Are There Any Additional Benefits to Performing Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Scans and Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging on Patients with Ground-Glass Nodules Prior to Surgery?.
- Author:
Jae Uk SONG
1
;
Junwhi SONG
;
Kyung Jong LEE
;
Hojoong KIM
;
O Jung KWON
;
Joon Young CHOI
;
Jhingook KIM
;
Joungho HAN
;
Sang Won UM
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Solitary Pulmonary Nodule; Adenocarcinoma; Neoplasm Staging; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; Brain; Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- MeSH: Adenocarcinoma; Brain*; Consensus; Electrons*; Humans; Lung; Magnetic Resonance Imaging*; Neoplasm Metastasis; Neoplasm Staging; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography; Retrospective Studies; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
- From:Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2017;80(4):368-376
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: BACKGROUND: A ground-glass nodule (GGN) represents early-stage lung adenocarcinoma. However, there is still no consensus for preoperative staging of GGNs. Therefore, we evaluated the need for the routine use of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scans and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during staging. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was undertaken in 72 patients with 74 GGNs of less than 3 cm in diameter, which were confirmed via surgery as malignancy, at the Samsung Medical Center between May 2010 and December 2011. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 59 years. The median GGN diameter was 18 mm. Pure and part-solid GGNs were identified in 35 (47.3%) and 39 (52.7%) cases, respectively. No mediastinal or distant metastasis was observed in these patients. In preoperative staging, all of the 74 GGNs were categorized as stage IA via chest CT scans. Additional PET/CT scans and brain MRIs classified 71 GGNs as stage IA, one as stage IIIA, and two as stage IV. However, surgery and additional diagnostic work-ups for abnormal findings from PET/CT scans classified 70 GGNs as stage IA, three as stage IB, and one as stage IIA. The chest CT scans did not differ from the combined modality of PET/CT scans and brain MRIs for the determination of the overall stage (94.6% vs. 90.5%; kappa value, 0.712). CONCLUSION: PET/CT scans in combination with brain MRIs have no additional benefit for the staging of patients with GGN lung adenocarcinoma before surgery.
