RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 High performance and timely care of integrated FDG-PET and diagnostic CT in a rapid outpatient diagnostic program for suspected lung cancer patients
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP P4191
VO 40
IS Suppl 56
A1 Pepijn Brocken
A1 Hendrikus Van der Heijden
A1 Richard Dekhuizen
A1 Liesbeth Peters-Bax
A1 Lioe-Fee De Geus-Oei
YR 2012
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P4191.abstract
AB INTRODUCTIONThe objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of 18F-fluorodeoxy-glucose-Positron Emission Tomography with integrated contrast enhanced Computed Tomography (FDG-PET/CT) as a routine diagnostic tool in a Rapid Outpatient Diagnostic Program (RODP) for patients referred on the basis of a chest X-ray suspicious of lung cancer.METHODSA retrospective chart study was conducted of all patients referred to the two-day RODP of our tertiary care university clinic between 1999 and 2009 after an abnormal chest X-ray. We analyzed timeliness of care and the diagnostic performance of FDG-PET/CT to differentiate between malignant and benign lesions.RESULTSIn 386 patients available for analysis, 260 patients were diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC) of both subtypes; 23 patients had another type of malignancy, 78 patients had certain benign disease, and in 45 patients the diagnosis was not pathologically confirmed but a median 24.5 months follow up confirmed a benign outcome. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value and accuracy of FDG-PET/CT to differentiate lung cancer from benign disease were 97.7%, 60.2%, 92.5%, 84.0% and 85.7% respectively. For lung cancer patients, median referral time was seven days, diagnostic delay was 2 days and therapeutic delay 19 days.CONCLUSIONFDG-PET/CT in an RODP setting for suspected lung cancer has high performance in detecting cancer and facilitates timely care.