Inefficacy of F-18 fluorodeoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography scans for initial evaluation in early-stage cutaneous melanoma.

Background: The purpose of the current study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of initial F-18 fluorodeoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scanning for detection of occult lymph node and distant metastases in patients with early-stage cutaneous melanoma.

Methods: The authors conducted a prospective nonrandomized clinical trial. Inclusion criteria were patients with cutaneous melanoma tumors > 1.