Maximum standard uptake value of mediastinal lymph nodes on integrated FDG-PET-CT predicts pathology in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Positron emission tomography (PET) scans often help direct biopsies of mediastinal lymph nodes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the maximum standard uptake value (maxSUV) of individual nodes has not been evaluated.

Methods: This is a prospective study of consecutive patients with NSCLC, all of whom underwent integrated fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission-computed tomography (FDG-PET-CT) and had biopsy or resection of their mediastinal lymph nodes.

Results: There were 397 patients.