeoxyglucose; NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer; PET, positron emission tomography; SUV, standard uptake value Abstract: Several studies have suggested that positron emission tomography is more accurate than computed tomography for the staging of non-small cell lung cancer and can reduce the rate of unnecessary thoracotomy in patients with potentially resectable disease. However, there are few data on the utility of positron emission tomography in the diagnosis of patients with tumors of 2 cm or less in size. Author Affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Weill-Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY