Researchers from West Virginia University have reported that positron emission tomography (PET) is useful for staging of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The details of this study appeared in the January 2008 issue of Clinical Lung Cancer.¹

PET is a useful and widely used technique for staging of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There are fewer studies documenting the effectiveness of PET in SCLC. The current study evaluated the role of PET in 51 patients with SCLC. All 51 patients with computed tomography-detected SCLC were PET positive. Two of 51 patients had disease that was upstaged by PET, and six had disease that was downstaged. PET detected disease in additional sites in 13 patients. Important detection sites by PET and not by CT included supraclavicular nodes, bone lesions, and adrenal metastases. However, brain metastases were missed in half the patients with brain metastasis detected by CT scans. Change in disease management based on PET occurred in eight patients (16%). Radiation therapy was administered to six patients who would not have received radiation therapy based on CT scans. These authors concluded that PET was useful in staging except for brain metastasis.

Comments: It would appear that PET scanning is an important part of staging for SCLC and NSCLC.

Related News:

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More Evidence that PET Scans are Better than CT Scans for Staging Lung Cancer (4/29/2004)

PET Scanning More Accurate Than CT for Staging of Mediastinum in Patients with NSCLC (12/4/2003)

Combined PET/CT Scan Improves Staging for NSCLC (11/11/2003)

Integrated PET-CT Improves Staging of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (6/24/2003)

Reference:

¹ Vinjamuri M, Craig M, Campbell-Fontaine, et al. Can positron emission tomography be used as a staging tool for small-cell lung cancer? Clinical Lung Cancer. 2008;9:30-34.