Increased standardized uptake value in the primary lesion predicts nodal or distant metastases at presentation in lung cancer.

Standardized uptake value (SUV) has been linked to tumor aggressiveness and long-term prognosis. Based on the hypothesis that positron emission tomography (PET) SUV serves as a surrogate for biologic aggression, we investigated whether SUV in the primary lesion, independent of size, correlates with the presence of nodal or distant metastases at the time of presentation. We retrospectively reviewed computed tomography (CT) scan, PET scan, and histologic findings of consecutive patients in our lung cancer referral population evaluated between December 15, 2000 and April 15, 2004.