Long-term survival of 42 patients with resected N2 non-small-cell lung cancer: the impact of 2-F-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomogram mediastinal staging

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Prognostic information known preoperatively allows stratification of patients to surgery; induction therapy and surgery; or definitive chemoradiotherapy and may prevent a futile thoracotomy. Attention has focussed on the standard uptake value (SUV) of the primary tumour but less has been described regarding the 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) avidity of mediastinal nodes. We aimed, in a group of surgically resected cN0-1 but pN2 tumours, to compare the survival of patients with and without 18F-FDG avid mediastinal nodes. METHODS: Retrospective review of a surgical database identified cN0-1 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with pN2 disease after resection. Surviva..