Diagnostic evaluation for interventional bronchoscopists and radiologists in lung cancer practice.

The global epidemic of lung cancer shows no signs of abating. It is generally accepted that accurate and cost-efficient diagnostic evaluation is the first important step to achieve the best outcomes of treatment. This is true in the context of disease confirmation, treatment planning, treatment monitoring, detection of and management of treatment failure or prognostication.

Utility of positron emission tomography for the detection of disease in residual neck nodes after (chemo)radiotherapy in head and neck cancer.

Background: This study evaluates the utility of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) in patients with a node-positive mucosal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who achieved a complete response at the primary site but had a residual mass in the neck 8 weeks or more after definitive (chemo)radiotherapy.

Methods: Between October 1996 and July 2002, 39 eligible patients were identified. The reference PET scan was performed at a median of 12 weeks (range, 8-32 weeks) after treatment.