In patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18FDG-PET)-scanning is shown to be of prognostic value. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive tumor with poor prognosis. Limited results on the prognostic and predictive value of the maximum standard uptake values (SUVmax) obtained during 18FDG-PET scanning in SCLC are available. An observational study in 75 chemonaive patients diagnosed with SCLC who underwent a 18FDG-PET scan was performed. SUVmax values of the primary tumor were related to the overall survival (OS) and the progression free survival (PFS). Significant lower SUVmax values of the primary tumor were observed in patients with stage I-III disease compared to stage IV disease. SUVmax did not discriminate for either OS or PFS in the whole group of patients. In patients with stage IV disease and treatment with chemotherapy, OS and PFS were significantly higher in patients with a high SUVmax. (p-value 0.005 and 0.002 respectively) compared to patients with a low SUVmax value. In patients with SCLC metabolic activity determined using 18FDG-PET (SUVmax) differed between stage I-III and stage IV diseases. Compared to NSCLC, the relationship between SUVmax) and prognosis seems more complex.
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