Abstract
<b><i>Background:</i></b> The diagnostic evaluation of patients presenting with possible lung cancer is often complex and time consuming. A rapid outpatient diagnostic program (RODP) including <sup>18</sup>F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) as a routine diagnostic tool may improve timeliness, however the diagnostic performance of such a combined approach of RODP remains unclear. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> We evaluated timeliness of care and diagnostic performance of FDG-PET and contrast-enhanced CT (FDG-PET/CT) in an RODP for all patients referred with a chest X-ray suspicious of lung cancer. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Charts of patients referred to the 2-day RODP of our tertiary care university clinic after an abnormal chest X-ray between 1999 and 2009 were reviewed. Between 1999 and 2005 co-registered FDG-PET and CT imaging took place; from September 2005 onwards, a hybrid system was used. We analyzed timeliness of care and diagnostic performance of FDG-PET/CT to differentiate malignant from benign lesions. <b><i>Results:</i></b> In 386 patients available for analysis, 260 were diagnosed with lung cancer and 23 had another type of malignancy; in 78 patients benign disease was confirmed, and in another 45 the diagnosis was not pathologically confirmed but a median 24.5-month follow-up confirmed a benign outcome. Sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values and accuracy of FDG-PET/CT to differentiate lung cancer from benign disease were 97.7, 60.2, 92.5, 84.0 and 85.8%, respectively. Lung cancer patients had a median referral, diagnostic and therapeutic delay of 7, 2 and 19 days, respectively. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> FDG-PET/CT in an RODP setting for suspected lung cancer has high performance in detecting cancer and facilitates timely care.
Keywords
MedicineMediastinoscopyLung cancerThoracotomyLung cancer stagingPositron emission tomographyStage (stratigraphy)RadiologyNuclear medicineLymph nodeSurgeryInternal medicine
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Publication Info
- Year
- 2013
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 87
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 32-37
- Citations
- 4003
- Access
- Closed
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Cite This
Pepijn Brocken,
Erik H.F.M. van der Heijden,
P.N.R. Dekhuijzen
et al.
(2013).
High Performance of <sup>18</sup>F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography and Contrast-Enhanced CT in a Rapid Outpatient Diagnostic Program for Patients with Suspected Lung Cancer.
Respiration
, 87
(1)
, 32-37.
https://doi.org/10.1159/000347096
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1159/000347096