The use of radiolabeled somatostatin analog scintigraphy in the staging of small cell lung cancer patients.

Objectives: The prognosis of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is dismal with a median survival not exceeding 18 months. For the fact that the tumor stage remains the most significant prognostic factor, efforts have been made to improve its accuracy. We evaluated the role of somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) in the diagnosis and initial staging of SCLC in comparison with the conventional staging procedure.